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Low End Sedans (under $16k)

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Comments

  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    I think I'll just stick with my current one.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    My roommate heard from her sister. The deal is done and the sister now owns a white Kia Rio with automatic transmission, air conditioning and stereo with cd.

    At least one thing I am glad about. She bought the Rio at a dealer other than the one that plasters there name over half the trunk lid. Personally, I never did like dealer badging.

    If anything goes wrong, she is prepared if anything needs to be done to get it back to the dealer for warranty work. Her husband is employed as a mechanic at a car dealership.

    After the 1,000 mile break in period is over, I am going to see if I can take the car for a test drive.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    It would appear that GM will continue selling Daewoos in North America and it will be as Daewoos rather than GM branded vehicles after the acquisition. Guess we will have the Lanos to kick around, after all. ; )
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Re the Tiburon replacement looking like a Supra (assuming it does, I'm not so sure--more edgy than Supra I think): so this is a bad thing? Would you rather it look like a 2-door Sephia? Improved styling (IMO) and V6 power--sounds like plusses to me.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Darn, I thought maybe the Lanos would be re-labeled as the Chevrolet Chevette. Then owners could say, "My car? Oh, I drive a 'vette." They could even bring back the old jingle, "Chevy Chevette, it'll drive you happy!"
    The Nubria could be the next Nova (except in Spanish-speaking countries?), and the Leganza could be the reincarnation of the Cadillac Cimarron--i.e., an economy car being passed off as a luxury car.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Well, all GM has done is put their signature to buying some parts of Daewoo in Korea. They still have to deal with the fact that DMA is in bankruptcy here in the US.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Not saying that the styling of the new Tiburon is a bad thing. Just wondering how Iluv will explain his beloved Kia (those cutting edge style masters) having gone back to a an old Toyota style for inspiration.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    Where is at iluv? There's a statement that needs rebuttlement!
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Does a car qualify as a lemon if it has a defect rate of 0.1875 percent? That's the reported failure rate for the 1998-2000 Sephias' brakes. Or, 300 cars out of 160,000. On average, about 100 cars each model year. Sure, more cars than what have been reported to the NHTSA may be affected, but that still seems like a low failure rate. Maybe the question is, at what point is a recall called for? Can't the NHTSA demand a recall if they believe it's warranted?
    Also look at the source of the "report"--a law firm that specializes in class-action suits against automakers.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    been recalled if NHTSB deemed it necessary. Kia continues to elicit jealous comments. I don't know about you guys but the Rio sedan is looking better to me all of the time. Then again, so is the 2002 Kia Spectra sedan and the 2002 Kia Spectra hatchback and the 2002 Kia Rio Cinco. Kia's future's so bright they're gonna need the shades. Mr.major-do report back on how she digs her white Kia Rio, OK? Kia has improved now to the point of being up to snuff with Japanese cars. How can I say that? The Long-Haul Warranty! Duh! If you've got problems that's what the warranty's for! With cars this beautiful and prices this low a buyer can't go wrong. I'll probably go for a test drive of the Rio Cinco and Kia Spectra twins that are new in a couple of days. Must be trade-in time. You know that itch you get? You try and talk yourself out of it and it doesn't seem to go away? That's what I'm talking about. The Tragically Hip has a song about this very thing on their Road Apples album. It's called 'Twist My Arm'. Anyway,I called the local dealer and the Spectra twins aren't quite there yet. The 2002 Cinco's are in, though. I'll go test drive once the twins come in and see what kinds of financing I can get. The salesman mentioned 4.9% Kia financing? If true that's a good thing although certain terms undoubtedly apply. The '99 Sephia's got 73,150 miles and trade-in value is decreasing by the day.(!) I'll just see how serious those boys are about moving the brand new Spectra's off their lot. The terrorist strikes do play an eerie role in this and with a shaky economy the '99 may be mine for a while longer, also. I may not trade in at all. Definitely keep y'all posted and keep those cards and letters comin' now, 'ya hear?

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Iluv, I posted this question before, but you were evidently gone on a vacation so I will ask again. What do you think about Hyundai which owns Kia (that great leader of car design) "basing" the looks of the next gen Tiburon (the one due to be sold as a 2003) on old Toyota sporty cars (the Supra and the Celica)?

    I will report what my roommate's sister thinks about her Rio.

    In terms of customer service, things are not starting off on the right foot. The sister got a ride to work because the car dealership was going to bring the car to her. They did not do that.

