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Car Forum / Kia Cars / May 2004I was considering a kia but...
I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia vehicle, can anyone offer a positive reason to still consider a kia? I know they have a long warranty but still.. Thank You, Yvonne Recognize that happy people aren't nearly as vocal as unhappy people. Go to www.edmunds.com or similar and check out the owner ratings on Kias - they're rated very highly by their owners. I love mine. Jamie > I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on > line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia > vehicle, can anyone offer a positive reason to still consider a kia? I > know they have a long warranty but still.. Thank You, > > Yvonne Jamie is right Yvonne... As the old saying goes... "Bad news travels fast" Keep an open mind and check out some of the links provided. You did not mention what type of vehicle you were considering? I can tell you My wife and I love our 2000 Sephia (now called Spectra)... 132,000km with no break downs or major problems. My Sister Owns a 2001 Sephia and she just bought a 2004 Sedona EX in January and she loves them both! My best friend owns a 2002 Rio RXV... 60,000km and still going strong! To sum it up Yvonne... there is a reason that Kia is the fastest growing car company in the world, they are the best value on the road. They offer exceptional value, the best warranty in the business and provided that you perform what is called "regular maintenance" They will last you for a good number of trouble free enjoyable driving! Keep in mind when you are reading "opinions" from people who use these types of newsgroups you are basically taking their word. In fact what you could actually be reading is "Stuff on the bathroom wall!" Do you believe what you read on the wall of a public restroom? of course not! Don't take my word on Kia because you don't know me ... Check out these links from actual professionals. And please let us know what you decide. Cheers: Mike http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/rr/03sorento.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/021119-4.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/04amanti.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/030418-1.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/021224-1.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/02sedona.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/02rio_rx-v.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/040107-6.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/02spectra.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadtest/00sephia.htm > Recognize that happy people aren't nearly as vocal as unhappy people. Go to > www.edmunds.com or similar and check out the owner ratings on Kias - they're [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > > > Yvonne My only experience has been with our '03 Sedona, which has been very dependable, and was an excellent value off the lot. At 16,000 miles, there have been no major repairs and no breakdowns. Our only out-of-pocket expenses have been oil changes, tire rotation, and front brakes (yes, 16,000 seems a bit early for the brakes to go, but we lives in an urban area with lots of stop-and-go driving, and we have 3 teen drivers, too). My impression is that the majority of internet chat about the Sedona has been positive. If you search Google groups, you'll quite a few postings about it. There's also a Yahoo group (kiasedonaowners) where you can find owner experiences. Enjoy! Dan Our experience has been great, I would by another Kia Sedona again without hesitation. We bought a new 02 Sedona 2 years ago. Since that time we have amassed 44k miles on the vehicle, including driving across country (USA east<->west), it's seen lots of stop and go, as well as some highly indecent 3 figure speeds, all without incident. The vehicle has been run on synthetic oils (engine and transmission) from new, and with 44k miles on the engine it does not consume a drop of oil between changes (around every 7500 miles). Andrew > I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on > line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia > vehicle, can anyone offer a positive reason to still consider a kia? I > know they have a long warranty but still.. Thank You, > > Yvonne i have to agree with the others when they say to check some objective sources. as for me, i have an 03 sedona van that i have put 20,000 miles on. it has been from texas to canada and back. it is going again this summer. also all around texas and the east u.s. my family loves it as well. is it perfect? of course not, but what is? would i buy another one? absolutely. when i found the price, i was all over it like a duck on a junebug. what a deal. go check them out. > I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on > line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia > vehicle, can anyone offer a positive reason to still consider a kia? I > know they have a long warranty but still.. Thank You, > > Yvonne We bought ours in October and have about 8000 miles on it, so far, so good, lot of power and cruises the expressway like a champ. > I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on > line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia > vehicle, can anyone offer a positive reason to still consider a kia? I > know they have a long warranty but still.. Thank You, > > Yvonne I have a 2000 KIA Sephia LS. I have had no problems with it other than a power