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Kia Amanti 2006 and earlier

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What is this discussion about? Kia Amanti, Kia, Sedan

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#104 of 1357 Terry by backy Dec 30, 2003 (8:11 pm)
Just as iluv is over the top in his praise of Kia, I think you go out of your way to minimize their advances. I agree they have a long way to go, but perhaps a longer way to go in the minds of the buying public than in engineering. So come next year, when the two oldest Kia models are history and they finally have a competent lineup across the board, it will still take a few years for public opinion to catch up--as is slowly happening with Hyundai.   So you drove the Amanti--what did you think of it?? Which Lexus do you own? Did it cost (new) under $25k? How did the Amanti compare in ride, handling, comfort etc.?   BTW, if you want to see some hideous paint, go take a look at GM's new pride and joy, the Malibu. I was at my local Chevy dealer today and there was a Malibu on the showfloor that had absolutely the worst paint job I have ever seen on a car. Terrible orange peel, no luster to the paint at all. And this was a detailed car on the showfloor! It stickered at just under $25k--about the price of an Amanti. I saw Rios and Spectras at the Kia dealer that had paint more like a Lexus compared to this Malibu. You may have also noticed that in every recent CR review of a Kia, they have highlighted the fine fit and finish of the interiors. Now that doesn't make a great car by itself, but I think it shows that Kia is improving and also learning--nice paint jobs and interiors help sell cars.
#105 of 1357 Backy .. by rroyce10 Dec 31, 2003 (4:32 am)
... >>I think you go out of your way to minimize their advances<< ....            Or I could also spend my time to minimize the advances in toasters ... personally, what CR writes is meaningless to me, I'm a realist, I don't make the vehicles, I just sell them .. I see hundreds in a week and thousands in a year and Kia has been a bad vehicle for 10 years, I know, I was a dealer for them for 3 of those years .. my money, my investment, my building, my time, my service dept, my reputation, my experience, unfortunately .. and of course meeting and talking with 70/80 Kia dealers from California to New Jersey ...               People will Always find a way to "sell themselves" something, it's only human .. do you think Bayliner made it as a big boat manufacturer because they were great boats.? .. *Heck No ~ they were $10,000 less than their competitors and price means "payments" and the lower the payment, the better, and Most consumers are "payment buyers", whether they admit it or not ... so they tolerated those cheap vinyl seats, they put up with cracking hulls, horrible wiring, faulty gauges and aluminum handrails that a 3 year old could break .. but as long as they could "justify" that boating experience, then all is well, it's only human nature.              Just because someone feels the paint is a little nicer, or the seats are a little more comfortable, that doesn't make it a better item .. what's it's going to be like in 8 months, 2 years or 33,000 miles ..? .. using the Lexus was a bad example, it's only what I was driving that day, but it could have been LS Lincoln or a 00 Focus or 99 Malibu, it wouldn't make a difference ...             As a rule I really don't knock any vehicles, I have read most of the posts on just about every vehicle on Edmunds, the Bimmer drivers hate the Benz drivers, the Ford guys want to shoot the Chevy drivers, the Yota buyers think Honda's are gay, yatty yatty yatty and the beat goes on ...                But the reality is, there isn't really a bad vehicle out there today, some are lower and faster, some are bigger and badder, some look cute in tangerine colors .. it always ends up breaking down to ego, Personal taste and the proverbial size of the wallet ... that being said, Kia especially has a long long way to go to even get to an "average" vehicle, Especially after a 10 year history of failures and 2 vehicles that have just come out, and No history ~ But, it's your ego, your personal taste and your wallet ... like I always say: "buy and drive what you like" ...                           Terry
#106 of 1357 by pat HOST Dec 31, 2003 (5:23 am)
Hey folks, this is a Sedans discussion about a sedan, not a News & Views argument over Kia's worth as a brand.   Let's stick to the Amanti please.
#107 of 1357 Kia Amanti - First Impression by lok888 Dec 31, 2003 (7:00 am)