    Since they did not do what they promised and since she could not get there before the dealership closed, they wanted to leave the car on the lot with the keys in it and the doors unlocked.

    My roommate and I ended up going to pick her up from work.

    As far as you trading your car in, it is a good thing you want another Kia. You will probably get more out of it that way.

    Want to do us a favor? Post a message over in Smart Shopper under the real world trade in values thread and ask the dealers in there what the trade in value of your Sephia is. Be sure to tell them the color, mileage, and where you live in addition to model year and condition. Thanks.

    Regarding warranties. If you have a warranty, I think you should be able to use it without hassle. But, I am also money oriented and value my time. I do not like having to take off (even if I still get paid) to get things done on a car. I would rather have a car with a short warranty that I am likely not to make much use of the warranty than a car with a longer warranty that I am going to use more.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    In talking with the new Rio owner, I learned why she chose Kia. Number one was that she could not get approved (on good terms) for a car from a more reliable, higher quality car company. Given that Kia "got" her 14% money, the mind boggles at what kind of interest rate the other dealers were "getting" her.

    She had not checked with Hyundai yet which leads me to reason number two. The Kia dealership she went with put out an ad that she noticed.

    She put down $500 and the car came with a $950 cash rebate which she also applied to the price of the car.

    Does anyone know how to take off dealer badging? The dealership puts on a sticker that is actually larger than the area covered by the Rio name.

    I never liked dealer badging, but that is overkill to the extreme.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I agree, the dealer badging stinks. I try to catch it before they put it on and tell them not to do it, and every time the dealers have respected my request. Maybe one reason is that I've told them I would need to charge them an advertising fee if they insisted on putting their name on my car. A few times the badge was already on the car, and when it was a quality badge and unobtrusive I left it on. Some dealers have good-looking badges that are carefully placed and actually have the same style as the manufacturer's nameplate. My favorite is one from a local dealer, Hopkins Honda, that just sticks the word "Hopkins" above the "Honda" plate, and the style is exactly the same so it looks like a factory badge. But some of them are really ugly and cheap-looking and stick out like a sore thumb. Some dealers are considerate and use no badging or just use a rear license plate frame with their name on it, which is easily removable.

    Re how to remove them, it depends on how they are applied. If they are self-stick appliques or other glue-on badges, one method is to take a hair dryer on low and soften the adhesive until you can carefully peel the badge off. The sooner you do this, the better. I've been able to pull off plastic badges from a newly-delivered car even without the hair dryer.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Yes, the badging is the plastic applique kind. I still find that objectionable, but preferable to the metal nameplate that is not as prevalent now as when I was growing up.

    As much as I dislike badging, I left the badging of my dealer on. It was unobtrusive.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    it's very common throughout the car industry to copy parts of cars on newly designed models. I think Hyundai has done a great job with this Tuscani's design. Yes, there's similarities but a keen eye will see differences. For instance the hood slope and quarterpanels up from are different. Actually, Kia has made a concept car that can be seen on their Global website(the name escapes me)that's a sporty model I like a lot better than Tuscani. It doesn't matter to me, my interest is in the Kia Spectra 4-door sedan, the Rio Cinco wagon and Kia Spectra hatchback.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Iluv, for someone who gets inside information about Kia (and presumably Hyundai) there sure is a big error in your post. Specifically the title of your last post.

    The next generation Tiburon is not a 2002 model. The 2002 model still looks like the 2001 model. The 2003 model is the one that looks like a Supra or Celica of the past.

    There is a guy named Brannon over on AOL. You two should meet. He might be an even bigger Kia and Hyundai booster than you are. He also shares another trait with you. You both seem to be critical of other car companies doing something, but if Kia and Hyundai do the same thing (or something similar), it becomes all right. And you gloss over the fact that you objected or accused the other car company of doing what you are now saying is all right for Hyundai and Kia to do.

    But that is all right, I expect no less from you two.

