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Brand New 2002 Car for Less Than $7,000 (S.Cal)

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<< RossMAN, I believe the "fears" about KIA's safety were rumors started by the other car manufacturers.

NOTHING I have seen shows the KIA to be less safe than any other small car. It has the same engineering with "crumple zones" like most other cars. >>



I agree here. If you look at the link posted above, you'll see the 3 stars crash ratings on Rio (side), and Sophia's 4 (front - prolly close enough to Ria's) are pretty good for such small cars.

If you spend enough time looking at crash ratings of older used cars, like Cavalier (early-mid 90's), Neons, and Escorts, you'll see that some of them managed to do worth. Plus, when you are buying a used car, you will get previous airbag generation(like most pre-98 models), and you can never tell (on a used car) conditions of the safety components (I bet brakes on a used car will have larger chances of failing rather then on a never one).

And most already settled on the warranty issues. I don't know of many used cars that you can get for under $7k and still get 100% bumper to bumper (like Ford's pre-owned cars with up to 75k factory warranty).
 
KIA = Killed In Accident

Last three cars I bought were from reading the dealer ads early and driving straight over ready to buy.

Almost EVERY dealer will price match, but the other deal has to be LIVE and real, not the deal your friend got for the last whatever three weeks ago.

Walk out of time wasting dealers. If a dealer is wasting your time, fill out this, fill out that, and the this or that isn't a PURCHASE document, chances are they are just wasting your time trying to wear you down, AND keep you out of other dealers showrooms.
 
ericlp spend as long as you need on your post, you will still be wrong on this one.

If you post again you are proving how valuable your time really is..... Do it, you know you want to....
 
mikeford, did you actually get the car that was advertised in the ad? (FIAT=Fix It Again Tony; FORD=Found On Road Dead - the acronyms are endless and just as meaningless.)

Mine was the "loss-leader", the one that said "only 1 at this price". The ad broke late last night and I was there this morning with a cashier's check in hand. I also had to do a lot of pre negotiating - I actually wanted to finance the car, originally.

However, as you may know it is VERY RARE to actually get the ad car at the advertised price. The link to CarBuyingTips.com only mentions 2 cars the webmaster knows about in 4 years.
 
I read the entire thread, and maybe I missed it, but what did you pay exactly? I don't see the harm in atleast telling us the exact price if you're not going to post documentation. Seems like a pretty good deal. As a college student with very little money this deal appeals to me.
 


<< but what did you pay exactly? >>



Well, I said less than 7K so as to not get your hopes up. I'd say it is not worth flying to California because you probably won't get the same deal. The "other" best deal I could find with financing was 8k (still good for small monthly payments if your credit is good).

My advice was to look at the loss-leader ad at the best dealership around your local area. Even where I bought my Rio, the ads price will change from week-to-week (depending on advertising dollars allocated and manufacturer incentives). Get to know the dealer and find out from them HOW to get the ad car at the ad price. That is the only way I know (and I have heard this from several reliable sources over the years).

Get the car you want. If you must have a certain color or option (A/C for example, this WON'T work). If you are going to finance, it will also cost you more. Figure out what you can really pay and stick to your budget.

If you must really know, PM me.
 
Yeah I do want to... Just like you really want to say you own one of these cars... I know you do. You just don't want to admit it!

You drive that POS around like you are monkey on a foot ball. But as with any post if you have one of these cars you gotta make it sound like they are the best car in the world. Have you ever noticed that the car you drive you can spot other cars just like yours as you think to yourself ... "there is another one!!!" Anyway... Yeah... RIO is a great Car!!! I can't wait to go buy one! There... Are you guys happy now??? hahaha

If you want to test this... Just go to the Saturn Forum on the newsgroups and tell em it's normal for a saturn to burn half a quart of oil every 2-3K miles. And they will most certainly all agree... I use to own a Saturn it's a good car but still a cheap POS. All cars in my mind are P'sOF. Since they all require money and the longer you have them the sooner they will require more $$ to fix them.

Yeah, Warranty... But who wants to wait while the car is being fixed? Even if it were for free... You still have to spend your time taking it in to get it repaired. What good is a warranty if the car is cheap & unreliable?
 
ericlp, I DO own a 2000 Saturn with over 50K miles on it and it uses no oil between changes.

The warranty is fine since I no longer have to worry about fixing it myself, for 100,000 miles. I consider the Rio to be a "throwaway" car. Nothing special. it is my work transportation car.

I expect to get 100,000 repair-free miles. Anything over that is BONUS. And for less than 7K that is CHEAP.

Edited.
 
Thanks for the post apoppin. Beat's waiting for the bus in rain/snow for those who cant afford nicer cars.
 
Been looking for a cheap car, and I think this is exactly what I've been looking for. It might not be a luxuary car, but it's enough to get you around town.
 
