Ok...How about Kia's??

[jillybean1852]

I was looking through everything last night and I also like the Kia Rondo and the Nissan Rogue. The Rogue is more expensive though and I am trying to keep my costs down so I am leaning towards the Kia idea. (it seats 7 or 8) Anyone have any experience with Kia warrenties and car reliability? The only thing Ive heard is that if something goes wrong you HAVE to take it to the dealer, no one will work on them bc Kia voids warrenties and what not if they dont do the work and wont reinburse shops. It doesnt matter bc I always go to the dealership for everything but normal monthly maintance. lol

[Rue]

I have a 2001 KIA Sportage, standard transmission...it's my 'little' car.

I have NO complaints about the engine or quality of the structure and I love driving it! Yihaaaa! However...all the small annoying things are driving me batty! :hmm3grin2orange:

1. Air intake on gas tank keeps plugging with dirt (and then you can't pump gas without it spewing back at you).
2. Interior light bulbs gone...when it's dark it's REALLY dark!
3. The cord that opens the back tire holder is stuck, so I can't access the back from the back.
4. The air conditioning doesn't really blow air from the side blowers.
5. For some reason...I...and everyone else...can smell gas from time to time.

Having said all that...because the engine is so good...I'd get another KIA. Newer models hopefully won't have as many issues with the 'little' items either.

[invadertoast]

I know a woman who bought a Ford Festiva way back in the early 90's and hated it so much she vowed to never buy a Ford. Fast forward to a couple years go, she went out and bought a brand new Kia Rio for the sake of buying a brand new car. It has been nothing but problems, and everything about it feels extremely cheap (the doors with the door panels are like 3 inches thick!!) and it has alot of "mystery" knocks, squeaks, and bangs. Come to find out, her Festiva was made by a korean company back in the 90's (not sure if it was actually Kia) I would stay away from the cheap Korean stuff, though I'm not so sure about the newer ones, they might have improved alot over the last couple years. What about a Hyundai? They're cheap with a super long warranty and seem to have good reviews. I know they are also Korean, but they seem to have better reviews and some really nice looking cars (if looks are important)

[jillybean1852]

oh yey! lol well i guess there is no inexpensive cars that arent also cheaper. yey me! lol (sigh!)

[Rue]

Hyundai and KIA...same company...different lines...

See what the reviews say on the newer models...

[jillybean1852]

well, I just found a chevy trailblazer, used '06 with 3rd row seating & 21,000 miles for only $16,900. so i might go that way if its still there in a couple of weeks. Its a 2wd v6 so the gas wouldnt be completely outragious. Anyone with thoughts on trailblazers? I have rented one from enterprise before but only hd it for a couple of days.

[Gill Roy]

I had a KIA Sophia several years ago.
At first I thought it was great, good gas mileage and felt good to drive. Seemed like a great little car.
Well before the first oil change the front end started to shimmy when the brakes were applied. By the time I took it in it was very bad and seemed as it could be dangerous under certain conditions. The mechanic replaced the rotor disks and all was good. About 2,000 miles later the same thing, I took it back and asked about it and he took me around back of the garage and showed me stack after stack of rotors that were replaced for the same reason. He said they would continue to change them as long as it was under warranty. Didn't sit right with me but it was all I had. I went through a pr of rotors ever oil change or sooner. The mechanic even tried to say I wasn't braking proper and if I continued to have this so often they may start charging me.
After the warranty ran out they wanted to charge me $200 for new ones. I traded the car in just after having the new ones put on. Oh and the overdrive switch in the gear selector quit working at just 60,0000 miles. This would cause it to not go into overdrive or when it did it would come out of overdrive at any given moment like if you were driving at 50-60 mph and downshifted without warning. I think they charged me around $300 to fix that.


Sorry this was so long winded but I tell it like it is and it's the same every time some asks about the KIA's.

-Gill Roy
Proud owner of a 2007 Toyota Tundra

[invadertoast]

Hyundai and KIA...same company...different lines...

See what the reviews say on the newer models...

Hmm... I guess I'm not surprised, lol. Guess I'm not really "up" on foreign cars.

My friend got a Trailblazer back in '03 and still has it. She loves it and as far as I know hasn't had any major problems with it. I remember reading something about engine ticks and oil leaks in the older ones, this might have been resolved though. Just read as many reviews as you can find!

[Rue]

...what I didn't know...and found surprising...is that Ford and KIA were in cahoots...

Remember the Ford Aspire? Made by KIA...

Then KIA went bankrupt...Ford tried to buy them but were outbid by Hyundai...

[invadertoast]

Yeah I can't keep up with all of these companies buying/selling eachother! My uncle bought an Aspire brand new for around $6,000 back in '96, lol. It was actually a great little car, surprisingly.