    In closing, I will have to say one thing about you as opposed to Brannon. At least you own the car you are touting. Brannon does not.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    I've found a car company that I know will provide me with what I want. I don't like to be ripped off. Toyota rips a person off. That doesn't cut it with this consumer. Nuff said.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    Yes it is a 2003 Tiburon and yes, it looks like an old Supra. And...doesn't time have some value? If one has a Kia 6 years from now and it's falling apart...sure the repair is free...but what about that wasted time? And who is to say Hyundai will exist 10 years from now?
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    Hyundai and Kia are gaining American fans every day. They'll both be around 10 years from now-I guarantee it. Toyota will continue to be around. With what they're overcharging people(and people gladly give it up)they're assured of a long existence. You can have them.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    I've always heard the expression time is money. So you don't reject the idea that a Kia owner would have to go to the shop more often than a Toyota owner around 8 years of ownership of a car? Thank you, you have proved my point. And if you don't mind iluv, what age are you?
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Well, yes, time is money. But it looks like the folks who own the Toyotas with the sludge problem are spending a lot of time in the shop.
    How can you possibly calculate how much time an average Kia owner will spend in the shop over 8 years vs. an average Toyota owner? The J.D. Power's index is of no help here, because it does not extend out 8 years. Consumer Reports' surveys might be of help here, but they don't cover Kias--not a big enough sample size. Also not every problem is equal in terms of shop time, so even counting up the number of problems per vehicle doesn't provide the answer. And I don't think you'll find any corrolation between owner's ages and shop time.
  • cjaccettacjaccetta Member Posts: 236
    As a first-time Korean car owner (Hyundai Elantra GT) I can tell you that the quality is comparable to the other imported cars I've spent time in (mostly Corollas, Civics, Accords and Proteges). And yes, this includes the newer models. People routinely dismiss my comments and I'll admit that I couldn't have made this claim four years ago; however, the Koreans have made great strides and I firmly believe Hyundai will still be around and selling cars in the United States 10 years from now.

    If Chevrolet can foist the embarrasingly awful Cavalier on the American public for so long, there's no reason to believe that Hyundai can't continue to sell the capable but under-appreciated Elantra.

    An interesting thing happened to me a few days ago. I put a small US flag in the rear window of my Hyundai and someone made a comment about the impropriety of placing an American flag on a foreign car. I informed the gentleman that the DRIVER was indeed an American and the fact that I was free to drive whatever I chose is what helps make this country great.
  • jstandeferjstandefer Member Posts: 805
    And what was that idiot driving? A Chrysler minivan built in Canada? A Dodge Ram built in Mexico? A Ford Focus built in Mexico? A Ford Escort built in Mexico?

    I would love to conduct a study, but it would take a lot of research... I am willing to bet that American manufacturers have built more vehicles outside of American soil than the foreign manufacturers have built on their own soil!

    People like that, especially in light of the recent events, just tick me off! I am still waiting for someone to make a comment about the American Flag on my Protege. They'll be sorry they even got out of bed that morning!!!!
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Backy, just how many people do you think actually had sludge problems? I read the first two hundred posts in that thread Saturday and I just got done reading the last three hundred posts today.

    I saw two valid complaints. I say valid because these two posters seem to be staying with the board. The rest seemed like fly by night posters. Post once and never be heard from again.

    There was another poster who started posting during those last two hundred posts I read and seemed to stick with it for a while, but I don't think he had a legitimate complaint against Lexus. He did not follow their recommendations and changed his oil based on the recommendations of the maker of the oil and filter. He changed the oil once every 25k miles and the filter at 12k intervals. And I believe he had it done somewhere other than the Lexus dealership.

    That sure voided his warranty and even if the problem is a Lexus one, he has no reasonable legal recourse against Lexus.

    Again, how many of those complaints did you think were valid?
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Even if the driver of the car was foreign and the car was produced in a foreign country, I think placing our flag in the car to show support is perfectly acceptable.
  • cjaccettacjaccetta Member Posts: 236
    I didn't see the other guy's car since the incident occurred in a large parking lot. I was unlocking my car and this guy and his pal were just walking by. The incident didn't bother me.

    What bothers me is laying ten miles from my house: the smoking pile of rubble that used to be my office building.

    Anyway, the flag is staying put. Our individual cars may help define our image but they don't define what we stand for, right?
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    Age has nothing to do with it. I was just curious about iluv's age.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    What are you doing for work since your office was destroyed?

    I may not agree with you, but I am very glad that we did not lose you in the attack.

    Two weeks tomorrow and the wound is still there. : (
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    I would guess that Iluv is in his mid to late 30s. This has to do with his post that he has worked for Boeing for 18 years. Since most people start working someplace at age 18 at the earliest, this would make him 36.

    Although his posts make him seem quite a bit younger sometimes.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    C'mon, folks, let's skip the speculation on other TH members' ages (or anything else of such a personal nature) and stick to our discussion, okay?

