1983 RIV CONVERTIBLE, 2011 KIA OPTIMA SX, 2014 BUICK LACROSSE PREMIUM II
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97 Posts
As the half-dozen email and 4 phone calls from Kia have reminded me, I have now owned my Optima SX for 2 years. So, it is time for a status report.
Bottom Line First: I love this car. I haven’t seen anything else out there I would trade it for. And, I have looked.
Okay, details:
I bought my SX by ‘ordering’ it, although since it came from Korea you can’t really order it. My dealer just put in a request for the model and accessories I wanted and waited for one to come off the boat in Washington that he cold snatch. I specifically wanted Corsa Blue with Sport Wheels and all available options. He found the car with the wrong wheels a couple times and tried to get me to take those. He even tried to buy some sport wheels off of ebay to swap, but didn’t make it happen. Consequently I ordered the car on March 27 and took delivery on May 2, 2011.
I negotiated the price when I put down my deposit. The car stickered for $30,800 fully loaded. I got it for $27K, and they included all weather floor mats, trunk mat, trunk tray, bumper protector, cargo net and wheel locks. I tried for splash guards but didn’t get them but I am glad now because I have seen a couple cars with them on all 4 wheelwells and they are ugly. Plus I don’t notice a need for them.
I had been reading on this and other sites about a left pull issue, and also about the front ends of these cars being scraped as they unloaded them from the transport trucks. Inspection of my car revealed the dreaded paint scrapes and a test drive showed the infamous left pull was indeed present. The dealer had the body shop repair the scrapes (although you really couldn’t see them since they were underneath the front lip). And, the tires were underinflated. Properly inflating the tires fixed the pull issue. It has never returned in two years. But, the newly painted front edge only lasted to the first deep gutter I encountered. No matter how I try to negotiate a deep gutter by angling or going extremely slow, the front end scrapes the ground. I can only see the damage if I am nearly lying on the ground in front of the car, but it is still annoying. Other cars I own don’t hit the ground like this.
I also had been reading about how crappy the original Nexen’s are. I thought I would be replacing them before my first winter. But, I have gone through 2 winters now and the tires are actually quite good. The car is as stable as a tank in snow. Here in Utah we get a lot of snow. And, they seem to be getting quieter with age, which is unusual. I am actually very satisfied with these Nexen tires. I have 21K miles on the car and they look to be about half way through their tread.
I am still nervous about curb rash on my sport wheels. So far I have managed to avoid it. The finish on the wheels has held up very well. Still shines like new with no degradation of the finish. I really love these bottle-cap-pizza-cutter-manhole-cover-hot-wheels-johnny-lightning wheels. Especially in motion. I have never met anyone who didn’t love them, except on the internet. I read a lot of people think they are ugly, but I have never had anyone make anything but glowing comments to me in person. Some have even asked where I got the wheels because they wanted them. So, go figure.
I have run Mobil 1 full synthetic since my first oil change. I believe this has helped with my gas mileage. I am getting about 25 mpg with mixed/primarily city driving. When I take it on the highway I get truly stellar mileage. We have two types of freeway here, one with 75 mph limits and the other with 55 mph limits. When traveling at 75 mph I am getting a solid 36 mpg. I have traveled from Northern Utah to Las Vegas on ¾ tank of fuel, a trip of 500 miles. When traveling at 55 mph I am getting 38 mpg. I am using the cars trip computer on long trips for these figures, but when I fill up the gas used verifies these numbers. I never use ECO. I don’t know why. I just don’t.
I have rebadged my car with blue badges and added some additional chrome and carbon fiber bits. It is all a matter of personal taste. I really like the added chrome and carbon fiber. The badges were really fun when I first put them on because I would have people chase me down to find out what kind of car it is, and I usually made new friends at every gas stop. But, that has stopped now. People have figured it out I guess. The front blue badge has gotten some water spots on it that just don’t wash off anymore. It’s not turning white like some of you have shown the black badges are doing, but the front badge is definitely showing some wear. I may go back to the original KIA badge some day in the future. It doesn’t look bad, just looks like I didn’t dry it off after I washed it.
I do still get a lot of looks in this car. I can see people staring. At least I assume it is the car. Maybe I am just so damned handsome…
The seats in this car are still hard. Not so hard I would consider getting another car, but they will never be considered cushy. I have taken several road trips and the seats are fine, but firm. A little more coddling would be nice. I have sit in a 2012 and subsequent Optima and their seats are more comfortable, but I really like the style of the 2011 seats the best. The mesh detailing just looks better in the original 2011 seats. The heat and ventilation in these seats are the best I have ever had. I had an Infiniti M with heat and ventilation prior to this car, and the seats were weak and slow in comparison to the Kia. The only seats I had that heated as fast was an Oldsmobile Bravada, but it would heat so hot that it would serious fry your butt even on low. Kia really did it right. Oh, except the location of the buttons for the seat heat. Yes, they are blocked when the car is in drive. And, yes I can move my head a couple inches to see around it. But if I were designing it, I would have put the driver’s seat button someplace else.
