Any Kia owners here?

[dud]

Expensive is a "relative" term but I was surprised when I was shopping some on-line ads for a car. I found this:

I have a 2008 Kia Rondo EX V6 that has payments of $360.00 monthly. Only owned for 8 months so it still owes a little more than 5 years. Looking for someone to transfer names who want to have it and finish the payments. I'm willing to give it to you for free and you just make the payments.

Irregardless of the car owner's poor grammar ... I was curious so I did some research on this car. First, (IMHO) it is a really ugly car. I then pulled out the old calculator and did some simple math. Assuming that the owner took out a loan for 6 year (72 months) and they have made 8 payments they still owe 64 X $360 or $23,000 in principle and interest on it. I couldn't believe that this car could cost this much but to my surprise the MSRP on the 2009 does approach this (less any discount and incentives). Considering the really bad gas mileage this thing gets (20 to 22 MPG) and the massive amount of depreciation that you can expect on a Kia ... I have a hard time understanding why anyone would (in their right mind) buy one.

I guess my question is why ... why would one buy a kia when their are so many better alternatives? My guess (in the owner's case) is that Kia may have been offering some financing that they (the owner) would not normally qualify for.

 

[waffleironhead]

When KIA first hit the market they tried to corner the cheap/cheap market. But after realizing that most Americans would rather spend more money on a decent car with better interior and creature comforts, they changed their output.

How much would you expect a sub-suv to cost?

 

[KevinCU]

Originally posted by: dud

Expensive is a "relative" term but I was surprised when I was shopping some on-line ads for a car. I found this:

I have a 2008 Kia Rondo EX V6 that has payments of $360.00 monthly. Only owned for 8 months so it still owes a little more than 5 years. Looking for someone to transfer names who want to have it and finish the payments. I'm willing to give it to you for free and you just make the payments.

Irregardless of the car owner's poor grammar ... I was curious so I did some research on this car. First, (IMHO) it is a really ugly car. I then pulled out the old calculator and did some simple math. Assuming that the owner took out a loan for 6 year (72 months) and they have made 8 payments they still owe 64 X $360 or $23,000 in principle and interest on it. I couldn't believe that this car could cost this much but to my surprise the MSRP on the 2009 does approach this (less any discount and incentives). Considering the really bad gas mileage this thing gets (20 to 22 MPG) and the massive amount of depreciation that you can expect on a Kia ... I have a hard time understanding why anyone would (in their right mind) buy one.

I guess my question is why ... why would one buy a kia when their are so many better alternatives? My guess (in the owner's case) is that Kia may have been offering some financing that they (the owner) would not normally qualify for.

Gotta love the ironing.

Also, Kia vehicles may be cheap in quality, but most of them are still priced similar to their competitors.

 

[dud]

How much would you expect a sub-suv to cost?

The Rondo is not a sub-SUV, it is a wagon. To answer your question I would not expect a Kia (even new) of any type to cost this much. I guess my expectations are out-of-sync with reality. Buying a Kia guarantees that you are going to lose a ton in depreciation just in the first 5 minutes of ownership ... and it goes down from there. I cannot understand the logic in buying one when so many better vehicles are available.

Also, Kia vehicles may be cheap in quality, but most of them are still priced similar to their competitors.

I guess you are right, but again, why would you spend your hard earned money on one when other alternatives are there?

 

[Mermaidman]

Possibilities:
1) The seller's monthly payment likely includes the remainder of a previous loan. Not unexpected for someone who bought a Kia brand new. 😀
2) The loan interest rate could be high.
3) He paid too much for the Rondo.

I think the Ronda is a useful and decent vehicle, even if it isn't a looker. One thing to keep in mind--That 10 yr/100K powertrain warranty is not transferable to a 2nd owner.

Originally posted by: dud
Irregardless of the car owner's poor grammar ...

:laugh:

 

[Dr. Detroit]

The laon amount most likely includes TTL which on a $20K car is about 10% of the cars value.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

The laon amount most likely includes TTL which on a $20K car is about 10% of the cars value.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Nobody with half a brain would buy a Kia...and financing one for 5+ years is just fucking stupid. You'll be upside down for at least 4 years.

 

[postmortemIA]

really simple explanation, KIA dealers are known to give loan to people who wouldn't get one otherwise, now that with 15% interest rate is going to cost like ... well decent car.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Nobody with half a brain would buy a Kia...and financing one for 5+ years is just fucking stupid. You'll be upside down for at least 4 years.