    Thanks.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    His postings are very unrevealing of his age. Backy....I'm so sorry to hear that your office was destroyed in these terrible acts.
  • cjaccettacjaccetta Member Posts: 236
    If you mean me, majorthom, I luckily left my job in the WTC just a few months ago. I work in suburban NJ now so I was not directly affected. But I worked in the WTC for seven years and I know many people who still work(ed) there. Two died in the attack. The rest are OK.

    I am glad for things like Town Hall, baseball and the NFL for helping to occupy my mind during the last two weeks. It's been very rough here in the tri-state area.

    Well, back to cars...I just saw a picture of the 2002 Kia Spectra sedan in Auto World Magazine (formerly Auto World Weekly). It looks more mature than the current Sephia. I like it. Reminds me of the Mitsubishi Lancer.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    Last night I was just thinking about this problem I have with Kia...their ads. They need to be a little bit more tasteful and "mature". Attacking Toyota (what's with that...the RAV4, Corolla and Camry) is not what they need to do to be successful. Their commercials lack something that Honda, Toyota and other company commercials have. I really like those new Toyota Camry commercials...so professional.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    No, my post was directed at Backy. See the title? Sorry to here that you knew people who worked there.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Major - I have no idea how many of the complaints about sludge are valid. But there were some pretty scary stories there. Do you have any idea how many of the Kia Sephia brake complaints were valid? Oh, and thank you for the concern about "my" building. I live in Minnesota, but I've been to Windows on the World a couple of times. Besides the horrible human loss, I will miss the those towers; they had special memories for me.

    But back to cars. What's so bad about Kia's ads? I always thought the Optima ads (some at least) are pretty clever, and the Sportage ads in the parking lot are kind of cute (although they glorify anti-social parking lot driving behavior). The Sephia ads tout the long-term reliability of the car--certainly something they need to stress given the reputation of Korean cars. If Toyota's Camry ads seem more mature than Kia's, it may be because Toyota is going after an older market with the Camry than is Kia with most of its vehicles. Since Kia's sales are way up this year, maybe the ads are having their intended effect.

    Re the 2002 Spectra sedan, all I can say is the car looks even better up close than in the photos. The rear end is particularly classy, part Jag, part Taurus, and the front has a sharp, modern appearance. More interesting styling, more curves, than the Lancer IMO. Haven't seen the interior yet--no units yet at my local dealer. Now if the car drives anywhere near as well as it looks and the price stays down, Kia could have a real winner there.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Check out the October issue of Smart Money. They have an article about the Top 10 Deals On New Cars.

    They chose twenty-nine finalists. There were ten categories with most categories being defined by price.

    The categories were Under $18,000; $18,000 - $25,000; and so on. There were also categories for station wagons and minivans. The SUV categories were broken down by price and they had one final category for Sporty Cars under $35,000. Most categories had three finalists, but some had two finalists while a few had four finalists.

    Value was made up of two parts. Quality as measured by the Total Quality Index. This is something Strategic Vision came up with. The other half of value was cost over five years and they used the services of IntelliChoice for that.

    The twenty-nine finalists were selected on the best combination of these two factors.

    To get to the winners, they dug deeper.

    Number one in the under $18,000 category was a Honda Civic LX which they said would cost $15,450. The thing that kept the other car in this category, that would fit our definition of low end cars, out of first was the lack of options compared to the Honda Civic.

    This car cost $10,980 and no it was not the Kia Rio, no it was not the Hyundai Accent, and no it was not the Kia Sephia.

    The car meeting our definition of low end car and determined to be a good deal was the Toyota Echo.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    The Sedona may be a great value in a minivan, but it stickers for $19,000, way over the threshold for "entry level cars." If it can be considered a car.