What's really strange is I saw a poster with the "Brand NEW" re-designed Toyota Prius, and I swear to God it's the same thing as the Canadian Toyota Echo, which we don't have anymore. I mean I swear I saw this "new" car years ago in Canada, in fact I think I thought it was an older Echo! Hmmm... now I'm really curious...

EDIT: Okay nevermind... the picture on the poster was apparently of an '03 Prius, even though it was advertising a sweepstakes for a NEW one... hmmm

[jillybean1852]

oh no....dont apologize...lol, these are the responses/feedback I was looking for. :)

[MeganL3985]

I would recommend not getting a trailblazer. My husbands a mechanic and works on them constantly...usually the same, expensive to fix, problems. Also my mother in law owned one for a couple years....she was constantly having the fork out money to have that thing fixed. Not trying to shoot anything down, just another opinion to consider!

As for Kia's and Hyundai's.....you can't beat the price and the warranties they have going on. My friend owns a Hyundai Tucson and loves it.

[jillybean1852]

(sigh!) LOL ok, Im stumped then. LOL

[Rue]

It's a bit of a toss-up regardless...best you can do is hedge your bets...

The worst car we have EVER had is my son's Mazda...LOL...and they're supposed to be good.

I'll take my rattly KIA over his Mazda any day...

[invadertoast]

I know you weren't looking at Fords, but have you considered a used 7-passenger Explorer? I don't think they're the greatest on gas (obviously, lol) but maybe a 2wd one wouldn't be so bad. Used ones can be had for good deals. I just thought of this 'cause my cousin has an '05, and having sat in the third row, they're pretty roomy! Just something else to consider.

My mom and her b/f bath have had '94 Explorers, one of them was pushing 250k before my sister borrowed it, neglected it, and cracked the heads. The other one we still have, though it's having tranny problems (older ones are known for this, they have a Ranger tranny) It still runs fantastic, however.

[gm72]

I don't know about Kia, but we own 2 Hyundais and love them. Both with over 100,000 miles and zero problems at all. Maybe take a look at the Hyundai Santa Fe?

[Cichlid*Newbie]

Kia's have excellent warranties! Ive never heard anything bad about them. I have a mazda that im selling, only because the closest import dealer is 3.5 hours away...sucks. Thats the thing make sure you have is someone to service it locally.

[Drumachine09]

Hyundai and KIA...same company...different lines...

See what the reviews say on the newer models...



Yeah, Hyundai bought out KIA fairly recently I think.




I wouldn't get a KIA for a single reason:

KIA=Killed In Action....


Conspiracy?????



Nah, just kidding. Kias are fine....maybe.

[jillybean1852]

yeah, my grandfather use to explain mazdas as the only thing making them go is 2 squirrals on A rubberband. LOL Splains it all there, huh? (heehee) Im so confused on what to do now though. Its like it almost seems dumb not to keep what I have and try to get anything out of it in the long run. I have another 60,000 miles or either 4yrs or 7 yrs (cant remember if it was a 7 or 10 yr warrenty) bumper to bumper warrenty on this van. Theres just so many little things going on and then you throw in the engine & electrical probs and it kind of scares me. you know? (SIGH!) I just dont know........ I want something that I wont have to take in every month to get fixed though. lol

[invadertoast]

Caravans/Town & Countrys are so popular, yet they seem to have so many little issues. Like I said my sister's Caravan had alot of little problems, she loved the van but it wasn't really worth keeping. From my experience with Chryslers in general, they burn oil, and have minor annoying problems. I've only had real experience with older ones (89 Sundance, 93 LeBaron, two early 90's Caravans, 90's Dodge Stealth, owned by friends and family) and my friend had a Neon that didn't burn oil, but it would randomly stall at cruising speed which is pretty frightening if you don't realize what's happened. The Stealth is my mom's boyfriends, it has 240k and still runs well and is driven daily, it just burns more oil than gas and smokes out whoever is sitting behind you in traffic, lol.

Are you still thinking about a Silverado? Or are you leaning more towards SUV/Minivan?

[jillybean1852]

I just dont know anymore. :( I was going to keep my F150 and restore it and after yesterday theres been a slight turn in events and now Im thinking about selling it. Its not a total rust bucket, but isnt close perfect either. The only thing that kills me is that EVERYTHING except the trans and engine are new in it. All it needs is body & tires. :( .(sigh) Not to mention the fact that its an 86 with only a few over 100k miles on it. It was my hubbys grandfathers truck and just sat in his garage till my FIL got it with like 40k miles on it. Then he put about 80-100 more on it and then gave it our way and I have had it ever since. Its a great truck and it would kill me to sell it, but now everything is going nuts so I just dont know what to do. I dont want a minivan. I am a truck person all the way. suv's are ok with me too. I am still very interested in the silverados though. I love those trucks!