Janet, I had the same instinct on the tires as you did! I obviously have never bought tires but sure hear from friends when they do how expensive they are!!! Then S/O had this long car guru spiel for me about our roads and some of the really awful weather etc and said he really thinks I should stick to the big wheels (18). I'm so glad someone said they want to buy a Kia and that they know this vehicle. I kept reading and reading online to get reviews from buyers and car experts and it did seem a good buy but nothing compares to opinions of people you actually know. Knowing you'd buy this car is helpful because I know you do homework, obviously it doesn't take much to know more about cars than I do (haha) but you're a smart cookie so your opinion is a great one to make me feel even more comfortable about this vehicle!!!
The interior is leather and it comes treated but I'll have to find out what type of stuff to use to maintain it. Can you all just imagine how much love this car is going to have? haha I actually can't wait to be all "OH I'll just be outside cleaning the car". I want to keep it purdy
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I know the front and middle seats have good cup holder locations although a bit disappointed they don't have that clinch thing on the middle row cup holders as the front does. I can't see any cup holders for the region of the third row seating but I'll know more when I go Monday in person. That seating is barely going to be used but I'll be glad its there for those times 5 seats isn't enough.
I don't know why I assumed it was a 2011. Because it's 2011 I guess! My bad, it's the 2012. And it has something called Uvo. Does anybody have that? I don't have a cell phone and I don't want one, but the hands free, talk commanded bluetooth stuff etc being in the vehicle are a great feature in case in future I care about cell service. Plus easy child in a few years will be learning to drive and she'll have a cell. We do have a prepaid cell for road trips so the nice thing is that we can add extra money to it on longer trips in order to get the cool stuff for easy child in the car if we're doing a long trip. I can't wait for this time next year so we can all road trip across the country to see my Matt (I'm missing him so badly it is awful! Thank goodness he calls nearly daily).
Janet, you mentioned the keys etc. The model we are getting comes standard with those new button start things, where you just have to have the little electronic gizmo in the vehicle somewhere like your purse etc and then you just push the button. Call me old fashioned and green, but I don't know. Putting electronic open on a ignition scares me! Am I silly to worry? I have visions of a malfunction and because there's no actual key I can turn to start, I can't drive my beautiful car until the shop fixes it. I hope it's silly of me and nothing to worry about.
S/O brought up adding the tv screen/dvd thing for easy child for the middle row. Has anybody added this on to a vehicle purchase? I am wondering how much it costs to add on initially. Because if its crazy priced I'd rather pick up one of those $99 portable players to keep in their for easy child. There are connections for ipod, aux cables, regular plug ins etc in the front plus there's one on the back of the center console for the middle seat so easy child can always plug in. Is it worth paying to have it added in, as someone said would help later resale value? Because easy child would use it on longer trips (her dad has it and she likes it) but we won't be traveling out of town the way she does with easy child so it wouldn't be a high use item. I think they look so neato but I'm frugal and can't see installing them unless it would make it worthwhile long term for resale etc.
Janet again, I hadn't at all thought about a possible wheelchair issue. I guess my mind doesn't go there but it obviously makes sense because I can't see the future and this car is going to be round for a long time. The vehicle has roof racks and the option to add on that box thing to the top but we'd decided we'd never use the box thing so weren't planning on getting it. Do you think with the third seat in down position there'd be room for a folded chair in the hopefully unlikely event that is ever a issue with me? I guess S/O and I have to think more on that box!