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Comments
I called and they said they have 2 on the lot at that price for the next two days. I have not been over to investigate further, but another dealer I called said that it probably was untrue. A fully loaded Sorento should retail for $27,710. I live just outside of Boston, MA. What do you guys think? A bait and switch. It is snowing hard up here right now so I will not be able to see for myself until tomorrow. I will keep you all posted.
-mike
I am sure Sorento will rate 5 star on crash test. It looks like it has some kind of safety cage construction, crumble zones, front & side airbags.
there's been quite a bit of discussion relating to purchase prices in the States.... so this is a message relating to all Canadian Sorento buyers. How much should I expect a Kia dealer to discount on the (EX model) in Canadian $$$
http://www.msnbc.com/news/843176.asp
It was a shock to me to read that, "...on average, the automakers make $5,500 more off of every mid-size SUV than they do off of a car." Just think of that! GM, Ford, etc...can knock $5,500 off any of their SUVs and STILL make a profit!! So could it be that KIA is knocking off $4,500, just to gain entry, increase market share, and improve image? .....and still make a profit?
The last paragraph of the article is also interesting, "Foreign automakers continue to make headway into the SUV market...South Korea’s Kia Motors Corp. sold 3,330 of its Sorento SUVs [in November]." I wonder how many of these 3,330 new Sorento owners are reading this forum...
Second, to answer the query of how Kia does it with such low prices...They lose on almost every vehicle they sell here. This is the tried and true strategy of building market share in order to familiarize new consumers to their brand. This reminds me of how Nissan when they first came to the US used to have their managers living together in dorm-like conditions to save money bc they were losing money on each car they barely sold.
Ya'll have to realize that the 10/100,000mi warranty is simply unbelievable. If you talk to any industry people, they'll tell ya'll that there's no way a major manufacturer can offer a warranty like that and survive. This warranty is a testament to the humongous ambition of the Kia/Hyundai industrial conglomerate (which is an international behemoth both by revenues and profit). They have so much faith in their ability to crank out world-beating cars with quality that they're basically betting their shirts. This is why every Kia ya'll buy is a free gift. With the features/looks/etc these vehicles have, each Kia comes with dozens of free amenities at literally no cost to you. Obviously, once Kia becomes entrenched here, their prices will become like the ridiculous Toyota/Honda ones. I mean, come on, Honda Odyssey or Pilot prices, for example, are obscene (and the irony is that their "capital equipment" the machines used to make these cars are often from the same sources...yes, Korean and Japanese cars share a lot of technology bc Koreans got their start from their engineers studying in Japan and have close colleague and contacts in Japan to this day...so same parts and the Japanese slap obscene prices on 'em to fund their luxurious expense accounts while the Koreans still have the eye of the tiger and want to beat the Japanese senseless...kinda like how Germans feel about the French...
But I digress.
come on. what dumb car sales person is going to bad mouth a product they are selling? He/She has to earn a living like everyone else. Everyone who drives up to their lot is a potential sales and money in their pocket.
If one is that concerned about the past reliabilty than, we all better stop buying domestics. Gm, Ford, and chrysler don't exactly have the best historical track record but thats not preventing people from buying their vehicles. Honda and toyota have their share of problems too, but you don't see people stop buying their vehicles.
My friends gave me a hard time when i purchased a ford escort whiles back saying it would break down and never make it to 50k before engine blew up. Well the vehicle made it to 103k in 5 years and only thing I had to replace was the crank shaft pulley other than routine maintenance. I traded in the car so I could get a mid size car and it was still running fine.
All manufactures advertise low starting price in their commercials with base models and jack it up by adding numerous options. What Kia is doing is nothing new. You have to remember, Kia is built in korea, but the way the vehicle is sold and marketed is done by the americans using american marketing technique and sales procedure. I also serioulsy doubt you can find a comparable suv in the sorento price range with the same options.
Yes, Kia had some lousy built cars in the past. That is in the past and this is now. Kia knows if they want to remain in the US market, they better get serious about quality or they will end up like Yugo.
It's just, don't you feel a little bad when you pay near MSRP? I guess it's still a lot less compared to what the other automakers are charging.
