924Board.org

[ideola]

I know I shouldn't, but sometimes I just can't help myself.


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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[morghen]

you're bored I see
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https://www.the924.com

[ideola]

Entertainment during conference calls.

Car Spotter group is a target rich environment.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[Defender405]

Kia! For those too cheap to buy a Hyundai.
Kia! The automotive equivalent to the Fingerhut catalog.
Kia! South Korea + Hamsters.
Probably not the best advertising slogans but...
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Its only money, you can always get more.

1979 924 N/A
1975 MGB
1991 Infiniti M30
1987 300ZX Turbo

[morghen]

To be fair here, I did not hear anybody complain about them around here but then again most cars here are European cars
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https://www.the924.com

[Cedric]

The car world needs less hating, everyone likes different stuff. They are actually really good cars, hence the sales boom here in Europe the last years. Hyundai have also released what seems like a top notch hot hatch, and they do quite alot of testing and racing at nurburgring. Im not lusting after a kia or Hyundai, but i understand people who likes them.
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1980 924 Turbo
www.instagram.com/garagecedric/

[924-76]

Back in March 2016, I was in need of changing my daily drive. I had a 2004 VW Jetta wagon. I loved the car, driving experience, flexibility and spacious cargo room. But it was getting old, maintenance bill were getting bigger and with 2 kids, event with the huge cargo area, I needed a roof box on summer and Xmass travel holidays.
So I start shopping around and realized, for multiple reason, that the best option for me was a mini-van. So I start making my list of requirements:
-Electric seat, so my short wife can raise the seat and use it.
-Heated seats, hey! It gets stupid cold over here during winter.
-Enjoyable to drive/driving experience, as much as a mini-van can be.
-Second row seats needed to be moved out of the way to increase cargo space at the back.
-A/C
-Blue tooth

I went out to dealers and test drives few different mini-vans in the following order:
-Kia
-Toyota, and
-Dodge

Kia
As soon as I pulled out of the lot, I was extremely impressed by the driving feeling; it did not feel like a mini-van but more like a large sedan. Well equipped (everything I was looking for) except that the second row seats are not removable, but they stand up and squeeze behind the driver and passenger seats. Model with required option was about 30K.

Toyota
Very nice drive, to the point that I was worry that it would get boring. The second row seats are not removable and can only fold the back rest forward. To get electric seats, heated seats and blue tooth, I was looking at 42-45K

Dodge
I knew I was not going to buy it within the first 100m I drove it; terrible driving experience. There is no doubt you are driving a mini-van, feel bulky and bounce around. The best second row seats with the stow-and-go, they just disappear under the floor. In order to get electric seats, heated seats, stow-and-go and blue tooth, I had to take a cosmetic option package and again, I was looking at 42-45K.


I end-up buying the Kia and I haven't regretted it yet.
Is it the best mini-van on the market, probably not? I believe Toyota and Honda are building better, more durable and more reliable vehicle. But Kia was the one that answer the best my requirements at a much more affordable price.


I would ask to people bashing on Kia and Hyundai,
Have you try one?
Have you compared them with their competitors for price, options and driving experience?

Don't compare Kia or Hyundai with a new Porsche, BMW or other luxury/high end cars but with their equivalent Japanese or North American and you might be surprise.



Now you can go ahead and pick on me for driving a mini-van, but I can go camping with my wife, two boys, a 65lbs dog, all the camping gear and food for few days and I still have room to spare.
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1976 924 N/A ROW SOLD
1980 931S
1981 931 Part car RIP

[Kenodog]

Myself and another board member rented a Kia to drive from Vancouver to Edmonton to strip a 931. The car drove 2500 kms in 24 hours of driving time. A few hours of that was putting around the city but lots of that was highway driving at 160 kph for hours on end. It ran flawlessly with decent handling and tons of power for a compact. Drove home with about 400lbs of Porsche parts and 65 AR drum mags in the trunk. My only complaint was after a few hours the seats got uncomfortable.

I guess my point is that they are what they are and while they may not be 'upper crust' quality who cares. They hit the note on value for money and for many people that is the entire point. I for one am no brand whore, I actually think folks that spend big just to strut an 'important' brand label are marginally retarded for buying into the whole consumerism bs.



Leigh
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1979 Euro 931, Olive
1981 931, Sabine
1991 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4, Ricky
1996 Ford E-350 ex-FedEx Van
2014 Mazda CX-5 (Kinderwagon)
2019 KTM 790 Adventure
2024 KLX300
2024 KLX140

[morghen]

Strange thing, lately asian and even european manufacturers seem to have gotten their shit together and selling decent cars. Ffs i have a buddy who drives a Fiat and it still works after many years...thats unheard of.
I drove an european Ford Focus...must have been a 1.4 or 1.6L turbo...it was a rental and i drove it flat out 200+ kph for about 200km..quite impressed to be honest. Second day i drove it i noticed it had heated steering wheel...in a hatchback!
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https://www.the924.com

[924RACR]

LOL...

My mother once asked me, while shopping for her current car, if Kias and Hyundais were any good (mind you, I'm the automotive engineer in the family, not just the gearhead).

I wasn't sure, admitted I'd not driven any yet... but judging by the skills of those I see driving them, they must be quite shite.

I've since had a chance to drive a few (rentals); this has confirmed my opinions.

Seems like, sadly, Nissans have fallen into the same bin. So sad, given their great heritage - but of course that means nothing to the current executive management at Nissan, only useful as much as they can use the shine left over from the 70's and 80's to sell more of the garbage they make now...
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Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

[Sunset924]

[jacobroufa]

Not totally unrelated, but... This thread just reminded me how much I miss my MK4 Jetta wagon. Mine was a 2000, with the 5spd manual and 2.0L engine. What a pig, but easily the best vehicle I've ever had. It did everything well, was easy and cheap to work on, provided enough comfort. I'm content enough with my 2010 CC (3.6L VR6, 4motion AWD) but it doesn't engage me as much as the Jetta did despite having 3x the power, AWD, and providing well more tech and comfort... I should have shopped around a bit longer.

[Fasteddie313]

My uncle has some kia suv thing and I try not to talk about it with him because..

But the thing has like 240k on it so it's gaining some respect.. Not really much to knock it for..

But 30k for a kia minivan? 40k for alternatives?
Makes me feel quite out of touch with reality.. That's a lot of money..

I think I'll be buying a used X5 for 3-7k $ range in the not so distant future.. 3.0 straight 6 with under 140k miles or so..
GF wants one bad.. Will likely be the newest auto I've ever owned, not sure that's a good thing..


I push started some little kia thing that was similar to a cavalier the other day, it was all riced out..
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80 Turbo - Slightly Modified

[ideola]

The funny thing about this whole thread was that the original poster put up a pic of his failed Kia being towed onto a flatbed in a *car-spotting* group. All I said originally was "and you thought they offered the 100K warranty out of the goodness of their hearts." You should have seen some of the other posts. It was pretty savage! So then this guy chimes in, and I just had to have some fun with him.

I have driven several rental Kias, and sorry, but they are the definition of asian shit boxes. Their Initial Quality Survey scores have improved dramatically...in fact they took first place (!!!) in 2017. But their 3-year reliability scores are still mid-pack. They've improved for sure. But they still look like shit and drive like shit.

I do, however, like the Hyundai Veloster. It's an odd looking thing, but if I were a young kid with no money, that little hot hatch would be fun to own.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made