2013 Honda Civic vs. Kia Optima

[ontheroad92]

So my poor landlady got in a bad accident, and her car is totaled. She is getting a new car. I'm not too familiar with how the newer ones are these days so I figure I'd ask here.

Car 1:
2013 Kia Optima
54,000 miles, $17,000

Car 2:
2013 Honda Civic
32,000 miles, $16,000

Anybody test driven either one? I haven't driven anything but my cb and older, so I can't comment on the new cars. She wants me to come take a look with her on Wednesday.

[h22sparkle]

Not being biased here I have no real serious experience with kia but I know I can vouch for having a honda. My personal opinion a newer car is nice but its becoming a bit digital for me to really say I want to stay and play since parts are harder to get to.

Lets not forget about payments and computer-wise its a pita and pricey. With any new car are slightly newer car you are going to pay a good deal of money just for parts and repairs.

[ontheroad92]

yeah, i know it's a lot more difficult to diy on repairs. i don't like how they're set up now either. that's why i am taking public transit and have my cb still, lol. she wants the lower mileage (50k and less) and i believe she's enticed by the warranty.

i tried looking for older models in honda, 05-07, but had a hard time finding anything with under 100k miles. a friend told me to steer clear of 2000-2004 hondas.

[toycar]

I know KIA has come a long way in quality, however, you still cannot compare them to a Honda.


Just sayin.

[deevergote]

My friend's ex-girlfriend had a brand new 2012 Kia Optima hybrid. It looked fancy, but man was it crappy inside! Of the two, I'd choose the Civic. I don't really like that particular model, but it's better quality than a Kia.
Kia's quality has improved immensely over the years, but they're still not quite there. You get a lot of stuff for the price... but it's not necessarily good stuff.

As for older Hondas, the only issues I've ever heard of were in regards to the automatic transmissions found on various V6-equipped Honda/Acura vehicles of those years. I'm not aware of any major issues with the Civic. Still, any car that's a decade old is going to have its share of problems. That's just the nature of machines.

If you're going to spend $16,000 on a used 4 year old Civic (because 2017 models are starting to appear now...) why not cough up a little more for a brand new one? Full warranty, no potential abuse from a previous owner, and financing options that should meet your budget (new car financing is almost always at a lower rate than used car financing.) Dealer invoice for a 2016 Civic LX with a 6 speed manual transmission is only $17,331.91.
2017 models should start rolling into dealerships any day now (I managed to get my 2009 Fit in late September 2008). Once the '17s hit the showrooms, the '16s are going to be unloaded. No dealer wants last year's model sitting on the showroom floor. It looks bad. Take advantage!

[CyborgGT]

All I can say is that my sister and her boyfriend both have 9th gen Civic sedans, and my sister says she loves hers. But if you're after a generic run-around, you can't really go wrong with a Honda

[h22sparkle]

Its funny getting inside a non-honda and your like but getting in a car honda

[deevergote]

I'm not a fan of Hondas from about a decade ago. Honda's quality seems to have slipped a bit then. They're only now getting their mojo back. Not that I wouldn't take a 2004 Accord or Civic over the same year competition (seems like many big automakers saw the same drop in quality around the same time).

I would SO rock a new Civic, though. For the first time every, I truly like a new Civic. The last ones that I actually liked came out before I gave a damn about cars.

[CyborgGT]

My 2002 has interior rattles like a mofo. But hey, that dashboard looks siiiiick from a styling standpoint

[Losiracer2]

one of my neighbors got a new 2016 corolla for under 15000. You really need to take advantage of the end of model year closeout deals going out now. I think even the corolla is getting refreshed for 2017 so the 2016s are going to be considered "old" to dealers and they'll want to get rid of them quick.

[Raf99]

I know KIA has come a long way in quality, however, you still cannot compare them to a Honda.


Just sayin.

This. Amen. There's a reason Kia is cheap = crap. They look fancy and have lots of gadgets but are just crap.

Work colleague (older guy) sold his old Grand Am and bought a new Kia. Looks fine, nothing special. He gave me a lift once somewhere, the wipers would squeak when they were used, the wind noise was obvious, door hinges squeaked, the interior seemed a bit off (cheap) and rattled. The car had 16,000km (9941miles). He loves the car, has no complaints! But...... if you are a picky person then stay away!

Personally I hate everything about them. Styling, interior, and overall quality.

[deevergote]

one of my neighbors got a new 2016 corolla for under 15000. You really need to take advantage of the end of model year closeout deals going out now. I think even the corolla is getting refreshed for 2017 so the 2016s are going to be considered "old" to dealers and they'll want to get rid of them quick.

Yeah, the best time to buy is when an outgoing model is being replaced by a new generation. When I got my Fit, I was originally hoping to snag a 1st gen at a deep discount (no luck, obviously...)

I learned last year that buying a year-end model in an unpopular model/color/trim/configuration can work out very well also. My wife and I grabbed our 2015 CR-Z in December. We expressed interest, but lamented the fact that our budget was very limited. The salesman was a cool, honest dude (fortunately for him... he wouldn't have made the sale otherwise!) He genuinely gave us the absolute best price he could. We paid well under the TrueCar price... and that was without all the fairly expensive extras that we got (fog lights, trunk tray, door guards...) CR-Zs were slow sellers. CR-Zs with manual transmissions hardly sold at all. They were happy to unload a $24,000+ (MSRP with options) car for $19,000!

Stuff that is being discontinued after this year could be very affordable right now... Dodge Dart, Scion tC, and the CR-Z (not a practical car, but I like ours!)

This. Amen. There's a reason Kia is cheap = crap. They look fancy and have lots of gadgets but are just crap.

Work colleague (older guy) sold his old Grand Am and bought a new Kia. Looks fine, nothing special. He gave me a lift once somewhere, the wipers would squeak when they were used, the wind noise was obvious, door hinges squeaked, the interior seemed a bit off (cheap) and rattled. The car had 16,000km (9941miles). He loves the car, has no complaints! But...... if you are a picky person then stay away!

Personally I hate everything about them. Styling, interior, and overall quality.

The styling is decent, but my dislike for the "polished turd" approach detracts from it. They've got Peter Schreyer (of Audi fame) doing their design work, so their designs should be top-notch. Still, once you know what's under the pretty wrapper, the pretty wrapper ceases to be as appealing. If Kia had Honda's quality, I'd probably like the brand. Especially since the price difference isn't THAT large anymore.

[Raf99]

Yeah, the best time to buy is when an outgoing model is being replaced by a new generation. When I got my Fit, I was originally hoping to snag a 1st gen at a deep discount (no luck, obviously...)

I learned last year that buying a year-end model in an unpopular model/color/trim/configuration can work out very well also. My wife and I grabbed our 2015 CR-Z in December. We expressed interest, but lamented the fact that our budget was very limited. The salesman was a cool, honest dude (fortunately for him... he wouldn't have made the sale otherwise!) He genuinely gave us the absolute best price he could. We paid well under the TrueCar price... and that was without all the fairly expensive extras that we got (fog lights, trunk tray, door guards...) CR-Zs were slow sellers. CR-Zs with manual transmissions hardly sold at all. They were happy to unload a $24,000+ (MSRP with options) car for $19,000!

Stuff that is being discontinued after this year could be very affordable right now... Dodge Dart, Scion tC, and the CR-Z (not a practical car, but I like ours!)



The styling is decent, but my dislike for the "polished turd" approach detracts from it. They've got Peter Schreyer (of Audi fame) doing their design work, so their designs should be top-notch. Still, once you know what's under the pretty wrapper, the pretty wrapper ceases to be as appealing. If Kia had Honda's quality, I'd probably like the brand. Especially since the price difference isn't THAT large anymore.

Ya like why the freak can't Saturn and Honda team up to make a car

But I've heard of people having to replace suspension on Kia's when they had less than 90,000miles.

[oni_cb7]

My buddy works at a car auction place and has to drive many different cars. Out of all the Kia's he has driven (half of them have broken down after picking them up).

Everyone was so stoked because Kia started making cars that looked kind of nice. However, they did nothing to improve the reliability of their cars. They are still the old crappy Kias that constantly break down.

You shouldn't have to rebuild a motor after 30,000 miles.... ever.

[Night Wolf]

I friend of mine who works at kia as a tech says he often gets the new ones in for blown turbo engines LoL