MkI Kia Soul? (AKA Necessary Car Shopping)

"for Michigan" (formichigan) 09/02/2019 at 20:33 • Filed to: Necessary car shopping, oppopinions, kia, soul, bmw, 1-series, 128i

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Due to certain circumstances, I have started seriously shopping for a replacement for my ’ 10 128i. The criteria I’ve settled on are listed below.

Must-haves:

H atch

B ack seat

R eliable (the 1-series has actually been great so far)

I nexpensive parts (who wants to pay $80 to change their own oil?)

Preferred :

M anual (I miss it so much)

RWD (this seems unrealistic given the other criteria)

Regular gas (the extra $0.60 / gallon is getting old)

Decent fuel economy (25+ mpg combined)

Compact

Don’t want :

Trunk

Coupe

Truck / SUV

Budget: $8000

The goal for this car is to find something practical and reliable in fantastic shape that I can hold on to for the next 10 years. Just a basic daily driver to get me where I need to go. Fun car duties will be taken over by the MX-5 once I have the funds in place to resurrect it.

Which is what brings me to the MkI Kia Soul. It’s taller than I would like, but after punching all of my criteria into Car Gurus and Autot rader, it seems like a nice alternative to all the PT Cruisers and Chevy Cobalts for sale in my area. I have my eye on a green, 1-owner ’ 13 Soul+ with the 2.0L, 6MT, and only 67K miles. If my weekend had been a little less busy and it were a little closer, I would have already gone to look at it.

So what are your thoughts, fellow Opponaughts?

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 20:38

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Mk5 Rabbit, duh

for Michigan > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 09/02/2019 at 20:38

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Hahahahaha .

No.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 20:49

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Not to sound to self pretentious, but look at a Juke. They can be had for same used price. Hella more fun to drive. A way better engine. AWD if you chose to bore yourself with CVT. FWD can be had with CVT or Manual (I recommend that). Depending on the year (pre-2014) you can get a non-nismo with a stick. I might know a guy who knows lots about them.

Wurrwulf > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 20:51

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You might be able to find a Mazda3 from 2013 or so. I picked up a 2013 with 95,000 miles on it for $8000 back in April. I had to settle for an auto, though. The auto isn’t terrible, though.

A r ear-facing convertible car seat push the passenger seat pretty far forward, though, if that will be of concern. Anyone over 5'4" or so will be uncomfortable.

smobgirl > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 20:51

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My sister has that very car. She adores it. They’ve driven it across the country more than once (and up to Yukon/Dawson City/Alaska from Virginia ) with her giant dog and never had an issue. It’s not a large vehicle inside but I fit in the back seat ok and you can easily fit a 28 inch pizza in the back with just half of the back seat folded down.

SiennaMan > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 20:53

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I’m not surprised you found yourself looking at a Soul. I’ve done a similar search and looking for a cheap manual that isn’t very old and isn’t going to be expensive to run, the Soul is probably about the best choice.. you’re alternatives are to go older and less reliable (you can only drive a late '90s civic so far before it'll need work), go more expensive or sacrifice the manual..

for Michigan > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 09/02/2019 at 20:57

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There are none for sale within 100 miles of me. I’ve also heard a lot of horror stories about the last couple generations of Nissan products, which makes me a little wary of them...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 20:59

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A Soul would be nice, I quite like the first-gen Soul actually...I always mention it, but why not an 2006-2010 Hyundai Accent hatch like mine...? It meets all of these criteria of yours for a great DD:

Must-haves:

Hatch

Back seat

Reliable

Inexpensive parts

Preferred:

Manual (5-spd)

Regular gas (the extra $0.60 / gallon is getting old)

Decent fuel economy (I average 33.8mpg)

Compact

110hp, so not fast, but nippy enough for everyday use, especially with the manual.

The interior is a bit plastic-y, yes, but it’s comfortable enough and mine’s held up reasonable well and there aren’t any rattles, etc. A/C was an option, so that’s important if you want it. Get a higher spec one with power windows, Cruise, etc if you want that stuff. Mine’s a base model with no power anything, or Cruise or ABS.