    The Echo, on the other hand, is a bona-fide entry level car. I'm not surprised it would rank high in a study like Smart Money's, in which the cars were ranked by the "Total Quality Index" and cost over 5 years. When you start out at one of the lowest prices of any of the cars tested, e.g. some $2000 below the Elantra GLS, and have the resale value of a Toyota you should come out well. And if you like driving a bare-bones car like the base model Echo, then you can't do better.
    Realize that the Total Quality Index actually says more about how well a car meets the owner's expectations than quality or performance on an absolute scale. And of course that is important, because if you meet or exceed a customer's expectations you will have a happy customer. But it also means that if a car owner has modest expectations, and the car meets those expectations, the car can have a high TQI. That would explain why a car like the Echo, listing under $11k, could have the third-best TQI after the more expensive Golf and Prius, and why cars that are as wretched to drive as the Sunbird and Saturn SL have high scores. I have to question any "quality index" that ranks the Hyundai XG300 far ahead of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry (with the Camry not even scoring above average), does not even consider the Mazda Protege in its rankings of small cars (it should be near the top), and ranks twins like the Dodge/Chrysler Neon far apart.
  • carleton1carleton1 Member Posts: 560
    Comfortable to sit in, great performance, good visibility, easy to enter and exit, great fuel economy although perhaps one of the ugliest to look at sedans now made. The interior looks and feels cheap but overall the ECHO would still be our first choice for a sedan with the PT Cruiser the only other serious possibility.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    I had thought that perhaps Smart Money was listing the winner in each category first and then the rest of the finishers in order of finish. However, the finalists are listed in alphabetical order with the winner in orange type. Honda Civic just happens to be the winner and also the first car alphabetically in the Under $18,000 category.

    However, while the Honda and the Toyota are listed in the body of the article, the VW which is shown in the box as a finalist is not mentioned. This makes me think that the Echo did come in second.

    Does anyone have a link showing the TQI survey results? I used to have it, I thought, but I cannot find it anymore.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    I see now that you did make the post about the WTC that I was responding to with my condolences.

    Someone posted a message to Backy just under it and made the title, "Backy." Somehow my brain transferred that to Backy being the writer of your posts.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Backy, my point abou the posts were that people seemed to make a complaint about sludge and were never heard from again or they vanished when hard questions were asked of them.

    It has been some time since I read the Kia Sephia brake posts so I don't remember if they fell into this category of posts too.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    The Strategic Vision site with the TQI details is at:

    http://www.vision-inc.com/tqa.html
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    >>>...people seemed to make a complaint about sludge and were never heard from again...<<<

    All right, now, I've heard of cases where a company took offense about someone complaining about their products, but THIS is a little ridiculous! 8)
  • cjaccettacjaccetta Member Posts: 236
    ...but does that still mean that you don't always agree with me.....? ;-)

    I have a question for Echo owners. How do the interior plastics hold up to scratches and scuffs? When I tested the car I thought some of the plastic bits seemed lower-grade (not unexpected at that price) and I was wondering what they might look like after a year's use.
    Also, if any Echo owners have the plastic body and fender cladding, let me know how that's doing, too. Lately I seem to see fewer Echoes with this option.

    Happy Motoring!
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Engine sludge is made of complaining people! (with apologies to Charleton Heston. ; )
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    CJ, I think your opinions when they aren't exactly like mine are wrong, but I still love ya. ; )

    I have only had my car for nine months. It will be nine months to the day on Saturday, actually.

    Anyway, my interior plastic and the body moulding are holding up really, really well. Still very, very close to what they looked like the day I bought the car.

    I have done nothing special to the body moulding, but I make sure that I do not get wax on it. I have seen some cars with a milky build up. I understand it to be from when wax gets on the moulding. There is a product to use when this happens, but the name escapes me. It has been posted about a couple of times on the Echo board.

    As far as the interior plastics go, I take Armor All Cleaning wipes and wipe down the interior. I let it dry and then I take Armor All Protectant. Wipes (the ones that give a gloss) and rub the plastic again. I do this when the temperature is cool and the car is in the shade.

    I must admit that the wipes leave some lint so when it is dry after the protectant. treatment, I take a clean cloth and rub the lint off.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Thanks Backy, I have it bookmarked now.
  • janbeejanbee Member Posts: 127
    In 2 weeks I will have had my ECHO for 1 year and I keep it imaculate, it looks the same as it did the day I drove it off the lot. I have body side moulding and it is in the same shape as it did 1 year ago, same with the interior. I dont put anything on the moulding and I just use armor all UV protectant on the dash, I keep it as simple as possible.
  • mpgmanmpgman Member Posts: 723
    As the GT rolls through 9,000 miles, it continues to deliver a solid quiet ride. After the fuel gauge was fixed and the rear seat release button popped back into place, the car has been problem free. I can't speak for past years, but it looks like they got it right this time.

    CJ--You sent shivers down my spine with your WTC story. Glad you made the switch....condolences on the losses.
  • cjaccettacjaccetta Member Posts: 236
    I appreciate your concern.

    Glad to hear your GT is running fine. I keep my eyes open for you when I'm on the NJ Turnpike and the GSP, but no sightings so far. I still haven't seen another GT yet. BTW, how did you fix your fuel gauge?
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