Atlanta_man
New member
OK, I'm 70+ years old now and have decided to no longer get under the car for maintenance. I've done all the brake and rotor replacements, oil changes, dash bulbs, radio aux adapter, PS service, serpentine belt, two AC blower replacements, and wheel bearings in the driveway. The money I save on service gets spent on two weeks of chiropractic treatments. After a half dozen of these experiences I've finally learned.
The 4R gave me trouble free 156,000 miles, and probably more warranty battery replacements than anybody on this forum. Lots of 1,000 mile urgent (and speeding) trips to and from Atlanta/Houston without incident. Never needed or had a front end alignment either.
I admit to hauling around way too much in the way of bungee cords, and heavy, but never used, emergency tool boxes due to the generous size of the 4R.
Actually traded it in (and gave the Kia Sorento SX Limited V6 dealer a super $3K mark-up on it I'm sure). But I did not want to do a craigslist sale to big-city buyers which requires too much bank and tax office drama or fool with the way overcrowded CarMax's.
Looked at the new Acura RSX, and Mazda CX9. - in both cases, especially the Acura, way too expensive for a wheezy turbo 4cyl, and the Mazda is a little too big (and historically not reliable enough for me).
Also looked at Toyota Rav4 (I know, should have waited for the new model/s this fall), and Highlander - the Kia I finally bought is a little smaller and much nicer and more driver friendly than either of these. Kia dashboard features and controls are super nice compared to the Toyotas.
Drove the Honda Ridgeline - too much money for what you get, but looks good in person and on paper.
Drove a Chevy Traverse, its styling is great and hauling capacity is the best of everything out there but the transmission with its 1-2 sprag clutch or whatever is major clunky with delayed shifts and the engine auto stop/start at every red light is a major deal killer. I like the engine to have oil pressure at all times when in use. Internet research says the reliability of the Traverse is mostly good until the warranty is up. Rattles, creaks and groans rule it out as well.
Honda Pilot, not much to look at and must avoid top ot the line models because of the ongoing 9 speed transmission issues (ZF brand, several car makers still suffering from its driveability design defects).
Ford and Chrysler no thanks, I'm sure the make some good vehicles but my many years of well founded prejudice rules them out.
Lots of tech changes since my first car, a '66 Pontiac Sprint Tempest 4bbl/ ohc 6, premium gas 207 hp. New Kia has 290 hp, 8 speed auto, direct injection, Michelins on 19in nice wheels, regular gas, 10/100K powertrain, 5 yr all other things warranty.
My wife's car is a lightly used 2013 Acura TL Advanced with about the same size and HP V6 as the Kia, except it is not direct inject and requires premium gas and has a 6 speed. It drives and feels like a fast car to me, not willing to run the Kia hard or test its performance until it breaks in for another 1,000 miles. I've become a slow old guy anyway, and that's why I did not rule out the 4 cyls in many models these days.
The only bad thing about the Acura is it has the most frustrating Honda/Acura operator interface on its nav/radio/voice system. Most of these convenience features are made unusable because of the work and skill involved to use them.
The most amazing fun things I've found so far on the Kia is the smart cruise control which will follow the guy ahead at a fixed distance and apply the brakes all the way to a full but gentle stop if needed, and start following him again when he gets going. And the lane keeping feature which works the steering wheel to keep you in the lane. Lots of cameras and radars are involved.
So long, and many thanks for the major money saving and fun things and useful weekend mods I've learned on this forum.
The 4R gave me trouble free 156,000 miles, and probably more warranty battery replacements than anybody on this forum. Lots of 1,000 mile urgent (and speeding) trips to and from Atlanta/Houston without incident. Never needed or had a front end alignment either.
I admit to hauling around way too much in the way of bungee cords, and heavy, but never used, emergency tool boxes due to the generous size of the 4R.
Actually traded it in (and gave the Kia Sorento SX Limited V6 dealer a super $3K mark-up on it I'm sure). But I did not want to do a craigslist sale to big-city buyers which requires too much bank and tax office drama or fool with the way overcrowded CarMax's.
Looked at the new Acura RSX, and Mazda CX9. - in both cases, especially the Acura, way too expensive for a wheezy turbo 4cyl, and the Mazda is a little too big (and historically not reliable enough for me).
Also looked at Toyota Rav4 (I know, should have waited for the new model/s this fall), and Highlander - the Kia I finally bought is a little smaller and much nicer and more driver friendly than either of these. Kia dashboard features and controls are super nice compared to the Toyotas.
Drove the Honda Ridgeline - too much money for what you get, but looks good in person and on paper.
Drove a Chevy Traverse, its styling is great and hauling capacity is the best of everything out there but the transmission with its 1-2 sprag clutch or whatever is major clunky with delayed shifts and the engine auto stop/start at every red light is a major deal killer. I like the engine to have oil pressure at all times when in use. Internet research says the reliability of the Traverse is mostly good until the warranty is up. Rattles, creaks and groans rule it out as well.
Honda Pilot, not much to look at and must avoid top ot the line models because of the ongoing 9 speed transmission issues (ZF brand, several car makers still suffering from its driveability design defects).
Ford and Chrysler no thanks, I'm sure the make some good vehicles but my many years of well founded prejudice rules them out.
Lots of tech changes since my first car, a '66 Pontiac Sprint Tempest 4bbl/ ohc 6, premium gas 207 hp. New Kia has 290 hp, 8 speed auto, direct injection, Michelins on 19in nice wheels, regular gas, 10/100K powertrain, 5 yr all other things warranty.
My wife's car is a lightly used 2013 Acura TL Advanced with about the same size and HP V6 as the Kia, except it is not direct inject and requires premium gas and has a 6 speed. It drives and feels like a fast car to me, not willing to run the Kia hard or test its performance until it breaks in for another 1,000 miles. I've become a slow old guy anyway, and that's why I did not rule out the 4 cyls in many models these days.
The only bad thing about the Acura is it has the most frustrating Honda/Acura operator interface on its nav/radio/voice system. Most of these convenience features are made unusable because of the work and skill involved to use them.
The most amazing fun things I've found so far on the Kia is the smart cruise control which will follow the guy ahead at a fixed distance and apply the brakes all the way to a full but gentle stop if needed, and start following him again when he gets going. And the lane keeping feature which works the steering wheel to keep you in the lane. Lots of cameras and radars are involved.
So long, and many thanks for the major money saving and fun things and useful weekend mods I've learned on this forum.
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