BBD's car-mag did a test-drive report, but hey what do they know after trashing it around for just a few days ;)
Back in mid '90s Daewoo introduced a 2 year warranty & free service scheme here in Poland. You basically bought the car and that was it. They paid for everything during those 2 years. Sounds crazy, I know, but those were different times and now Daewoo is a history.
They just wanted to much, I fear KIA might share their fate at some point in a not so distant future.
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Free enterprise is the basis of western economy.
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"BBD's car-mag did a test-drive report, but hey what do they know after trashing it around for just a few days ;)"
We've done two major tests in 4 weeks believe it or not V de M, a turbodiesel in Italy before Christmas, and the 1.4 petrol last week. I was just chatting to the tester Marcin Klonowski, who drove it both times, he rates it very highly. He called it a great car.
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I know, but those were different times and now Daewoo is a history. They just wanted to much, I fear KIA might share their fate at some point in a not so distant future.
I wouldn't worry about that side of things.
Daewoo were caught up in the Korean economic crash of 1997-98, at which time they were a very small player on the world stage.
Hyundai/Kia are a huge car company now (6th largest in the world I believe), and so have reached the stage where they're so big that even if they did hit financial difficulties (unlikely now) other companies would snap them up quick to gain market share. In any case, the European wing of Daewoo were never in financial difficulties, it was the Korean side that crashed.
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It's not as if Ford or GM are losing so much money that they could cease to exist though is it :-)
The way these two are doing financially, it might be safer buying the Kia! But as jase1 says, when a company gets to a certain size nobody can afford for them to cease to exist.
Anyway didn't Daewoo fail due to spending during the downturn when they should not have, the government no longer being able to afford giving them cheap loans, fraud, embezzlement, etc.? I think the founder even went to jail for sometime (10 years?). Ironically debt for the Daewoo conglomerate (parent to the car company) was only about 80USD. What debt do Ford and GM have ;-) But the Daewoo founder Kim when he returned to Korea was charged with masterminding accounting fraud worth $43 billion, illegally borrowing $10 billion and smuggling $3.2 billion out of the country!
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Kia, probably, especially if spending my own money. The name might be a bit silly but that ain't gonna worry me. Lookswise neither of them really does it for me but the Kia is more interesting (from some angles at least) than the ultra-bland Ford IMO. It probably doesn't drive as well as the Focus, but if price and spec are pretty much equal, I'd be thinking about how much time I'm going to spend in the car, which one is more practical and comfortable, which one gives better performance (in this case, the Kia). Apparently the Kia has made big strides over predecessors in this regard and apparently is well-specced even in base trim.
The 4Car site has reviewed the C'eed and been pretty complimentary overall - as there's no road test on here yet, I'm sure HJ won't mind the link: www.channel4.com/4car/rt/kia/cee'd/1202/1
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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I think Kia/Huyandai are the "new Japanese" in car terms.
Snob appeal and styling are probably the main reasons NOT to buy.
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A well-known magazine summed up the Cee'd thus:
"The new Cee?d is impressive on all counts. Open-minded buyers will see it as a strong alternative to the Vauxhall or Ford they originally set their heart on, and will be egged on by the seven-year warranty (five years body, seven years powertrain). The Cee?d may not quite have attained Focus-Golf levels of dynamic excellence (we?ll need to do a full UK comparison test to know for sure) but it?s close enough for many buyers not to notice or care, and in some ways it beats the market leaders hollow."
It certainly looks better than the mk 2 Focus
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if it wasnt for the fleet sales volume discounts and sales techniques the focus would be dead in the UK, as a purchase for a private individual its terrible - all the parts are heavily build down to a price, and the service from ford and their dealers is bad
kia would win my vote
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if it wasnt for the fleet sales volume discounts and sales techniques the focus would be dead in the UK, as a purchase for a private individual its terrible - all the parts are heavily build down to a price, and
Sorry, I disagree. The Focus is the first mainstream Ford for decades that has found great success with private buyers. This, and the fact that it is one of the very best cars in its class is acknowledged by most motoring experts, including HJ in his car-by-car breakdown. Of course it's built to a price - find me a car in its price range that isn't.
The fleet market is also not what it was before Gordon crucified company car drivers tax-wise. Our company ditched its fleet two years ago and offered allowances, and we're by no means the only ones.
>>the service fromford and their dealers is bad
True, but no worse than VW/Audi, Peugeot/Citroen, Renault or most other European manufacturers. No excuse I know, but you wouldn't be any better off in this respect with a lot of other manufacturers.
