I am in LOVE!

[stevewl1164]

I know..blasphemy! I went and drove new Kias today. I first drove a Soul base model 1.6 five speed with no options..air is standard. $14000. It was peppy! Sad thing..fifth gear yields 3000 rpm at 60 and 4000 rpm at 80. Was quiet at 60, did not go over 65. Next I drove a Forte Koup SX automatic. Loaded except no leather..which I do not like. The seats are awesome, firm but soft, good side bolstering without impeding on me. The 2.4 engine is not a ball of fire...driving sensibly I could not FEEL it is any quicker than the 1.6 manual Soul. It just felt "right". It was quiet and smooth. The styling is awesome! It has enough room in back for comfort..surprising for a coupe and way better than a 2010 Civic Si coupe. The interior is stylish too. Only two complaints..the automatic seemed to "slur" its shifts and the ride was a little stiff. The EX coupe has dark gray/black wheels and rides better supposedly. The EX has a 2.0 engine and four speed auto and the SX has a 2.4 engine and five speed auto. Price difference is about $700 if both have sunroof. Last, I drove an LX sedan 2.0 five speed. Like the Soul base, crank windows. Felt about the same peppiness as the others, 60 mph equals 2500 rpm. Price $15800. That is with a $1500 "convenince package..air and misc. The one I loved in $20,000. How much will that be worth in a year? Five? Ten? I think a Civic is a better value..but ugly, hate the double decker dash, and it will be replaced in 2011 with a new version. Kia had no duds in the bunch! I did notice a few gaffes in sheetmetal and window rubber seals. I think even the base Soul had satellite radio! Just thought I would share...sorry if too long and boring! Anyone else driven the new Kias? What did you think if you did?

[sam.1956]

Blasphemy? Uhmmm.... you do know that Kia built the body for & assembled all the Festiva's, right? LOL!

I also like the look of the Koup, even if they do have a Kool spelling.

That's what you need, Steve! You'd be totally stylin' in a new Soul or a new Koup!

[stevewl1164]

I know..but it is NOT a Festiva! I loved my Festies. I saw the Forte Koup online and went Woa! I was so amazed it was so nice. So impractical...I am a four door guy! No hatch! The Soul is inexpensive and high quality and way more practical. Still, with the 1.6 too busy on the 80 mph interstate speeds people drive nowadays. If you bump to the 2.0 Soul and add automatic it negates the purpose in my mind. The Forte sedan is just another boring sedan...a good one though. The Koup said I am yours! The hard part is deciding if I should take the plunge. New car ding worries, knowing it lost $3000 as son as it leaves the lot. I never had an old Festiva I lost money on! Plus they come pre-dinged!

[deathegg]

a few months ago in CA I drove a Rio5, which was pretty nice for the cheap price, but for less money the '04 Protege'5 is still my choice for my next car.

[sam.1956]

I never had an old Festiva I lost money on! Plus they come pre-dinged!

I have to admit that this feature saves a lot of worry.

Besides, every single time I've tried to park my Festy across 2 parking spaces to avoid the door-dingers, no matter how hard I worked I was only able to take up 1 space.

My theory is that the Festiva sheetmetal is so thin, that it adopted some kind of macro scale "krinkle finish" once the paint started drying on it.

[stevewl1164]

Dings add to the charm of the Festiva! One brand new Kia Forte Koup...a black one had a big ding/dent from the driver's door of another Forte Koup. I would DIE if I went out to the parking lot and had that on my BRAND NEW CAR! The new cars are nice but I would worry myself sick over it...and rock dings and hail damage....just not worth the headaches for me. A guy at work bought a new Camaro V6 in Aqua..beautiful car and in less than a week despite his careful parking...a rock dinged his hood GOOD! Like most new cars..the Forte included no side moldings are provided. Even the cheapest Festiva gave one..for all the good it did!

[perucho]

I am a four door guy! No hatch! ... I never had an old Festiva I lost money on! Plus they come pre-dinged!

If I were you and looking to spend $15K-$20k in a sedan, I would buy a low-mileage 2003-2005 Audi S4 and keep your Festiva (assuming you already have one). Go drive an S4 and then compare the ride quality with any brand new Kia. Maintenance would be a bit more but soooo worth it.