BTW: How are the Sorento's for those people who are driving through the awful snow back east?
PS. In all the ads, the premium sound system for the Sorento is listed as Delphi. Yet the sound system in my girlfriend's Kia is a Delco. Are they the same?
Plenty of aftermarket insurance companies sell warranties similar to this for about $1000. These companies make money because the chance of a catastrophic (expensive) failure even in the first 10 years of a cars life is minimal.
It will help Kia sell more vehicles and in the long run, won't cost Kia much in warranty repairs.
-mike
#1220: Let me try and answer your questions.
1. Yes, that red symbol to the left of the 'check engine' light tells you if the airbags are operating properly. It should turn on when you start your car. Then, it runs a 2 second diagnostic and if everything is OK, it turns off.
2. I'm not sure what you mean by number setting for the defroster. Don't forget you have 3 ways of setting your front defrosters: 1) the button to the right of the HAZARD button activates an electrical defroster for your front wipers, 2) you can use the MODE button to direct air at your feet and at the front windshield and side windows, and 3) the button to the right of the A/C (with the defroster symbol) will direct air to windshield and side windows. FYI, the rear window defroster button is to the left of HAZARD and it also activates the side mirror heaters.
3. Because you have auto climate control, the outside temp gauge is NOT part of the multi-gauge (which is above your rearview mirror). To check outside temp (i.e., ambient), press the "AMB" button. If you're asking how to switch over to Fahrenheit, do this: press the TEMP DOWN button and the AMB button and hold for 3 seconds.
Hope this helps....hope you get your manuals soon...glad you're thrilled with your Sorento!
-mike
Also, the people who buy warranties are by definition the best risks bc through self-selection these very people are the most careful with their autos, so the ins people get the cream of the crop...when Kia offers it to everyone who buys they do not have the luxury of choice in the matter to the extent that aftermarket insurers have.
Finally, Kia does have the BEST WARRANTY in the business bc if you read the fine print of competitors like Isuzu and the others the extent of the coverage from powertrain to the complete vehicle is quite less than Kia/Hyundai. Read the fine print. Sheesh.
I can go on, but it's evening here and I need to get back to my good book and my fine brandy. Long live the Confederacy! Well, if a good ol' boy like me can love Kia I think they'll succeed, don't ya'll think so?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Don't you think that's a bit strong?
tidester, host
http://www.ertico.com/partners/partlist/delphi.htm
Anyone else has any additional info? Regardless, the system sounds GREAT!
-mike
As for "ilovemysephia"...huh? I'm not sure if that's an endorsement or a criticism or some sort of subterfuge...my Yankee English skills must be rusty 'cause I don't understand this Nuuu Yawwwk accent. BTW, we from the South do NOT have an accent...it's all ya'll who talk funny...after all, who made ya'lls accent the national standard, eh?
As for "schip"...non sequitur?...what is that? Is that like nom de guerre, or nom de plume...If you reread my post carefully you'll notice that it's nothing of the kind. The reply follows consistently a logical progression...even if I were to take your point seriously, you should be more specific in defense of your arg and not just throw out "non sequitur" to evidence some sort of supposed "lurnin'" Love ya'll. Again, we from the South love this Internet stuff, I'll tell ya.
-mike
:-)
-mike
r/s mwitt
fitwright: congrats to you also! Is it still at the dealer? Are you picking it up tomorrow? Is this the same great deal you saw advertised and were telling us about? That's a very good price for a 4x2. If it's a 4x4, that's a GREAT price. You ought to buy BOTH of them!
Anyway, I expected my fully loaded Sorento without self auto levering. But this come with the car and this is an one of three fully loaded left. They sold this option to me for $440 invoice price. It ends up $26190 with 3.9% rate. Couldn't get in for $26K even but they sold me the mug flaps for less. They only have red, black and my beige EX (all with two-tone) and few EX 4WDs with option. I felt some pressure because they mention the 3% price increase on January 2003 for all Sorento (I heard one guy said it in this forum before). Also, it looks like my Accord will be totalled. Front-end collision last night during a snow storm. I already contacted the manager so many times in email for $25770. Now is it just $440 more. It is a feature which you can find on Discovery and few other luxury SUVs. Anyway, Kia wants to sell what dealers have now and do a price increase next month. Can you believe it? After 3300 Sorentos, they are acting like Honda and Acura now.
