Quote:
Originally Posted by CobaltSScrazy
GM 100k powertrain and Chrysler has the Lifetime warranty. Hyundai carries same warranty as Kia to my understanding...
I'm just shocked when I hear people buying Kia's. First thing that comes to mind (and this is not a personal attack, and I'm glad you're enjoying your purchase L.)
Kia=Yugo of 2008.
Sorry, and whenever I see a KIA driver pass me, my head gets filled with these: "?????????????????????? WHY????!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!????????? NO!!!! WHY??????"
CobaltSS
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I am sorry your head gets filled with ????????????????????WHY???????????????? .
Since you're in nursing school, maybe one of your instructors could help diagnose the intracranial question marks. Something like
automotive superquestion disorder, perhaps.
I did not want a Toyletta. A friend asked about Civics (he's happy with his Accord, his first Asian/US-American car) so off to the Hun-duh dealer I went. The saleshomie was such an arse-whole I really got turned off regarding any further pursuit of what I know is a good car.
Here we go: "These Civics are just marked up a couple of hundred dollars. They pretty much sell for sticker." "They have a 3/36 warranty. Hondas never have trouble. All we do in our shop is oil changes." I was going to biotch-slap the MF, but I left rather than gather charges for salting the battery of the mentally unarmed.
You just don't see many KIAs, the same goes for Suzukis. They are quality vehicles, but you don't see yourself every two minutes driving down the street.
That wasn't the overriding deal-maker. I got a car for 12 grand that, for similar stuff on another lot, would have cost 14-17 grand +.
When a good deal knocks on my door, I answer.
Thank you for not assaulting my Neanderthal existence. Neanderthals have feelings too.
KIA=Hyundai. Same parent, same shared chassis and engines and trannies.
Frankly KIA was not even on my radar 5 weeks ago. Like Suzuki and Saturn and some others off the screen, I didn't expend a lot of brain electricity ruminating about them.
What are the relative merits of a South Korean car with a bad acronym?
And what the hell is a Sorento, anyway?
My 95 Chrysler project went bad and got into the red in an unfortunate sort of way. My wife and I discussed a cure, but we couldn't get Mikmak to come by at 3 am and "borrow" the car, so we considered slightly used stuff like Grand Prix, Impala, Malibu (drove a new 2007 Maxx they were selling for 16,5).
One fine day, as the song goes, I sore an ad for a Suzuki SX4. I had no frikkin idear what an SX4 was, but I drove over and looked at it while the LHS was getting a rebuilt Mopar trannie (with a 3/100K warranty [follows-VIN, not person, BTW]) inserted into its wounded innards.
The SX4 is a great little drive, all the power I need and quick handling and a unique view out with a well-designed cockpit (see test elsewhere in this section).
There's lots of Suzuki $$ on the hoods these days and the warranty is 7/100K 3/36 B-B fully transferrable, unlike some others. For about $14,700 I could have droved off in the 'zooki.
Knowing IROCNROL1's fascination with, nee addiction to, the mighty Elantra, and since they are also on sale now, I drove one of them. Having a local dealer helped, the Suzuki is 25 miles away.
Nice car, lots of equipment, OTD for 15 grand (GLS) or 16 for the SE model with ESP, tilt/telescope, trip computer, brake assist (not sure I want that), 16" alloys, XM, and a few other gadgets.
Since Elantras and Spectras are virtual twins (I believe the Spectra uses the last-gen Elantra chassis--XD2 for 04-06, vs HD for 07+ Elantras) and use the same engines, and I sore KIA ads for cheep cars, I went out and drove one. Very nice car, and as I point out in a more extensive write-up, it fit nicely between the SX4 and the Elantra.
The Chevy dealer had no Cobalts on the lot, just one or two Aveos and the Avs are a bit too teenie for my tastes. I wasn't interested in a
Calibre or whatever the Neon replacement supposedly is, and like most Fords, the Focus is off the radar (no pun intended).
edit: With GM's constant name-changing, the only Pontiacs I think about are GPs, Bonnevilles, Vibes, and occasionally the G8. I would probably have driven a 2008 Sunfire, but I really don't know what a G5 is and I really don't care, either. If makers want to keep moving the target, that's fine, but my interest in that game is trumped by my interest in good quality at a good price. And if the G5 is half as ugly as the G6 then fuggeddaboutit.
Oddly, most Spectras on the lots (I'd guess 70%) have stick shifts, and we needed an automatic. Found a white 08 Spectra coming off the truck, but the sales mgr at that particular dealer was not cool and gave my wife a bad case of the creepies.
Meanwhile we'd been shopping the lot one mile up the road. The people there are very nice, my sales guy had been selling for like 15 days and had just sold his first car.
They had a new 07 EX on the lot and offered it at 12 grand. The EX model has all the toys excepting ABS. ABS is a 98% sure requirement for me, but the 4Wdiscs feel like pretty bulletproof snubbers so I made an exception to policy.
We also needed a vehicle for a relative, ended up getting a leftover 07 Rondo EX 2.4 four. Rondos were even further off my radar (since I'd never heard of them), but it's a great little package hardly any longer than the Spectra but with relatively huge space inside.
edit: Rondos are competitive+ with the RAV4 and the Vibe and others of that ilk. Very competitive. Go drive one and price one.
Rondos have all the toys including ESP, ABS, bags up the wazoo, and they were hankerin' to ditch it before the end of the month.
According to reports, there are some Rondos being tested in a NYC taxi fleet.
So the deal was made, we offloaded the now-repaired Mopar and got a toofer deal where the sales AND finance staff are nice and appear above-board (go figure, it has to happen somewhere I guess).
While I realize KIA is not a status word/brand, I don't care what the neighbors or my fellow road warriors think.
I know I wouldn't want a Lexus or MB because those are images I really don't care to have associated with me,
i.e. snobbery, are you a doctah?, need for status, Cadillac-driver syndrome, etc.
To me, KIA is up-and-coming. They're hungry, and they build a good car at a good price.
It is essentially no different from a Hyundai. The doors have a quality slam, the car is tight, the styling pleasant, the equipment extensive at the price. The car reminds me of the two 90s Proteges I owned (great, agile cars), and of my old Rover 2000, which was an extraordinary machine.
And thayitt's all I know about thayitt. (Forrest Gump)
edit: CD's take: Highs
Highs: Lots of features for the money, roomy interior, quiet at most speeds, surprisingly high assembly quality. Lows
Lows: Manual shifter vague and rubbery, overly light clutch, seats lack lumbar support.
What's New
What's new: Revised four-speed automatic transmission. Behind The Wheel
Behind the wheel: Over-assisted power steering, suspension tuned for cushy ride at the expense of prompt response, automatic could use a fifth ratio.
Capsule Review
Loaded with features at a great price, the Spectra doesn't feel like a compact economy car. Fit and finish is well above average, and interior materials are impressive for this price class. Roominess is another strong suit, road manners are competent, and pricing is tough to beat.
edit:Oh yes, the lumbar support is badly lacking in the front seats. The back seats have good lumbar, but I usually don't ride there whilst driving.
And of course there's the number-of-gears issue, but I'm sick of harping on that. A four speed works well here, a five-speed would work better, but that's the way it is today.
Oh yes, I'm considering changing the KIA tags. Perhaps I should run a poll:
1. KIA
2. VIK
3. CIA