This is one of very few cars that has enough leg room for me. I am 6’2” and it is almost all legs. I have to keep my seat in the full rear position, so I never get the benefit of the seat that powers back for ease of entrance/egress. I would like that. But, with that seat fully to the rear I can still sit comfortably in the seat behind my driver seat. No one ever complains when sitting behind me. That is almost unheard of for me. I prowl the new car lots for entertainment and have sat in/driven most new cars. I have found very few cars that have this kind of leg room. I tried to get comfortable in an Equus, but it doesn’t have the range of the Optima. The only leg room competitor I have found is a Buick LaCrosse (Shaq knows what he is talking about) and VW Jetta/Passat, and of course the Sonata. There have been a lot of cars over the years that I lusted over that just didn’t provide the leg room I require. This Optima is really comfortable for me, firm seats notwithstanding.
I wish the cubby in the console had a cover on it. I could leave my smart phone plugged in when I leave the car. As it is, I don’t dare leave it being exposed as it is. But, most of the time I have a USB plugged in and I do leave that. I found one designed for car audio that is virtually flush when plugged in and it works very well holding almost 4000 songs. My only complaint is that RANDOM isn’t very random. The car has a few songs at the beginning of the play list that it wants to play over and over and over and over. It appears you can get around this by not storing your music on the USB in folders. If it is all one root folder, you can get true random, but then you sacrifice the display showing the artist along with the title. I just deal with it by skipping to the next song every time it tries to play one of it’s favorites, which is almost every song.
I have put leather conditioner on my seats. The leather softened up nicely. It is basically lanolin. I have used this on the leather in my other cars and I have a 30 year old Buick that has leather that looks brand new. Even wins awards. It was a little tricky putting on the conditioner to avoid getting it on the mesh trim, but it has been worth it. It keeps those creases and wrinkles from forming. The mesh trim is holding up very well too. I thought it would be a crud catcher and would stain or discolor, but it looks just as new with no dirt or crud issues. I quite like the mesh they used. It has a distinct sparkle to it when the light hits it.
The maintenance reminder part of the trip computer is kinda worthless. It doesn’t have the interval I want to use, or even the interval that is recommended.
The cooled glove box is okay. It won’t refrigerate your drinks but it will keep a cold drink cold. Keeps your chocolate from melting too. But, ya gotta eat/drink it before you stop and let your car sit in the sun or it was all for nothing.
There is no lock on the glove box. It hasn’t really been a problem, but I am used to a locking glove box.
The subtle lighting in the console and door cubbies is really appreciated. You don’t notice it, but it is there when you need it. The lights on the steering wheel buttons is very subtle as well. Doesn’t hit you in the face like other cars I have had, but there is just enough illumination to find the button in the dark.
Continued in next post...
Bottom Line First: I love this car. I haven’t seen anything else out there I would trade it for. And, I have looked.
Okay, details:
I bought my SX by ‘ordering’ it, although since it came from Korea you can’t really order it. My dealer just put in a request for the model and accessories I wanted and waited for one to come off the boat in Washington that he cold snatch. I specifically wanted Corsa Blue with Sport Wheels and all available options. He found the car with the wrong wheels a couple times and tried to get me to take those. He even tried to buy some sport wheels off of ebay to swap, but didn’t make it happen. Consequently I ordered the car on March 27 and took delivery on May 2, 2011.
I negotiated the price when I put down my deposit. The car stickered for $30,800 fully loaded. I got it for $27K, and they included all weather floor mats, trunk mat, trunk tray, bumper protector, cargo net and wheel locks. I tried for splash guards but didn’t get them but I am glad now because I have seen a couple cars with them on all 4 wheelwells and they are ugly. Plus I don’t notice a need for them.
I had been reading on this and other sites about a left pull issue, and also about the front ends of these cars being scraped as they unloaded them from the transport trucks. Inspection of my car revealed the dreaded paint scrapes and a test drive showed the infamous left pull was indeed present. The dealer had the body shop repair the scrapes (although you really couldn’t see them since they were underneath the front lip). And, the tires were underinflated. Properly inflating the tires fixed the pull issue. It has never returned in two years. But, the newly painted front edge only lasted to the first deep gutter I encountered. No matter how I try to negotiate a deep gutter by angling or going extremely slow, the front end scrapes the ground. I can only see the damage if I am nearly lying on the ground in front of the car, but it is still annoying. Other cars I own don’t hit the ground like this.
I also had been reading about how crappy the original Nexen’s are. I thought I would be replacing them before my first winter. But, I have gone through 2 winters now and the tires are actually quite good. The car is as stable as a tank in snow. Here in Utah we get a lot of snow. And, they seem to be getting quieter with age, which is unusual. I am actually very satisfied with these Nexen tires. I have 21K miles on the car and they look to be about half way through their tread.
I am still nervous about curb rash on my sport wheels. So far I have managed to avoid it. The finish on the wheels has held up very well. Still shines like new with no degradation of the finish. I really love these bottle-cap-pizza-cutter-manhole-cover-hot-wheels-johnny-lightning wheels. Especially in motion. I have never met anyone who didn’t love them, except on the internet. I read a lot of people think they are ugly, but I have never had anyone make anything but glowing comments to me in person. Some have even asked where I got the wheels because they wanted them. So, go figure.
