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Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Kia Rondo Prices Paid and Buying Experience
383 messages, Last post on Oct 08, 2009 at 11:35 AM
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Replying to: smoothsailin (Feb 28, 2009 9:19 am) Since posting my prior message I've read through the bulk of the comments posted on this thread. Based on what others have paid for their Rondos it sure seems like the $15,088 (after rebates, but before taxes and fees) we paid for our '08 LX V6 equipped with approximately $1.2k in options (  MSRP) was a very good deal. I only wish I'd found and had opportunity to read comments on this forum before negotiating a deal for my Rondo. Had I done so believe we probably could have negotiated the final balance due down by another $300 to $1,300 since I had failed to recognize and factor in the following: Since we were negotiating the purchase only a few days before the end of the month, pressure on the sales staff to meet monthly targets probably was somewhat high-giving them greater incentives to make the sale. Also still believe what we ended up paying for "dealer processing fees" was excessive $409. At a minum I should have demanded there be at least a 50% reduction against this "pure profit" markup. Also believe we could have negotiated a sale price below dealer invoice because 1) our car was an '08 model and b) there probably were hidden factory-to-dealer incentives in place to improve the dealer's profit potential and to move the remaining '08's off their lot. Finally, before purchasing my last car in '05 I paid $10 to subscribe to Consumer Reports auto pricing service. Had I done so this time some of the above information may have been available to allow me to be better informed before I initiated negotiations. Also, I've been surprised to read about some of the other fees and charges buyers in other areas have apparently been saddled with, including $350-500+ for "regional marketing", "AMA", and other similarly questionable markups over MSRP pricing on the window stickers. Good grief. Still, we're still pleased with the deal we ended up with at just over $16k out the door...and with the build and driving quality of our new Rondo. I'll also mention that our Rondo will be replacing our still trusty, but fairly high mileage (158k mile '98 Toyota Sienna XLE). Only time and a few thousand break-in miles will decide whether the lighter (by approx. 5-600 lbs) Rondo with a slightly smaller and less powerful (2.7 L vs Sienna's 3.0 L) v-6 will prove to me noticeably more economical on gas than our Sienna. Of course how, where and who's doing the driving may affect these results the most in my experience. Although historically I've driven our Sienna fairly rarely, when I've done so on family trips I've gotten as high as 28 mpg (500 miles on one tank with approximately 400 miles on the highway and 100 miles in town), or around 24 mpg when commuting to work at 27 miles each way with about 50% highwy and 50% on rural and suburban roads with quite a few stoplight intersections. Contrastingly, my wife has only topped 22 mpg once in my experience (during a lengthy day trip), and rarely manges over 20 mpg otherwise. In most cases all she has seemed to manage have been 17-19 mpg tanks winter or summer. Hopefully she'll do better in the future with our Rondo!
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Replying to: smoothsailin (Mar 01, 2009 3:39 am) Can't talk to what kind of mpg you might get with the V-6, as I have the I-4/2.4L engine. But I'm doing 20 (pure city), 24 (mix) and 28 (pure hwy). |
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Replying to: smoothsailin (Mar 01, 2009 3:39 am) |
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Replying to: smoothsailin (Mar 01, 2009 3:39 am) Please keep us posted on your gas mileage.My 07 EX V6 gets horrible mileage...14-15 city and maybe 21-22 highway.  
