Vehicle Decision Making Time?

Question

I have narrowed my search down to the following cars:

- Hyundai Accent
- Saturn ION
- Suzuki Forenza

They are in no specific order. Based on reliability alone, which would you buy? I value your opinions and will make a decision today or tomorrow.

Answer 1

I would go to your local library or book store and take a look at Consumers Reports.

Based upon what I know of all these cars already however, from those 3, I would go with the Hyundai Accent. Hyundai has vastly improved their quality and reliability in the last 3-4 years to the point where I would actually consider one now. The Accent is a fairly well screwed together vehicle with decent handling and acceptable level of comfort. Taken care of, it would not be hard to get your moneys worth out of it in a few years.

Saturn's ION is unimpressive IMO. Suzuki's relibility is suspect and the Forenza is a car that doesn't do anything particularly well.

My honest opinion, however, is that if reliability is a concern for you, you shouldn't be looking at ANY of those cars. In that price range, you should be looking a Toyota Yaris or maybe a Honda Fit. Either one is a much higher quality machine and will be markedly more reliable than any of the ones you listed and will hold their RESALE value so much better that you will wind up SAVING money over the long run if you keep the car for 5 years or more.

Buying a new Hyundai, Saturn or Suzuki is a losing proposition. The value of those cars drops like a stone overnight, whereas a Toyota or Honda will be worth 80% of what you paid for it after you've driven for 2 years. You THINK you're saving money by going cheap, but you get burned when it is time to trade in or sell your car.

If you want one of those cars, then at least buy it used and let someone else eat the massive depreciation.

Answer 2

I like the Hyundai Accent out of those three. Ion is next, with the Suzuki bringing up the rear.

Answer 3

None of these cars have terrible reliability records but I'd probably choose the Hyundai Accent as the most reliable one. Nevertheless, if I were to buy one of those I'd get the ION because it's not as spartan as the other two and is actually more user friendly.

Answer 4

i would go the accent. not only does it have a great warranty, I'm actually a Hyundai mechanic and these cars are very reliable and easy to drive, good on fuel and easy to park.

Answer 5

They are all pretty dependable... I had a hyundai, went up to 198,000 miles on it... I like hyundai and saturn..

Answer 6

definately the Saturn