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Low End Sedans (under $16k)

3871 messages,  Last post on Dec 30, 2011 at 10:54 AM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota ECHO, Chevrolet Aveo, Kia Rio, Nissan Sentra, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Yaris, Kia Spectra, Suzuki Forenza, Sedan

Messages Page 278 of 387

#2771 of 3871 sub-10 class by jojomonkeyboy

Nov 23, 2004 (8:18 pm)

The only attraction a Rio has is its low price. The Rio is the only new car that some people can afford. Hyundai Rios compete on price. If they can't stay under $9,000 for a Rio - they might as well not make them, cuz almost nobody would buy them.
 
As far as the Aveo... I'm not even going to get into its Daewoo roots because I think there are a lot of shoppers out there that never heard of Daewoo, they don't know anything about the car except that it is a pretty inexpensive Chevy. I don't see the Aveo's price going up because first of all it specifically is intended to go up against the cheapest of the cheap low-end sedans, and secondly, at just a few K more - it is bumping another car in their line - the Malibu - when I was shopping around for a car in September 2003,(ended up buying an ECHO) I stopped in a Chevy dealership just to look at what they had (this was before the Aveo). A Chevy salesman offered me $11,000 drive away price for a new 2003 Malibu. It was manual transmission, nothing but AC, and I thought about it. But when I did research on the Malibu and talked to people who actually owned Chevy Malibus I came to the conclusion that it didn't have the level of reliability that I was looking for.
 
Anyway, my point is, I don't see the Aveo or the Rio moving above $10,000
 
I guess the Accent conceivably could since the quality has improved - I'm not sure how much mileage (sales-wise) Hyundai gets out of the J.D. Powers numbers - If people choose a Hyundai over a Honda or Toyota, I think they do so based on the Hyundai being less expensive and having the superior warranty.
 
If a car buyer has $12,000 to spend on a car - do they choose an Accent over all of the other things they could get for $12,000
 
I don't think so.
 
So the current 3 sub-10 sedans will probably still be the sub-10 sedans for a few more years.
 
When the Koreans have been making high-quality, innovative cars for a good chunk of time, and they start thinking about raising the prices on their cars, it will be about the time the Chinese will begin exporting their version of the Yugo to the U.S. for under $6,000 and then all carmakers will have to rethink the low end sedan segment all over again.

#2772 of 3871 Re: sub-10 class [jojomonkeyboy] by backy

Nov 23, 2004 (8:30 pm)

Replying to: jojomonkeyboy (Nov 23, 2004 8:18 pm)
Keep in mind the next-gen Accent and Rio will be based on the same platform. Also, I have seen pics of the next-gen Rio 5-door and it is a real looker! If it runs anything like it looks, it will be a big seller. The only next-gen Accent photos I've seen were disguised. Maybe they'll sell a stripped two-door under $10k just to have a loss leader, but even now most Accents and even Rios list for well over $10k.

#2773 of 3871 Re: sub-10 class [jojomonkeyboy] by alpha01

Nov 23, 2004 (8:42 pm)

Replying to: jojomonkeyboy (Nov 23, 2004 8:18 pm)
A manual transmission Malibu? In the US, I dont think theres been a manual Malibu for as long as I can remember? Maybe it was a Cavalier?
 
~alpha

#2774 of 3871 Re: sub-10 class [alpha01] by jojomonkeyboy

Nov 23, 2004 (8:59 pm)

Replying to: alpha01 (Nov 23, 2004 8:42 pm)
It must have been a Cavalier. They wouldn't sell a Malibu for 11K would they?
 
Actually the Chevy that is in the 10K range is the Cavalier - not the Malibu right? I think the Malibu is 6 to 9K more expensive than the Cavalier.
 
It was in with the Malibus, I must have got mixed up. The Malibu owners I talked to weren't happy with their cars, or their dealers. i never researched the Cavalier, maybe it was a good deal for 11K.

#2775 of 3871 04 AVEO, ACCENT, RIO AND SCION xA by frenchcar

Nov 23, 2004 (9:05 pm)

We drove an Aveo (3 rimes), liked them very much; drove a Kia Rio Cinco and were underwhelmed (lack of power) and then a Scion xA and it was ok in some ways but nothing special (xB would make more sense.) We then tried out an ACCENT GL that wasnt too bad and the 100,000 warranty is appealing but we wanted to drive the hard to find GT model.......We did nothing and waited and suddenly they called to say they had an 04 ACCENT GT automatic. We drove it, fell in love and bought it. I always suspected the larger tire and wheel size and the sport suspension would make a big difference and it really does. A firm but controlled ride, quick cornering and it is stable at high speeds and little or no problems in the wind or from semi truck prop wash.. I then put on a set of KUMHO HP 4 ECSTA 716 tires with a 50,000 mile warranty for better traction in all conditions and it is even better now. Very little wind or road noise but the engine is noisy under hard acceleration and hopefully one of you will know of a fix for that. Maybe an underhood insulation pad from a junk yard car of some sort?? The Accent GT is zippy and comes with alloys, fog lights, easy to read white faced guages that light up blue at night, very attractive sport cloth interior and the drivers seat has a lumbar support and 2 knobs to adjust drivers seat height. All Accents now have side impact air bags and that is partly what swayed us over an Aveo and we got the power windows, mirrors and door locks. We then paid $850 extra to get the warranty bumped up to 100,000 miles Bumper to Bumper (not just the drivetrain).. The GT coupe is only a few hundred dollars more than the GL 4 door. Neat car in many respects but if space and ease of entry is your main concern then the Aveo is a good choice. The build quality seems excellent and I have yet to find a defect. I kept one of the original tires and bought a steel wheel and made a full sized spare and got rid of the temporary one. The GT coupe also comes with a rear spoiler.

