Would you, or have you owned a KIA

[RobertJ]

The family needs a new mini-van (5 people plus dog and friends) and we are leaning towards an '07 Kia Sedona EX with 13,000 miles. It still has 3+ years and 47,000 miles on the factory warranty. I would love to buy American or the VW Tourag but American mini-vans don't cut it and the Tourag is a little more then I want to spend.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[Razzman]

Never owned one but i will say KIA has come a long way and their quality is on par with anyone elses if not more in some cases.

[maxpower220]

If you do buy Korean, you really should check out the price of a new one. You MAY find that you can buy new for almost as cheap as a used one.

Because I am a true American and the economy is still struggling, I encourage you to shop and buy an American product.

[pickle311]

I don't trust Koreans. I worked for a Korean company, one of the largest companies in the world, for a few years and saw some very questionable business paractices. They have a different way of doing things than we do and it's very hard for me to support them after having to do some of the things I was instructed to. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Buy American if you can, but also avoid Government Motors.

[Razzman]

I don't trust Koreans. I worked for a Korean company, one of the largest companies in the world, for a few years and saw some very questionable business paractices. They have a different way of doing things than we do and it's very hard for me to support them after having to do some of the things I was instructed to.

What like Toyota? One companies policies make all the apples bad? Look around, you'll find many US companies with just as shady business practices i'm sure, I know i used to work for one, a very big one that affects a lot of you every day.

Buy American if you can, but also avoid Government Motors.

Sorry but that's an oxymoron if i ever heard one! None of our so called "American Made" us vehicles are all made in the US. Parts are outsourced from all over the world and assembled here. Same exact thing the foreign makers do and most have plants in the US employing US workers including KIA in West Point, Georgia as of 3/1/2010.

As far as "Government Motors" goes, if it wasn't for the government GM would no longer exist and thousands would be unemployed and our economy would be even worse. Or it would be owned by a foreign consortium. What's worse?

Not arguing, just bring up some points to consider is all.

[snowboardcorey]

Never owned a Kia but my wife has a Hyundai Sonota and so far it has been awesome. It was a 2009 lease return we bought with 20,000 miles on it, for the money we just couldnt find a better car.

[maxpower220]

None of our so called "American Made" us vehicles are all made in the US. Parts are outsourced from all over the world and assembled here. Same exact thing the foreign makers do and most have plants in the US employing US workers including KIA in West Point, Georgia as of 3/1/2010.

It really isn't about where it is made. All companies outsource to the lowest price in order to get the vehicle made at a price that Americans are willing to pay. Ford and Mexico, GM and Canada. However, ALL profits (if there are any) go back to the country of origin. That means Ford, GM, etc have money going into the U.S. economy and Toyota,Honda, etc had theirs going into their economy.
At the grassroots, yes, any car company keeps the economy going by employing salesman, staff, etc. The local dealer isn't the only economy that we (Americans) have to worry about.

Good luck with buying a new car, I always hate the experience. Most car dealers are still "dealing" in the 20th century. There is too much information available on the internet to "haggle", the ball is definately not in the dealer's court anymore.

[c.rix]

It really isn't about where it is made. All companies outsource to the lowest price in order to get the vehicle made at a price that Americans are willing to pay. Ford and Mexico, GM and Canada. However, ALL profits (if there are any) go back to the country of origin. That means Ford, GM, etc have money going into the U.S. economy and Toyota,Honda, etc had theirs going into their economy.
At the grassroots, yes, any car company keeps the economy going by employing salesman, staff, etc. The local dealer isn't the only economy that we (Americans) have to worry about.

Good luck with buying a new car, I always hate the experience. Most car dealers are still "dealing" in the 20th century. There is too much information available on the internet to "haggle", the ball is definately not in the dealer's court anymore.

Thanks maxpower!!!! I worked at ford assembly in st paul for 5 years got told they were going to one shift I left a couple years ago went back to school cant land another decent job due to the economy even after school... So after searching for months ended up back working assembly at ford for about half of what I made before

BUY AMERICAN !!! support the american economy

PS I still get my discount for friends AKA moomba friends so if any of you want a ford tow vehicle I may be able to save ya a few hundrend on your next purchase

[mmandley]

I worked for Holmes Tuttle Ford in Tucson AZ in the early 90s right out of HS. I always liked the F150 4x4 Super Cab Short Bed. So i have one now and absolutely love the truck.