[stevewl1164]

I sold my blue one pictured..long story...and am Festivaless. Was tempted by the new Kias look. Still am...but the loss in value would bug me and trying to keep it "new" and perfect would too. Not worth the headaches! The club memebers told the guy who bought mine..with under 100k it had blow by. He still drives it daily. He says it uses very little oil despite it. That is how my luck is with cars! I sold it because it was under 100K and I did not want to put it over..so it sat and sat. Next time i will get one and DRIVE it!

[Safety Guy]

Before anyone buys a new car, especially on credit, here are some things to consider:

Ohio just had a "budget crisis" of finding just under a billion dollars. It was "solved" partly with lots of Federal stimulus money.

Ohio will have its next budget crisis in 18 months and its expected to be between four and nine BILLION dollars. More Federal money ain't likely next time.

What is YOUR state's budget like?

Oh, has anyone heard...our Federal gov't is in debt several TRILLION dollars.

To pay for current funding, they've been borrowing off Social Security for years, and still haven't paid everything off--not even close. Will SS be around when you come due for it? Flip a coin.

Ever hear of "infrastructure?" That bridge collapse was what happens when you don't repair things soon enough. Our highway system, made in the fifties and sixties, is all getting old now. "Infrastructure" will cost more money. Where will it come from?

Our Federal gov't and most state gov'ts are not in good shape financially. Our "recession" ain't over yet, though some claim improvement. Real improvement will take time, along with improving unemployment. I could go on...

Unless you're rich, I'd hold off on buying big ticket items on credit for now. Pay off your debts and shore up your savings.

How bad will things get?

I have no idea.

Just some happy thoughts...

Karl

[Safety Guy]

One more thought:

Buying a used Festiva or Aspire (or even a Metro, old Escort, etc.) right now will not cost you an arm and a leg. More than likely you can pay cash and be done with it. If you can work on it yourself, so much the better! No depreciation to speak of if you keep it in good shape. Good mpgs. Relatively cheap repair parts.

Buy 'em before gas goes back up! Many people have been lulled into complacency due to the lucky break with recent low gas prices. I doubt that will happen again, at least to the extent it did after the huge spike.

The other night I listed all my cars I've ever owned, the prices I paid and the average price per car:

-'76 Chevette $2000 (1980)
-'81 Civic DX 4600 (1984)
-'85 Civic S 6400 (1987)
-'86 Aries K 2000 (1992)
-'89 Festiva L 2000 (1997)
-'89 Aries K 2000 (1998)
-'93 Festiva GL 600 (2004)
-'92 Festiva L 190 (2006)

I'm not working it out again, but the average was around $2300 per car.

I plan to keep my car buying under $3000, especially in these economic times! The thought of paying over twenty (or even ten) thousand dollars for a CAR sounds INSANE to me!

My house will be paid off in a year, I have no other significant debt, and I'm building up my savings as much as I reasonably can.

Just my thoughts.

Karl

[stevewl1164]

True enough. Plus job layoffs unknown!

[Safety Guy]

Exactly: "job layoffs."

Better to have a paid for car than five more years of $250 per month, which will be repossessed within a few more months.

Karl

[fattie]

the only kia product i would ever own is a festiva. ill stick with ford !

[MJD]

One more thought:

Buying a used Festiva or Aspire (or even a Metro, old Escort, etc.) right now will not cost you an arm and a leg. More than likely you can pay cash and be done with it. If you can work on it yourself, so much the better! No depreciation to speak of if you keep it in good shape. Good mpgs. Relatively cheap repair parts.

Buy 'em before gas goes back up! Many people have been lulled into complacency due to the lucky break with recent low gas prices. I doubt that will happen again, at least to the extent it did after the huge spike.

My house will be paid off in a year, I have no other significant debt, and I'm building up my savings as much as I reasonably can. It is nice to have things paid for, not owing. I hate auto payments,,,,,paying interest while your newer car/truck are losing value.

Just my thoughts.

Karl

Karl -- I myself have run this thru my mind over and over. I try to tell our kids, and also the young juveniles I used to work with, these very same things....to pay yourself first, save, put a little away, get only things you can afford, always wait a bit to think things over first, on and on ............to watch your debts, so you can retire with some financial strength to live on.

My folks used to call it "live within your means !" And when you think about it, it is not hard to do, if you start when you are young, and do just a little at a time, but get into a savings habit !



mjd

[neanderpaul]

Man that Koup looks nice!

a few months ago in CA I drove a Rio5, which was pretty nice for the cheap price, but for less money the '04 Protege'5 is still my choice for my next car.

:twisted: