Kia Rio > All?
Seeing those pictures brings to my mind a question:
Why do most automakers elect to locate the starting battery within the engine compartment, very near to many sources of heat? All else being equal, high ambient temperatures tend to increase the rate of degradation of a flooded battery.
Why do most automakers elect to locate the starting battery within the engine compartment, very near to many sources of heat? All else being equal, high ambient temperatures tend to increase the rate of degradation of a flooded battery.
As we all learned from the NA & NB series Miata, the average consumer (m.net) does not want to buy a new $160 WestCo or AGM battery when they can go buy a $75 wet cell at WalMart and then blame Mazda when it explodes and/or vents acid into their trunk.
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 19,338
Total Cats: 574
From: Fake Virginia
I wanted to like the optima
but when i look at the side of a NEW kia optima, all I see is:

PANEL LINE PANEL LINE PANEL LINE PANEL LINE.
Seriously, it looks like it was designed by spider man with all that webby ****.
find me a car on the road that does the trunk lid edge on the side of the car where the world can see it in all its liney-ness. And while you're at it, hey guys, lets put the hood edge on the side too. and end the doors like 3 inches from a natural shadow line.
panel line.
but when i look at the side of a NEW kia optima, all I see is:

PANEL LINE PANEL LINE PANEL LINE PANEL LINE.
Seriously, it looks like it was designed by spider man with all that webby ****.
find me a car on the road that does the trunk lid edge on the side of the car where the world can see it in all its liney-ness. And while you're at it, hey guys, lets put the hood edge on the side too. and end the doors like 3 inches from a natural shadow line.
panel line.
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 34,402
Total Cats: 7,523
From: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
That said, I have been too cheap and lazy to do anything about the flooded battery (Duralast) which came installed in my '90 when I bought it. That battery has got to be at least 4-5 years old at this point, and it's still rockin'. It has out-lasted both the Westco AGM and the subsequent Optima Red that I put in the '92.
Kia offers a standard 7 year 150,000 km transferable warranty for cars built in Zilina.
Quality is the one thing you don't need to worry about.
7 year warranty | Kia Motors Ireland
Quality is the one thing you don't need to worry about.
7 year warranty | Kia Motors Ireland
Thread Starter
Senior Member
iTrader: (14)
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 677
Total Cats: 6
From: South East Florida
Wife: I told you not to post that, you knew they were going to hate on it. You could have told them you were going to buy a Porsche and it would have been the same thing.
She gets home in a few minutes. Then we are going to the dealership to overpay for a kia.
She gets home in a few minutes. Then we are going to the dealership to overpay for a kia.
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,146
Total Cats: 1,087
From: Lake Forest, CA
I don't know how anyone could look at resale values for the cars in this class and pick anything but the FIT.
Financially, it has by far the lowest cost of ownership in this class.
Even if it costs you $2k more up front, look at what a 6 year old fit is worth versus a 6 year old small ford or small kia, or versa, etc. etc.
Everyone raves about the Fiesta (ST looks interesting...) but the average transaction price for Fiestas is over $20k or something stupid like that. Equally equipped the Fiesta is expensive...
Financially, it has by far the lowest cost of ownership in this class.
Even if it costs you $2k more up front, look at what a 6 year old fit is worth versus a 6 year old small ford or small kia, or versa, etc. etc.
Everyone raves about the Fiesta (ST looks interesting...) but the average transaction price for Fiestas is over $20k or something stupid like that. Equally equipped the Fiesta is expensive...
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,146
Total Cats: 1,087
From: Lake Forest, CA
average transaction price for Fiestas over 20k? highly doubt it.
If I were buying a car in that class, it would be the Fit. Space trumps for me. But I'm also disappointed with the fuel economy so who knows.
If I were buying a car in that class, it would be the Fit. Space trumps for me. But I'm also disappointed with the fuel economy so who knows.
Report: Ford Fiesta transaction prices higher than current Focus, Civic and Corolla
Apparently it was $18k, so shoot me.
According to this article the average transaction price of the Fiesta was higher than the Civic in that month.
Seriously? People were getting Fiestas for the same the could have a Civic? And they were doing this to buy a small cheap car?
In reply to the Sonic, it's also a Daewoo, just like the Chevy Cruze is a Daewoo, and also Korean.
I've been to the u-pull-it recently for something and a friend asked me to look for some Kia interior parts while I was there. His girlfriend has one and ALL of the interior plastics have disintegrated. The dash vents and their retainers have fallen apart and fallen out. The dash has cracked and sections are missing entirely. The ones in the junkyard were no help because they were all similarly disintegrating. I hoped they learned how to make good plastic since then.
I've been to the u-pull-it recently for something and a friend asked me to look for some Kia interior parts while I was there. His girlfriend has one and ALL of the interior plastics have disintegrated. The dash vents and their retainers have fallen apart and fallen out. The dash has cracked and sections are missing entirely. The ones in the junkyard were no help because they were all similarly disintegrating. I hoped they learned how to make good plastic since then.
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,146
Total Cats: 1,087
From: Lake Forest, CA
With a face like that it's gotta be buyer's remorse.
dude................
https://www.miataturbo.net/general-m...81/#post995457
https://www.miataturbo.net/engine-pe...54/#post995259

https://www.miataturbo.net/general-m...81/#post995457
https://www.miataturbo.net/engine-pe...54/#post995259
Last edited by 18psi; Mar 29, 2013 at 09:14 AM.
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,146
Total Cats: 1,087
From: Lake Forest, CA
Bahahaha I love the KIA theme that is happening. The irony of the builder of the POS icantdo55 bought... Now works for KIA... Unbelievable. I bet he designed the suspension under the new Rio. Hey, didn't someone on this board just buy a Rio?








