Ahhh! Peace at last!

[ColonelPanic]

Kari and I just got back from what was the most pleasant car buying expeience I've certainly ever had. Picked up a 2006 Hyundai Accent, loaded to the gills as far as Accents go. So, for $14-something, I have 4 wheel discs, ABS, side curtain air bags, side air bags, tilt, heated power mirrors (yay!), LIGHTED window controls for my power windows (quadruple yay, even the ones in the back light up! ), 172-watt 6-speaker CD player, keyless entry/alarm, 8-way adjustable driver's seat, 15" alloys, automatic, blah blah blah blah... Even has lighted vanity mirrors and a lighted glove box. Oooh! lol! No cruise though, which I thought was going to be a deal breaker. Shame on them for not making it optional, pretty crazy. But I recall past rides without cruise and how I've driven those for hundreds of thousands of miles and I survived. It should be easy to add aftermarket if I had to, but I don't think I need to at all. I've pretended for the last I don't know how long that the Vibe didn't have cruise, haven't used it, and I'm still here to type this. The car is just unreal for the price. Nothing feels cheap. It is roomy, quite comfortable, actually is significantly quieter than my ol' Vibe could ever think of being if you can believe that. It's just a solid, cheap transportation appliance that doesn't scream out "HEY, I'M CHEAP!" Everything looks and feels great, no squeaks, rattles, or any of that jazz anywhere to be heard. I'm very impressed with the car! 110 HP and all, it is zippy enough. I'm sure I'll hear some crap from you guys about that number, but you're not makin' my payment. A little slow off the line but in all reality, it doesn't feel that much different than the Vibe. I don't feel that it really needs any more oomph than it has.The deal was pretty good! All told, I ended up with $1500 off the $15410 MSRP of the Accent after the factory rebate and an internet rebate. They gave me $6900 for the ol' Vibe which was more than I was expecting. I ended up buying the Hyundai extended warranty to bring everything up to 100,000 across the board, including damage brought on by myself/etc. and GAP insurance, and financed for a shorter term. My "way-upside-down-in-the-Vibedness" ended up raising my payment only an extra $29/month AND I got to finance out 60 months this time instead of the "what was I thinking?" 72-term previously. It ain't the fastest thing, it isn't the flashiest thing, but this car is still quite amazing. I'm quite happy with the level of equipment, quality, and the peaceful driving experience I got for the money! The 36 highway figure with the automatic will come in handy too.No pics yet, but picture something somewhere between a Moonstone/Shadow and an Abyss, with a grey interior. I'll get pics later and let you know how the first few hundred miles go. Here's a few not-my-car pics though.

[damronjr]

Congrats! Looks pretty good from what I can see if it looks like that. Power is definitely low, but I see xB's trying to race me all the time!

[millster]

Congrats Colonel! A fine little ride you have there! Definitely looking forward to some actual photos of yours and of course a complete review!

[AKLGT]

so you finally got it! congrats! and you should be able to get cruise added fairly easily at an a/m shop.

[jeffgtx]

so all the little accents are sitting there on teh lot whispering...please dont pick me please dont pick me and the "in bettwen moonstone and abyss" accent goes "why are you guys saying that and another accent goes, you dont know? that colonelpanic. he brings the worst luck to any car he buys. he's cursed and he thinks its the cars. and the in between moonstone/abyss accent goes "oh give me a break. you guys are nuts.... how bad could it be............"[fade to black]

[jake75]

From your post I assume you extended the bumper to bumper warranty to 10 yrs 100,000 miles. Can you tell us what that cost?

[kostby]

Congrats on the new ride! New cars are always fun, at least until the first payment comes due!Seems like all the hell you've lived through with that Vibe must qualify you to bury it with full military honors, or at least a purple heart!

[BlueCrush]

Nice Ride, Colonel! Now you can look forward to may years of worry-free driving. The interior looks very nice. Look forward to your pics.

[Kari]

It really is a nice car, especially for the money. I wasn't sure what to expect size-wise, having only really seen the older version, but I was pleasantly surprised at how roomy this car is inside...width-wise it seems to be the same as the Vibe...just a bit shorter. The trunk is huge too.I got to drive it part of the way back tonight and it drives really well. I'm impressed. I love the color...it's really cool. It reminds me more of the Abyss than anything, but it's definitely not black...it's charcoal. 'Tis veddy nice. The dealership was great to work with too...the salesman we worked with was relatively new at the job but he was really good because he didn't have that "slick car salesman" thing going on. I was very impressed with the dealer overall, and our first time "wheeling and dealing" went very well I think.

[northvibe]

congrats! i also look forward to pics!

[jimincalif]

Congratulations! Wishing you 200,000+ miles of trouble free driving!

