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phorvick@loretel.net
I thought that was very funny , considering the price of the H2.
Kia, the general brand was found worst in the market.
I am an old fart and have had many new cars.
My 2 Kias , a Spectra and Sedona , are both a year old with plenty of miles on them.
I can't square any of my experience with what the " survey says".
I looked for some specific details and there are none. I wonde rif the survey is very useful.
After all , if my experience has been GREAT and I bought 2 different cars and 2 differt types of cars, shouldbn't I have had SOME issue?
I can assure you the dealer has not touched my cars since I tok them home. I have done the service and there has been nothing but oil changes needed. There is something goofy going on with those surveys.
Even the Buick PArk Avenue fell according to their survey. And the Lincoln went up. I have a cousin at Ford and I know the Lincoln could not have gone UP!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I currently have an Olds Alero where the lease is up next year (2000 with about 42,000miles). I enjoy driving the car a lot -- but if you want to talk about a company cutting corners, using cheap production parts and hoping for planned obsolence ---- GM takes the cake. The alero was introduced in 1999 to take on Camry and Accord. To this day there are problems common to most Aleros -- water leaks, warped brake rotors, cracking head gaskets, vibrating mirrors, heating/ac motors that fail.....the list goes on and on..... I've had all these replaced under warranty....but now that my warrantee is used up,,,I'll live with them until I turn the car in. I actually tried very hard to purchase a Sonata -- but the dealerships in NJ were so unaccomodating that it became a nightmare and I said the heck with it. It looks like I will go for either a Sonata GLS or KIA Optima SE (I like the Kia looks better, but Kia does not offer traction control).
Wheres the evidence on that one?
~alpha
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
This seemed noteworthy enough to ask the moderators to re-open this board. I've been happy with my KIAs. I got this '04 straight off the truck. I had to take delivery the next day so I could grab this one that was equipped right, I-4 with leather interior, and the right color, Pearl White.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I had too many start-stop freeway trips through Los Angeles and made the 5-spd a pain. I'm glad to see the I-4 now comes with the SportMatic dual-gate shifter. So far I like this transmission.
Ilu, it is nice to see you and some other familiar names still on this discussion board. I have had very good luck with all my KIAs, actually I think it is more Korean engineering skill than luck though.
It was a few months back a friend of mine that owns an automated machine shop rode in my Optima. He has been very impressed with what the Koreans are doing presently. He opened the panels of a new Korean milling machine to show me how well it was put together. Then he showed me a similarly new Japanese machine. The difference was amazing. As a tech type I could appreciate what I saw. Those Koreans are really putting out some amazing products.
Similarly, when I brought my new Optima to work this week a group of folks from the Japanese Defense Force, who are in for their annual testing, were very intently looking over my Optima. I know they were impressed with how many Japanese cars are being driven here in the US, I could see by their expressions when looking over my Korean-built car that they were concerned and probably thinking to themselves, "look out." It's obvious they were impressed with my car, but concerned.
The new climate control system is a nice feature. I also have an '85 Nissan 300ZX Turbo, too old for my commuting but a great weekend sports car, it has a climate control system but is never as controllable as a manual system. The Optima's allows me much more control over the ducting, fan, and settings, all the control of a manual system plus being automatic.
Another nice new feature is the automatic dimming rearview mirror. I do most of my commuting during the night hours - if you recall, I drive about 150 miles to the air terminal and home each way once a week and remain at my island workplace for a week at a time - this new dimmer really works great for eliminating glare from headlights in back of me, then returns to a normal setting allowing better visibility when the glaring lights are gone.
I think this new Optima and I will get along just fine. I'll keep the board updated about any praise or complaints I might have. My '01 Optima was just terrific. This one is even better.
I'm buying a Kia optima tomorrow(We could pass on the jokes, thanks)It's a 2002 with 26,000 miles. The only noticeable defects are two or three small dings in the body. Both the inside and body rate at least 9 out of 10. It's the LX model with the V6.. The price I'm paying is $7,999 Which is a down right steal compared with the prices I come up with in my research. I went to usedcars.com and searched through 300 2002 optimas and the cheapest car I could find was posted at $9,995. Most of them were around 11,500. Why is mine so cheap? The dealer has a good reputation and actually has two Optimas to choose from, both identical @ $7,995. I was to pick the car up today but the dealer told me he came across a recall (Something with a crankshaft censor)that must be addressed, so the car is being taken to a Kia dealer to have the part replaced. I'm pretty certain the dealer gets his kias from the parent company who is a kia dealer. I suspect the optimas were either rentals or leases. Anyway I just feel like I'm getting a really good deal .. a little too good at $7995 for a 2002 with 26,000 miles. Any opinions?
BTW, I am informed as to the pros and cons of kia and made my decision to buy one none the less.
Thanks!
Don
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Enterprise moves all of these cars quite rapidly and as far as I know, no dickering. So-- IMHO you got a real good deal on the Optima.
These prices were last summer. Rental lot prices tend to cheapen up a great deal in winter so things are probably headed south.
My brother owns the same car and loves his. I bought this one based on his recommendation and the few days I was able to drive it I loved it.
I have a bad feeling about this particular car and wanted to post this message to alert others to my problems.
Here is my KIA story. I bought a 2001 Optima KIA SE with 89K on it at a public auction in Commerce City Colorado. The intention was to buy it, sell it, and make some money. I won the auction for $4000, which was more than I needed to pay for a used KIA. I drove it about 30 miles, wondering if the timing belt had ever been changed. (Recommend to change it at 60k). Found out the hard way that it had not been when it broke. The dealer replaced the belt and the camshaft positioning sensor and got it back up and running.
