I might faint - you'll all never guess what my S/O bought me today!

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
ok...that is my favorite car and just may be my next vehicle though mine wont be a brand new one. I wanted a Kia when I bought my new car in 07 but the KIA dealership hadnt opened in my town yet and I couldnt travel out of town to buy a car at the time. Long story.

I love cars in a dark mahogany color so whatever color is closest to that would be my choice. Would that be a wine color? Anything but the stupid fleet gold which is what I have now...lol.

With the SUV or Crossover cars I would get the back up camera, especially with the MS because it is difficult to turn around to see backing up in the larger vehicles. Electric locks and the key access. On the off chance you will ever need to have a wheelchair in the car, you might want to get a luggage carrier on the roof so you can put stuff on top while the chair is in the back. Now this one will sound odd, you will be keeping this car awhile and eventually you will have grandkids. Some vehicles can come equipped with built in child seats...check. Save money down the road if they arent too much money now. Get the built in navigation and that whole system...wonderful thing. also, if you can get a smaller size tire and wheel system that what they want to put on it...like go down to just 15 inch wheels instead of 18, do it. It will save you a ton when you have to buy tires.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I vote for the blue one! Love that color!

The heated seats will feel amazing on your back. My dad's PT Cruiser has them and they are awesome. They don't take long to heat up either. Sometimes cars have the most comfortable seats.

My mom's van was loaned to a friend for the last few months of her life. One of the chairs from the back (they were like the front seats) was actually taken into her living room fastened onto a base my dad made because my folks learned she was going out to just sit in the car because it was the only seat that was comfortable for her. It didn't have heat but they got some of those heated pads made for seats that they sell around the holidays and put them on the seat for her.

I think your SO is just a truly wonderful man!!! And the Binx Mobile is AWESOME!!

With the bad weather up where you are, keep the bigger wheels. Tires will cost more but you will appreciate them in the winter. Make SURE there are plenty of cup holders that are comfortable from EACH seat including the back ones. If it comes with a rear dvd player for kids you will get a higher resale price if you ever want to trade it in or sell it. Also be sure there are plenty of places to plug in car chargers for things, and that at least one is easy to get to from the back seat. This will make it easier to travel with easy child.

Make SURE that the interior is easy to clean - that the fabric is treated to prevent stains, etc..... Then get a couple of those microfiber towels that are super absorbent and keep them in the car for any problems, spills, things tracked in.

This is SO COOL!!!! And if it makes easy child's dad fuss about his piddly support payment, offer to take him to court to let the court set the amt and let the court deduct it automatically. That support is not for you, it is for easy child and he should be so terribly ashamed of himself that he cannot even show his face in public!
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
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 ;).

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!
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
Oh and Janet, the car comes with the backup camera (LOVE IT! Didn't even know it existed). There is sonar also on some models but then you move up models to ours and it takes out sonar and adds the camera in its place. I like the camera better. I hate that annoying sound beeping at people when they are close to things. I get the point of it and its a good one for sure but I know people have said it gets on ones nerves over time. The camera thing is so cool!

I love the that mirrors heat etc. For our frozen winters that is going to be so awesome! And the wipers heat or something? So that ice doesn't build on them. Oh a dollar I'd love for every time in the car with someone and they had to pull over in our winter weather to clean the wiper blades of build up! Who would have thought of heating the darn things?!?!?!

And the 2012 model has not only heated seats but also some ventilation/cooling thing for summer in the seats. Now THAT is something I'd pay extra for if it wasn't already included, which it is. Never would have thought of putting something in a seat to cool body temps in summer. Even with A/C, it will help in summer for me to quickly cool my body core temps when I get in if I'm overheated. Heat and MS causes major problems and I think I'd give up all the bells and whistles to make sure that the heat and cool features were there.

Can one love a inanimate object I must ask? I has a lub for this new Binx Mobile! And we've only had a internet relationship ;)
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
If OnStar is an option, go for it, too. While you want a dark paint job to stand out in snow, light interior will help keep it cooler in summer.

For leather care if you have a Wilson's or something like it in your area, you can get great products there. You will want to treat and protect the leather first and let it air out a day or two, ideally you'll only need to do that once or twice a year. You want a lotion to condition it and then something to protect it.

If you can't find it in your area but you have a feed store, check the products for leather saddles, you should be able to find something there that will work. If all else fails, check the area with shoe shining stuff at Wal-Mart, that's where I find it here.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
OnStar wont come with a Kia but now they sell it at Big Box stores but I have no idea if its available in Canada. Personally I wouldnt get it if you have a cell phone and have it plugged into your console on the car because you can just do the same thing with the cell! Voice..."call 911". If you are going to be driving...get a cell phone for heavens sake. I would imagine you can get the same basic plans we do here at Walmart such as a call and text phone for 40 or 50 bucks a month.

Yes put the dvd players in the head rests in the back seats. Putting them in at the beginning is easier than doing it later. Its a pain to just keep taking a portable with you in the car and plugging it in. She will have head phones so she can watch movies or listen to her own music and you wont have to and you can listen to what you want.
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
I've got this personal problem with cell phones. Always been a non-fan. I know they are loved and highly used by many. I know how much simpler life is to be able to call 9 11 etc. I just hate that "always connected" feeling. I am not important enough to need to be in touch with people by phone or internet when I'm away from home, that's the way I see it. I don't need to get calls when I'm out and about from whoever, making social/friends talk, etc. My answering machine takes my missed calls and I return them when I can. Our prepaid cell we can activate instantly with a prepaid card for out of town road trips where the protection a cell offers is worthwhile. While driving in town,w ell frankly there's nowhere in town I could break down or something that I couldn't find help pretty much on the spot. I don't care to waste money, but if the cell was something I'd want/use, the billing plans available are not badly priced at all, so it's not so much spending the money as much as i'd feel it was a huge waste.

I'm going to ask what the price is to get the screens put in the seats and if it's not absurd, I will order it added.
 
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