#2776 of 3871 by jojomonkeyboy

Nov 23, 2004 (9:15 pm)

For about 4 weeks now, Chevy dealers in Chicago have been advertising 2004 Aveos "special value" models for $6,200
 
2004 new Rios in Chicago are $8,200 -$8,300 minus a $750.00 rebate.
 
2004 Accents are advertised $7,100 - $7,500
 
I'm sure the dealers pile whatever they can on that, but anyway, that's what they're advertised for.

#2777 of 3871 All of these are great values... by iluvmysephia1

Nov 24, 2004 (3:52 am)

hey, frenchcar, have you seen the special edition Scion xA yet? It just makes the "low-end" thread and really is a pretty sharp looking car. I went to my local dealer and saw one when the dealer was closed. It is bright red with special(very cool looking)racing wheels and thinnish tires. The car looks roomier than you might think it to be. I was only interested in the new Scion tC until I saw this special edition xA. It's only $14,995 or so, if I'm not sadly mistaken. Anyhoo, that is the ONLY type of xA I would buy, with all of the "race" type equipment loaded in straight from the factory, nothing less than exactly.
 
Otherwise, there's a Black Cherry Pearl 5-speed manual trannied Scion tC with a double-tiered glass roof, Pioneer stereo system, 4-wheel discs/ABS, extra cage reinforced construction, knee-airbagged, rear-seat tiltdowned, great-looking racing wheeled, 2.4L, 160 hp'erd, 0-60 in 7.4 seconded Scion tC waiting for me in some dealers "no-haggle" computer punch-up somewhere in these United States until Kia's 2005 Sportage woos me away from all that. One thing that would sway me towards the Sportage is haggling down to the Scion price. I read in one mag yesterday that the new Sportage will retail for between $20,000 and $26,000. Whaddup? Then they listed the new Hyundai Tucson for only $17,499 and up. Excuse me, Kia's not gonna list their new Sportage for more than big bro's Tucson, no way. They were slanted towards Hyundai in their review of the Sportage, too. I can smell them a mile away, much like Dennis Rodman's smelly socks. Nice to not have to deal with Dennis in the NBA this year and last and last, huh? Yikes. Enjoy Sun Valley and golf somewhere, Dennis. Your playing days have passed. P-A-S-S-E-D!!!! Can you imagine if Dennis was still playing for the Pistons and that recent brawl took place with him in a Piston uniform? Eeeek! Imagine sitting in a large sports stadium, eating your popcorn and balancing your Coke on your knee, looking up and seeing D.Rodman charging at you. Ron Artest would be an easier sight to bear, eh?

#2778 of 3871 by jojomonkeyboy

Nov 24, 2004 (8:27 am)

I think Ameican car makers in the late 60's and early 70's underestimated the importance of getting a customer in "The Family" with that first entry-level car.
 
My uncle drove Ford and Plymouth clunkers most of his life until he bought a Corolla, just for my cousin to drive to school in, he loved it and over time the whole family ended up buying Toyotas. My cousins now purchases Camry sedans and would never consider purchasing anything else.
 
My sister-in-law bought a Honda Civic when she was in college, she has over 100K problem-free miles on it and she'll never buy anything but a Honda.
 
I think it's important for a manufacturer to have a high-quality, low-cost entry level vehicle to draw people to the brand. It's not the only way that people come to a brand, but it is an important avenue.

#2779 of 3871 Re: [jojomonkeyboy] - Low-end cannot be ignored by spectraman

Nov 24, 2004 (12:25 pm)

Replying to: jojomonkeyboy (Nov 24, 2004 8:27 am)
I agree with you jojo!
 
Having a very positive experience with my new 2004.5 Spectra EX, I am more inclined to consider purchasing one of the new 2005 Kia Sportages or even a Sorento for my wife. Having a great dealership experience so far is also making it more likely for me to consider continuing purchasing Kias.
 
If my experience with the Spectra was one of being saddled with a POS, then I'm gone forever (or at least a long time). I'm sure that will hold true for owners of some of the older 1st generation Sportages and Sephias. They appear to be the main disgruntled types I find online as far as Kia products go. But that just underscores the fact that quality and dealer experience CANNOT be ignored by car companies, even at the low-end level.
 
-SM

#2780 of 3871 Well, spectraman... by iluvmysephia1

Nov 24, 2004 (12:49 pm)

I then buck that trend in "old-world order" Kia owners. I have owned both a Kia Sephia and Kia Sportage and love them both. I am definitely always interested in new Kia products to buy. Especially now the 2005 Kia Sportage, currently vying with the 2005 Scion tC for my full attention!

Messages Page 278 of 387

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