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Replying to: smoothsailin (Feb 28, 2009 9:19 am)
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Replying to: tsm280z (Mar 02, 2009 2:49 am) I'm hopeful our Rondo will be somewhat more fuel efficient than our '98 Toyota Sienna. I consider myself a "closet" hypermiler" and will be quite disappointed if I'm unable to manage 30+ mpg with our Rondo on the highway at 60-65 mph after break-in. In all honesty though all the complaints I've read from owners concerning poor fuel economy results from their V-6 Rondos gives me pause. My current commuter vehicle is a '05 Mazda 3i (2.0 L w/5-speed manual). When I purchased the car the EPA hwy rating was 35 mpg and since the revisions were made to the EPA test procedures the 3i manual has been rated for 32 mpg highway. My 3i recently passed the 60k mile mark and average mpg based on all fillups since purchase is now 38.6 mpg-or nearly 7 mpg more than the car's current EPA highway rating. The lowest tank I've calculated with my 3i was better than 32 mpg for the first fill up and during the break-in period. Note: all of my 3i's results are available for viewing at www.brianbauer.org. Look for results for 2005 Mazda3 2.0 L w/manual transmission. My car's results are the ones from Chesterfield, VA. I'm planning to post mpg results for our Rondo on this site too. Note that I did consider the 4-cylinder version of the Rondo but since the EPA highway ratings were the same for both with the v-6 turning in 2 mpg less in the city cycle I didn't feel the difference between the two was significant fuel-economy wise. On the other hand after test driving a 6-cylinder Rondo, then a 4-cylinder Optima followed by another 6-cylinder Rondo I felt the 6-cylinder was noticeably quieter, smoother and generally more refined compared to the I-4. I also feel a 5-speed automatic offers increased flexibility and taller highway gearing over a 4-speed. On the other hand, the Optima we test drove (an '09 I-4 w/5-speed automatic...EPA highway rating 32 mpg) did appear to cruise a bit more "freely" on level ground in top gear than either of the 6-cylinder Rondos we drove. Of course, I'm also fairly sure that the Rondo outweighs the Optima by a few hundred pounds too. Still, if the dealership had a light-colored I-4 powered Rondo on the lot I would have taken it for a test drive. However, there was only one 4-cylinder Rondo on the lot and it was a dark color. I also realize the '08 v-6 is only rated for 20 more hp and 20 more ft/lb of torque over the '08 I-4. From what I've read both engines were re-tuned for higher output for 2009 models, but there were no '09 Rondo's on the lot when I was shopping. In any case I would not have been willing to forego the $4k rebate in order to gain a few more hp-and the v-6 versions EPA ratings are unchanged for '09. I'm also curious if those owners who have been getting poor mpg results with their v-6 Rondos were careful to follow the break-in recommendations listed in the owners manual. I've noted that after stating no special break-in procedure is needed, Kia does recommend some precautions over the first 600 miles, including: Keep engine speeds between 2k and 4k rpm Don't maintain a constant speed for long periods ("Varying engine speed is needed to properly break in the engine") Avoid allowing the engine to idle longer than 3 minutes at a time. Frankly, with the automatic transmission I don't see how any owner could follow these recommendations if they simply shift the transmission into "drive" and leave it there. I've also been surprised by all the posts I've read from owners (both on this forum and others) who drove their vehicles off the dealer's lot and immediately took them on fairly long highway trips-implying these new engines were most-likely broken-in by driving at steady speeds w/the cruise control set. To me that's exactly what most manufacturers recommend AGAINST! As a result I've been keeping my Rondos transmission selector in sportmatic mode most of the time so that I my choose and vary the transmission shift points, maintain engine rpm in the recommended range generally avoid the allowing the transmission to select the relatively tall 5th gear during the break-in period. Except when you're maintaining 55+ mph on the highway the only other time engine rpm in a v-6 Rondo will be over 2k rpm with the transmission in "D" is while the vehicle is accelerating in the lower gears. Of course doing these things lowers fuel economy, but I'm hopeful the long term benefits will be well worth sacrificing some fuel economy over the first few tanks. My Rondo is approaching the 300 mile-mark now (the odometer showed 17 miles when we took it for a test drive) and subjectively I feel the engine seems to be running smoother at idle and spinning more freely as the number of miles add up. In any case I'm hoping a careful break-in will pay dividends in engine longevity and fuel economy over the long haul as it has with the other engines I've broken-in this way. Of course I may be deluding myself as I've read that with the tight manufacturing tolerances used today there's little need to treat a new engine any differently than you would normally. In any case, if my Rondo's engine turns out to be a disappointment down the road at least I'll know for that it was not due to a failure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations during the break-in period.
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Replying to: bobw3 (Mar 02, 2009 5:46 pm) Of course, when it warms up I'll also be less motivated to get rid of the convertible. Although it's not very practical for a family the BMW's smooth I-6, great handling and drop-top do combine to make it an awfully fun car to drive on a mild, sunny day! |
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Replying to: smoothsailin (Mar 02, 2009 6:45 pm)
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Replying to: smoothsailin (Mar 02, 2009 6:45 pm) 1) A bit better gas mileage 2) No timing belt to replace 3) 4 cylinder had all the power I would ever use I really don't think the break in driving habits will result in any differences in final MPG you get with a 6 cylinder. My 07 4 cylinder has averaged in the low 30's for long trips and 25-26 average for my use which consists of a few short trips to the local store and 15 to 20 mile cruises on back roads at average speed of 40 mph. This is not my commuter car.
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You can read my other posts (seach on my name) and you'll see that I was so pleased with myself with good deal I got on the Rondo. The car seems to be well-designed, but, boy, is that deceiving -- it is crappy. Wind noise, rattles, hesitation, bad smell, leaking oil (dealer replaced tranny!). Just a bucket of stuff you dont need when you have a new car. I have heard that some people only buy one American car in their life because it was a loser...I'm definitely there with Kia (and, just to e safe, Hyundai) If someone wants to give me 12K for it (Portland, OR) at 6K miles, I'll take it. !!!
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