Here's a very interesting thread I found in the UseNet although it has nothing to do with the Kia it does talk about Korean cars and how far they have come since the late 80's.
 
i cannot beleive you guys are such a holes tearing at this guys new car, he wanted a commuter and that is what he bought at a very good price with a warrantee that not even BMW or MB will offer! just because you have to roll in a BMW does not mean that a kia is not a nice car for someone. As far as it being a egg shell or a death trap yes if it was hit at 65mph by a dodge dakota or ford exploder it would be f'ed but that same dakota or exploder when hit by a suburban, hummer or excursion is f'ed as the suburban, hummer or excursion would be if hit by a mac truck!

Rossman as for your poll i would rather drive a new 2002 kia with warrantee than a used 1996 honda civic

I currently drive a 98 dodge but i hope to be getting somthing new soon for the fiance she drives a 95 dodge neon (which at the time of purchase was a stripped model besides the A/T) and her car has over 100,000 miles on it and we have never even had to change a light bulb on that puppie! now that is reliable! What will the replacment be??? Right now we have no idea, we dont even know a price range we are lookin at! well thats all folks!
 
another great thing about an inexpensive car is that if it does happen to get stolen it is no big loss! If a 2002 MB C32 or a 2002 BMW M3 got stolen that would be a pain as neither are very easily replaced.
 
Yes I really did get the ad car for the ad price.

Our newest car is a 1999 Lincoln Continental, factory sticker was a little over 42k, including the dealer added polishing and chrome plating of the wheels closer to $43k, and I bought it for a net cost of just under $27k. Not only did I get the ad price, but I got the wheels included at no cost.

Next car is a 1991 Mustang, that was a slam dunk 45 minutes at the dealer transaction. We found the ad, drove over, checked stock numbers to find the ad car, and told the saleman to write it up, then gave them a check for the full price and drove it home.

Best deal was on a 1986 Lincoln Mark VII. I chased an ad deal down about 2 hours away, drove out, got the ad price, PLUS $1500 to put in a hot stereo, and $1500 on top of the trade in to pay off my old car, PLUS a deal on the lease that had my payments at $281 a month including tax etc. Great car which we bought at the end of lease for $5k less than the plan residual, and kept until we bought the new Lincoln last year. The best part is that we were TOTALLY broke at the time with no money to make the current car payment or annual license fee that was due, and walked out with beautiful new car (I still miss it) and 30 days before the first payment was due.
 
Got one of these to drive through West LA. Couldn't go a block without people laughing.

So.....went to target and bought a car cover......cut a hole for the front and rear windshield and a slit for the door and now I drive it down the street and whenever anyone gives me a funny look I just say:

"What it's a Maranello....I just got it waxed."
 
I don't have too awfully much to add to the thread, but this past Friday I did get a brand new 2002 Saturn SC2 Coupe... I love it, but I think I'd like anything after learning and putting around in an '86 Celebrity for 2 years.

The most common problem I've read about with the Saturns is that they go through oil quickly... umm, what's the price of oil? $15 for a 12-pack case? I can deal...

CK
 
God forbid someone who actually has *real* experience with Kia's pipe in... I actually *own* one. And drive it every day. Every place I go. *gasp*...
I bought my 2001 in January, and since then I've put on 12,000 miles... in that time, I've had exactly one problem: a multi-function switch needed to be replaced (caused the air bag light on the dash board to flicker on and off). The dealer dropped me off for work that day, and picked me up again, so there was no inconvenience associated. Aside from that, it has been a perfectly problem-free car. Since I purchased the car, I've averaged 33.8MPG (including some mean winter conditions, and nice summer conditions... $2.00+ a gallon doesn't bother me with that kind of mileage)... for a four door car, you aren't going to get much better than that. As for safety, please... dual airbags and a decent frame cage is about as safe as any car that size can be... yeah, if I get creamed by some jack-ass on a cell phone in a SUV, I'll probably end up a little worse than he/she does... but I'm not going to drive around in an wasteful, expensive, ecologically irresponsible land yacht SUV just to be absolutely sure I can kill whoever I hit. This isn't the 1970s. You don't need a car that weighs more than your house... but enough on the soapbox.
To sum it up... I own one, I drive one, and I would buy another one. And if I lived in a climate where I could tolerate no A/C, I would jump for absolute joy at that chance to get one for under $7,000. They make great commuter cars.

If you feel like crapping in a thread, at least have the common sense to do it in a thread that you have some actual subject knowledge...

Rock on...
drake😎
 
This may be a deal but if I had 7k for a car I would buy a used Lexus or Toyota. It would outlast a KIA and probably have a higher resale after it's all said and done.
 


<< another great thing about an inexpensive car is that if it does happen to get stolen it is no big loss! If a 2002 MB C32 or a 2002 BMW M3 got stolen that would be a pain as neither are very easily replaced. >>



Well, there is insurance. 🙂

Well done, mikeford. This is my FIRST experience with an ad car.

Thanks for all your replies (even the thread "crappers"). My point of "used" verses "cheap new" is that used has no good warranty. And as I pointed out before, IF I get 100K trouble-free miles for $7K, I feel I got a good deal (and a downpayment on my next cheap transportation car).

