Anyone own a KIA? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Kev · 10-14-2007, 03:12 PM

Just wondering if anyone here has any personal experience, directly or indirectly with any vehicles made by KIA? In particular the KIA Sportage.

Just wondering if they are worth looking into buying, or if there are some horror stories out there.

if.away · 10-14-2007, 03:27 PM

Not sure, but I believe Kias make goth kids happy again.

HOOT · 10-14-2007, 03:41 PM

A buddy of mine that works for Kia said he would never drive a Kia...if that helps

Reaper · 10-14-2007, 03:52 PM

I probably wouldn't buy a KIA simply because it is a brand owned by Hyundai.

Sylvanfan · 10-14-2007, 04:02 PM

^^^
Yeah, I think Hyundai tried introducing the Kia brand to North America in hopes of spurring on some additional sales. Lets face it Hyundai had such a bad reputation from the 80's that people won't even give their products the time of day.

My wife and I did look at the Sportage when we were looking for new vehichles, and to be honest for the price you were getting far more features in the Sportage than you could in any other vehichle in the class for that price. Additionally the Sportage had features that no one else even offered that I thought were pretty ingenious and would love to have. They do back them with a pretty good warranty as well and it was almost enough to sway me.

But.....I also looked at the Rav4 with the V6 and ultimately determined that 5 years from now the Rav 4 with a V6 likley would be worth 15grand, and that Kia was going to be worth 9-10 type of thing. So although it was costing me 5 g's up front more to get a vehichle with fewer features, long term I was better off with the Toyota. Had my wife had her way we would have bought the Kia. Had the V6 not been available in the Rav4, I would have let her. IMO the difference to me was the engine in the Rav4 blowing away all others in that class. If not for that I thought the Kia was the best vehichle in the class for price et al.

habernac · 10-14-2007, 04:05 PM

The Sportage is listed on a number of websites as the least reliable small SUV, so maybe your answer is right there.

Flickered Flame · 10-14-2007, 04:25 PM

My wife bought a Magentis and has nothing but problems with it.

RyZ · 10-14-2007, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

^^^
Yeah, I think Hyundai tried introducing the Kia brand to North America in hopes of spurring on some additional sales. Lets face it Hyundai had such a bad reputation from the 80's that people won't even give their products the time of day.

That's not true at all. Yes, Hyundai made some crap boxes when they first hit NA shores and they did get a deservedly bad reputation for it, but that is changing.

I was in the car industry for a while last year and was able to read plenty of industry articles and publications. Hyndai is comming on strong and is currently nipping at Mazdas and Nissans heels to become the 6th most sold vehicle brand in NA (and that is NOT including their KIA division). Obviously GM, Toyota, Honda, Ford and Chrysler are the top 5 and that isn't going to change any time soon but it won't be long before Hyundai is the "best of the rest". Their current model vehicles have been recieved very favourably in the industry and they are getting better. The new model Santa Fe is one of the best selling vehicles right now, period.

Saying that Hyundais are peices of crap still is like saying the New England Patriots are a joke of a NFL franchise or that Pete Sampras is a dominant tennis player. It's information and mindset from years gone by.

And KIA's aren't nearly as bad as some people make them out to be. If you are the kind of guy that buys a vehicle and drives it for 8-12 years there are probably better choices out there for your money, get a Toyota or a Honda. But if you are like most people and keep a new vehicle for 2-5 years there aren't many vehicles that are better value for their purchase price.

ben voyonsdonc · 10-14-2007, 05:25 PM

I'm sorry but comparing a Hyundai to the New England Patriots is a really bad analogy. I understand that you are saying that just because the Patriots were terrible a few years ago doesn't mean that they are terrible now. However, for five year now the Pats have consistently been a top team in the NFL. Nobody can say that Hyundai is at the top of the heap in terms of quality...they are still far from it. They have made progress but they still have a ways to go.

getbak · 10-14-2007, 05:37 PM

I work with 2 women who have owned KIAs and they both had nothing but trouble with them.

