opinions on Kia Optima

[Lisa AF]

Buying our 16 year old daughter a car and a 2004 Kia Optima is priced right. Guess I'm wondering why the price is so good. Anyone have an opinion on the make?

 

[SillyMe]

Kia's are priced lower than most vehicles.

 

[Kirby]

I'd like to see some opinions on Kias also. We're thinking of getting our daughter one this summer.

 

[SillyMe]

I don't know about the Optimas, but I have a Sorento and I like it.

 

[autumnbaby9]

I just bought a Kia Spectra5 about 2 months ago and I love it. Its gets great gas milage and the warranty is the best I found in our area.

 

[dmslush]

I have a 2004 Optima. I have loved it so far. I have only had one issue with it, the coil pack (or something like that) went out on it. The dealership fixed it, no questions asked. I get about 24 miles to the gallon.

 

[Janet Hill]

I have a 2003 and never have had a problem with it. It's a very comfortable car to ride. We also have a Dodge magnem and the kia is definately more comfy. I use it mostly for commuting to work. It does not get quite as good of gas mileage as other cars of similar size, but that is primarily because it is heavier. Prices are still good because when they first came out, they were horrible cars. Not the case anymore. The company is still trying to attract more customers. Toyota and Honda had similar issues when they first hit the market many year ago.

 

[*JoGo*]

We had an 02 Optima and LOVED that car. We traded it in for a Kia Sedona (which we love also... but miss the car). We plan to one day buy another Optima.

I absolutely detest Kia Dealerships though. It's like a game. They ask you "Where do you want your monthly payments?" -- NEVER answer that!! B/c then they come back from talking to the head guy up at the desk, and give you a price about $100 more than what you want your payments to be... simply trying to get as much $$ from you as possible. Then you go back & forth with them. Or the time we wanted to see a used Sedona, and they brought around an old Voyager b/c that was all they had *but* they have a great price on brand new Sedonas, they were really pushing them... no, we did not want to spend that much. Do your research online, know what your payments will be w/ diff. APRs, and stick to your guns. Also, they have that bell you ring when you buy a car... gag me... too "King of Cars" for me. We've gone to two Kia dealerships, and they both were run this way.

Still.... our next car will be a Kia!!

 

[Lisa AF]

We had an 02 Optima and LOVED that car. We traded it in for a Kia Sedona (which we love also... but miss the car). We plan to one day buy another Optima.

I absolutely detest Kia Dealerships though. It's like a game. They ask you "Where do you want your monthly payments?" -- NEVER answer that!! B/c then they come back from talking to the head guy up at the desk, and give you a price about $100 more than what you want your payments to be... simply trying to get as much $$ from you as possible. Then you go back & forth with them. Or the time we wanted to see a used Sedona, and they brought around an old Voyager b/c that was all they had *but* they have a great price on brand new Sedonas, they were really pushing them... no, we did not want to spend that much. Do your research online, know what your payments will be w/ diff. APRs, and stick to your guns. Also, they have that bell you ring when you buy a car... gag me... too "King of Cars" for me. We've gone to two Kia dealerships, and they both were run this way.

Still.... our next car will be a Kia!!

Thanks for the info. We have a dealership (not Kia) that does the same thing right down to the gong and the monthly payment. How tacky!!!!

We are buying this car used from a nice lot and paying cash so we won't have to do the monthly payment thing. It's a 2004 Optima, excellent condition, V6 with 60,000 miles for $6500. I'm actually thinking of putting it on my new VISA Disney credit card, 6 months same as cash and then I'll have some extra Disney money and I'll earn interest on my money in ING savings until August. Just seems strange to put a car on a cc. We're just not credit card people but think it is a good idea.

 

[JimB.]

My daughter had a 2005 Kia Spectra. She was involved in a head on collision in it. Only about 25 mph forunately, but the car was totaled.

More importantly, NONE of the airbags deployed. Out of 6..... not one.

Fortunately, my DD was wearing her safety harness, so she was not injured. When I talked to the dealer, they basically blew me off. Fortunately the insurance covered the car & my DD was ok.

Otherwise Kia would be writing me a really large check.

I will NEVER own, recommend or ride in a Kia again. They are cheap POS's.

Stay away.

 

[Lisa AF]

My daughter had a 2005 Kia Spectra. She was involved in a head on collision in it. Only about 25 mph forunately, but the car was totaled.

More importantly, NONE of the airbags deployed. Out of 6..... not one.

Fortunately, my DD was wearing her safety harness, so she was not injured. When I talked to the dealer, they basically blew me off. Fortunately the insurance covered the car & my DD was ok.

Otherwise Kia would be writing me a really large check.

I will NEVER own, recommend or ride in a Kia again. They are cheap POS's.

Stay away.

I'm glad your daughter is okay and I appreciate the information. Think I'll do some research before I think about this car any further.

 

[DisneyGirl]

My daughter had a 2005 Kia Spectra. She was involved in a head on collision in it. Only about 25 mph forunately, but the car was totaled.

More importantly, NONE of the airbags deployed. Out of 6..... not one.

Fortunately, my DD was wearing her safety harness, so she was not injured. When I talked to the dealer, they basically blew me off. Fortunately the insurance covered the car & my DD was ok.

Otherwise Kia would be writing me a really large check.

I will NEVER own, recommend or ride in a Kia again. They are cheap POS's.

Stay away.

Safety is the biggest problem that Kia's have-- it's why they are so cheap. They are disposable cars. Kind of like a Yugo.

 

[mrsv98]

Safety is the biggest problem that Kia's have-- it's why they are so cheap. They are disposable cars. Kind of like a Yugo.

We have a 2006 Sedona and love it. We specifically bought it because it is the highest safety rated minivan ever built. Both the NHI and the Gov have given it the highest ratings in all types of impacts.

I am sorry that a PP had trouble with her daughter's car but I think KIA has worked very hard on creating safe vehicles.

Do your research but I think you will like the KIA.

 

[merekc]

I have a 2005 Sedona. It has had multiple small problems occur. Several took multiple visits to fix. I was at the dealership at least once a month the first 6 months I had it. I have grown to dislike it and will never buy another Kia. I actually looked at trading it in at 6 months but it had depreciated so much, I couldn't take the hit.

We also have a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. As you can tell, we buy cheap cars! I would really encourage you to check out an Elantra, we've really liked it and would recommend it over Kia (even though I think they are sister companies or something, so go figure).

There is a current thread going on the Budget Board (I think) about Elantras and everyone who has posted loves them. You can also search for Kia threads and they often times tend to be more negative.

Good luck!

 

[dmslush]

I have a 2005 Sedona. It has had multiple small problems occur. Several took multiple visits to fix. I was at the dealership at least once a month the first 6 months I had it. I have grown to dislike it and will never buy another Kia. I actually looked at trading it in at 6 months but it had depreciated so much, I couldn't take the hit.

We also have a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. As you can tell, we buy cheap cars! I would really encourage you to check out an Elantra, we've really liked it and would recommend it over Kia (even though I think they are sister companies or something, so go figure).

There is a current thread going on the Budget Board (I think) about Elantras and everyone who has posted loves them. You can also search for Kia threads and they often times tend to be more negative.

Good luck!

Kia Motors is owned by Hyundai.

 

[ashlynn_j_m]

I bought a Kia in 99 brand new, and I just got a new car last week. I never had problems with my kia. My mechanic use to tell me he couldn't believe how good my car ran. He said he had Kia's in all the time for different problems. I would only have to bring mine in for routine maintanance. I definitly got my moneys worth out of it. I got 165,000 miles out of it and it still runs great. The underneath started rotting, so i couldn't get it inspected this June unless I had major body work done to it. I can't complain, 8 years out of a $10,000 car. I will say it didn't like to start in the winter, but we had mornings that are 10-30 below.