[bought and delivered] Thinking about buying a KIA.

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Mike0105

Mike0105

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Mikenstace
As the title suggests, I'm thinking (carefully) about buying a top spec (2008) KIA Pro_Cee'd (I'll get over the name eventually). It's a 2.0 CRDI Sport, only done 20,000 miles and is about £10,000.

It would be replacing my beloved FIAT Bravo 1.9 Multijet.

What do you guys reckon? Is it a good buy?
 
Don't, just don't. You could get a good car for that money rather than an appliance.
 
XPOWER180
Don't, just don't. You could get a good car for that money rather than an appliance.
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That's the problem, it's the best I can find. It has to be low mileage, diesel, reliable (7 year warranty, 4 left) and nice in general. Quick would be nice. This one has 138bhp / 225 lb-ft. It also has all the toys plus leather.

I had an i30 1.6 CRDI as a rental as very impressed with the quality and the refinement. Essentially the same car I believe.
 
Quality and refinement are nice when the car is reliable. Not sure how Kia is in your neck of the woods but I'm still a bit apprehensive about hyundai/kia and will be til the current models have gone through some extended testing.
 
eSZee
Quality and refinement are nice when the car is reliable. Not sure how Kia is in your neck of the woods but I'm still a bit apprehensive about hyundai/kia and will be til the current models have gone through some extended testing.
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The Cee'd has been out in he UK since 2007 I believe, so seems tried and tested. I always thought they were always reliable before, just deathly dull and uninspired?

As you may have guessed, I don't believe in the stereotypes. My Fiat has been just as reliable as our MK5 Golf. My first was a Skoda Fabia and that was a good car.

Thanks for the replies though, it does help to get some more opinions on the matter!
 
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XPOWER180
Don't, just don't. You could get a good car for that money rather than an appliance.
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Nowt wrong with the Cee'd. The Pro Cee'd is even quite a nice looking car. Certainly more so than many cars in that class. And it's miles more interesting than something like a Focus or an Arsetra.

A 2008 will still have a bunch of years warranty left on it which is a good thing, and from everything I've heard they're both reliable and fairly nice to drive.

The only other ones I'd point you towards in that class are probably the Seat Leon and Honda Civic which are both nicely styled and a bit quirky, or if you're prepared to go a year or two older you should find a BMW 1-Series or Audi A3 with a decent engine and spec.

Worth pointing out that the Kia will probably be the best equipped and cheapest to insure of anything around that level, though.
 
I like the Cee'd quite a lot, I have to say. Not such a fan of the Pro - I remember sitting in one and not being able to see uh ...anything... out of the back thanks to that huge C pillar, but other than that I don't see much wrong with it.

Other than that, go for it 👍 The mileage is a teensy bit low (that's only 7k a year) but not horrifyingly so, I'd say. I'd buy it, keep it for 3 years and then shove it onto someone else before that warranty runs out. It'll be like having a brand new car for £10k... sort of.
 
Would consider an A3 or BMW 1, but they are just too much money. At least £15k for a good one.

I wouldn't have even considered an '08 plate car, but because of the warranty and low mileage it doesn't seem to matter so much.

I agree that it looks smart, not exactly pretty, but clean lines and looks very good in black. Even looks a little sporty.

I would probably keep it for 2-3 years max and sell it with some warranty left, if I do take the plunge.
 
Anything korean post-2005 should be fine. Stay away from anything before then though.
 
2006.acura.rsx.20027153-396x249.jpg


Drop your diesel requirement.
 
Need the diesel as I do 25k miles per year. Need to get around 50mpg to be able to afford it.

And we don't get Acura in the UK, we just have EU spec Honda's. We don't even get Type-R's any more.

Wouldn't mind a Civic, but a bit pricey and am not a fan of the interior.
 
Danoff
Seriously??? :scared:

I mean, technically it's not available here either. But it was...
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Yup. A few grey import JDM Type Rs, but never got the DC5 Integra/RSX over here. Only ever got the DC2 Type R for a brief period. Honda UK were worried it'd cannibalise Civic sales.
 
To be honest though, i'm not fussed about Honda's Type-R's. They are all about the revs, it would annoy me on the daily grind not having the torque of a diesel or turbo. Fine on the few occasions where you can have fun (track or quiet B-roads), but not all the time. Running costs are too high anyway.

Maybe I have become lazy... Each to their own though!
 
XPOWER180
Don't, just don't. You could get a good car for that money rather than an appliance.
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Please, come back to this thread when you've stopped living in the 90's. Like Hyundai, the brand has changed it's reputation very well in the last 3-4 years.
 
