My old Jeep:
In 1996 I bought a Jeep Cherokee 4WD. I loved it. I went offroad with it - used both high and low - on the Mexico beaches and in the AZ mountains. It was a fun car but at around 80K it started giving signs of going bad. Made odd noises, shaky, a few little things neeeded repairs. My sister also had one that started having problems around 90K. Once the problems started they were endless. I decided it was time to get a new car.

The Search:
Like others, I researched everything out there. I read everything on epinions. I talked to people with every imaginable SUV and questioned mechanics about SUVs. For this car I wanted tough and reliable, but this time I wanted luxurious too. When I saw heated seats on the Saturn VUE I decided I had to have them! That knocked quite a few off the list. Some had heated bottom seats, but the back didn't heat up, like the Jeep Liberty. With some models such as the Yukon, to get the heated seats the price was $$$. I also had to have leather seats because I have 2 dogs and no matter how much I clean I cant's get the hair out of upholstery. Also a very $$ feature in many brands. I also wanted a good warranty so I could keep the car without worrying about problems. And finally, just for fun, I wanted a sunroof and a multi-CD player. I found that some with a multi-CD player weren't in-dash. You could only do 1 CD up front and the others were in the back somewhere. I didn't like that much.

Narrowing It Down:
If the Honda Element had been around when I was younger I would have gotten it, but it wasn't luxurious enough. The Sante Fe had a great warranty, good gas mileage, and the best heated seats. But it felt like driving a little car to me. I loved the GMC Yukon. With dealer incentives and 0% financing it was almost within reach, but still expensive with leather, multi-CD, sunroof, and heated seats.
I took a 2003 Jeep Limited Cherokee V8 home for the weekend. It had all the features I wanted. It had more power than the Kia and amazingly the 2003 2WD was about the same price as the Kia 2003 4WD! But the drive wasn't near as nice. It was shaky and jerky and just didn't feel right. I loved the looks though. I also thought Jeep would have better resale value. I returned the Jeep on a Monday. The dealer sold Jeep and Kia. I went out in the Kia again and knew it was what I wanted.

Find my car:
I had 2 dealers looking for the Jeep & Kia in the colors/ features I wanted. It seemed there were so many Jeeps available and not too many Kias. I had the choice of the exact Jeep I wanted or the KIA in indigo. I wanted Silver, gray, or black. I went with the KIA, mostly because for the same price I could get 4WD instead of 2WD. Now I am glad that I got indigo even though it wasn't what I would have chosen.

Dealer goes to Houston:
My dealer had to swap a KIA from San Antonio with a dealer in Houston. He drove down a 2WD LX and came back with mine - it was the showroom model. It was 4WD EX with the load leveler but no tow hitch - exactly what I wanted. I had read on epinions that KIA contracted with a hitch company and was rated to tow 3300? (I forget now) lbs, but with a better hitch could actually tow 5500. So, I didn't want the KIA hitch. The dealer said the 2WD had a bumpy ride but when he drove mine back he was amazed at how nice the ride was. He thinks it's the difference between the 2 and 4 WD systems. He drives a BMW and favored the Jeep Limited over the KIA until he drove mine (about a 4 hr drive) from Houston.

5000 miles later:
I bought my KIA in Feb and have about 5K on it now. I love it! I still haven't used the 4WD low. I've driven in some ice and heavy rain and some rough ranch roads, but it hasn't need any extra to get through it. I always feel very safe and like the KIA is in control. My friends are amazed at how nice it is. The back seat is comfortable, even for tall people. People stop and look at it in parking lots and at gas stations. One guy had the Mercedes SUV and bought the KIA for his son. He says in ways he prefers the KIA!

Extras I love:
#1. Heated seats, it's like getting a massage while you drive. I wish they got even hotter.
#2. Homelink. I move to TX from AZ. I went from everything being in straight grids to twisty, turvy roads. The compass has kept me from getting lost many times. I also like checking elevations when driving through TX Hill Country.
#3. CD player. I wish it had speakers in the very back though. It has double speakers in the doors.
#4. Back Hatch door. The remote entry has a botton to open just the glass portion, great for putting in groceries, etc. There is also a handle on the inside when the whole door is open. I'm 5'4" so it makes it easy to grab for closing. On my Jeep I had to kind of jump to bring it down a little and then grab it with both hands to close it.


Amount Paid (US$): 28500 total
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: 4WD EX with ABS, Luxury Pkg, Load Leveler, spoiler