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Kia's 7 year warranty has mileage limitation, so depends how many miles you do a year you might find it will be considerably shorter. Also worth noting is that to achieve better handling Kia had to stiffen up suspention, A LOT, which you might find too harsh on Polish pothole ridden roads. I also have a problem with pricetag. IMHO this car in its basic 1.4 form should be priced closer to Nissan's Almera, ~£8000, not bigger and roomier Focus or heavens better Golf.
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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Kia's 7 year warranty has mileage limitation, so depends how many miles you do a year you might find it will be considerably shorter.
Indeed, but that "limitation" is 100,000 miles. Ford's is 60,000, and in addition Kia's warranty is manufacturer-backed for the full seven years, whereas Ford's warranty is in reality only a year, with the dealer providing the balance. So whichever way you look at it Ford's warranty is inferior.
IMHO this car in its basic 1.4 form should be priced closer to Nissan's Almera, ~£8000, not bigger and roomier Focus or heavens better Golf.
I was under the impression that the Cee'd is essentially based on the Elantra/Cerato platform (common with the Hyundai Coupe and Tucson as well IIRC). The Elantra is actually bigger than the Focus, so not sure if the Cee'd is smaller. That said, £8000 is a lot less than the list price of the Almera anyway, £10K is closer to the mark.
I agree that the car should be cheaper than the Focus/Golf, but it has to be said that Hyundai/Kia's recent track record would suggest that the actual build quality of the Cee'd (as opposed to the bogus "perceived quality" that everyone gets worked up about for some bizarre reason) will be better than either the Ford or the VW. The Korean firm is currently over-engineering key components to secure their reputation, that's common knowledge, so now would be the time to get one.
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Also worth noting is that to achieve better handling Kia had to stiffen up suspention, A LOT, which you might find too harsh on Polish pothole ridden roads. I also have a problem with pricetag. IMHO this car in its basic 1.4 form should be priced closer to Nissan's Almera, ~£8000, not bigger and roomier Focus or heavens better Golf.
There you go again, comparing RRP of one car to discount price of another. You can't get the information you need by looking at pictures!
"Bumps in the road and expansion joints are easily absorbed, and the Kia is a relaxing long-distance cruiser."(Autoexpress,2006). Is all I have to say about the ride quality.
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There you go again, comparing RRP of one car to discount price of another.
There I go again?? Do we know each other? Have we spoken about Kia's Cee'd somewhere else? /confused/
"Bumps in the road and expansion joints are easily absorbed, and the Kia is a relaxing long-distance cruiser."(Autoexpress,2006). Is all I have to say about the ride quality.
No, that's what Autoexpress’ reprint has to say about Cee'd, not you.
All reviews I've seen so far (bar Autoexpress') mention the ride is really firm and there is a lot of thumping noise from stiff suspension. Thought it was worth to mention. Can dig up quotes if bibliography matters so much?
You can't get the information you need by looking at pictures!
And yet there you are trying to break civilised conversation by waving some colour magazine in front of my nose. The manners on some people... ;)
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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I shall let people make up there own mind what you just put.
Is it fair to compare the retail price of one car and the discount price of another ? I think we already know the answer.
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No, but the Cee'd is likely to be hard to get a discount on for a while.
You can't get a new Kia Magentis for the price of a comparable current-shape Mondeo, either new or used, and to my mind the Mondeo is the better car.
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I shall let people make up there own mind what you just put.
Well, I would actually prefer to sort it out with you - since you insist I said something "again" plus "based on pictures". What are you referring to - what pictures and when have I ever said something about Cee'd before?
Is it fair to compare the retail price of one car and the discount price of another ?
If the "discount" price is factual price of the item then of course it is. Even if Cee'd is the next Octavia, the next big motoring surprise (and I personally hope so, as Cee'd is exactly in my "market niche") this car still has very narrow gap on the market. You will never find yourself thinking "do I want Korean car aspirating to be Focus or the real Focus" or "do I want a Corolla or Korean pretender to Corolla" if the price tag is the same. There would be no precedence. Having to choose between Armani jacket and Primark jacket for the same money, you wouldn't pick the latter even if it had twice as many pockets and a free tie, would you? The car we are discussing is the potential "next best thing" or "reasonable alternative" to the big boys. It’s the local "Oklahoma Fried Chicken" as an option to "KFC", if you will.
And having said all that I think it’s very reasonable to compare it's price to what other what "alternatives", other "next best things" available on the market go for. Is it not?
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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