I cant believe I am buying a KIA

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minus200(DELETETHIS) 19 years ago

I have made a deposit on a 2007 Amanti after seeing the car by accident. I helped my sister in law buy a new 2007 Rondo and while I was at the dealer I saw and drove the Amanti. I am not easily impressed but boy was I impressed. Since my 2006 Chrysler 300 caught fire on Jan 5,2007 I have been trying to figure out how not to spend $40,000 plus on a new Infinity M35. I am tired of trying to settle with Chrysler and will turn the case over to my lawyer if Chrysler does not upgrade their offer early next week. The Amanti was the biggest surprise of my car buying life. It is big enough for a big man like me and the finish work on the inside was very impressive and it is loaded with equipment. In addition to the std equipment I picked out one with all the extras. The drive was very nice and the best part was how quiet it was. Much quieter than my 300 and better than the Infinity. When visiting my children, I drive some of their cars and the Amanti seemed every bit as good as those. One daughter has a SL500 -SL55 - S55 and GL450 all 2006 or newer Mercedes and the other daughter gives me her Lexus 460 to drive. While these cars would be the envy of many drivers, I found the Amanti to be their equal in all but "floored" speed and some hard cornering in the Mercedes. The new engine must be a big improvement over the 2006 Amanti since I have never driven a 2006 but all the professional reviewers commented on the difference. The 2007 I drove was plenty fast for me.

I am somewhat concerned over what is an unusual buying decision for me. The resale is highly suspect at best and the local dealer's service department's reputation is just terrible. There is a new dealer in a bedroom community about 35 minutes away that is developing a good reputation so I may have some coverage with that issue. KIA is not exactly an icon for prestige cars and $30,000 is expensive for a car company who has little or no history of making luxury cars and yes $30,000 should buy a car with some level of luxury. I am also concerned about finding parts once the car is out of warranty.

I hope a few here could give me some advice about the 2006 Amanti. How is the performance of the engine? I ask because the 2006 models will have a $6000 rebate as of March 1 and that is at least a $5000 savings. I can surely give up a little performance and mileage for that much money. I would like to hear from people that own one.

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Rev. Tom Wenndt 19 years ago

A couple of notes:

*The 2007 is indeed a (partial) re-design of the Amanti. The engine in the '07 is a 3.8L V6, as opposed to the 3.5L in the 2006. The biggest difference is that the 3.5L engine takes a timing belt that must be replaced every 60,000 miles (the 3.8L has a timing chain you should never have to worry about). Otherwise, having owned two vehicles with this 3.5L engine in it, it is a very smooth, responsive and powerful powertrain. Fuel economy may disappoint, but otherwise you will like it. Early reports on the 3.8L V6 is that it is one SERIOUS engine - as much power as you could ever, ever need;

*The re-design makes the new Amanti virtually identical to the Hyundai Azera, a vehicle that has gotten kudos from numerous automotive corners. If the Kia dealership in the bedroom community doesn't pan out, this is a similar alternative you can take a look at;

*The thing a friend of mine who bought the new 2007 is bragging about the most is the new stereo, something that both Hyundai and Kia had been very unimpressive in previously;

*Remember that any 2006 model car, even one with 19 miles on it sitting in a dealer's showroom, is now already considered a one-year-old used car, and the value will reflect that the moment you drive it off the lot. While the new Amanti/Azera is obviously too new to compare how the resale will hold up, the rather unremarkable record of the 2006 should give you pause, unless you intend to keep the car a long, long time;

*Having said that, the new 2007 Amanti appears to be quite the "hot" car, at least at this time. While that may bode well for future re-sale value, for the time being, it means that Kia dealers have been selling most of these pretty close to full retail, an extreme rarity for Kia. Kia, at least in most parts of the country is offering $1000 cash back on it, and that may be the most the dealer would do for you;

*I think that, just as both Kia and Hyundai have been working hard to upgrade their vehicles, so you will find a number of things incrementally better on the 2007, especially over the life of the car. That said, any re-design always carries with it at least some risk of "first-year-car-itis," the disease that has especially bad with all-new-domestic cars for decades.

*So which one to buy?? I guess it depends on where your life is right now with the settlement and everything else. As one who currently has one of those 3.5L engines with the odometer reading just under 62,000 miles, and is facing the daunting and terribly expensive task of replacing the timing belt, I would have to lean towards the new model. Everything about the 2007 seems to be something you can brag about compared to ANY other car out there. But mine is a 2004 that I bought in early 2005, using the same trick you are considering - saving me thousands of dollars. In my case, it allowed me to buy a vehicle I needed (minivan) that there was no way I could have afforded otherwise. I did buy "gap" insurance so that, in the case of a wreck, I would get back the total I owe, rather than what it is worth (a difference of about $6000 right now). If you want to feel like you are making the steal of a lifetime, why not?

