Hyundai or Kia. What`s the catch.
Discussion
Don`t see these recommended much on here (not `driver`s` cars I guess). Has anyone taken the plunge. How`s it working out for you.
Nearly bought one of these for the wife last year:
It`s a Kia Forte (which I guess is the North American equivalent to a Ceèd).
It`s quite good looking, large boot, had more power than anything else comparable that we looked at but not at the expense of fuel economy, better equipped (luxury features like power, folding mirrors and heated rear seats were standard), 5 year warranty, 0% finance (I actually preferred it to the equivalent Ford Focus that we could afford)...and yet we bought a Toyota instead!
Why didn`t we buy the Kia. The interior was decent enough but not quite as modern and visually appealing as the Toyota and I guess a bit of prejudice about having a Kia as our main car (and a few people that don`t know anything about cars said they were crap)!
As a 2nd vehicle though, I have no such qualms and am running out of reasons not to buy a Hyundai or Kia, especially as I could still buy one 2-3 years old and have a car with manufacturer`s warranty and put the money I save towards something more special for fun. Are they reliable, economical vehicles just for getting from A to B.
I also happen to think, for what they are, they are some of the best looking vehicles currently available.
Available with a 2.0 petrol turbo with 274bhp here in Canada!
Any thoughts PH.
Nearly bought one of these for the wife last year:
It`s a Kia Forte (which I guess is the North American equivalent to a Ceèd).
It`s quite good looking, large boot, had more power than anything else comparable that we looked at but not at the expense of fuel economy, better equipped (luxury features like power, folding mirrors and heated rear seats were standard), 5 year warranty, 0% finance (I actually preferred it to the equivalent Ford Focus that we could afford)...and yet we bought a Toyota instead!
Why didn`t we buy the Kia. The interior was decent enough but not quite as modern and visually appealing as the Toyota and I guess a bit of prejudice about having a Kia as our main car (and a few people that don`t know anything about cars said they were crap)!
As a 2nd vehicle though, I have no such qualms and am running out of reasons not to buy a Hyundai or Kia, especially as I could still buy one 2-3 years old and have a car with manufacturer`s warranty and put the money I save towards something more special for fun. Are they reliable, economical vehicles just for getting from A to B.
I also happen to think, for what they are, they are some of the best looking vehicles currently available.
Available with a 2.0 petrol turbo with 274bhp here in Canada!
Any thoughts PH.
alpha channel said:
I've seen a couple of Kia Optima's knocking around my way and I have to say they are a good looking car and I think the Hyundai i40 in both saloon and estate guises are damned good looking (pity about the engine choices though). I just wish that both companies would sell their coupes over here, both damned good looking cars.
Well, the engine options here are a 2.4 petrol with 200bhp or a 2.0 turbo petrol with 274bhp. Does that float your boat more? I don't think there is a manual transmission option on the larger cars though. Yes, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe is very fast, good-looking, RWD and fairly cheap. Didn't realise Kia made a coupe yet.r11co said:
I know exactly what it means - default 'safe' choice when obtaining something to be used for utility purposes. Or are you telling me that all those 118d's get tracked every weekend?
Edit - I originally used the word 'buying' instead of obtaining, but in these days of 1st registered keeper never actually owning cars I figured that was more appropriate.
I see your point. A 118d MSport or A3 TDI S-line may be the "safe" default choice (I would add the Golf TDI to that list too) but definitely not white goods.Edit - I originally used the word 'buying' instead of obtaining, but in these days of 1st registered keeper never actually owning cars I figured that was more appropriate.
Edited by r11co on Friday 18th July 10:14
When you buy a "white good", like a fridge, your use it until it breaks and then throw it away and get another one and usually, you're not too bothered because it didn't cost too much in the first place.
Likewise, if you need an economical 5 door hatchback with air conditioning and cruise control (that's pretty much my brief), I'm not going to spend 25-30k on an Audi S-line or BMW M-Sport when a Kia Ce'ed/Hyundai i30 will do the same job for roughly half the price. I would wager that a lot of people that buy a Kia or Hyundai aren't too bothered about the image and driving experience and will either keep the car until it breaks or until the (very long) warranty expires and then trade it in for another one. The average Audi/BMW buyer will value image and having the "latest model" more, so will probably change their car after 3 years, so the shorter warranty isn't such an issue. I'm generalising here but I think most of the time this is true. If any BMW/Audi is a "white good" it would be the base model with the same engine and steel wheels but I can't help thinking that if you buy an Audi or BMW over a cheaper product that essentially does the same job, you have to be a little bit bothered about image or perhaps the driving experience (in the case of the BMW).
Yes, you probably won't see many 118ds on track days but neither will you see many Volvo estates or Discoverys and they're hardly "white goods".
To me, a "white goods" car, is the cheapest car that fulfils your basic criteria (accepting that you're not going to buy a car that you hate), so you might buy the 2nd or 3rd cheapest!
Hyundai and Kia fulfill this criteria in a lot of market segments (but not exclusively), hence their reputation as "white goods" products.
Other "white goods" cars that I can think of?
mk1 Ford Ka
old-shape Fiat Panda
Dacia Duster (if you need 4x4)
Citroen Picasso (and Citroens in general in the 90s/early 2000s).
I probably didn't buy the Kia for my wife because I felt it was a bit "white goods" and I fancied something a bit nicer (even though it ticked all the boxes and more). Some might say a Toyota Corolla, is pretty "white goods" but not a Sport model with fancy alloy wheels IMHO!
Mr2Mike said:
Except, as already mentioned by others, Kia and Hyundai are no longer playing at the bottom end of the market. Their cars aren't 'cheap' any more, either in terms of money or build quality.
The base spec BMWs and Audis certainly qualify for white goods IMO. They may be the Bosch or AEG of the washing machine world, but they are still completely forgettable and common as dirt transportation devices.
But still more expensive than a Hyundai or Kia? Out of interest, who does make the cheapest white goods cars now? Here (Canada) the pecking order from cheapest to most expensive is probably:The base spec BMWs and Audis certainly qualify for white goods IMO. They may be the Bosch or AEG of the washing machine world, but they are still completely forgettable and common as dirt transportation devices.
Kia
Hyundai
Honda/Mazda/Nissan/Toyota (Toyota trucks and SUVs quite expensive though)
Chrysler/Dodge
Ford/GM
VW
Audi/BMW/Mercedes
No Peugeots/Citroens/Renaults sold here!
CYMR0 said:
$38k + tax in the US, so maybe £27k equivalent with a 3.8 litre, 330 hp V6 and RWD (or optional AWD).
Maybe the styling's a bit derivative (half BMW 7 Series, half Audi A7?) but it's apparently also a decent steer.
Depreciation is still epic but the old Genesis was one of my favourite cars I've driven.
The Hyundai Equus. 5.0 V8, RWD, that's a 40000+ pound Hyundai! You actually see more than you expect to here (they look a bit like an S-Class from a distance) and I believe there is a Kia equivalent too! I wonder how many of these they would sell in the UK?
okie592 said:
They don't sell it here because it wouldn't sell because they are so simply tarred with the white goods car, I can't think of any hatch or saloon that isn't build for a purpose or moving people from A to B
I'm not so sure. If it was GT86 money or less, you have a better-looking IMHO, RWD coupe with more power (2.0T has 274bhp and V6 has 350bhp) and a 5 year warranty. Would be a good halo model for the range too.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff