“Buying a Car for my Child” is no longer the title of this blog, as you can see above.
Today, I took the plunge, and test drove my first two cars. The first was on my list, the Toyota Corolla, and the second was not on my list, the Hyundai Accent. My motivation was to get this party started is primarily because my daughter is turning 15 at the end of the month, and may decide to become motivated to get her learner’s permit this summer. Secondarily, I will be renting a manual transmission car during an upcoming vacation, and I wanted to make sure it was “just like riding a bike.” Honestly, it was easier!
I am going to use a 5 point scale to rate the cars as I test drive them, and identify the reasons why. I’m sure when I get a few more comparisons in the mix some of the points I assign will change, but I figure I have to start somewhere.
Both cars today received a four out of five-star rating for very different reasons. Honestly, I think that the Corolla received a four because I was a little disappointed in the steering. The Accent received a four because I was super surprised how much fun it was to drive. It is very zippy, and I love zippy.
The other interesting comparison was that even though they were both 2014, and the Corolla had approximately 8,000 miles less than the Accent, the Corolla was about $7,000 more than the Accent. The Corolla did have the “Plus” package and the Toyota name, but I’m not sure it was worth $7,000 more, especially when Hyundai’s Warranty is so much better. Food for thought.
Below is a side by side comparison. In bold are the features that the Corolla has which are not in the Accent. I like the rear camera and navigation system. The Smart Key is actually a negative for me. I prefer a key to start my car, not a button. I do not care about the Sunroof.
| 2014 Toyota Corolla S Plus | 2014 Hyundai Accent SE |
Gas Mileage 28 City 37 Highway Base Specifications Transmission Manual 6 Speed Drive 2WD Engine 1.8L Cylinders 4 Horsepower 132 horsepower@6000rpm Torque 128 torque@4400rpm Warranty (source: autobytel.com)
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Gas Mileage 27 City 38 Highway Base Specifications Transmission Manual 6 Speed Drive 2WD Engine 1.6L Cylinders 4 Horsepower 138 horsepower@6300rpm Torque 123 torque@4850rpm Warranty (source: autobytel.com)
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Since I have the Hyundai Elantra on my list to test drive in the future, I am very interested in the side by side of the Elantra with the Accent, so here is that comparison.
| 2014 Hyundai Accent SE | 2014 Hyundai Elantra |
Gas Mileage 27 City 38 Highway Base Specifications Transmission Manual 6 Speed Drive 2WD Engine 1.6L Cylinders 4 Horsepower 138 horsepower@6300rpm Torque 123 torque@4850rpm
Warranty (source: autobytel.com)
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Gas Mileage 27 City 37 Highway Base Specifications Transmission Manual 6 Speed Drive 2WD Engine 1.8L Cylinders 4 Horsepower 145 horsepower@6500rpm Torque 130 torque@4700rpm
Warranty (source: autobytel.com)
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Beth's Blog 
I remember that the second time my dad purchased a new car was for me when I turned 18. That was a wonderful feeling. It was my own car and I made a few changes in its car parts. I got the car seat covers changed and even the car steering wheel cover.
I used to wash my car on a regular basis to keep it neat and tidy.
Great article 🙂
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Thank you!
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