Im am currently thinking of buying a 2010 kia forte ex. I have been hearing mixed things on it. Some say it is good others say its a heap. What do you guys think. Plus i attend school up in NH how is it in the snow. I want to hear opinions on what you have experienced with this car. My price range is around 11,000 and i have found many kia forte’s at this price it makes me scared a little, also at this price range what should i be looking for.
Why the Forte? If you’re in NH and concerned about snow handling, why not a Subaru Outback or a Honda CR-V, both with all wheel drive? For $11k you’d have to get something a few years old, but you could still get a pretty nice vehicle for that price.
the reason i was looking for a newer car that i could get a good warranty out of the kia has that 10yr/100k warranty and it has nice features like the bluetooth and heated mirrors, plus its sporty looking but i don’t knowthe vehicles your talking about are expensive and tend to have high mileage.
Reliability is a good thing to be thinking of, but a warranty is not necessarily a guarantee. The 10yr/100k warranty you mentioned is for the powertrain only, I believe. And other vehicles are as reliable or more reliable than Kias, even without a 10 yr warranty.
For example, take a look at some of the cars Tom and Ray recommend based on reliability:
And if you’re a student, I’d recommend looking at a hatchback/wagon/small SUV: great for hauling stuff to and from school, and then moving when you leave to get a job, etc.
The stuff like Bluetooth and heated mirrors…maybe nice to have, but shouldn’t be the main factors in your decision.
As for the cars I mentioned, you should be able to get one 5 years old in nice condition with low miles for $11k, and it’ll go another 10+ years if you take care of it. Or any of the other cars on Tom & Ray;'s list. I’d take any of those over a Forte.
Just my $.02.
I Don’t Know A Kia Forte From A Bale Of Hay,
"but a warranty is not necessarily a guarantee."
What ? Are You Sure ? Please Forward The Information To The Merriam-Webster Company.
Thanks ! I learned something new today !
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OK, poor exposition on my part. What I meant to say was:
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A warranty is not necessarily a measure of a vehicle’s reliability or quality. A car with a warranty can still be of poor quality and low reliability. All the warranty means is that, if certain things break within a certain time period, the manufacturer will repair the broken component. So a warranty is not a guarantee that nothing will break, and is not a guarantee that the car won’t still be a headache. A 10 year warranty doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be at the dealership every 6 months with a problem.
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It’s possible for other vehicles to have higher quality/reliability even though they come with seemingly lesser warranties. I don’t know what Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai offer these days in terms of warranties, and it could be that their warranties don’t look as good as Kia’s. I don’t know. But I’d still take a Honda or a Hyundai, and perhaps still a Toyota, over a Kia in terms of quality/reliability.
There’s nothing wrong with a Forte. The reliability of Kia and Hyundai vehicles (virtually identical) has been improving steadily for the last ten years, and now rivals some of the best out there.
You can’t beat the price or the warranty, either.
Who are these people who claim the Forte is a “heap?”
If you are looking to buy a brand new vehicle, keep in mind registration and insurance costs, too. I don’t know how bad these might be for your area, but here in Colorado, the registration fee is based off of a percentage of the original MSRP of the vehicle, for the first 10 years.
Plus, the Kia is most likely put into an insurance class labeled as high risk drivers, since it tends to get purchased by college kids, and people with poor credit histories, so they tend to have higher insurance claims than cars bought by middle aged families.
Anyway, the great thing about buying a new car is that if it does turn out to be unreliable (which I doubt is going to be the case), you take it to the dealer, and have them fix it on their own dime during the warranty period. Just make sure you document the oil changes, and timing belt changes well.
BC.
Modern Kia’s are not the same cars of the past. They are quite reliable cars as they are really rebadges of Hyundai cars (merged company).
The car will likely be fine in the snow however it really depends which all-season tires it comes equipped with. If you have issues simply purchase a set(tirerack.com) of 4 winter tires/rims and it will be unstoppable even on a day like today(Noreaster).
Some of the new cars come equipped with optional 17" rims with low profile tires, that look nice but tend to suffer in winter. You usually can downgrade to a 15" steel wheel and purchase inexpensive winters and you will be passing SUV’s flipped and slid off the road with all-seasons.
I suspect almost all attempts to rate the reliability of cars. It is almost impossible to get good numbers. Who buys a Ford, who buys a Rolls Royce, who buys a Ford Mustang? who buys a used Pinto?
Those buyers are not going to be much alike. I'd guess the Rolls Royce is going to get very good maintenance, the Pinto may be lucky to get an oil change every 100,000 miles. Who will be more likely to report problems? Pinto owners or Oldsmobile cutlass?
If you want a reliable car, look for one that has had all the recommend maintenance done on schedule and make sure you do the same.