KIA Forte Koup Question

MidEngine4Life

Active Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
232
Location
Vancouver, WA
Car(s)
2013 Ford Focus ST
So I drive a 2005 Subaru STi. Love it to death....however I cant afford it. I should have never bought it in the first place. Fuel costs and maintenance are too high for my budget and when people ask what Ive done to it I just laugh. ( http://www.deviantart.com/download/139542441/POWERRRRR_by_MidEngine4Life.jpg )

Anyway. I just got accepted for a transfer from Denver International Airport to San Francisco International and will be living in San Jose (Meaning a 45 minute commute every day at least). I cant afford to be buying a full tank of premium fuel every 3 days in California and my warranty is about to expire so if she breaks...im dead in the water.

So I decided to look for a replacement vehicle. I used to drive a Scion tC before my Soobie ( http://img837.imageshack.**/img837/3443/sciontc.jpg )and it was great in every way....except it was boring to drive aka handling was poor. I wasnt sure what to get until I saw the new Forte Koup ( http://img97.imageshack.**/img97/3430/11kiafortekoupreview.jpg ) A gorgeous car nearly identical to the tC only better looking and better handling. I did my homework and picked out exactly what I wanted.

Truth be told ive been trying to get out of Denver for over a year now so I knew this purchase would be coming for a while. At least 6 months ago I visited my local kia dealership and they had a few Koups on the lot, but nothing exactly what i wanted. I took a Koup EX automatic out for a test drive and even though its not even close to what I wanted I enjoyed it. As soon as I got word on my transfer I went back in only to have them tell me they dont have any, they've never even seen one in Red like I want, they cant even find the trim and color I want in the country, and they have no idea when theyll get another Koup in stock, let alone the one I want.

Does anyone know anything about KIA's strategy with the Koup? Ive only seen a small handful on the roads; only one in Colorado ever! The dealership had a million Souls and they said all their new shipments consist of SUV's. Im starting to get worried I may have to settle for my backup plan, a Mitsubishi Lancer, but Id really rather not.
 
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Surely you can go in and have one spec'd up and they make a request to the factory, I'm unsure but I know some manufacturers allow it.
 
Seriously, get a motorcycle there as you will otherwise sit in traffic a lot and waste fuel going nowhere. Also, there's almost no parking in SF, which a motorcycle will circumvent.
 
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Seriously, get a motorcycle there as you will otherwise sit in traffic a lot and waste fuel going nowhere. Also, there's almost no parking in SF, which a motorcycle will circumvent.

Thats a brilliant idea actually, though im not too concerned about finding parking. Im sure ill be paying a pretty penny to park at SFO and if theres no parking at work, well then theres a serious issue lol
 
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Most airports have free parking areas for motorcycles, or at least so I find.
 
Thats a brilliant idea actually, though im not too concerned about finding parking. Im sure ill be paying a pretty penny to park at SFO and if theres no parking at work, well then theres a serious issue lol

and theres bart, which is public transportation/light rail that, surprise, actually works on time and efficiently.
 
Except, of course, when you get into the city proper, where it is infested with homeless persons and all that goes along with that. :p
 
*Waits for Epic Beard Man video*

I've used public transportation in D.C, NYC and in Germany. You get weirdos everywhere, but I digress.

Why not a Spec B. Legacy or '07 WRX Wagon or something? I've heard the Forte is decent, but it's a new car and I'd wait for them to fix whatever is wrong first.
 
Why not a Spec B. Legacy or '07 WRX Wagon or something? I've heard the Forte is decent, but it's a new car and I'd wait for them to fix whatever is wrong first.

Dont need the AWD anymore, Id love to keep it, but I realize fuel economy and simplicity (Not having to replace all 4 wheels at once or paying extra for work done because its a turbo for example) is more important for me right now.

As for bart it doesnt go far enough south yet. Id be better off riding caltrain, but im not sure what that'll cost me if i do it 5 days a week. Still got to work out all the details with the airport and the airline as to how much employee parking is gonna cost, but I hear its rediculously high
 
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I don't understand. You're on a budget, you can't afford the maintenance on an STi, but you want a brand new car?
 
The Koup isn't "exactly like" a Scion tc in one major (for me, anyway) way...it doesn't have a huge trunk opening/hatchback/liftback/whateverthehellyouwanttocallit. My girlfriend has a Civic Coupe, and she has trouble getting a laundry basket into her trunk because of the small opening. I can get a 4-drawer-tall filing cabinet in my car, in the box it came in, with all doors/windows closed.
 
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Just throwing it out there as an idea...how about a brand new Suzuki Kizashi?
3c86e_01-suzuki-kizashi-live_opt.jpg


It has 185 hp, AWD (which you can turn into just FWD with a single button). 0-62 is in 8 seconds. Not really quick, but it gets 30mpg. It's loaded with options, costs around $14k and has lifetime powertrain warranty.

I drove one and was pleasantly surprised.
 
I don't understand. You're on a budget, you can't afford the maintenance on an STi, but you want a brand new car?

X2.

You'd need to do some massive damage to offset the loss a new car will cost you.
 
Isn't the "Forte Penecelin" a fake Honda Civic Si coupe? Because it just looks like.


...btw 2nd hand good condition 2008 Honda Civic Si Coupe is cheaper then buying a flaky Kia fake new.
 
Isn't the "Forte Penecelin" a fake Honda Civic Si coupe? Because it just looks like.


...btw 2nd hand good condition 2008 Honda Civic Si Coupe is cheaper then buying a flaky Kia fake new.

Do remember that the Hyundais and Kias we get over here are made in different plants and have a much different reputation than the ones you get over there. Plus, per most reviews, while the Civic just barely edges the Koup in most comparisons (usually by fractions of a point), the Koup is much cheaper, has a much better warranty, and honestly finally provides real competition for the Civic. The latter has been sorely missing in the US, as most of the other cars in the class don't even try to match the Civic in 'fun to drive', and the Kia comes close, very close. Honda's quality's been slipping a bit of late as well...
 
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From reviews I've read from over here, the Koup is just a humdrum hatchback that looks a bit fancy, and drives like one too. Wooden steering, pretty lifeless gearchange and very little road feel are things I've read about it. It's basically deemed as a hairdressers car over here, all show and no trousers.
 
14k USD for the Kizashi? That's very reasonable.

Agreed, that's a lot of car for the money. It costs nearly twice that here and its still highly commended. And isn't it a size up from all the other cars mentioned? It's pegged against the Accord, Passat and Mondeo over here.
 
Just throwing it out there as an idea...how about a brand new Suzuki Kizashi?
3c86e_01-suzuki-kizashi-live_opt.jpg


It has 185 hp, AWD (which you can turn into just FWD with a single button). 0-62 is in 8 seconds. Not really quick, but it gets 30mpg. It's loaded with options, costs around $14k and has lifetime powertrain warranty.

I drove one and was pleasantly surprised.

I would go for that, it's so reasonable... you described this as the car you want. Fits perfectly.

I just hope you aren't a badge snob...
 
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