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[Alucard]

I checked it out today, and I think I got a pretty sweet deal. I'm going to pay for it and pick it up next week. Here are some of the specs...

2000 Hyundai Accent
Silver colour
2 doors
Standard
Detachable cd player
Anti-theft device
New tires put on this past May
Fog lights (need to be activated...will likely be when I get it)
Oil change done just last week
62,000 kilometers

How much for all this? $5,700 Canadian! The only thing the car lacks is AC, but I've been driving without it for 4 years now so it's no biggie. There is also some rust around the wheels/brakes, but I can't complain for the price and everything else. It's essentially a new car, especially with the amount of kilometers on it.

 

[Pochacco]

Sounds like a pretty good deal.
62,000 is nothing!

Now give me a ride!!

 

[Pimpwerx]

That's not a bad price at all when you convert to US. That's a good deal, and it's not so bad on the mileage. Congrats, your first car owns my first car, a 1990 Hyundai Excel hatch. Man, what a POS. You should still have 6 years and 38,000 miles left on the warranty. PEACE.

 

[demon]

Not bad. I got my first car a couple weeks ago too, 98 Honda Prelude. It really changes your life, not being limited to biking distances and using the fucking bus all the time.

 

[Alucard]

Oh, it's not my first car. But it IS the first car that will totally be under my name and everything...so that's kind of exciting. I'm looking forward to weeks and months of frustration trying to learn how to properly drive stick though. Haha.

 

[Firest0rm]

Did you test drive it? Hyundai's are cheap but their known for breaking down faster. Especially since its a 2000 Hyundai, The new Hyundai models are pretty great deals.

 

[fart]

kias are better known for not breaking, but hopefully it'll work out for you. 6 thou CAN is pretty cheap. i'm a little worried about the rust as well.

 

[SKluck]

You paid pretty much exactly the kbb value. Not a deal, not a rip.

 

[fart]

wow the dollar has depreciated

 

[KingV]

Stick is not hard. You'll stall embarassingly for the first couple of weeks though. And then it will taper off.

 

[Alucard]

I just hate downshifting...and getting the car going in the first place is a bit of a pain too because I can't seem to make a smooth go of it. But I've only driven stick twice in my life now so uhh...hopefully I'll pick it up sooner than later.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Hmm, I didn't check the KBB on the car. That's fine though.

As for driving stick, maybe some pointers I wish others had given me. Don't try to get fancy on downshifts until you've gotten good on upshifts. That should be like a week or two of extensive driving. Take it slow and easy on the shifts. I'd go something like this:

1. press clutch fully in
2. with shift knob in palm of your hand (hand on top, not gripping it like a handle), slot the shifter into the gear you want
3. give the engine a little gas (2-3k rpm if you're lucky enough to have a rpm gauge), and slowly lift off the clutch until you feel it "biting", then start giving it more gas as you release the clutch

I didn't know some of the nuances. I too had only driven a stick twice before buying my car, and both times, the advice was "press the clutch to shift". Not very useful, and it was a herky-jerky experience. But I dloaded some vids online, and it's gotten better since then. I think it's important to keep your hand on top of the shifter when shifting b/c gripping it like a handle is more inaccurate. Whenever I've missed a shift, it's been when gripping it on the sides. So lately I've been palming it.

On downshifts, I used to just put the car in neutral and coast to a stop. Or if I was turning, I'd roll through the turn in neutral and then shift once the revs had dropped to idle, or once I'd gotten past the apex. I wasn't good at matching revs when I started out, and was using way too much engine braking. IMO, that's bad for the engine and will lead to longterm problems in the drivetrain. So I took it easy at first until I got good with the upshifts, then started learning how to downshift before a turn. Practice is all it is. Stay away from hills until you get the hang of it. And if you live in a hilly area, go out when you know it's clear, and practice on a nice, steep hill. That's honestly the fastest way to learn how to drive a stick, on a hill. PEACE.

 

[Alucard]

Do you still have the links for those instructional videos? I don't want to kill this car by constantly making it shake.