When we got the title, we discovered it had been a repo and was 'ridden hard and put away wet.' A few fuses had blown, the door lock mechanism on the drivers side was worn out, and the antenna was not going up and down. The fuses, door lock, and antenna were pretty easy to fix and inexpensive (under $100). The tow bill and timng belt change was not (about $850).
Unfortunately, KIA's do not have a high resale value, especially with high miles. I was looking at at least a $1500 loss. I was frustrated cause me and my girlfriend really liked the car! So we decided to keep it.
Although the car has 89k miles on it, you would never know it. It is smooth, quiet, solid, sound. Put new tires on it and it runs completely straight down the road. No drips in the engine.
So here is the good and the bad news for KIA optima owners I think: The first Korean Hyundais were horrible. Because of this, resale values are bad. But remember the early 80's when Honda's first became popular? Everyone thought that they were crap as well, and the first generation models did lack. Overtime, whenthe things were still running at 150k miles, they got a reputation for longetivity which increased their resale value. I expect in the future that KIA resale values will go up, as there are more KIAs on the rode with high mileage still running.
are the Optima and Sonata built at the same plant in Korea? why does Kia still have such low scores reliability wise, while Hyundai has improved?
thanks!
During the summer I checked three identically used cars on an Enterprise used car lot. If memory serves me right the Sonata was priced at $15K (remarkable for a rental car w. 25K), a Mazda 626 at $14K and two Optimas at $12K. And-- Enterprise doesn't dicker. All models sold quickly.
My advice-- buy new get a Sonata. Buy used get an Optima.
The new Spectra replacement looks great and the one year advance on the Elantra re-do should get it some added sales and make Kia a higher regarded mark.
I'm convinced that the first thing to wear out on this car will be the dimmer switch.
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2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I really like the Hyundai Sonata 2005 and was tickled when my fiance told me that the Sonata and Optima are very similar. I guess you get what you ask for. I have been saying when I buy a NEW car I want the Sonata, just not now. Planning a wedding and conserving money. But to actually get a "like Sonata" at a great price was great. I'm hearing little things about Kia now, but I don't care. I love my 2001 Optima and will drive very happily in it. No matter that it doesn't go very fast. I don't want to ruin my perfect driving record with a speeding ticket anyway.
I own a '04 Optima, black, all options but for the rear spoiler. I drove the car around 300 miles per day until last month. The comments that this car gets are outlandish to say the least. I was even stopped by a high schooler who just drooled over it.
My current impressions of the vehicle are the same as when I test drove it. Great styling, excellent fit and finish, interior very comfortable, sound system outstanding. After 15k miles, no rattles or squeaks. Anyone who is in the market for a new or used car would do well to consider the Optima. There are few enough of them on the road that most people have no idea what it is,especially since I've pretty much de-badged it. Average fuel mileage is 20, but I'm a performance driver so I'm happy with it.
Thus far, I've had no problems whatsoever. Performance wise, the vehicle is amazing for the price. The power and torque of the drivetrain I would rate as very good, save the occasional annoying extra upshift when using the sport shifter at full throttle. This can be a real drag when racing. I solved this by letting off the throttle during the shifts. Top speed driven thus far is 140 mph; body float starts around 120 or so - if you're going to drive that fast, consider upgrading the suspension and using an air dam.
The mods I've done thus far are a CAI, replaced the grill emblem with a EVOfusion emblem and removed all the chrome emblems from the trunk lid, replaced the trunk emblem with the Korean version. Wheel centercaps are blacked out and brake calipers are red. I'll have a laptop ECU interface shortly and will be putting on the Zefiro front bumper later this summer as well as the Next Generation dual exhaust.
I am still getting about 30 mpg
All said and done, my kia is still going strong (knocking on wood). I just wanted to leave a good note so people don't always see "negative" post.
got my car back from dealer after getting timing belt changed. They said the ck eng light was due to dirty egr valve and dirty injectors. They cleaned that and my wallet for the repairs. I drive off down the highway and the rpm's seem a little higher then normal. Few miles later "wham" ck engine light comes on and car is doing like 3k rpm 60. Back to dealer and said it was a speed sensor that went out. They replaced it at no charge, in about 30 minutes.
Off I go again. Seems the rpm's are running a little high. I can't seem to remember the actual numbers from before. Now it is doing about 2900 at 70mph. That right?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I just found this forum and I am sooo happy. Well, let me tell you my situation. I have a 2001 Kia Optima with 9000 miles on it. nope thats not a type O, Here is how. About 3 weeks ago, I was driving on the express way when all of a sudden something poped and my car just died. When I went to start it, the belt would spin but the engine didn't turn. Thats right folks, the timing belt snapped. So I took it to the dealership and they said that it would be about $2000.00 to fix all the bent pistons and heads and since my car had 64,000 miles on it, that $2000.00 was coming out of my pocket. So I was thinking and figured I call my regular mechanic and see what he thought. He called me back about an hour later and said that he could get a 2003 optima engine and install it for $2200.00. Sure I don't need to tell you what I choose to do. So, long story short, with a new clutch I paid $2400.00.
Now for the reason I'm posting. Since I have no warrenty now, I'm want to trick it out. I want to get a body kit for it and a supercharger or turbo for it but the only problem is I'm having a little trouble finding these things. I noticed that Beemerwacker said that he'll be putting on a zefiro front bumper and a next gen dual exhaust. Just wondering if you (beemerwacker) or anyone for that matter could point me in the right direction of finding these add on's. expecially the body kit. Thanks.
Can you look at my post a few up about the RPM's and tell me your RPM numbers at 70 mph?
Thanks.