How can anyone buy a KIA???

[JBROCHIN]

I AM SPENDING THE YEAR IN JERUSALEM AND I BOUGHT A '96 KIA PRIDE. (MAZDA 1.3 L EFI engine.) PROBLEM: I CAN'T LOCATE ANY TUNE-UP INFO IN ENGLISH! Q: DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE ANY TUNE-UP INFO (ie timing specs, locating timing marks, which vac tube you plug, etc.) WHICH YOU CAN DOWNLOAD TO ME? REALLY NEED IT! I'VE HAD CAR 4 MONTHS AND IT RUNS LIKE CRAP. DID FUEL FILTER CHANGE AND ADDED INJECTOR CLEANER, HELPED SOMEWHAT, BUT CAN'T FIND TIMING MARKS, NOR DO I KNOW THE SPECS. I understand the car was marketed as a 'Ford Festiva' but only 'till '93. Don't know if the engine was the same in '96 or not! If you can't download, my U.S. FAX number is: (773) 463-4080 (dumps to my E-mail). THANKS!!

[Hudson]

You should try England. The Kia Pride was sold there. It may have also been marketed in Australia and New Zealand, other English speaking countries.

[badassgremlin]

wow that really sucks.....

[RandyG]

Originally posted by Koojo
Wow....I started this thread back 2 years ago and look at how much it has grown. But my question still stands......How can anyone buy a KIA?

I'll answer it. My wife wanted a minivan really bad. I know, I know. I tried talking her into a manly SUV, but it was to no avail. She wanted a minivan for the mommy reasons. So, we looked at and test drove a plethora of them, as well as researched them on the internet. We're talking the Ford Wind/Aerostar, Chevy Venture, Dodge Caravan, Honda Oddysey & the Kia Sedona. The top two in all categories were the Oddysey and the Sedona. They were also the two safest of the lot, and safety was her #1 priority. Next came reliability, and the reviews we read on both were shining. I was HIGHLY sceptical of Kia, ever since I saw the horrid crash test on Dateline where the Sephia was rated something like "most unsafe car ever", and the president of Kia rebutted with some nonesense like "Well what are the chances you're going to get into an accident? I mean really..?" This was back in 97, 98 or so. So, I of course was VERY hesitant to move forward. The Honda is an excellent van also, but out of our price range, and I did like the 100k/10yr warranty. We test drove it and damn if it wasn't a great ride. Solid, smooth, quiet, handled well. It was as if it shouldn't be a 'Kia'. I read some driver reviews, and consumer reports and could not find a reason to NOT buy it. So, we bought it last October, and the thing has been amazing. We got almost every option possible. Even loaded to the teeth it cost less than the Oddysey. I'm sure though that the Oddysey is a top-notch van, don't get me wrong, but I will go on record saying that the Sedona is a serious competitor for it, and I think it's got to be the best van for the money, no question. I can't speak for Kia's other products, but the Sedona is a really great vehicle. Its a shame too because I think it will take a long time before people stop equating "Kia" with "trash" and I can understand why. Also, I think the Sorento is a sleeper car as well. Those things are very nice.

Anyway, my 2 cents.

[bhurlin]

Some of you have minds like a closed book. You will never experience what is inside unless you open it.

I am not going start an arguement with this,

There are a lot of us that bought kias because of the price, mine was used and I found that it has a lot more get up and go than most do out there in our model range. I have now got 70,000 miles plus and my car and it has been great, there is slowly becoming an aftermarket for these cars. If you want to see what is really happening, check out www.streetkiaz.com or www.kia-fx.com

Bill

[Puffnstuff]

Ok now let me chime in on this one. I just bought an 04 Sorento LX. I chose this vehicle over several japanese competitors. I love the styling, power, features and construction plus the fact that they aren't charging an arm and a leg for it all. I never in my life thought that I would buy a kia but I did. Kia is no different that any other asian manufacturer who's made it big in the world car market. They started out the very same way except that kia moved up much faster than they did. For those who insist on cutting down kia I'd suggest that you open your eyes and have a closer look.

[duronimo]

My Girlfriend got a spectra much to my dismay as a VW volvo renault enthusist. I just drove it 400 miles through the desert and i must say im supprised and impressed. At one point on I-10 i dropped it into 3rd and smoked a jerk in a loud RX7 trying to cut me off of my exit . Maybe i was just the better driver but that little kia lit up like it was stung and brapped out 15 more mph in an instant. As far as silent running on the highway this one is louder than my 86 GTI after i took off the silencer. The resonation seems to be comming from the exhaust manifold and id like to move that noise to the trunk area where it belongs I was supprised to read that its suspention was developed partly by lotus because it feels like a rocking horse when speedshifting and has to torque through alot of windup slack before the wheels get any power...I cant tell if its just crappy rubber bushings or a busted mount. Once up to a whiteknuckle 85mph the car slightly pitches to and fro like your drafting a truck all the time... this make "seat of the pants" cues worthless and as a person who can 360 an 80s VW i am frightend of this car at speeds over 85mph Keeping in mind that im used to riding on VOLVO rails i still wasnt comfortable with its stabilty. I honestly cant believe that all KIAs drive this way. any sources for urathane bushings ? whats this intake timing mod info being sold on Ebay all about....

