[jgotangco]

Hi Marlo,

I am not from Kia, but I own an LX model (It may not be all power except the steering, but a damn nice car for the price) From my dealer, you can reserve a Picanto MT for P10,000 but you can be on the priority list if you make a 30% down. I was told that the next batch is coming this month. You can have the car financed in 12/24/36/48 schemes.

Originally posted by marlo@Oct 4 2004, 12:48 AM
Hi

can i ask how much is the reservation fee?
any chance of having it on car financing?

thanks
marlo

Quoted post​

 

[jgotangco]

We got our 2nd Picanto unit today, the LX A/T model in Scarlet Red. The A/T models came as a surprise to the dealerships because everyone expected (and reserved) and M/T models, so there was a last-minute mad scrambe from the salespeople to inform the waiting list on what will arrive. This time, the bumpers, side mirrors and door handles are not key-colored and has 13" tyres. Of course, for the P375,000 price, there's no ABS or airbags here. Just power steering.

I haven't tested the A/T yet because we just got it today, but I will post this weekend on how the car performs in city driving. But based on our first unit, the LX M/T, the Picanto is good enough for normal driving conditions in the city and nearby provinces. Don't expect it to last all the way to Baguio though, but who knows, this car sports a 12 valve engine.

 

[jgotangco]

Originally posted by bathala@Nov 18 2004, 03:50 PM

May wierd thing pala. Here are the list of things na hindi kasama sa unit namin pero kasama duon sa first batch (ung showroom model na tiningnan ko 2 monts ago):
1. Trunk cover
2. Hub caps

And I also had to pay 1,500 for the Tinting and Floor mats.

Yes, I was looking for the trunk cover as well and the dealership can't say anything about it because they don't have it at all. As for the hubcaps, the first batch had black rims 14" tyres with the cover plate. I would like something like that as well in the future to dress up the car.

The floor mats was free from my dealership but had to tint it for 2,000.

 

[jgotangco]

That's the nature of the A/T system kasi nga in theory, rapid acceleration eats more fuel and the ECU takes care of the shifting of the gears. But then, nandun yung O/D but its only effective if you are already in a winding road with a good speed.

I have never driven an A/T before the Picanto, but I already got the hang of it. What I did kung mabagal yung nasa unahan ko, punta agad ako sa 2 instead of D then go to D pag nag-overtake na. When I'm around 70 I push the O/D and turn it off again pag nag stop na ulit.

Hey why don't we meet up sometime and share experiences with our cars? It's a nice car anyway, we could share more.

 

[jgotangco]

@ tuesday:

My dealership sells the M/T model for 325,000 but if you want to have it color-keyed, you have to add 9,000 more. Of course, that price is only for the car. It still does not include the other stuff like chattel mortgage, insurance premium, etc.

@ marcelyu:

I'll have my car's tyres and mags replaced tommorow. I'll know what fits but I'm not going for more than 14" for sure. Probably the maximum would be 195 and that's pushing it (considering the state of our roads here).

 

[jgotangco]

I had central locks and alarm system installed, as well as the fog lamps for the red picanto A/T (for my in-law but I use it at the moment). Still in stock 13" at the moment, but I will just imitate what is in the other unit. P-100 would probably be the best fit, but I have yet to check.

We also have a 1st gen silver Picanto M/T stock unit, but I plan to have side skirts and spoiler installed soon when I save enough.

Having a new car is actually more expensive than what most people think. Dealership is at KIA Batangas

 

[jgotangco]

There is an actuator available, but I didn't opt to have it installed because it is going to have an entirely different wiring scheme separate from the existing central lock, as well as a switch that needs to be drilled somewhere under the dash. Also, I'm not sure where the actuator would actually be installed or if ever there is a provision for one at the hatch.

 

[jgotangco]

you're right on some points but the government does not have any safety requirements aside from the seat belts so most car manufacturers here put a premium on the safety features. If the government makes them mandatory, all cars would have it at the same price and not as premium features.

sorry but I still find the price cheap for a brand new car. not some smuggled/converted item from subic.

 

[jgotangco]

Hi Guys....I'm quite geared up to buy a new unit...plannin to sell out my civic95 lx model to finance a new picanto.....I'm thinking between the yellow, orange and cobalt blue colors....

Yellow isn't available at the moment.

jgotangco--maybe you can help me out with your unit...i can drive and meet you somewhere.....just to test drive one...

Mabye sometime when the owners agree to a meetup or an eco drive.

jotangco....--> wala talagang temp gauge ang picanto no....isn't it hard without that?...I saw a diamond blue model in the las pinas dealer....hindi niya maexplain kung bat wala....

There's a temp indicator only for the coolant and the temp. I don't remember the level where it actually goes red. At the moment, I haven't encountered problems with regards to potential overheating even in bad EDSA/Makati traffic. Coolant, medyo matakaw siya, but its tolerable.

 

[jgotangco]

I'll just make a yahoo group instead

Also regarding jappy's post, hindi lang pilipinas ang basic features. Even Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have the same configuration as that of the Philippines (no ABS, Airbags, casette, etc...). We're more luckier than our Malaysian counterparts because their government raised import duties on foreign cars (to protect their own car industry) and the waiting time is much more compared here!

Even sa Denmark, as seen on the general Picanto forum, 8 months ang waiting period! We can really say that the Picanto is a huge success for Kia, but it is having problems in coping up with global demand. You can say we're very very lucky to have a nice car with a cheap package.

 

[jgotangco]

I floored the car at Star Tollway today and sped up to 145km/h. The small frame helped of course, but if I was driving a manual I could have done more in a much shorter time..

 

[jgotangco]

yeah yan ang problem sa cars today na puro naka ECU.

 

[jgotangco]

The Picanto's ECU (or rather the connector to the ECU) is located at the bottom left of the steering wheel, just under the open compartments. And I don't think the ECU of the Picanto would cost that much. I had a Sentra a few years ago that had a busted ECU and I paid around 18k for a brand new one (sa casa). But then, mahal pa din ang ECU but reliabilty has far improved compared to before.

Wala tayo magagawa because all cars nowadays have an ECU. Also the chance of a busted ECU is quite low, but the probabilty of getting it busted because of carelessness is quite high.

 

[jgotangco]

Door Panel is not changed. No need to change since central lock is just an add-on to the existing door lock system. As for power windows, it might be possible but the switch might be drilled somewhere.

 

[jgotangco]

We currently have a solid mailing list:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/picanto-ph/

And an interesting blog:

http://picanto.blogspot.com

It can be a good foundation for a club.