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Honest opinions about Kia

L

LakerGod

Platinum Member
My pops wants to get my mother a new car, and buying a Kia is something that he can afford and still have money left in the bank. I've always thought Kia's were sucky ass cars, but he really wants me to test drive one and get my honest opinion if this car will suit my mom well. I think the car he is considering is the Kia Spectra. It looks alright to me, hopefully it will look as good when i test drive it. Other options would be going for a used 98 Camry, which runs for about the same price. If anybody has had experience with these cars, let me know how you feel. They obviously have a great warranty. Thanks in advance for the help.
 
We drove a rental Kia Optima (known as the "Magentis" in the UK). The car was very nicely built with a V6 engine. Infact one of us got a ticket for doign 93 in a 70. Apparently the car seems to pull even with a bus load of guys in the car and all their luggage.

I liked the car, the interior wasnt upto spec as what I would consider but for the price it was a steal.

I also rode in my friend's Kia Rio ( I think ), its a nice car for under 10 grand got a car with aircon and a engine big enough to pull. I like the rio especially the rear trunk feature. The rio is pretty well built for a car of its cost.

As for the spectra I really cant comment on it. I have seen only 2 on the road so far.

By the way, Kia has been building cars and shipping cars far longer than you think. They built the ford festia, and the Ford Festiva, the Tempo and something else. Ford uses them these days to build one of the cars made for the european market.
 
I rented a Kia Sephia once and took it on a pretty long trip. It felt fine and solid too. IMHO, its a fine car for Mom.
 


<< Why is he asking you to test drive it? I thought it was for your mom?😕 >>



Well he wants me to see if it's a good quality car. I guess he feels my opinion counts for something...hehe. Plus I am going to work the hell out of that car just to see if it can take it, although my mom drives very safely.
 
drive it up a hill. with 3 friends in it. and maybe some golf clubs or something. probably won't look so nice then.
 
Kias look pretty decent, their engines are potent, and they have a 10 year warranty, all in addition to boasting a bargain price. I don't see why you wouldn't want to get one over a Honda/Toyota/etc.
 
never driven or rode in a Kia so i won't comment on that. But what I will say is that they better come up with better names for their cars....what man would be proud of driving a "Sephia?"
 
Kia is a good choice

1. It is affordable

2. Looks decent

3. A lot of their cars are top 10 in insurance fee

4. So things might go wrong? There is a 10 year warranty.

Best budget car.
 
Its a decent budget car. Cheaper than the Hyundai or Daewoo offering with almost the same level of quality. Its not the quality level of a Toyota, but the powertrain warranty is solid. Just remember that the 10yr powertrain warranty is only for the first time buyer, for subsequent buyer its only 5yr/60K warranty. Another thing is the resale value of these things is almost non-existant. Something to consider if you're getting a loan, because more than likely it will deppreciates more than the value of the loan. Insurance should be fairly cheap for a 4cylinder Korean car.
Personally, I will take the 98 Camry since its a bigger family car and has Toyota reputation behind it, plus the price should be going down more with the release of the new 2002 Camry with its brand new design. More so if that Camry has V6 engine in it.


 
I had a friend who purchased a Kia Sephia and he had to take it in for SEVEN seperate recalls in less than three years. Also, the car set on fire two times in that same time span. I would NEVER buy a Kia.
 
Someone on this board used to work for Kia, i seem to recall. He said that they were not a good car compnay(suprise). I cant, for the life of me, remember who it was, though.
 
To the best of my knowledge Hyundai owns Kia and Daewoo is going to file for bankruptcy (in which GM is going to help buy them out) but I would first look at a hundai in that price range, they have been around longer and also have a great warranty.
 
Get a hyundai elantra
I test drove both the elantra and the accent. The elantra was a steal for how much they wanted for it..

This is coming from someone who drives a 2001 Honda Accord EXL
 
I think Kia is owned by Hyundai? If I HAD to get a cheap-Korean-made-car I'd get the Hyundai Elantra GLS which gives you a lot for the money.

But your best choice is getting a Toyota pre-owned certified used car.
 
Hyundai owns Kia Link

"" Kia started producing cars in 1974 under Peugeot and Fiat?s licenses. In 1986. it partnered with Ford, produced the Festiva (Pride) for Ford. The 1992 Sephia and next year?s Sportage SUV reflected the independence of the company which started exporting cars under its own name. It became the third largest Korean car maker but over-expansion was hit by the Asian economy crisis in 1998. Kia bankrupted and was acquired by Hyundai in the same year."
 
KIA == piece of crap. There's a reason they come with that warrenty.

Get a Certified Used Corolla, or if you dont mind spending the extra 5k, get a brand new 2003 Corolla. Test drove one the other day, they are quite nice.
 


<< I think Kia is owned by Hyundai? If I HAD to get a cheap-Korean-made-car I'd get the Hyundai Elantra GLS which gives you a lot for the money.

But your best choice is getting a Toyota pre-owned certified used car. >>



Whenever I was searching around for a Toyota Corrola the certified used toyota's often cost more than the brand new ones. I asked the dealer about this and they said it was because the warranty period was longer..Sorry but I'd rather have a new one rather than pay extra for a used car.
 
Kia has finally come around to producing some halfway decent cars, but they have their previous reputation hanging over them, just like Hyundai. That's why they have those outrageous warranties.

But if you're just looking for transportation & decent gas mileage and have no concern for the resell value, I'd say Kia is a pretty good bargain. Just plan on driving it until it's eventual demise and don't hold any hope for getting anything out of it except for transportation

(Hey, isn't this why cars were invented to begin with?)
 


<< Personally, I wouldn't buy from a company who's guilty of dumping product in the US. That hurts everybody. >>



Guess you don't buy any products made in Japan then, eh? The Japanese comapnies have long dumped onto the US market, much as we dump on theirs.

Ever wonder why no color televisions are made in the US any longer? The Japanese television manufacturers dumped their tvs so cheaply here that it drove the US makers out of business. All the US nameplates, such as RCA, Zenith, etc., are no longer US owned companies and their products are made in Mexico at best or China at worst.

The car companies are no better.........just ask yourself why their cars are so much more expensive in their own country as opposed to the prices charged here, even after an over-the-ocean shipment.
 
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