I just came back from my service this morning. There is a pearl white fully loaded Amanti in the service area. It is a demo. This is my second time to get a closer look of the car since the New England Auto Show in November. The leather seat is much softer than the one on my Sorento. Both front seats have memory feature. There is a LCD screen for climate control and audio system. It is similar to the RX300. The roomy interior and trunk are pretty much like my '03 Camry. I wasn't able to test drive it because I have to work. And I am sure the price will coming down in few months plus factory incentive.
#108 of 1357 Ads by ateixeira Dec 31, 2003 (8:08 am)
have started. Pretty bold. They mention Mercedes, Jaguar, then Lexus.   -juice
#110 of 1357 Re Retention by backy Dec 31, 2003 (5:25 pm)
That is good news for Kia in their attempt to move upscale with the Amanti. Up until now, Kia owners had no Kia luxury vehicle to move up to. Now they do. Based on Chevy's and Ford's results in this survey, it looks like what Kia (and Hyundai) need next is a full-sized truck to bring in all those loyal customers!   I wonder if the loyalty rebates (up to $2000) offered by Kia and Hyundai have had much effect on customer retention? I have to think it has helped. If Kia would slap one of those on the Amanti, that would give the new model a jump-start in sales, get some out on the road for visibility.
#111 of 1357 by danielj6 Dec 31, 2003 (5:59 pm)
Is Kia offering any rebates for the Amanti yet? The question is whether you would fork over $25000+ on an unknown or would spend a few thousands more on an established comparative car.   If Kia wants to elbow in with the big boys it will have to produce a winner and be perceived as such real quick.   Very interesting what the future will bring though. I didn't yet see an Amanti personally (any day now) but I really liked it from photos.
#112 of 1357 iluv by saber86 Jan 01, 2004 (2:49 am)
do you remember when toyota launched the lexus line what all those so call "experts" said about the toyotas entry in to the luxury car market. The so called experts said, americans would never buy asian luxury imports. The quality of lexus will never measure up to that of germans or english luxury. Toyota has no expertise/experience/technology to build a true luxury vehicle that can compete with bmw, MB, and jaguar. Well, we all know what happend and the rest is history.   There will always be people who say the new kid on the block will never make it. All they can see is the "label" and their mind is already made up. Kia could have taken a lexus 430 and slap a kia label and people like terry would find something to grumble about all because it has a kia label.   The following statement by terry preety much summarizes my point. "using the Lexus was a bad example, it's only what I was driving that day, but it could have been LS Lincoln or a 00 Focus or 99 Malibu, it wouldn't make a difference"   Terry is in the car business and he actually thinks 00 focus and 99 malibu is better than the Amanti. Now that is funny.
#113 of 1357 saber86-yeah, he feels that since he was a Kia dealer by iluvmysephia1 Jan 01, 2004 (10:37 am)
he has super-secret insider information on the whole line...hummm...now. Let's think about that for a second. I have gone to basically two dealers for Kia's. One in Washington state(where I bought my two Kia's from)and one here in Missouri(where I brought the Sportage in for service). I didn't talk to the owner at the Missouri dealership but when I inquired of a salesman about the new Sportage having a unitized body he replied, "hee, Kia would NEVER BUILD A SPORTAGE LIKE THAT!" and looked away. Guess who IS going to build a Sportage with a unitized body on an Elantra chassis? Yep-my point being that dealers and salesmen don't always know everything that is going on. I have been on the net for a little over five years finding out all that I can about Hyundai's, Kia's and Daewoo's. Funny, they're the only real cars that interest me. Point being is that I like them the best. I have heard all the Tom, Dick and Harry comments about them for several years. Nothing I have heard or read has swayed my enthusiasm for these cars. Oh, Daewoo is merely an interesting story but I respect GM a lot more by their picking up Daewoo and creating GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. The Aveo brings some much needed hutzpah to the Chevy lineup, huh? No, the South Korean cars are not perfect but they do offer real body styling, something even the Japanese makes sorely LACK IMHO. Reliability in my two Kia's has been great. Did I mention low pricing and the Long-Haul Warranty? I see the Amanti bringing more validity to the Kia lineup and helping to raise the level of the Kia persona worldwide. I'm already on board and I have lots of company. Looking forward to the next Amanti commercial...I think Kia engineers have built a very good deal in a luxury car worth every penny for consumers.

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