[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....