I have run Mobil 1 full synthetic since my first oil change. I believe this has helped with my gas mileage. I am getting about 25 mpg with mixed/primarily city driving. When I take it on the highway I get truly stellar mileage. We have two types of freeway here, one with 75 mph limits and the other with 55 mph limits. When traveling at 75 mph I am getting a solid 36 mpg. I have traveled from Northern Utah to Las Vegas on ¾ tank of fuel, a trip of 500 miles. When traveling at 55 mph I am getting 38 mpg. I am using the cars trip computer on long trips for these figures, but when I fill up the gas used verifies these numbers. I never use ECO. I don’t know why. I just don’t.
I have rebadged my car with blue badges and added some additional chrome and carbon fiber bits. It is all a matter of personal taste. I really like the added chrome and carbon fiber. The badges were really fun when I first put them on because I would have people chase me down to find out what kind of car it is, and I usually made new friends at every gas stop. But, that has stopped now. People have figured it out I guess. The front blue badge has gotten some water spots on it that just don’t wash off anymore. It’s not turning white like some of you have shown the black badges are doing, but the front badge is definitely showing some wear. I may go back to the original KIA badge some day in the future. It doesn’t look bad, just looks like I didn’t dry it off after I washed it.
I do still get a lot of looks in this car. I can see people staring. At least I assume it is the car. Maybe I am just so damned handsome…
The seats in this car are still hard. Not so hard I would consider getting another car, but they will never be considered cushy. I have taken several road trips and the seats are fine, but firm. A little more coddling would be nice. I have sit in a 2012 and subsequent Optima and their seats are more comfortable, but I really like the style of the 2011 seats the best. The mesh detailing just looks better in the original 2011 seats. The heat and ventilation in these seats are the best I have ever had. I had an Infiniti M with heat and ventilation prior to this car, and the seats were weak and slow in comparison to the Kia. The only seats I had that heated as fast was an Oldsmobile Bravada, but it would heat so hot that it would serious fry your butt even on low. Kia really did it right. Oh, except the location of the buttons for the seat heat. Yes, they are blocked when the car is in drive. And, yes I can move my head a couple inches to see around it. But if I were designing it, I would have put the driver’s seat button someplace else.
This is one of very few cars that has enough leg room for me. I am 6’2” and it is almost all legs. I have to keep my seat in the full rear position, so I never get the benefit of the seat that powers back for ease of entrance/egress. I would like that. But, with that seat fully to the rear I can still sit comfortably in the seat behind my driver seat. No one ever complains when sitting behind me. That is almost unheard of for me. I prowl the new car lots for entertainment and have sat in/driven most new cars. I have found very few cars that have this kind of leg room. I tried to get comfortable in an Equus, but it doesn’t have the range of the Optima. The only leg room competitor I have found is a Buick LaCrosse (Shaq knows what he is talking about) and VW Jetta/Passat, and of course the Sonata. There have been a lot of cars over the years that I lusted over that just didn’t provide the leg room I require. This Optima is really comfortable for me, firm seats notwithstanding.
I wish the cubby in the console had a cover on it. I could leave my smart phone plugged in when I leave the car. As it is, I don’t dare leave it being exposed as it is. But, most of the time I have a USB plugged in and I do leave that. I found one designed for car audio that is virtually flush when plugged in and it works very well holding almost 4000 songs. My only complaint is that RANDOM isn’t very random. The car has a few songs at the beginning of the play list that it wants to play over and over and over and over. It appears you can get around this by not storing your music on the USB in folders. If it is all one root folder, you can get true random, but then you sacrifice the display showing the artist along with the title. I just deal with it by skipping to the next song every time it tries to play one of it’s favorites, which is almost every song.
I have put leather conditioner on my seats. The leather softened up nicely. It is basically lanolin. I have used this on the leather in my other cars and I have a 30 year old Buick that has leather that looks brand new. Even wins awards. It was a little tricky putting on the conditioner to avoid getting it on the mesh trim, but it has been worth it. It keeps those creases and wrinkles from forming. The mesh trim is holding up very well too. I thought it would be a crud catcher and would stain or discolor, but it looks just as new with no dirt or crud issues. I quite like the mesh they used. It has a distinct sparkle to it when the light hits it.
The maintenance reminder part of the trip computer is kinda worthless. It doesn’t have the interval I want to use, or even the interval that is recommended.
The cooled glove box is okay. It won’t refrigerate your drinks but it will keep a cold drink cold. Keeps your chocolate from melting too. But, ya gotta eat/drink it before you stop and let your car sit in the sun or it was all for nothing.
There is no lock on the glove box. It hasn’t really been a problem, but I am used to a locking glove box.
The subtle lighting in the console and door cubbies is really appreciated. You don’t notice it, but it is there when you need it. The lights on the steering wheel buttons is very subtle as well. Doesn’t hit you in the face like other cars I have had, but there is just enough illumination to find the button in the dark.
Continued in next post...