GF has an '06 5spd Rio, which she's planning on driving till the wheels come off, her payments are under $200/mo, her insurance is dirt cheap, and the car gives her almost 40mpg.

I can't fault the choice.

Someone looking for a long-term car (the warranty is incredible) that isn't concerned about badges or resale could do a lot worse.

 

[dud]

One thing to keep in mind--That 10 yr/100K powertrain warranty is not transferable to a 2nd owner.

I assumed all warranties to be transferrable. I had no idea. Another reason to buy one.

Nobody with half a brain would buy a Kia...and financing one for 5+ years is just fucking stupid. You'll be upside down for at least 4 years.

Agreed. It makes no sense.

really simple explanation, KIA dealers are known to give loan to people who wouldn't get one otherwise, now that with 15% interest rate is going to cost like ... well decent car.

This is the only explanation that makes any sense ... unless the original owner is a moron or the village idiot.

 

[dud]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Nobody with half a brain would buy a Kia...and financing one for 5+ years is just fucking stupid. You'll be upside down for at least 4 years.

GF has an '06 5spd Rio, which she's planning on driving till the wheels come off, her payments are under $200/mo, her insurance is dirt cheap, and the car gives her almost 40mpg.

I can't fault the choice.

Someone looking for a long-term car (the warranty is incredible) that isn't concerned about badges or resale could do a lot worse.

In this situation I would agree that a Rio is a good choice. I understand that they are very inexpensive and should be reasonably reliable if maintained. I bet you that your GF didn't over $20K for it ...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Nobody with half a brain would buy a Kia...and financing one for 5+ years is just fucking stupid. You'll be upside down for at least 4 years.

GF has an '06 5spd Rio, which she's planning on driving till the wheels come off, her payments are under $200/mo, her insurance is dirt cheap, and the car gives her almost 40mpg.

I can't fault the choice.

Someone looking for a long-term car (the warranty is incredible) that isn't concerned about badges or resale could do a lot worse.

Depends on how much time she spends at the dealership dealing with "warranty issues." I don't think Kia is exactly known for reliability or customer service.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: dud

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Nobody with half a brain would buy a Kia...and financing one for 5+ years is just fucking stupid. You'll be upside down for at least 4 years.

GF has an '06 5spd Rio, which she's planning on driving till the wheels come off, her payments are under $200/mo, her insurance is dirt cheap, and the car gives her almost 40mpg.

I can't fault the choice.

Someone looking for a long-term car (the warranty is incredible) that isn't concerned about badges or resale could do a lot worse.

In this situation I would agree that a Rio is a good choice. I understand that they are very inexpensive and should be reasonably reliable if maintained. I bet you that your GF didn't over $20K for it ...

For 20k I'd buy a Subaru personally.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: dud

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Nobody with half a brain would buy a Kia...and financing one for 5+ years is just fucking stupid. You'll be upside down for at least 4 years.

GF has an '06 5spd Rio, which she's planning on driving till the wheels come off, her payments are under $200/mo, her insurance is dirt cheap, and the car gives her almost 40mpg.

I can't fault the choice.

Someone looking for a long-term car (the warranty is incredible) that isn't concerned about badges or resale could do a lot worse.

In this situation I would agree that a Rio is a good choice. I understand that they are very inexpensive and should be reasonably reliable if maintained. I bet you that your GF didn't over $20K for it ...

For 20k I'd buy a Subaru personally.

(1)- It didn't cost anywhere near $20k, it was $10.9k, with 2,500 down, at something like 6%. Payments are a little under $200/mo.

(2)- It's going on 50k miles, with nothing that has needed service. Just brakes once, oil changes, and a set of tires. Has always started right up, ran smooth, and never overheated.

(3)- Even at 0% interest, $20k would be a whole different world of expense. With the same $2,500 down payment, financing $17.5k for 4 years would be $364/mo, which is way more than she was wanting to mess with.

Buying a Kia and expecting it to have high resale, or to impress anyone by the badge, is not a good move.

That said, the reliability and fuel economy has been rock-solid so far, and it's basically a Hyundai product these days (lots of overlapping parts, motors, transmissions, seats, etc) .. pretty much on par with most other mass manufacturers for quality. I prefer my Focus, but again, it was a bit more expensive than a Rio. I don't know why anyone would say that nobody should buy a Kia, they make sense for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. It's the beauty of the auto market, there's pretty much something for everyone.