Yeah I second that, KIA and Hyundai are excellent quality brands and this idea that they are junk is the same archaic attitude that people had when Japanese imports started arriving in the 70's. In the end they turned out to be way more reliable and cheaper.

South Korea is the new Japan and so are their cars, give them a few more years and they will be as good if not better. Its the same with Chinese cars given another decade or so.

Robin.
 
Like I said before, I had an i30 for a week to drove it about 600 miles. It is a nice car and pulled really well. Felt much quicker to 60 than my Fiat or Golf, despite the stats suggesting it should be slower.

It was very easy on the motorway with the 6 gears and very quiet and refined. Obviously, the 2.0 CRDI will be different, but a test drive should show up the character of the car.

One thing I did wonder though, with 140ps and not being extremely heavy, why is it 10secs to 62? Is this just the manufactures playing it safe with a conservative figure?

By the way, I have just noticed this is in the wrong forum, should be in 'cars in general'. If a mod could move it please, I would be grateful.
 
Probably geared more towards economy than outright speed. Though that seems about right to be honest - the equivalent 2 litre diesel C4 gets about the same figures, and that's a bit lighter and I'd guess more aerodynamic.
 
Mike0105
One thing I did wonder though, with 140ps and not being extremely heavy, why is it 10secs to 62? Is this just the manufactures playing it safe with a conservative figure?
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Most Kia/Hyundai engines don't perform as well as their European/Japanese counterparts. This 2.0 CRDi is rather slow and quite thirsty too. The HDi and JTD/Multijet diesels are more refined. You'll be able to make a nice comparision coming from a Fiat Bravo.

If you're looking for a comfortable car that's well equipped, I'd say go for a test drive. From what I've heard it drives far from sporty, but when driving 25k a year that can only be a plus. It's more important that you like the seats, also after an hour+ drive.

In terms of reliability Kia's score average, but with 4 more years of warranty left you'd have nothing to worry if you buy the car from a decent dealer. Make sure the mileage is documented, since the instrument clusters sometimes die on Cee'ds. They need to be replaced, resulting in the mileage to be set back to 0.

Since you love your Bravo, thought about a Bravo 1.6 Multijet? Or do you want to try something different?

Edit: Also moved the thread for you
 
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Ceed with over 200bhp with 1.6 turbo petrol engine coming soon to UK.
7 year warranty.
 
I absolutely love the Cerato, it's pretty agile, economical and quite good looking. The Cee'd isn't exactly a looker but judging from your posts, looks aren't your major concern. As the underpinnings are common for both cars you can pretty much assume the Cee'd is a very good deal.

Go for it, modern korean cars are very poised, and very very very reliable. The service on them around here is pretty lame, however they still sell like bananas. In fact, they're so nicely put together that you rarely go to the dealer for any non-scheduled service routines.

Korean auto industry is on par with the japanese nowadays on quality. 👍

EDIT: Oh, I think this thread would be more at home in the Cars in General section. ;)
 
McLaren
Please, come back to this thread when you've stopped living in the 90's. Like Hyundai, the brand has changed it's reputation very well in the last 3-4 years.
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Not well enough - and that's the biggest issue with this car.

A new, no-options ticked 2009 Pro C'eed would have cost £16k rolling off the forecourt. Mike's example is now £10k, 2 years and average mileage later - that's a 38% depreciation in average use as a best case (any options ticked and the new cost is higher, as is the depreciation) and that's quite high, especially for a diesel. He wants to put 50k on it in the next two years, so he'll have, in 2013, a 4 year old, 70,000 mile Kia to sell - if he gets much more than £5k for that I'll be surprised (Edit: I can't find a single Kia on AutoTrader that is worth more than £5k having covered 70,000 miles in 4 years, except a 2006 Sedona which was £21k new and £6k on AT - 72% depreciation).

So while 50mpg over 50,000 miles looks attractive (£7,000 in fuel, give or take, accounting for fuel price increases - 14p per mile), the depreciation will cost almost as much (£5,000 in depreciation - 10p per mile).

Almost all cars depreciate, so there's a bit of a math-hole there. You can't say "I can buy a 25mpg car that doesn't depreciate and it'll cost me the same!", but you can find a car with maybe a slightly lower fuel economy but a lower rate of depreciation - something like a small diesel-engined BMW 3 or 1 series - to save even more money.