[NascarXprt]

congrats Colonel on your new car. enjoy it. yea Hyundai is a great company my mom is renting a 2006 sonata and its an incredible car i really like the way it drives. its very quiet and smooth though gears. the audio is incredible it has the 6 speaker setup. if i has too id trade my vibe for this car or even buy it and keep the vibe. its that great.

[ColonelPanic]

Thanks for all your positive feedback folks! It is great hearing it. Sure is weird knowing I no longer have the Vibe, anybody else feel that too when they moved on? It really was a great car, seeing how it brought me the one thing I had always wanted. I'm forever in the old beast's debt for that one, there's no way I can repay 'em!jeffgtx, that is the funniest thing I've read in a long time. There were three in a row, the one I picked out was in the center. I can just see that happening. Who knows, maybe my ol' Vibe will make a good car for somebody so no tellin' how many of its problems were between the seat and steering wheel. LOL! I guess we'll find out with this one eh? jake75, yep, that was for extending just the bumper-to-bumper portion up to 10/100,000. It was in the neighborhood of $1500. I didn't find it too bad, the finance guy claims it usually costs $3000 so that sounds good enough to me... Somehow I qualified for a discount for it, unless he tells everybody that. At any rate, I don't regret spending the extra, it didn't make the payment that much more and since I'll be keeping this car until it is paid off which will be when it gets close to 100,000 I'm sure it will come in handy. You guys know me, I'll find something to use it for. nascarxprt, that Sonata is one heck of a car! That's been the direction I was wanting to go in ever since I first saw the thing. They're amazing. But as much as I'd like to say I needed the 235 ponies under the hood and the huge interior, I have to say I don't think I really did. Silverawd26, no leather in this one... Has this funky canvas type fabric, seems pretty sturdy. Sorry I don't really have any good pics yet, it is still dark. I'm really enjoying the bottle holder, each door has one. That's a 20 oz bottle in there. They gave you room to stash I think around 7 drinks in this thing at once. I don't know how many of you guys will get the snake on the dash thing. It goes way back to the 2003 Ohio meet... Dude, I've got snakes! Sorry, just had to put the little guy up there, found him when cleaning the car out. Anyway, so far so good! It is a fun little car! I'm still in awe over all the refinement that went into this, it really doesn't make you feel like you're flyin' coach. Of course, more on it later I guess. It has been a loooong day!

[scherry2]

congrats on the new car. I hope its everything you hope it is.

[ArcsVibe]

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »congrats on the new car. I hope its everything you hope it is. X2! Congrats CP

[ramenboy...]

Quote, originally posted by jeffgtx »...and the in between moonstone/abyss accent goes "oh give me a break. you guys are nuts.... how bad could it be............"[fade to black] dude, that killed me!!!!anyways, colonel, congrats!!!!!! the accent is a very nice car. we drove one while we were in ft lauderdale in feb and it had a nice ride and feel!now am i the only one with the engine tapping noise?!??!?!?!! enjoy the ride

[ZubenElGenubi]

Congrats on the new car, CP. I wish you better luck than you had with your previous vehicle, although it's always sad to see another Vibe leave our ranks. At least Kari is still representing your family well!

[GMJAP]

Coolio! Looks really nice. I really like the interior/exterior color scheme you got as opposed to the marketing pics up top.Hyundai has come a long way, baby. I would definitely consider them next time we're up for a new car (which knock on wood won't be for a long time )Most of all though.....Good Luck with it!!

[damronjr]

Def not digging the lighted dash colors. I don't know why anyone would want yellow/green-orange dash lights, but I guess someone up there thought it was cool! Otherwise I like it. I think with some nice rims you would have a completely different car.

[kcorona]

Here's hoping your experience with Hyundai is tons better than the Vibe & GM dealers. Drive on and drive safe Colonel!

[drunkenmaxx]

not bad colonel! congratulations!if you don't mind me asking, what are your payments?did you put any money down?

[jwalcik]

enjoy the new ride. i haven't looked at a hyundai very closely in a quite a while, but i've got to say it doesn't look half bad!

[MrRich]

Congrats Colonel! The ride looks realy good. You deserve the most here a good car, after your lemon Vibe. Enjoy your new ride, how I do mine

[nygiantzz1]

Hi ColonelPanic, I am a new Vibe owner (even after reading most of your posts, I still bought one). I wanted you to know that I think you made a great choice with the Accent. my wife bought a 2005 Kia Optima (Hyundai Sonata Twin) last July. It is a great car, runs beautiful and it's built very well. The Optima has 14,000 miles so far and not one single problem. I think you are going to be very happy. Congratulations.

[kostby]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »I'm really enjoying the bottle holder, each door has one. That's a 20 oz bottle in there. They gave you room to stash I think around 7 drinks in this thing at once. Gee, SEVEN drink holders??? And the car holds, what, 5 people??? Hyundai MUST have a 7-passenger 'stretch limo' Accent in the works!