I always liked the look of the Ranger, and it drove nice but never towed with one working at the dealer. The thing i didn't like about the Ford Ranger is its actually made by Mazda. Ford owns Mazda. Ford Ranger and the Mazda B2200 are the same truck with a few different interchangeable items, Grill, Bumpers, Interior trim, stuff like that.

For instance the Mazda MX6 is actually made by Ford, and the Ford Probe was made by Mazda, interesting which car is still sold at the dealer today.

As for new cars i just inked a deal on Claudia's new car. I think its a pretty pimp ride. Its a 09 Chevy Equinox Sport. It has every option on the book. Heated leather power seats, Nav, Pioneer stereo with sub woofer, AWD, 265hp V6, 18 polished aluminum wheels, this thing is just loaded to the hilt.

Got it for 8K off the sticker, and then got 0% Financing and 7year 75K warranty on drive train and all electronics in the car with no deductible.

I was hesitant to deal with GM but the local GM here was like dealing with AWS to be honest. They were nice and not pushy and at first we looked at the 10s but they said have you though about a 09 and we said the only one you got is the white one we bought and we didn't like the sticker so they asked what price i wanted and i gave them a number and we left that night with the car. Also got 8500 for her Dodge Magnum and that was a POS car. I wouldn't count GM or any American car maker out of the game yet, read the reviews, look at the trends, American cars have been really improving in the last 10 years where as Foreign cars have been slipping, thats what happens, when your the best you get lazy, but there is always plenty of people on your heals looking to be the best.

I think i am supporting my local economy just fine. Bought a house in 07, a new boat in 09, a new car in 10 and got my plan for the truck in 12 LOL.

[Ian Brantford]

Unfortunately, my most recent buy american experience is with a Ford truck...

Ouch. It's gotta hurt when such a big purchase lets you down.

perhaps the F-150 is built much better than the Ranger?

Most certainly. However, how good it is overall is something that changes over time. It's worthwhile to check on market research about reliability on a year-by-year basis, rather than relying just on individual feedback.

Ranger seems to have an issue with parts falling off the engine

Again: ouch!

, but I bought it cause it had a 5600 lb towing capacity

There is a difference between rated towing capacity and actually being a good idea to tow that much. The towing capacity simply means that it you pull that much, the truck won't immediately break apart.

and most importantly - it fit in the garage.

That is indeed a deal-breaker for many full-sized trucks, or even mid-sized trucks with full-length beds.

I think when it comes to my next truck, it's gonna have a bow tie or I'm turning Japanese...

Check out the Honda Ridgeline. Seriously. There are very good reasons why it keeps winning so many awards, despite its mediocre sales. Just about every Ridgeline owner (including me) initially took a hissy fit over how it couldn't possibly be a real truck... only to later find out that it's the best midsized truck by a wide margin, and also fills the role of a full-sized truck for many purposes. It's not a rock-crawling off-roader, but it's made to do the job of a truck, not a Jeep.

The Ridgeline can tow 5,000 lbs. That's what it's rated for and that's what it can actually do. I tow my XLV with it. It handles very well. Many other RL owners have towed at the limit for tens of thousands of miles.

The Ridgeline isn't the best choice if you also want to tow a trailer that has lots of wind resistance (even if it's lightweight).

Most people shopping for a mid-sized truck and who do their homework boil it down to a short list of the Tacoma and Ridgeline. A ten-minute test drive (especially on a slippery or bumpy road) quickly favours the RL, due to superior ride and sure-footedness.

The Ridgeline is designed and built in the U.S.

Owner's forum: http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums . It's a very friendly place. There are many former owners of other truck models there with whom to compare notes.

(although I haven't completely ruled out an F-150 - yet).

I'd put the F-150 on the short list with the Tundra for full-sized trucks... and pretty much no others.