There's nothing wrong with the Kia - it's almost "essence of car" - except public perception of them. I wouldn't advise against buying it, as it fits your purpose - but I think you can get more for your money and get more back when you come to change. Depreciation is something that's hard to get an exact handle on, mind - you're trying to bet on how much someone else will want your car in 2 years :lol:
 
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Mike0105
One thing I did wonder though, with 140ps and not being extremely heavy, why is it 10secs to 62? Is this just the manufactures playing it safe with a conservative figure?
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Hugo Boss
Most Kia/Hyundai engines don't perform as well as their European/Japanese counterparts. This 2.0 CRDi is rather slow and quite thirsty too. The HDi and JTD/Multijet diesels are more refined. You'll be able to make a nice comparision coming from a Fiat Bravo.
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This. If this is an 07, I've driven a variant of this engine in the Carens, and damn is it a thirsty bugger. The shift quality and the clutch were total crap, too... but that may be Carens-specific. That Carens did 10 seconds to 62 with the 150 hp motor... so maybe the figures are conservative. Small Hyundai diesels, however, seem to lose a lot of power when it's even remotely hot out.

Korean quality is half-of-this and half-of-that. The engines themselves (Hyundai CRDi motors) are relatively durable... I've heard of small Hyundai diesels that have hit over 300,000 kilometers on the original injectors... quite rare for high-pressure injectors on our piss-poor crude) but some of the body hardware and electronics aren't.
 
Always worth noting that 0-60 is very dependent on gearing, and if it's got a 6-speed 'box then there's a fair chance it needs two gearchanges before 60mph rather than just the one.
 
niky
This. If this is an 07, I've driven a variant of this engine in the Carens, and damn is it a thirsty bugger. The shift quality and the clutch were total crap, too... but that may be Carens-specific. That Carens did 10 seconds to 62 with the 150 hp motor... so maybe the figures are conservative. Small Hyundai diesels, however, seem to lose a lot of power when it's even remotely hot out.
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I assume this is the same 6 speed box as in the Hyundia i30 1.6 CRDI which I was impressed with. Not as nice as the the Golf (nice short throw and feels solid), but better that most I've tried.

When I have the time and am 100% sure I want (read can afford :() to buy a new car I will test drive one. This should throw up any issues then. Have seen a '59 plate 5 door that would also fit the bill for just a little more money, so might look at that too.

I hear what you are saying about the depreciation Famine, but I can't stretch to something more value holding and they don't have the piece of mind of the long warranty. I have looked into this and it seems to be pretty comprehensive. Coming from my Fiat this should actually be an improvement anyway!
 
I did some fagpacket maths and noticed a BMW 118d was about 1p a mile more expensive all-in - though you're quite right in that it'd be out of normal warranty when you buy it and very much out when you get rid. And I'd rather drive a tentpeg through my eyesocket than a 1-series BMW.

I'm sure there's a viable alternative - it's always good to have alternatives.
 
I've had a good look for alternatives, another Bravo would be one, but I fancy something different. All VAG cars would be 30k miles or higher for this class and money (plus likely to be lower spec and less power), Audi and BMW are to much to buy and insure for those miles.

Could get a Peugeot 308 or Citroën C4 HDI for the money, but can't say I'm overly keen on them. Might have a look though.

Vauxhall Astra's are ok. There is a 150bhp SRI CDTI going with lots of kit, but again it's more money (£11k) and the insurance in group 13 (old).

Ford Focus' aren't my cup of tea and a bit pricey for a low mileage 110bhp diesel. Considered one as a company car, but they wanted 330 pcm for it and I'd lose my mileage payments for work miles. My mother has one and it's a bit dull to be brutally honest. Nice enough to drive, but doesn't really appeal to me.

I can't go bigger (Mondeo, Passat etc) as it has to fit in the garage. I could go smaller I suppose.

All in all, an i30/Cee'd seems to be fitting the bill quite well. Unless I've missed anything out?
 
The 6-speed is likely to add a bit to the 0-100 km/h time, yes... rubbery change and all that.

I rather like the 6-speed manual in the Focus. A bit notchy but satisfyingly mechanical. The 2.0 is a gas thanks to the punchy low-end power delivery. (which is why we own one).

The i30 1.6 is a surprisingly nice car. Like most Hyundai/Kia products, I'm not particularly fond of the gearchange, the clutch, the steering or the suspension, but it's roomy and practical.

BMW 1s are nice to drive (despite weighing two tons and being sluggish due to that), but I can't imagine myself paying that incredible brand premium for something that feels like a plastic straightjacket from the inside.

Oh. And they're pig-ugly.
 
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