[Kari]

Quote, originally posted by kostby »Gee, SEVEN drink holders??? And the car holds, what, 5 people??? Hyundai MUST have a 7-passenger 'stretch limo' Accent in the works! Either that or they designed the car for people like him who have to have at least two drinks in the car at all times...

[joholste]

as far as the color goes i'd give it a gunmetal kinda color. Hey on Rallisport 2 one of the best cars is a hyundai accent

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by Kari »Either that or they designed the car for people like him who have to have at least two drinks in the car at all times... there is nothing wrong with that!

[Kari]

Yeah, it's like metallic gunmetal...it's really a nice color.

[drunkenmaxx]

Quote, originally posted by kostby »Gee, SEVEN drink holders??? cool, then you could have 8 beers secured at once! 7 in the holders, one in your hand!

[Atomb]

good job, colonol.glad to hear that you have acheived peace of mind (for the time being! )when all is said and done, they're pieces of metal that combust fuel to get us from A to B....that we goof around with to make us smile.enjoy the car, enjoy the calm, and please stick around!

[Jahntassa]

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »Def not digging the lighted dash colors. I don't know why anyone would want yellow/green-orange dash lights, but I guess someone up there thought it was cool! Otherwise I like it. I think with some nice rims you would have a completely different car.My probe was a darker green than that..and those seem similar to my Mom's 94' Accord. Not bad though. I can't get used to the purple/red in her current Passat.Coloniel: Man, I hear you on the payment thing! If this car is what you're liking and you're getting what you want, more power to you! I don't know if I could take 110 hp in anything but a really tiny car (even then, hA!) But that's me. I bought the GT for a reason, and I'm definitely paying for it.Let's all hope that your Vibe curse doesn't extend to this one!

[ColonelPanic]

The sea of green at night is certainly a huge difference from the red. I really like it, especially with the red gauge pointers contrasting at night. It is different than what it looks in the pics, my camera didn't pick up on it quite right. Everything seems to be lit by green LED's, after a couple hours behind the wheel nothing gets warm to the touch. lol! I'm enjoying all the extra stuff that lights up compared to what the Vibe had, all of the window switches, the dimmer switch control, even the trip odometer reset switch light up. And yes, I recounted: Seven drink holders. Drunken, yes, you could have a blast! There's one in each door, two nifty ones with spring-loaded thingamabobs that automagically adjust to the size of the cups in the console... Then in the back, there's a rear seat center armrest that folds down from the seatback which has another cup holder there too. Of course you'll have to lose one drunk friend since the person occupying the center rear will be keeping the cup holder from being used. I have a few more crappy night shots before I get the daytime pics, which will show up late tonight. Churning out a mighty 110 HP at 6,000 RPM's, and 106 pounds of torque at 4500, people fear my mighty 1.6L DOHC four with continuously variable valve timing. The engine compartment is nicely dressed too...A guy I work with was joking around with me, when I popped the hood and he pointed at the oxygen sensor and says "Dude, is that your spark plug?" lol! Lookie, I have one of those sporty roof mounted antennas too albeit a stubby one. lolAnd finally, the spacious trunk... This is all the crap that was in the Vibe. I've taken out some stuff but still have a few more things to go.Yep, I'm still loving this little thing! It is a LOT of fun if you can believe that. Thanks for your continued kind words!

[ColonelPanic]

I need to throw most of it away... lol! I'm going to drag the rest of it all inside tonight and sort through it all.I've made a promise to Kari that I wouldn't be such a slob/packrat/etc. with this car that I was with the Vibe and every other car that came before that one.

[kostby]

What the ****??? The forces of good in the universe must have finally overtaken the dark matter!!!It's been THREE WHOLE DAYS, and you haven't been back to the Hyundai dealer for any repairs yet?That's just totally unbelievable!!That Hyundai Accent must be BULLETPROOF! I guess what appears to be dark gray body panels is LEAD SHIELDING and ARMOR PLATING, eh Colonel? Maybe the US Army should send Accents to Iraq in place of the armored HumVees!-------------------On another note...My gosh, the service writers at the Pontiac dealers in your area need GRIEF COUNSELING! It must be like a close relative dying unexpectedly, not having you around on a weekly basis anymore!;P

[jeffgtx]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »My probe was a darker green than that..ah, much love for the ford probe. my first car....kotsby, i dont think teh curse has transferred yet. the titles are probably still in the mail and stuff is not finalized. about then we should start hearing about rattles and stuff. theres no way that vibe was that bad. that kind of luck is only reserved for people who make their living kicking puppies and tripping old ladies.... like the colonel.

