Kia Carnival or ??

[amanda_81]

I hope I am posting this in the right spot.

DP and I have decided we need a bigger car, since we have number 2 on the way. We currently have a mitsubishi lancer vrx and there will only be just enough room for two car seats, and we have trouble fitting all our luggage in now if we go away.

So we have decided to go bigger. DP wants to get a 7 seater so that even with the car seats we can still fit extra ppl in.

When we first started looking we were thinking of a mazda tribute or a hyundai santa fe.

Then dad suggested looking at the Kia Carnivals.

When DP and dad went looking on the weekend they also started looking at pajeros and the ford escapes.

there are so many choices in this size car!!

DP took a test drive of a kia today and while he liked it he didn't like the image that goes with it! lol. he thinks it signifies that his life is over (van, 2 kids etc.).

They have new kias atm for $32990 but everythng else we would need to get a second hand one, which doesn't particulary worry us.

Sorry this is so jumbled! But I would like to hear from people that have these cars and why they chose them and if they still like them. I need help making a decision lol.

Thanks heaps!!

[amanda_81]

Oh no!! not another choice lol

what sort of toyota do you think?

I have heard that the newer model kias and hyundais are actually quite good these days.

So confused

[Celsie]

I've just had a friend go through this exact scenario. Her partner (who happens to be my FIL) and my DH are both mechanics and advised against Kia's, because they're cheap to buy, buy expensive for parts and are built to a price, IYKWIM. She was also looking at the Holden Captiva (which I really liked), but she needed something with more towing capacity. In the end, they went to a motor show and found a car called a Ssangyong Stavic from $32,990. They're luxury people movers from Korea. Both DH and FIL checked it all out and said it was good, so that's what she went for. Might be worth a look at.

HTH

Celsie. xoxox

[chon]

I have to say I am a HUGE fan of the Hyundai's. Sorry Caro you must of had some bad experiences but I have only had good. My partner drives a Sante Fe and it is the most comfortable and smoothest car I have been in for a long time. There have been no problems at all and are VERY economical!!! It is his company car so he always gets the latest model and this has been the best. I find the ride height good and getting the pram out of the back is easy.

Also my Mum drives a Hyundai Coupe which was the first of the Coupes and she has only had to do the normal servicing, it has NEVER broken down and nothing has seriously gone wrong. Just keep in mind that there are lemons in every model you come across, the best thing to do is look at car reviews in motor magazines etc and drive as many models as you can.

If there is anything you want to ask about our car just let me know
Good luck with your decision.

[Liz]

We've just bought a second hand Honda Odyssey, and we are sooooo happy with it. It has such a modern feel to it.. DH just loves it (fancy schmancy dashboard, tiptronic, and oooooh so roomy!) And we have the 3rd row of seats folded flat since we don't need them right now. We figured since we wanted a wagon, we might as well get a 7 seater and have the seats available if we ever needed them.

I too have heard that Kia's are notorious for being problem cars after a certain amount of k's.

We looked at the Toyota Avensis, but didn't like the feel/look of it. But that'd be personal choice I guess... it'd be more affordable than an Odyssey, we could only afford our honda coz it had quite a lot of k's on it so brought the price down. But it's in top nick so we're happy with the k's on it.

But the Avensis isn't a van like a Tarago - we certainly weren't prepared to have that classic family "look" either LOL.

Have fun deciding! It's exciting getting a new car

[Celsie]

Oh, I forgot to add... DH says that Hyundai's are quite good too!!!

Celsie. xoxox

[chon]

oh and I also forgot to mention that Hyundai have the 5year unlimited km warranty and Toyota has only a 3yr 1000km warranty (just had a look at a Toyota website)
Food for thought

[chon]

Caro - 5 years is a long time to own a car IMO, there is no way a company would offer such a warranty if it was going to cost THEM a fortune in repairs. I see it as them being confident in their cars so are not afraid to offer such a warranty which everyone else cannot match.

5 years is a whole lot of km's!!! and I am impressed with that.

[AngelPunks]

friends had a Kia Carnivale (blended family of 4 kids), they got rid of it and now have an Honda Odessey which has more than enough room for 4 lots of school bags (2 are in high school now) - they've even done a family drive from Brisbane to Canberra in it, something that they would have never tried in the Kia.

[AngelPunks]

When we have to upgrade - I'm contemplating the Chrysler 300c tourer - more for the safety aspects than anything (ok it drives wonderfully & I still get a car with the power I'm used to)

[Liz]

We liked the look of the Chrysler voyager.. but was way out of our price range hehe.

[briggsy's girl]

we have the five seater hyundai santa fe, and are contemplating updating to the seven seter in the future once when we have a family - we love it to bits! i know it's a lot cheaper than some of the other cars in the same categories, and that it might not be the "best" by industry standards, but it's perfect for what we want and need. we did a lot of research before settling on the santa fe, including reviews and ongoing discussions with mechanics about the pros and cons - the unlimited warranty was definitely appealing, so i posed the "why?" questions. we went to several car yards for both hyundai and other vehicles, getting honest opinions (i'm a fairly brutal person, so i told them not to blow smoke up my @ss - i wanted facts, not hype - and was pretty open in telling them if they messed up, it would get around!) - and i don't regret the decision we made to purchase it

i LOVE my car, and probably the only thing i regret now is that we decided on the 5 seater not the seven seater - we're just a couple - didn't take into account how often we go out with bro's family and take two cars! - but the gift of hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it??

As an aside - on our travels, we actually stopped in and spoke to Hyundai Dealers in Wodonga - they were great - no pressure, just honest discussion of their opinions on the different models they had, the performance of the vehicle - it's worth having a chat to them. The dealer we ended up buying from is a combined toyota/nissan/hyundai dealer - we had no expense limit, so asked them which of the cars they'd recommend - they COULD have suggested the more expensive option (they're paid on commission) but they opted not to - that's a pretty good recommendation in my book!

feel free to pm/email if you want any more info hun

[Lulu]

Lazy cut and paste from the other thread..

Check out the Kia Carnival for sure. I bought one last month and I am RAPT with it.
$15,300 got me a 7 seater 5 speed man (I hate autos) with fully removable seats, arm rests, drinks trays, 4 anchor points, air con with seperate front/back controls...the list goes on - it's like a bloody first class airline in the back. Even better it's gun metal grey with dark tinted windows and nice rims so I get to look like a bit of a rock star.
Full service history, cd player elec windows. It only had 89,000 on the clock, its' a 2002 model I think.

I've just done extensive research on this and here's what I found....

The Taragos are very expensive and hold their value, a little too much in alot of peoples opinions. 2nd hand they are always 20,000 k's higher, 5 years older and $10,000 more expensive than anything else. My mechanic warned me they are crap to fix and I don't think they are going to make them anymore. To be honest I think they cornered the People Mover market and got lazy.

Honda Odyessy - more than I wanted to spend, and smaller inside than I wanted. I think Hondas are excellent cars on the whole though.

Voyager - yeah, nice and smooth, but again smaller inside. Also older, more k's, more expensive.

I'm not the FWD type and a Holden girl all the way so I did have reservations about the Kia, but I read heaps of 2nd hand car reviews and they all said pretty much the same as I have above. Not only that but according to Choice Magazine the safety record for those both inside and outside the car in the event of an accident is excellent.

According to my mechanic Kia released the Carnival for the express purpose of filling an huge gap in the market (decently priced people movers), all the extras (cd player, anchor points, 2 zone aircon etc) are standard. Yes they did have problems with the 1999-2001 models, but it's pretty much rectified, certainly something to be aware of.

I'd say for about $20k you could find yourself a fantastic 2004-05 model, they are soooooooo roomy and not THAT uncool. Mine looks funkier than I expected and if DP is worried you can tint the windows, lower it a little and stick some nice rims on and look like a rock star like me! It's a 6 cylinder and I get up the country hills in 5th gear no problem. Can't stand a car with no guts!

good luck with your search!

[chon]

Originally Posted by schaz

When we have to upgrade - I'm contemplating the Chrysler 300c tourer - more for the safety aspects than anything (ok it drives wonderfully & I still get a car with the power I'm used to)

Awesome!! Good taste.

I absolutely love the 300C, it is so impressive on the road and the power isn't too bad either Every time I see one I have to look twice, real attention car!

[Liz]

Lulu - lol - how much space do you want?? I can't get over the space in the Odyssey. DS seems so far away in the 2nd row! LOL. Passengers are just amazed at the leg room in the back.. and the boot space with the seats folded down is awesome. I'm pretty pleased that it looks like we can fit the kids 2 seats next to each other and keep a space for a passenger on the side. Plenty of anchor points (5 I think) and yeah.. the air con & lights and stuff are like sitting in an air plane! LOL. I guess it comes down to what you wanna spend. I know if hadn't found this particular one it would have been out of our range.

We're not 4wd types either - we despise seeing clean 4wds driving around the suburbs and in the city LOL. If you want a 4wd - take it offroad!! hehehe

Oh, and I gotta say.. the latest Tarago with it's business class seats looks pretty comfy, I must admit! LOL, but I don't like the van look.

[Celsie]

Hi Amanda - Was having a chat with DH (who is a mechanic) when he got home. He said to tell you:

* Be clear about what you want, wether you want an actualy 7 seater (than can fit 7 adults) as a numerous makes claim to be 7 seaters, but are really no more than a sedan with an extra row of seats in the back, which are useless for anything but small children.

* You have to work out what's more important, it it having the newest car you can buy, or resale value. A Honda and a Toyota will hold their value more than say, a Hyundai, but you'll never buy an equivilant year Honda or Toyta for anywhere near the same price.

* Work out if you need a 4WD/AWD or not, as 2WD serving costs are generally cheaper.

Toyota - Nothing wrong with them whatsoever. Only should mention that in order to keep your warranty valid, you MUST use genuine toyota parts which can be costly. Panels for crash repairs are quite expensive, but are generally readily available.

Kia - Steer away from the carnival - the actual fuel economy is not that good and 90,000km serving is an EXPENSIVE service.

Honda - Nothing wrong with Honda's build quality. You pay a premium price and you get what you pay for. Having said that though, the Odyssey have nowhere near the ground clearance or towing capacity of many others.

Hyundai - The only true 7 seater is the Trajet. The Sante Fe is really (as mentioned before) a sedan with extra seats in the back.

Holden - Captiva same as the Sante Fe.

Chrysler - Haven't worked on many. Ones we have worked on, seem quite sound, but servicing cost can be quite high and parts availability can be a problem, but they are another true 7 seater.

Buick & Jeep - Avoid as servicing cost and parts can be expensive. I have also seen a few build quality issues, eg: Panel allignment, trim fittment.

Ssyangyong - 7 Year Warranty on everything in the car. It's a true 7 seater, having said that it's a fairly large car. Ride quality is good. Motor is a Mercedes motor, which is a tried and proven unit. On the downside, interior trim on the base models looks a little on the cheap side (fittment issues). Can be extensive waits for dealer delivery. Plus side, 2 Wheel & 4WD models available. Also, available in diesel.

I hope you find this useful in making your decision. If you have any further questions, I'd be glad to ask DH.

Celsie. xoxox

p.s. Take advice from as many people as you can as someone who works for a particular company will generally have vast knowledge of their particular products and not necessarily others.

[Liz]

Originally Posted by Celsie

Honda the Odyssey have nowhere near the ground clearance or towing capacity of many others.

hehe - it's funny.. that was one of the selling points for DH! He hates that the others ride so high. Makes em look dinky. As for the towing capacity.. only thing we plan to put on the towbar is a bike rack. hehe. Altho - they used to make v6 models.. dunno why they stopped? that would've towed pretty well.

That was a great post, very informative and unbiased! I'm biased coz we've already made our decision hehehehe.

[*Efjay*]

Kia - Steer away from the carnival - the actual fuel economy is not that good and 90,000km serving is an EXPENSIVE service.

I get pretty good fuel consuption with mine. And I was lucky enought to make the dealership pay for the 90,000km service LOL.

eta - Kia's only have a bad name for models older then 2002. New models have had their issues sorted.
The thing to remember is that Kia & other newer/cheaper brands are just that, New. So they don't have as good a reputation as say the Toyota because Toyota has been around for much much longer. Who knows in 10 -15 yrs time everyone will be raving about the good ol Kia's. Just like the do now about toyota.
The one thing about Kia's though, you don't get much space. I had the idea of getting some thing bigger with the thought of extra people even with my seats but it didn't happen because of the set up. The rear seat is a 50/50 split & you can't place a child seat in the middle because of the split which means 2 seats take up all that seat & then the middle row being 2 bucket seats. With all of us in the car I have room for 1 more person. I actually travel with out that seat in the car so I have extra floor space. If I could I would probably prefer the toyota targo simply because the seating is set up better.
The Kia has a pretty **** turning cirlce & not much grunt but I don't need that sort of thing.