steering hose going bad at 89000 miles. I just had the Odometer turn 100,000 miles. The only complaint I have is that the suspension needs to be realigned around every 30K miles. This may also be due to the fact that I live 2 miles down a dirt road and drive around Phoenix, AZ all day. > I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on > line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia > vehicle, can anyone offer a positive reason to still consider a kia? I > know they have a long warranty but still.. Thank You, > > Yvonne > I have a 2000 KIA Sephia LS. I have had no problems with it other than a > power steering hose going bad at 89000 miles. I just had the Odometer turn > 100,000 miles. The only complaint I have is that the suspension needs to be > realigned around every 30K miles. This may also be due to the fact that I > live 2 miles down a dirt road and drive around Phoenix, AZ all day. The Sephia was the last KIA designed car before they were bought out by Hyundai. It's a decent car. KIA now, is made worse than Hyundai so as to not compete with Hyundai's idea that it should be the "better" brand. > The Sephia was the last KIA designed car before they were > bought out by Hyundai. It's a decent car. KIA now, is > made worse than Hyundai so as to not compete with Hyundai's > idea that it should be the "better" brand. Looking at the Amanti, the Sorento and the Sedona, I don't think the assertion is accurate. re: kia versus hyundai and so forth i have a 2003 hyundai elantra and a 2003 hyundai accent [i also own a '98 daewoo nubira, but that's a different sad/humorous bankruptcy in the usa story i can blame on a foolish wife who doesn't understand that one doesn't ever buy something new and unseasoned because it could go out of bizness, which it did in the usa] there is now a kia dealer within 10 miles, and i am thinking seriously again about kia in the future the problem/issue AIR-BAGS (?) the hyundais have life-saving SIDE air-abags as well as front air-bags do/does kia have SIDE airbags (as well as the front air-bags) ? hopefully, if not now, they will in the future when i'm really in the market again also, has the price & availability of that kia pick-up truck (shown at an auto show a couple months ago) been publicized yet ? it's quite a looker, and i bet it's at least $19,000 (before sales tax) with air/automatic also, kia should offer (if not already) sirius or xm satellite radio in their vehicles this would make driving in the miserable metro/city traffic at least somewhat less intolerable [i have become tired of local radio, and satellite radio would seem less boring--meanwhile, thank the gods for audio cassettes and NPR] >re: kia versus hyundai and so forth > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > >do/does kia have SIDE airbags (as well as the front air-bags) ? The less air bags the better. >also, kia should offer (if not already) sirius or xm satellite radio in their >vehicles [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >[i have become tired of local radio, and satellite radio would seem less >boring--meanwhile, thank the gods for audio cassettes and NPR] NPR is radio, isn't it? I don't listen to XM (I can't imagine PAYING for radio crap), but it would seem the same stuff is on XM as in FM or AM. Hence, CD's. That's pretty much what I listen to. On my 40-mile drive to work yesterday, I enjoyed, The Church Forget Yourself and on the way home I listened to a new Steven Covey book I borrowed at the library. gggggggfggggggg monsieur abuse glibly offered: >the less air bags the better. first, am recalling gary bussey publicly complaining about that awful required by law helmet for motorcycling, and gary subsequently crashing (un-helmeted?) so if your attitude about the air bag is not an issue regarding the noted problem of it injuring small children in front passenger seat ("sitting shotgun" as we used to call it), then why (anti-air bag) ? because, i think it saved my own (college age) daughter's life > the problem/issue > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > do/does kia have SIDE airbags (as well as the front air-bags) ? YES. My Sorento EX-L (2003) has front and side airbags. Since you don't specify which of the available models interests you and the one you do specify (pickup) isn't out, I'm not sure what to tell you. > also, kia should offer (if not already) sirius or xm satellite radio in their > vehicles It seems to me that radio variety is the least of concerns for most motorists. However, to answer your question, I'm not aware of any such gadget for a Kia but then I only own one and the future is just that, the future. Check their website frequently for more info. In the meantime, listen to public radio (as you mentioned) or use a CD. The big problem I see with Kia offerings is their relative heaviness and subsequent lower gas mileage. Now a heavy car by itself is not necessarily a bad thing; all else being equal the heavier car would probably come out the winner in a collision. Gas mileage, OTOH, is definitely an issue with many buyers and the price of gas on either side of the CAN / US border is hurting quite a few drivers I'm sure. As for the rest of the issues mentioned in this thread, it has been pointed out that most posters are people with questions or problems. This can lead anybody to have a negative impression. Hope this helps!  