[ColonelPanic]

jeffgtx, what the heck kind of person do you think I am anyway? I'd NEVER kick a puppy, that's just WRONG!!! Anyway, it IS a great way to make a living... Ask me how to be a total sleazeball of a human for fun and profit! (removed)! (j/k of course, I am no evil person!!!)Once again, you've got me rolling. kostby, yes, something strange is happening... I'm at 400 miles, I haven't even found a tiny bit of dysfunction, and I've looked hard! WHAT GIVES? lol! I don't mind though. And I don't think the dealer misses me, they didn't want me there when I owned the car. Can't say I blame them, I guess... Well, folks, on with the show... This is what it looks like during the day. Forgive me, it is dirty! The rain won't go away, it only shows up long enough to make it not worth washing the car.

[ColonelPanic]

I still didn't have it all nice and clean in the afternoon, but I went out to grab a few shots before some rain came through... I wasn't quick enough and ended up taking pics in the rain, which actually worked out good since I caught a few pics of a rainbow. Had a nice sunset later on though, so I was able to take a few more pics of the still-dirty car.. Oh yeah, first big disappointment came when I finally got around to washing the car. I never noticed I didn't see a tailpipe until I was drying the car off... There it is, all nice and neat, tucked away out of sight... HOW can I add some ricerific horsepower-boostin' huge exhaust tips with a setup like THIS? I guess I don't, but that's fine with me. There, a zillion more pictures since you guys always say you like pictures.

[AKLGT]

i like the color.

[kostby]

Rainbow over Hyundai...Hmmm. It must be a sign from God. You did the right thing, James!

[tnpartsguy]

CP, congrates! We ae supposed to get our Hyundai Franchise in June or July. (I'll post more about stuf in my world next week, when I'm sure I'm still going to be with the company with all the changes going on......)

[drunkenmaxx]

>

[ColonelPanic]

Thanks, partsguy! Interesting to hear about the new franchise, hope you can stick around there and give me some insider info. But seriously, I hope everything works out for you!Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe »>What, you don't like my rainbow? Silly drunken! I was actually intending to snap a pic of the sign about the raw sewage warnings, then I was like "hey, a rainbow!" (removed)!

[ColonelPanic]

Nice "milestone" tonight.

[tangerine]

Congrats on the ride, those new Hyundai have a pretty nice exhaust note to them too.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by tangerine »Congrats on the ride, those new Hyundai have a pretty nice exhaust note to them too. I haven't really heard it. I haven't had it much over 4,000-something RPM thus far...

[AKLGT]

always be nice to the car during your break in period. it will like you better... and CP, you NEED your car to LOVE you! lol

[ColonelPanic]

That was fast... At 4:25 this morning, a fourth digit appeared...*sigh!* Only 99,000 miles to go on the warranty! lolBut that is where the bad news ends. I've had more than enough time by now to find stuff wrong and I still can't manage to do so. Not a bad thing at all... No squeaks, no rattles, no abnormal noises, the paint is great, fit & finish are fine, nothing has fallen off, no bizarre malfunctions, not a bit of mechanical trouble or signs of potential trouble. All in all, it has been an enjoyable, uneventful 1,000 miles. This rocks!!!

[kostby]

In an unpublished excerpt from the Secret Life of Curby the Hyundai, Curby, a.k.a. the PanicFreeAccent, is thinking to itself..."4:25????? A.M.??? YAWNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!"(Stretching CV joints and flexing McPherson struts...)"These early morning drives are going to strip my gears! Are you listening, CP?""I'm NOT a morning car! My coolant doesn't even flow until 6:30, after I've had my first cup of unleaded!""I wanna sleep-in, like the Lexii and Infinitae owned by the doctors and lawyers in affluent suburbia! I'm really an Azera at heart.""Pamper me! Take me to the expensive car wash, where they dry me by hand, puh-leeeeease!""Buy me a tank of Premium! I really CAN use all that extra octane. Really!""Just watch, and I'll blow the doors of that Honda hybrid in the next lane.""VROOOOOOM! VROOOOOOM! SCREEEEEEEECH!""See! You didn't even know I could burn rubber, did you?"To be continued...

[ColonelPanic]

LOL! How do you come up with this stuff? So, she looks like a Curby? Probably not far from the truth since, well, I'm sure I'll be smacking curbs before you know it. But yes, even though you can buy two of these for the price of one Azera, this car is still being pampered as if it were an Azera. It does get the most expensive automatic wash complete with a blow dryer cycle at the end, and then I dry it off with towels that are far better than anything I dry myself with once I get out of the shower. lol! Just got back from the car wash actually... I do have to draw the line at premimum fuel, however. It shall never taste anything other than 87 octane, for I have learned my lesson from Sir Knocksalot. Once I fed it premimum, it disliked everything else.