Yeah, but they didn't look like Astons until last year (Gaming)

by ZackDark , Not behind you. NO! Don't look., Saturday, November 07, 2015, 02:19 (3104 days ago) @ cheapLEY

What sort of manual things have you driven before? Just curious.

Mostly french cars. Since I've learned to drive, my parents have had both Peugeots and Citroens (which, coincidentally, share a lot of their parts). I have also driven a few VWs and Fiats, but they were so cheaply built I try not to compare.

Fiat hasn't been in the States for very long, but from what little I've seen (and driven), I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole. My buddy was cross shopping the 500 Abarth, and it was a fun drive, but didn't hold a candle to the Fiesta ST. And it just felt like a cheap car, where the Fiesta doesn't (with respect to the price, obviously). It had less that 500 miles on the clock and rattled and squeaked like a ten year old Wrangler. It was just awful.

Heh, the 500 (not even the Abarth 500), is sold as high-end here. You wouldn't believe what Fiat's entry-level car is. I'm pretty sure it is more dangerous to drive one of those than be run-over by a Volvo.

I haven't ever driven a KIA, although I've heard they have gotten a lot better in the last five or so years, as well. I still probably wouldn't even look at KIA if I was buying a new car, though.

You see, we don't have a national automotive industry (much less a solid one like yours). The cars that are built here are, in the vast majority of the cases, adaptations on foreign designs. That paired with the push for profit margins and abusive taxes makes for some very poor quality cars. KIA was one of the very first auto makers to sell good quality cars for competitive prices. You could buy a barebones VW Gol or a kitted-out KIA i30 for the same amount of cash. If you manage to dissuade your inner prejudice against Asian cars, suddenly you have a very obvious choice.