REDVAN · 10-14-2007, 05:49 PM

My aunt just bought a Kia Rondo.... OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tokama · 10-14-2007, 07:12 PM

I owned a 2001 Kia Sportage and it nothing but a problem from the start. I would avoid it at all costs. I was glad to get rid of it after sinking thousands into it on several occasions. I personally would never buy another one. Service was crap too at Kia City.

peter12 · 10-14-2007, 09:08 PM

My mom has had a KIA Sedona for the past few years. She loves it. 120 000 kilometres and not a single major problem. Although, the re-sale value won't be very good in 5+ years.

Kjesse · 10-15-2007, 02:07 AM

Hyundai sure has picked up their game from a style perspective. I've almost mistaken a Hyundai as being a Mercedes, until it drives in front of me

Still, they have a lot of past stigma to bury. Those 80's Hyundais were horrible.

To me, most North American cars look cheap these days, most European cars (even Skoda and Opel, which I understand don't have a great reputation in Europe) look well-built, Toyota/Nissan look like quality vehicles, and Hyundia/KIA, look good until you know what they are... then I think "ewww", looks nice but probably is a bucket of bolts.

None of this has any fact behind it, just years of personally developed and biased opinions without any real study of the facts.

And I hated Ford for years but wow, their late model trucks are awesome, inside and out, and feel rock solid.

Hyundai is on the move up if they continue to improve quality as they have. I've noticed they really push their warranty in their ads, which is a smart thing, because of the stigma many people associate with their quality.

Kev · 10-15-2007, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokama

I owned a 2001 Kia Sportage and it nothing but a problem from the start. I would avoid it at all costs. I was glad to get rid of it after sinking thousands into it on several occasions. I personally would never buy another one. Service was crap too at Kia City.

What kind of repairs did you need to do?

Paul Westerburg · 10-15-2007, 08:34 AM

I owned a 2005 Hyundai Getz (a brand not in North America) - and it was awesome. I loved that car. Prior to that I owned a Nissan Xterra and a Jetta. Getz wins baby. I'd buy a Hyundai in Canada, provided it wasn't hideously ugly.

Tokama · 10-15-2007, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kev

What kind of repairs did you need to do?

I'm not a mechanic but the whole front end required sig work on 3 different occasions - diff, front axle, ball bearings the whole nine yards, AC x2, and the 4 wheel drive on several occasions. For the record I was not off-roading or anything like that (city driving only) and this was the 'old' style Sportage not the redone 'new' one so I can't speak for the new model.

ruddstud · 10-15-2007, 09:14 AM

I have a Sorento and have had NOTHING BUT problems... KIA CITY IS BRUTAL, I finally get to let everyone know how CRAPPY they are. Rattles in the engine that they cannot fix, oil leaks, etc.. STAY away!

ernie · 10-15-2007, 09:30 AM

In general, lean towards the cars from the parent company Hyundai who have really cleaned up their act.

They have become a world leader in terms of quality and reliability for the last 4 or 5 model years for nearly every car they make (check out consumer reports).

Sadly, that hasn't carried over to Kia and in fact the Tucson which is the sister car to the Sportage has far better reliability. Where it's built apparently matters quite a bit.

peter12 · 10-15-2007, 09:35 AM

Yeah, that's true. I think the Sedona is a Hyundai clone with the KIA name stamped on it. Must be why it generally gets higher reviews than the other KIA models. I have to say, I took a look at their little POS Rio, at first it seems like a great deal. You get alot more options for less money than you would with say a Toyota. Plus they throw in that 120 000k warranty. In the end, terrible service at KIA City, as well as the knowledge that my re-sale value in 5 years would be next to nothing, pushed my decision to upgrading to a better car at Toyota.

It's definitely worth it in the long run. Superior quality with excellent future resale value.