SignatureTim Lapin timl@sympatico.ca > > also, kia should offer (if not already) sirius or xm satellite radio in their > > vehicles [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > In the meantime, listen to public radio (as you mentioned) or use a CD. Or you could always buy a aftermarket XM or Sirus receiver and have it installed. That could solve all your woes. If you look at ANY newsgroup dealing with vehicles, you will find the same thing. There will be people unhappy with anything no matter what. These types will hate you because you gave them a million dollars, but gave it to them in pennies...... Seriously: you will find detractors as well as people praising any vehicle ( or product) no matter what newsgroup you look at. I would suggest forming your own opinion and deciding on what you find, not what n forum or class of information you look at Good luck > > > also, kia should offer (if not already) sirius or xm satellite radio in > their [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Or you could always buy a aftermarket XM or Sirus receiver and have it > installed. That could solve all your woes. >>The Sephia was the last KIA designed car before they were >>bought out by Hyundai. It's a decent car. KIA now, is [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Looking at the Amanti, the Sorento and the Sedona, I don't think the > assertion is accurate. KIA was made better than Hyundai to begin with, but was terrible at marketing and finances, so when Hyundai bought them out, they took all of the technical expertiese and applied it to their vehicles. KIA was suddenly in the position of Hyundai as far as quality and design. Take a look at any simmialr vehicle offered by KIA and Hyundai. It's clear that they are barely interested in keeping KIA alive while their main line is improved upon. At best, you get Hyundai clones instead of budget marvels like the Sephia was. The Rio and Spectra are all-Kia vehicles. They're inexpensive, but they are little more than basic transportation. The Amanti, Optima, Sedona, and Sorento all have Hyundai powertrains. The Optima is a clone of the Sonata and the Amanti is based on the XG. The fact is that the Sedona and Sorento were originally planned as Hyundai vehicles but they were moved to Kia to improve their product line. >I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on >line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia >vehicle, can anyone offer a positive reason to still consider a kia? I >know they have a long warranty but still.. Thank You, > >Yvonne Yeah, you get that sh.t here, particularly on usenet. As for me, I own an '02 Sedona EX. We've got around 35,000 miles. Only things gone wrong so far are minor (power seat, sun visor got pulled by 3-year old, same 3-year-old managed to shove three CD's in player). I'd say for the money it is very nice and powerful. I'd like to have it more roomy up front, but then it wouldn't be a minivan would it? Along those lines, there's also very little legroom in the second and third rows, and getting to the third row is a bitch. I am, however 6' 4" (191cm) and most cars/trucks are too small, AFAIC. >>I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on >>line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > >I am, however 6' 4" (191cm) and most cars/trucks are too small, AFAIC. We've got a 2002 Rio Cinco wagon. Bought it new for 10K. It has a great warranty and at 33K miles we have had no trouble at all with it. It's kind a gutless in some ways but gets almost 30 MPG. It's a good, cheap little dependable car. If we were to buy another new car we would probably buy another Kia. For the money, it's a good little car. You want side airbags and satellite radio, buy a Lexus >You want side airbags and satellite radio, buy a Lexus That's exactly what I was telling my Turbo Tax thing--buy a $35,000 (or whatever) Lexus SUV and get that $25,000 tax ripoff thing, a vonderful incentive to guzzle that precious resource that may be facilitating pre-mature hell-on-earth Meanwhile, you mightn't think about that your cost-efficient vehicle is not side air-bag equipped, until ...crunchh I don't know about the other KIA models but my 2004 Sorento has side curtain airbags & a 5 star side crash safety rating - maybe they've improved the other models as well?? I also must say I have the most comfortable seatbelts. I've never been able to stand them - until now. > >You want side airbags and satellite radio, buy a Lexus > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Meanwhile, you mightn't think about that your cost-efficient vehicle is not > side air-bag equipped, until ...crunchh Hi, I can offer a poitive account on my 2003 Kia Rio... I have 48,000 miles on it and it has been a great little car. The only problem I had with it was when I first got it, There was a problem with the wiring harness, which I took in and they fixed the wiring and replaced another part. Since then it has been just dandy. I will tell you that I am no nice person to cars. I take this thing over curbs and through mud and such. I have kept up on the maintenance and actually haven't been back to the dealer since I decided to go elsewhere for my oil changes. I prefer a multi-blend oil. But it has been a great little car, gets good gas mileage, not too bad pickup, its not a sports car but can usually manage to get out of its own way. Hope this helps a bit. Rob > I've seen a Lot of accounts of very unhappy kia owners, at least on > line. It has pretty much scared me away from wanting to try a new kia > vehicle, can anyone offer a positive reason to still consider a kia? I > know they have a long warranty but still.. Thank You, > > Yvonne |
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