Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rainbow brite]

I am buying a car. It will def be an older model. In your experience, what do you recommend as a reliable car? Alternatively, what should I stay away from? Thanks.

[Sector7G]

[Sector7G]

Hey, I just checked their site. You can join for one month and then cancel if you want for only $5.95. For that they will tell you not only the most reliable used cars, but also the ones to stay away from.

[Chambertin]

Stay far far away from Daewoo if it wasn�t built in the past couple years.
Even then I wouldn�t touch em.

I Sold Daewoo in the US and the Dealer dropped the line the cars were so horrid. However He LOVED all the money he made in the repair shop.
By far the worst cars I've ever seen.

I have an old Hyundai, they seem to be very good cars in general.
KIA would be my #2 pick, they aren�t the best, but not far behind.

I see a lot of Accents, and Avantes running around.
But the best bet is to stick to a manufacturer and then evaluate the car on an individual basis.

In my opinion Consumer reports isn�t worth much even if you buy a new product.
When you find a car you like, then look at its condition and who drove it.
The driver can make much more a difference than the info you see from a reviewer. Did they take care of it? Were they hard on the car? Etc.

Finally look up the car on google, there will be a wealth of info firsthand from owners and such on any number of forums to give you an idea about the experience.

Again, Consumer Reports has been obsolete since the first BBS's got popular, their info is much better, free, and 100% unbiased. Remember Consumer Reports makes their money from advertising.

Another note:
Many Korean cars have a name change issue. The domestic car and the foriegn cars have the same names, but they are completely different. Dont automatically trust the foriegn reviews.

[flakfizer]

Every year JD Powers puts out a list of the most reliable cars as determined by surveying thousands of customers who have owned and driven their cars for three years. Here is the 2010 press release (so the cars ranked are actually from 2007 having been used for three years)
http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/news/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2010034
Lexus had been the best on this list for something like 12 straight years. They were beat last year by Buick and this year are tied with Buick for 3rd behind Porsche and Lincoln. Ford has been doing a good job lately. Ford, Lincoln and Mercury are all in the top eight. Hyundai is above the industy average. You might be surprised to see where Volkwagen and Audi are.

From the link:

[Sector7G]

[madoka]

[Sector7G]

[Chambertin]

True, they are my opinions, and they are not the only ones.

The last time I picked a Consumer Reports up was years ago, and I remember advertisements being in it. Maybe my memory isn't clear.
My parents were all about it, I wasn�t.
I did check and yeah they say no outside advertising. So all their money comes from subscriptions? I find it hard to believe.

Still, my mistake, I jumped to conclusions rather than checking facts.

I never liked the magazine as I think real life reviews are much more telling than some lab test. Double so for used goods, a lot changes after 3 years, it is a whole new world after 10.

EDIT: Yes CR takes firsthand info, but they take a sample. That sample may not be as reliable as the sample of information you chose to utilize. I think putting your buying decision in their hands is not the best way to do it. It limits your perspective greatly.
Remember, CR faces lawsuits and all kinds of things on every word they write, that is a limiting factor already. Sure this is crap, but we need some technical data to support it, if we can�t find it then it�s hard to say "this is crap".
An individual can just say, this is crap, the bottoms don�t feel right.

Second if they dont do something to sell the mag then they dont make money. They can inflate specs, and do other things to cause a stir to ramp up readership, so long as they can find a fact to support it. Do they? Who knows, but companies have suspected them of doing so, and even taken them to court over it.

I'm not saying CR is useless, I just think it isn�t as useful as people think it is.
And that's my Opinoin, take it for what it is worth.

Bottom line is to evaluate the car, not the name.
There are even really good Daewoos out there, I just never ran into one.
Some Hyundais are terrible, but I dont see many of them.

[air76]

It is so cheap to get cars worked on in Korea that you don't need to stress about it too much. For 2,000,000 won you can get a really nice used car....and for 500,000-1,000,000 you can get a car that runs fine and is cheap to maintain.

[flakfizer]

[madoka]

[hellofaniceguy]

[madoka]

[rainbow brite]

Thanks for your input!