mmarshall

I recently asked your opinions on the all-new Honda HR-V (though, of course, I also looked at it and test-drove it myself).......a vehicle my brother was quite interested in. My thanks to all of you CL members who posted and gave your opinions and insight on whether my brother should get that Honda HR-V, or go with something else. (He needs, and wants, a small economical reliable AWD vehicle for future winter commutes, as his company is moving to a position further away from his house, and he does not have at telecommute option).

Well, today he made a decision. He previously had a 2010 Kia Soul, and received superlative customer treatment at the dealership, particularly in the service department, so he decided to reward that dealership with another purchase (I concurred). Subarus, though excellent inexpensive snow vehicles, were out because of the recent issues with piston-rings and oil-consumption on the N/A 2.0L ad 2.5L engines. There were many other competitors, of course, from the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Korea, but he decided on a nice gunmetal blue-gray AWD Sportage LX with light gray cloth interior...IMO a sharp-looking color combination. The dealership gave the usual Internet discount price, a $750 factory rebate on top of that, another $750 credit for an all-cash purchase, and a partial-refund of the extended warranty price he had on his old vehicle (yes, Kia refunds it if you don't use it or trade before it takes effect). He got a reasonable $9450 trade-in on a vehicle that was only some $17K brand-new, 5 years ago. He was generally pleased with the deal, and so was I....I don't think that a Honda shop would have done that good a deal, as Honda is notorious for driving a hard bargain on its products...rebates and credits are very uncommon.

We both knew an all-new Sportage is coming next year, but he liked the present design. We figured it was likely to be less-expensive (with more rebates/discounts) than the next Sportage. Both Hyundai and Kia have been raising their prices lately as their products get more and more popular, it was the last day of the month (traditionally a good day to purchase), Kia has had several years to get this model right, and this particular sample he bought seemed well-built, easily passing my inspection and test-drive. So, it was do the paperwork and take it home.

It was a miserably hot, humid day in D.C....typical for this time of year. I came home tired, sweaty, and worn out at the end of a long day......that dip in our condo swimming pool afterward, with nice cool water, was NICE.

Once again, thanks to all of you for your input.

tex2670

Nice. I think in this category, the new Mazda CX-3 would be my top pick.

mmarshall

Thanks.

Have you had a chance to see and drive the CX-3? It has not (yet) been released in my part of the country. Also, I think the Sportage, size-wise, will probably compete more directly against the existing CX-5 than against the upcoming smaller CX-3. The CX-3 will probably go up against the Honda HR-V and Subaru XV Crosstrek.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

congrats to your brother.

not sure how that is possible. .. very low miles?

mmarshall

Thanks. His old vehicle was not worn out by any means, but just wasn't cutting it in the snow...and he was going to need an AWD vehicle for a substantially longer winter commute soon, without the option of work-from-home or telecommuting.



Nice condition, no vehicle abuse, no accident history, low mileage, repeat customer, desire on the dealership's part for good used vehicles, and the fact that they knew that, as a reviewer, I'd probably be writing about the sale. The dealer's owner is also a member of Congess, just elected last November......he represents my brother's district.

tex2670

I did see the CX-3 at the Philly Auto Show, and there's a writeup in this month's C&D. The Sportage seems to me, when I look at it, to kind of straddle the size between, say, the CX-3 and CX-5. When I look at it, it seems like it looks bigger from a distance than it is; but I haven't looked at the specs or the measurements.