Does anyone own a Kia?

[StJess80]

My DH's car is about run into the ground, so we are looking to replace it, and he will drive my car. I really, really want a mustang, but we live in Nebraska, so that isn't very practical.

Anyway-he mentioned the new Kia Optima's, and I have to admit, they are fairly sporty looking, and offer some nice features, and it seems like you get a pretty good amount for your money, plus, the 10 year warranty isn't bad either.

Reviews?

[ReenaP]

The Optima is a really nice car, and has very favorable reviews from auto critics. You can get a fully loaded one that includes a lot of nice features for a very reasonable price. And it gets 35 MPG.

[StJess80]

The one I am looking at is the SX, I think. $30k ish and it looks to be fully loaded. It has heated and cooled seats. I'll admit, that's pretty rad. I only have heated seats now, and feel like a barbarian after reading that.

[firefly]

We have 2, actually - a Sorento and a Sportage. They were very affordable and both get pretty decent gas mileage. At 3 and 2 years old respectively, no major problems (knock wood) or repairs. Pretty roomy, too.

[dexteroni]

Obligatory warning - my brother works for one of the big auto insurance companies and he has instructed everyone he knows not to get a Kia. He says they fare far worse in crashes than most other cars.

But cooled seats?!? That's something I've been saying should exist for years. I didn't know it was really a thing. I wonder what other cars have those.

[dexteroni]

May 21, 2012 10:47:06 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

I really, really want a mustang, but we live in Nebraska, so that isn't very practical.

Why is this?

[StJess80]

May 21, 2012 11:11:27 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Obligatory warning - my brother works for one of the big auto insurance companies and he has instructed everyone he knows not to get a Kia. He says they fare far worse in crashes than most other cars.

But cooled seats?!? That's something I've been saying should exist for years. I didn't know it was really a thing. I wonder what other cars have those.

I didn't know it was a thing either. I think it's awesome. Right now I have to resort (FWP, sigh....) to remote starting my car in the summer so it cools off before I get in, and so I don't get a hot butt from my black leather seats.

[StJess80]

May 21, 2012 11:12:03 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

May 21, 2012 10:47:06 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

I really, really want a mustang, but we live in Nebraska, so that isn't very practical.

Why is this?

Snow, and rear wheel drive in snow. Which I realize is probably all of 10 days out of the year when you think about the snow getting cleared from the streets, but there are those times when it starts while driving.

[dexteroni]

May 21, 2012 11:13:28 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

Right now I have to resort (FWP, sigh....) to remote starting my car in the summer so it cools off before I get in, and so I don't get a hot butt from my black leather seats.

I do the same thing!

[smiley]

I drive a 2005 Kia Spectra. I bought it two years old with around 25 miles on it. I really don't have anything bad to say about it, it has just required normal maintenance for the most part. The only odd thing was the air bag sensors in the passenger seat stopped working so the seat had to be replaced which was expensive. It was either spend the money or not have operating airbags so we spent the money. I would buy another Kia again, it has been a good reliable car and with almost 100k miles on it I don't see it dying anytime soon.

[Deleted]

Someone I know had a Kia soul and got t-boned at an intersection. Her car got crushed like a tin can (it was totaled obviously) and none of her airbags deployed. I would never get a Kia after seeing the photos of her car.

[jinnifah]

I have a 2008 Kia Rio. It's been a great little car that gets me from point A to point B with good fuel efficiency. This is silly, but my car had the best windshield wipers ever I do feel like I'm driving around in a tin can sometimes (especially when I'm being blown all over the road in heavy winds). I usually trade cars with dh in bad weather for this reason.
Overall I do like my car - it's well designed and the features are great. But when I move on to my next vehicle I don't think I'll be getting another Kia.

[blackcat]

These replies about the safety/crash stuff kind of concern me, we just bought a Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai/Kia are made by the same company. :/

[rubytue]

I have nothing first hand, but I'll share these 3 anecdotes:

I use to pine for a Sportage when they first came out (mid-90s maybe). They talked about their safety and, in particular, touted their knee air bag. Then I did research and found out they had the knee air bag b/c the car would not pass crash tests without it. Wow.

I have some good friends who had an Elantra wagon. They loved it. Said it was great. Then, after working a few years, they bought a toyota. They then started laughing that they can't believe they loved their Hyundai for so long.

About 6 months after I bought my Impreza, I was at the gas pumps and another Impreza pulled up next to me. Except it was ever so slightly different. I kept staring at it. Then I realized it was an Elantra hatchback. I was really pissed that it looked just like my Impreza!

[steph96]

Everyone I know that has one practically should keep a running tab at the mechanic's since it is always there.

[lindyanne]

May 21, 2012 11:11:27 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Obligatory warning - my brother works for one of the big auto insurance companies and he has instructed everyone he knows not to get a Kia. He says they fare far worse in crashes than most other cars.