***PLEASE KEEP ALL IGNORANT GHETTO COMMENTS TO YOURSELF and in your ghetto*** Thanks

[psyco6669]

i'd have to say to never buy a kia my mom, has a 2002 kia sedonia with 33,210 miles and the engine seized up we canged the oil every 3000 miles (the owners manual says every 7800 miles) we have all the recepits but the dealer won't cover it because their was sludge in the oil pan that caused the failure and the sludge was caused due to lack of maintnance even though we have all the records sow now she is stuck paying for a 4000 pound paper weight until our lawer can get something out of them
my over all raiting for kia their crap

[monsterman]

That seems to happen alot with kia dealer service dept's. What good is a 10 year warranty that the dealer won't honor? my 01 rio wore the tires out in 7000 miles but that was my fault of course, and the door handle broke which apperantly wasnt my fault but they had to order it, 2 years still no door handle. My opinion is the warranty is a way to get you in the service depts door so they can stick it to you. My parts will come from an auto salvage yard from know on. I'll never be charged for their overpriced mechanics to tell me its my fault again and I,ll never buy another kia or another car from Dutch Miller chevrolet

[Jared_80]

Kia sucks, I have serveral friends who bought Rios and all of them tell me the same thing they are junk! They all also told me that they only get 23mpg! WTF I tought that these were supposed to be econamy cars! In addition to that all the reliability is well below par a good friend of mine spends many hours fixing his girlfriends Rio which seemes to break down evey other week. Word to the wise DO NOT BUY A KIA!!!

[Koojo]

I just looked at this thread after a long long while....a lot of contraversy.

[blodisnut]

OK. I will be honest here. I would have told you all day that these little things are terrible little cars and all that. I got the opportunity to join a new auto group that has a kia dept. I was placed in this department. There is an Acura store next to the Kia and a used car lot with tons of great cars on it.

So any salesperson will tell you the only way to sell is to know the product and its competitors. So my first 2 days I drove them. Let me tell you about them....

The rio.... This is a little turd. I would never own one, but I will tell you there are people out there that just need basic reliable transportation. Most car buffs will think as most do.. They will never even drive one, but they will talk smack about it. I will admit that it is reall y sluggish and its pretty cheap, but it is only 13 grand new loaded up out the door. This is why people buy them. So they break... they have a warrantee.. If they were that bad, they wouldnt be warranteeable (hence Daewoo, who was bought by chevy so they could sell their car, the aveo and be able to give it a warrantee.) and also if they were all breaking, then they would be out of business.

The Amanti is unbelievable for its price. It handles like an old mans car, but other than that, it was suprisingly peppy. It is full of luxury, and a nice stereo.

The Sorento is also suprisingly nice. It is also very peppy and fun to drive. They say they have some off road capability, but I havent been there long enough to bury one to test this.

Keep in mind that Hyundai bought out 51% Of them in 1998, and they have been much better than I would have ever thought. This is how they can do the 100,000 powertrain, 50,000 basic warrantee.... Plus they have DOHC engines... Honda and Toyota cant say that with most of their cars( I know Acura and Lexus have them, so dont reply to that..) The technology is there, and I am telling you that you need to drive them before you make that statement...

So before everyone rips this brand apart... Drive one. I know your friends and family members that have them that are older than 2002, they are crap boxes loaded with problems. I understand your aversion to the Kia. Do yourselves a favor and go and drive one. You dont have to be impressed, or for that matter buy one, but I would at least try it....

[Wild1]

The new Kias are great! The only things that would break on the older vehicles were issues with the wires. I own several cars from three manufacturers and my Kia has been very reliable. Sure, go with the trend and the popular choice because it requires less thinking and you'll get more support that way. But if you've been in a Kia as an OWNER and have driven it hard then you'll understand. I have put 800 miles per month on my Kia under strong conditions without ONE problem. I had so much confidence in the car that I got my SCCA license on my daily driven Kia. Stock shocks, suspension, etc... they can handle the abuse.

I used to work for Honda and they make good cars. But Kias are good too which was the original point of the thread.

[Wild1]

Regarding the Kia PRIDE. It was sold out of the US market so there will not be any info in the US on that vehicle. Kia makes over 60 different vehicles but only a few are imported into the US. Thats 6 continents in 128 countries. Not bad considering they sell more cars than Acura or Mitsubishi...

You are also right about the Mazda influence, like many manufacturers, Kia uses parts shared within the industry. When you buy a Kia, you are getting Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Bosch components. Heck, even the stereos were Alpine for a while!

[BBU]

My Shuma II (not sure what it is in US) is a pile of crap. In 17 months it has broken down 9 times, been back to the dealer on a lorry 4 times and they can never find anything wrong with it. Turn on air con and it drives like a kangaroo, fuel consumption low twenties (mpg). Utter garbage car. Do not go anywhere near them, especially if it is from NMG in Norwich.