😀

 
DrakeTechno, I liked my '97 Sephia too, only problems were the loose vacuum line and the brake pads (which they fixed on newer models). as i stated before too, only reason I got rid of it is I needed more room for my daughters. They arent that bad at all. My Sephia was an automatic and I averaged 28mpg, with mostly highway driving i would get just a tad over 30mpg.

edit: When i bought my '97 Sephia at the end of '97 (98 models where already out too) I did all my homework on them, and from all the reviews I read on the compact cars (again this is at the end of '97) Most all the sites and magazines (Edmund's, KBB, car & driver, etc.) actually said the Kia was the best bet for the money. Sephia that is, not Sportage. Kia has been around in the US since '94.

Before I had the Sephia, I had a '94 saturn SL1 standard trans 4 door. I got rid of it when it had 85k on it, reason I got rid of the SL1 was the wife doesnt like to drive a manual. We sold the Saturn back to Saturn (we bought it used and financed it) and we got more money than we owed on it ($600 more than we owed, which we used to put down on the Sephia) I was very pleased with the SL1 which is why we got a Saturn SW2 stationwagon. If we didnt need a bigger vehicle we would have kept the Kia. Well maybe, I probably would have traded it in on a newer model. Wife also likes the new car warrenties for peace of mind.

I am very well versed in buying new/used cars. It is actually easier to get a good price on a new car than used. too many factors in used cars. I much would rather buy new. Having worked with new car dealerships also helps know how to get the best price from them and what they can actually sell a car for.

EDIT #2: Apoppin, I also forgot to mention, you said if you get 100k miles from a $7k car you would be happy. Actually I dont remember where I read it at, it was on one of the many car websites out there, but what the automotive industry has said (again I dont remember which site i read this on, but i think it was a MSN car review site) that if a person gets a 1,000 miles per $100 of car then that is good. A $10,000 car you should get 100,000 miles to haev gotten you moeny out of it. Same goes for used cars as well. a $5,000 used car should get you 50,000 in order for you to get your money's worht out of it. Insurance and oil changes does not affect money put into it. Repairs are however. This formula they recommend using when trying to decide on weither or not to fix a car or to replace it also. like I said I dont remember where I read it, it was a couple of years ago, but it does make alot of sense too.
 
I'll chime in...

I purchased a '94 Saturn SL2 back in the winter of '98. It had 60,000 miles on it and a low blue book of around $9,000. I called some used car dealers and found one that let me go with him to the dealer auction and charged me $100 to buy it from the auction. I did the research, found 8-10 cars I was interested in, looked up the blue book and knocked $2,000 off of the LOW blue book as a final auction bid I would go for. About 1/2 way through the auction the '94 Saturn came up and I got it for $6,500. The people at the credit union where I got the financing thought it was a typo or something because it was so much below blue book.

I've now had the car for 3 years and it has 165,000 miles on it. I've NEVER had a problem with it, though I do get it tuned up and lube oil filtered religiously. I take it to the dealership with those $12.95 coupons they send you, $12.95 for the works plus wash and vacuum, and they take to to work and pick you up while they do it. Very pleased with my SL2 and yes it has A/C, ABS Brakes and even a sunroof.

This Kia sounds like a good deal, but my next car will come from a dealer auction and I hope to get a lease return LS series Saturn. My payment was less than $200/month and its now paid off (in just 3 years). I'll drive it till it dies, and it doesn't look to be dying any time soon. Many saturn owners report miles of 250,000+ Not bad.
 
Hey, I think a brand new car with full warranty for $7K is a great deal!! Kia's in general aren't all that reliable, but they have a great warranty! And after the warranty ends, just buy another for $7K and you'll be better off than most Civic, Saturn, Prizm or Corrolla owners!
 
You can get a car for less than invoice. It depends on supply and demand. I got my 2000 Mazda Millenia S Millenium Edition for $24,900 and the invoice on the car was over $29,000 with stick over $31,000. Now, if you are trying to get a Suburu WRX or a Honda Odyssey, then you will end up paying sticker or (heaven forbid) more. It just depends on how "in demand" the particular car is and what incentives are on at the time.

BTW, I got my car from a dealer that didn't even have it on the lot. So they had to find the car and I still got it for $6000 off of sticker. So it wasn't that they were trying to get it off their lot.

My recommendation is to get quotes from multiple dealers on-line. I used msn's carpoint service and Mazda's own site to request quotes. I was amazed at how much the dealers took off in the first round of negotiations. YMMV.
 


<< Got one of these to drive through West LA. Couldn't go a block without people laughing. >>



West LA!?!? You know the reputation THAT place has? LOL (Hollyweird) 😉


I have to head to work (straps on helmet and prays . . . not). Thanks for the replies and testimonials. I agree with the $1000 figure for 10K trouble-free miles. Cars are expensive . . . actually, I am hoping for 150K miles (you never know).

I just thought I'd share my experience with an ad car. It IS possible (although around 8K is more likely). And if you read the reviews in the links to "Motor Trend" and "Car & Driver" provided in this thread, the Rio isn't considered a bad deal even at MSRP as the cheapest car in America (a definite step up from a Yugo).


 
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