Again, since you asked about the engine in the '06, you will like everything about it except the timing belt, and maybe the fuel economy. The smoothness fits the car, and the power is more than you need.

Hope this helps.

Tom Wenndt

"minus200(DELETETHIS)" wrote in message news:sytBh.18790$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews7.bellsouth.net...

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minus200(DELETETHIS) 19 years ago

Thanks for your prompt reply.

A couple of points

The Amanti has a lot more room for me (tall AND a big belly) on the inside than the Azera - I did sit in both. (Most cars dont have enough headroom for a sunroof)

The dealer's price is "invoice" plus a "marketing allowance" of $554.00 that they claim is part of their cost plus a "doc" fee of $299.95. That brings the total before tax and title to $29,223.95 less the rebate of $1000 which makes the final number $28,223.95. Other than the doc fee and marketing allowance these numbers match Edmunds cost figures exactly. If you have not looked recently, Edmunds put them up Feb 14 as per my request. FYI I am "pretty sure" the holdback (dealer rebate) is $698. This can be a very hard number to find and I am not 100% the figure is correct but it is a guideline that figures in the mix. If these figures are correct the dealer will make a total gross profit of $997.95 (doc fee + holdback) if the marketing fee is indeed a real cost. I can live with that if he can. I am again "pretty sure" that there is no money in KIA's advertising budget to promote the Amanti so I suppose I am paying to promote other cars in the line.

The car has a MSRP of $31,375.00 including the following options: EC Electronic stability package: $500 GL Leather Package $2500 KP Premium Package $1300 SR Power sunroof w/tilt $900 Shipping $680

As for where my life is right now - the money is not a real issue. If I never make another dollar, I will not go hungry. I moved enough money to my checking account to write a check for the car so Chrysler is not part of the purchase plan. My "make up" is the problem- Because of the way I was raised and lived most of my life, I just cant accept spending $60,000 on a car when a more than adequate car can be bought for $30,000. I must admit I would enjoy being a little "smug" by buying a car for a lot less money that is equal to or better than many of my neighbors and friends that just go out and buy "icons" that are just accepted as the best cars. I would never say anything but I would know and that is enough. I just hope the purchase does not overstep good judgement and the last laugh is not on me. I can promise this - it wont be the worst $30,000 I have ever spent.

I drove the car that I am buying and I have a real concern. There is wind noise around the sunroof when the headliner slide is open. When closed, I hear nothing. I opened and closed the sunroof itself and the noise did not go away until I closed the headliner slide. I have never heard wind noise this loud on a quality car - I am concerned. Anyone have any ideas or comments.

Rev. Tom Wenndt wrote:

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KybonaWhogonna 19 years ago

Did your sister consider the Kia Sorento? ====== "minus200(DELETETHIS)" wrote in message news:mlKBh.13045$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews5.bellsouth.net...

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Rev. Tom Wenndt 19 years ago

Before you finalize the deal, tell the dealer about the problem. It should not be that way. And sunroofs can be real stinkers when problems like that start if they aren't stopped immediately.

As for the rest of your post, you hit on the one minus of the Hyundai Azera. If you sat in the front seat of either a Kia Optima or a Hyundai Sonata, either of them, for some reason, also have more room than the Azera. Do not know how Hyundai "goofed" in that regard.

But as one who has a stature similar to yours, and hates being squeezed in vehicles, I'm with you on this.

P.S. Sounds like you are getting a GREAT deal on the '07. Get that sunroof thing fixed and enjoy.

Tom Wenndt

"minus200(DELETETHIS)" wrote in message news:mlKBh.13045$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews5.bellsouth.net...

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halatos 19 years ago

I'll just add that while I really like Kia vehicles, having a bad dealer service dept is what really ruined a lot of things for me. It got to the point that the last thing that came up(torn CV boot) just inside of the warranty, I bit the bullet and fixed it myself with a reman axle. Those goons at the dealer broke more stuff than they fixed and I didn't want to give them another opportunity.

I have to drive clear across town now to get dealer parts(but understand that I do NOT have to go very often....). If the service dept at the dealer already has you concerned, I would suggest shopping another dealer to see how that one works for you. The new dealer I use for parts is great, the counter help is always professional, they sell parts for MSRP without marking them up, etc. They're just a bunch of great guys who care about keeping the customer happy. And if you want a good ownership experience you really need that from the start.

Good luck with your decision.

Chris

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minus200(DELETETHIS) 19 years ago

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mookie 19 years ago

FWIW - for me, KIA stands for Keeping It Affordable. Our 02 Optima (100,000 miles and counting) has been a delight and the most cost efficient car I've ever owned.

Rich

"minus200(DELETETHIS)" wrote in message news:a71Ch.13861$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews6.bellsouth.net...

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I cant believe I am buying a KIA

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