Re: I was considering a kia but...

I have a 2000 KIA Sephia LS. I have had no problems with it other than a power steering hose going bad at 89000 miles. I just had the Odometer turn

100,000 miles. The only complaint I have is that the suspension needs to be realigned around every 30K miles. This may also be due to the fact that I live 2 miles down a dirt road and drive around Phoenix, AZ all day.

Yeah, you get that shit here, particularly on usenet.

As for me, I own an '02 Sedona EX. We've got around 35,000 miles. Only things gone wrong so far are minor (power seat, sun visor got pulled by 3-year old, same 3-year-old managed to shove three CD's in player).

I'd say for the money it is very nice and powerful. I'd like to have it more roomy up front, but then it wouldn't be a minivan would it? Along those lines, there's also very little legroom in the second and third rows, and getting to the third row is a bitch.

I am, however 6' 4" (191cm) and most cars/trucks are too small, AFAIC.

The Sephia was the last KIA designed car before they were bought out by Hyundai. It's a decent car. KIA now, is made worse than Hyundai so as to not compete with Hyundai's idea that it should be the "better" brand.

Looking at the Amanti, the Sorento and the Sedona, I don't think the assertion is accurate.

re: kia versus hyundai and so forth

i have a 2003 hyundai elantra and a 2003 hyundai accent

[i also own a '98 daewoo nubira, but that's a different sad/humorous bankruptcy in the usa story i can blame on a foolish wife who doesn't understand that one doesn't ever buy something new and unseasoned because it could go out of bizness, which it did in the usa]

there is now a kia dealer within 10 miles, and i am thinking seriously again about kia in the future

the problem/issue

AIR-BAGS (?)

the hyundais have life-saving SIDE air-abags as well as front air-bags

do/does kia have SIDE airbags (as well as the front air-bags) ?

hopefully, if not now, they will in the future when i'm really in the market again

also, has the price & availability of that kia pick-up truck (shown at an auto show a couple months ago) been publicized yet ?

it's quite a looker, and i bet it's at least $19,000 (before sales tax) with air/automatic

also, kia should offer (if not already) sirius or xm satellite radio in their vehicles

this would make driving in the miserable metro/city traffic at least somewhat less intolerable

[i have become tired of local radio, and satellite radio would seem less boring--meanwhile, thank the gods for audio cassettes and NPR]

The less air bags the better.

NPR is radio, isn't it? I don't listen to XM (I can't imagine PAYING for radio crap), but it would seem the same stuff is on XM as in FM or AM. Hence, CD's. That's pretty much what I listen to.

On my 40-mile drive to work yesterday, I enjoyed, The Church Forget Yourself and on the way home I listened to a new Steven Covey book I borrowed at the library.

gggggggfggggggg

KIA was made better than Hyundai to begin with, but was terrible at marketing and finances, so when Hyundai bought them out, they took all of the technical expertiese and applied it to their vehicles. KIA was suddenly in the position of Hyundai as far as quality and design.

Take a look at any simmialr vehicle offered by KIA and Hyundai. It's clear that they are barely interested in keeping KIA alive while their main line is improved upon. At best, you get Hyundai clones instead of budget marvels like the Sephia was.

monsieur abuse glibly offered:

first, am recalling gary bussey publicly complaining about that awful required by law helmet for motorcycling, and gary subsequently crashing (un-helmeted?)

so if your attitude about the air bag is not an issue regarding the noted problem of it injuring small children in front passenger seat ("sitting shotgun" as we used to call it),

then why (anti-air bag) ?

because, i think it saved my own (college age) daughter's life

We've got a 2002 Rio Cinco wagon. Bought it new for 10K. It has a great warranty and at 33K miles we have had no trouble at all with it. It's kind a gutless in some ways but gets almost 30 MPG. It's a good, cheap little dependable car. If we were to buy another new car we would probably buy another Kia. For the money, it's a good little car. You want side airbags and satellite radio, buy a Lexus

That's exactly what I was telling my Turbo Tax thing--buy a $35,000 (or whatever) Lexus SUV and get that $25,000 tax ripoff thing, a vonderful incentive to guzzle that precious resource that may be facilitating pre-mature hell-on-earth

Meanwhile, you mightn't think about that your cost-efficient vehicle is not side air-bag equipped, until ...crunchh

YES. My Sorento EX-L (2003) has front and side airbags. Since you don't specify which of the available models interests you and the one you do specify (pickup) isn't out, I'm not sure what to tell you.

It seems to me that radio variety is the least of concerns for most motorists. However, to answer your question, I'm not aware of any such gadget for a Kia but then I only own one and the future is just that, the future. Check their website frequently for more info.

In the meantime, listen to public radio (as you mentioned) or use a CD.

The big problem I see with Kia offerings is their relative heaviness and subsequent lower gas mileage. Now a heavy car by itself is not necessarily a bad thing; all else being equal the heavier car would probably come out the winner in a collision. Gas mileage, OTOH, is definitely an issue with many buyers and the price of gas on either side of the CAN / US border is hurting quite a few drivers I'm sure.

As for the rest of the issues mentioned in this thread, it has been pointed out that most posters are people with questions or problems. This can lead anybody to have a negative impression.

Hope this helps!

The Rio and Spectra are all-Kia vehicles. They're inexpensive, but they are little more than basic transportation. The Amanti, Optima, Sedona, and Sorento all have Hyundai powertrains. The Optima is a clone of the Sonata and the Amanti is based on the XG. The fact is that the Sedona and Sorento were originally planned as Hyundai vehicles but they were moved to Kia to improve their product line.

I don't know about the other KIA models but my

2004 Sorento has side curtain airbags & a 5 star side crash safety rating - maybe they've improved the other models as well?? I also must say I have the most comfortable seatbelts. I've never been able to stand them - until now.

Hi,

I can offer a poitive account on my 2003 Kia Rio... I have 48,000 miles on it and it has been a great little car. The only problem I had with it was when I first got it, There was a problem with the wiring harness, which I took in and they fixed the wiring and replaced another part. Since then it has been just dandy. I will tell you that I am no nice person to cars. I take this thing over curbs and through mud and such. I have kept up on the maintenance and actually haven't been back to the dealer since I decided to go elsewhere for my oil changes. I prefer a multi-blend oil. But it has been a great little car, gets good gas mileage, not too bad pickup, its not a sports car but can usually manage to get out of its own way. Hope this helps a bit.

Rob

Or you could always buy a aftermarket XM or Sirus receiver and have it installed. That could solve all your woes.

If you look at ANY newsgroup dealing with vehicles, you will find the same thing. There will be people unhappy with anything no matter what. These types will hate you because you gave them a million dollars, but gave it to them in pennies......

Seriously: you will find detractors as well as people praising any vehicle ( or product) no matter what newsgroup you look at. I would suggest forming your own opinion and deciding on what you find, not what n forum or class of information you look at