But cooled seats?!? That's something I've been saying should exist for years. I didn't know it was really a thing. I wonder what other cars have those.

lots of cars have them now. I have a Toyota Sequoia and the front seats have heated and cooled seats and the middle row has heated seats.

[ufcasey]

My friend in highschool had a Kia Rio. One day while backing out of her driveway she hit the trailer of her parent's boat - it spliced into the side of her car like a can opener. After seeing that, I would never ever buy a Kia. I just can't imagine that it would hold up in a car accident.

[StJess80]

This is all good info, thanks!

And, another point in my favor (for the mustang) is this: In government crash tests, the 2011 Ford Mustang coupe and convertible earned a top five-star rating for its protection of occupants in frontal and side-impact collisions.

[Deleted]

I used to have the Kia Spectra. I hated it. Thank god for the 10 year warrenty because in that time I had 4 transmisions, 3 sets of wheel baring and a plethora of other things I can't think of now.

There was something always wrong with it and they didn't offer loaners so I was always without a car. Admittedly this was a 2002(one of the first models) so they may have gotten some of the kinks out since.

[EmilieMadison]

I think it's worth noting that Kia was purchased by Hyundai in 1998 and Hyundai began manufacturing vehicles with the Kia branding in the early 2000s. So the Kias circa 2002-ish and earlier are of a much lower quality than the Kias of today.

The Optima is one of Edmunds.com's top picks for safety, reliability, drivability and price. Several of Kia's vehicles have gotten top ratings by "the experts" (Edmunds, Car&Driver, etc) in the last few years.

[CakeLover]

May 21, 2012 11:11:27 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Obligatory warning - my brother works for one of the big auto insurance companies and he has instructed everyone he knows not to get a Kia. He says they fare far worse in crashes than most other cars.

But cooled seats?!? That's something I've been saying should exist for years. I didn't know it was really a thing. I wonder what other cars have those.

I'm curious, what car/brand does your brother recommend for safety?

[anonymess]

We have a 2010 Kia Optima & have been very happy with it. Of course we'd be even happier if we'd known the 2011 Optima was going to be even better & just waited a few months.

[llamamama]

We have a Kia Sportage and I like it. So far, no problems with it. Someone mentioned being worried about the Hyundai Elantra not being safe. We rolled in our Hyundai Elantra and came out with scratches on our hands from the broken glass. We bought another Hyundai Elantra because we thought it was a great car. I had a Hyundai that lasted for 16 years and never needed anything other than oil changes and routine maintenance. I think Hyundais and Kias get bad reps but they are good cars. At least Hyundais are. I've only had my Kia for two years, we'll see how it goes!

[mrsw101109]

I have a 2011 Kia Soul and I love it. For the price, you can not believe all of the features that the car has...plus that kick ass warranty.

Kia's aren't as crappy as they used to be since Hyundia bought the company.

[Deleted]

May 21, 2012 11:00:37 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

The one I am looking at is the SX, I think. $30k ish and it looks to be fully loaded. It has heated and cooled seats. I'll admit, that's pretty rad. I only have heated seats now, and feel like a barbarian after reading that.

I would not pay $30k for a Kia. The value drops like a rock right away. You could buy a fully loaded Toyota or Honda for that price.

I think they will do and buy them slightly used for cheap. My SBIL sells them but they just don't have a great reputation, so we bought two Hondas instead.

[dutchgirl678]

I only buy Toyota or Honda. Best reliability and great fuel mileage. I have a Toyota Prius which I bought in 2004 and it is still performing great even though I have almost 100k miles on it. I haven't had any major repairs on it.

[gondolas]

May 21, 2012 14:56:03 GMT -5 blackcat said:

These replies about the safety/crash stuff kind of concern me, we just bought a Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai/Kia are made by the same company. :/

Hyundai is just as bad. The only reason I was ok after being t-boned in my Accent was because they hit on the passenger side. After seeing what it did to the car I am glad I didn't have anyone riding with me b/c no way they wouldn't have been badly injured.
We bought a Honda to replace that car.

[EmilieMadison]

May 22, 2012 10:49:08 GMT -5 gondolas said:

May 21, 2012 14:56:03 GMT -5 blackcat said:

These replies about the safety/crash stuff kind of concern me, we just bought a Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai/Kia are made by the same company. :/

Hyundai is just as bad. The only reason I was ok after being t-boned in my Accent was because they hit on the passenger side. After seeing what it did to the car I am glad I didn't have anyone riding with me b/c no way they wouldn't have been badly injured.
We bought a Honda to replace that car.

Are you talking about old Hyundais (2003 and older) or new ones? Because new Hyundais and Kias have safety ratings that are equal to Honda and Toyota. IIHS and Edmunds.com are excellent resources to check the reliability and the crash safety of a vehicle.