I will pick up my car next week. Can't get auto insurance on the weekend. By the way, the sticker shows the transmission is asembled in Japan (do people feel more confidence on Kia now) and car is asembled in Korean.
The dealer did try to sell me the LoJack and extended warranty. Not interested and they gave me no pressure on this.
Alright. Thank you folks for your positive inputs.
Here's the link to the Road & Track article mentioned by mwitt58714:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews/firstdrives/articledisplay.asp?articleid=393
First paragraph of article captured the feeling many of us having about getting so much at such a low price, "... and you got it for less than anybody else, almost as if you'd pulled a fast one on the whole world."
Two other quotes from the article may help potential new owners take the plunge:
1. "A key difference between this new Kia and the previous cars we've seen from this Korean manufacturer is the new emphasis on attention to detail."
2. "The domestic, European and Japanese manufacturers would be wise to keep an eye on this Korean car builder. And so should consumers."
mwitt58714, I hear you about wanting running boards. Let us know if you see it somewhere. We're in northern CA, slightly east of SF.
Sad to hear about your accident
Glad to see you are OK (else you wouldn't be here participating).
Safe driving...
Has anybody read anything about Kia having a 3% price increase in 2003 or is this just a selling tool by the salesman?
package, abs rear spoiler and cargo tray. i also need help finding a good dealer in new york.
#1247: thanks, eastbayer! This forum helped me when I was still undecided and shopping. Now it's helping me with new owner hints and looking out for potential problems. So I'm simply trying to contribute where I can. As for my dealer, it's Florin Road Nissan Kia in Sacramento, CA...and YES, I highly recommend them, in particular, our salesperson, Sean Fowler. I must have e-mail every KIA dealer around SF, San Jose, & Sac. Less than half replied and half of those who did reply, used auto-response e-mail. Stay away from Fairfield KIA. They have a ridiculous ADM of $6,000. They came down $4,000 and absolutely would not budge (in other words, their final offer was $2,000 ABOVE MSRP and arrogantly showed me the door). I bought from Florin Road Kia at $500 above invoice or $1,033 below MSRP.
KIA USA has a new website for the Sorento. One major addition is a tab for Accessories:
http://kia.com/sorento/sorento-options.shtml
mwitt58714, guess what's there. Yep!! They have running boards!!....except Kia calls them "Side Runners". I tried to click on 'ORDER', but it seems their on-line ordering hasn't caught up their catalog yet. I'll try calling the Parts Dept. Monday.
I haven't read anything anywhere about a 3% price increase, except in post #1242. Could it be that lok888's salesperson was pressuring him?
carspy01: have your heard anything about a price increase?
Has Kia considered hypnotism? Seems like they are, and the Sorento is the object...
There are two other quality areas you may have noticed, but didn't mention:
1. Under the hood - there's a place for everything and everything is in its place. There are clamps and cable ties everywhere to minimize squeaks and rattles. The hood is held up by pneumatic struts, instead of springs or heaven forbid...a rod! Running horizontally in the front and back are large gaskets, to keep the engine compartment as clean as possible. Wires are not just strapped together; they are encased in plastic cable tubes. And what is most impressive is that the cable tubes are closed with heat-sensitive shrink wrap!
2. The spare tire & jack - the mechanism to store, lower, and raise the spare tire is simple, yet ingenious, making it easy to use. The latch to secure the tire is self-centering. The wire rope is anchored to a spring at the tire end, so that you can be sure the tire is stored snuggly, without over-tightening. The jack is hydraulic, compact, and extremely easy to use, unlike cheap scissor or worm jacks.
The comforting thought running through my mind is: if KIA spent this much time, effort, and $$'s in designing the hidden and 'not-so-obvious' systems, the overall quality has to leaps and bounds above average.
No joke.
Cheers!
Mike
mwitt58714: thanxs 4 your quick response.