The downside would be 2 doors, not 4, so it is coupe-ish...but the back seats aren’t hard to squeeze back into and they fold down for more storage capacity.

There’s also the 2006-2011 Kio Rio hatch as well (yes, I know it’s a Kia, boo....or so most car guys think), but it’s the exact same car underneath, mechanically, as my car...same engine, same trans, same suspension mostly, etc.

dogisbadob > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 21:00

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The Soul is awesome and comes in some cool colors like Kia Soul Green. I think they call it Alien, but regardless, it is THE official color of the Soul :o)

One thing to know: 2010, the Soul’s first year, is the only year you could get a sunroof paired with the manual transmission. The higher Souls come with needlessly big-ass wheels, but you can always downsize back to something normal, whether they be OE or aftermarket.

smobgirl > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 21:03

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She says to show you this :)

(Arctic Circle trip )

For Sweden > smobgirl 09/02/2019 at 21:04

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Virginia Pizza ?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 21:05

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You may have to abandon that RWD bullet point entirely.

I'm thinking Matrix/Vibe. Satisfies all your criteria (except RWD)

smobgirl > For Sweden 09/02/2019 at 21:05

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Yes. That was enough pizza in one night that it will be months if not years before I eat another piece .

Under_Score > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 21:06

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xB. Fuel economy is disappointing for the size, but powerful and hits the other boxes.

For Sweden > smobgirl 09/02/2019 at 21:06

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Virginia is for Meat Lovers

for Michigan > Wurrwulf 09/02/2019 at 21:15

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My last car was an 06 Mazda3 which I generally liked, though I had some issues with it. I’ve only seen one Gen2 listed, but it is a SkyActiv 6MT which means significantly better mileage than the Soul. Good suggestion.

for Michigan > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 09/02/2019 at 21:18

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I like little cars, but the Accent/Rio are a little too small to be useful for me. A Forte5 or Elantra GT would be great if I could find any, but there are none for sale within 100 miles of me.

for Michigan > smobgirl 09/02/2019 at 21:21

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That’s awesome! Beautiful landscape. I intend to make that trip as well at some point.

And I love that stripe package on her Soul . There’s an orange one near me with it that caught my eye.

SiennaMan > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 21:22

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 Exactly.   Around me, Accents are sometimes hard to find, unless I wanted to sacrifice ac for the third pedal..

SiennaMan > Under_Score 09/02/2019 at 21:25

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xB is an interesting suggestion. I agree it should tick all of his boxes (except rwd).

Were they among the Toyotas with a center mounted speedo?

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 21:26

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Mechanically mines been solid (over the 115,000kms I’ve driven it). The CVT’s is where the problems are, the manuals are lots more reliable.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > SiennaMan 09/02/2019 at 21:32

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I honestly (at least where I live) don’t miss A/C that much at all...just crank open the driver and passenger window when it’s not and as long as you’re not constantly in slow moving traffic, it’s cool enough. If there’s anything I miss at all, it’s Cruise on long trips.

SiennaMan > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 09/02/2019 at 21:40

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I lived without it for a while back in college,  but extra weight,  90F+ weather and the need to show up not looking sweaty have sapped my ability to really tolerate going without..  (a convertible being about the only exception)

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 21:40

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Why not tho? Mk5s are Toyota reliable. 

Under_Score > SiennaMan 09/02/2019 at 22:26

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Yes, in both generations. My dad had one for a few years, so I know a good bit about the newer ones.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > for Michigan 09/02/2019 at 23:56

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First-gen? No, absolutely not. Death traps and hot garbage.

Second-gen? Yes, absolutely. They’re my go-to car when people want a cheap, reliable, basic transportation device with a lot of interior space...

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > smobgirl 09/03/2019 at 06:49

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Any pizza large enough to require folding the rear seats for transport should require a NSFW tag.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > for Michigan 09/03/2019 at 07:34

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You need one of these:

Meets all your criteria except RWD.

CalzoneGolem > for Michigan 09/03/2019 at 09:09

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We have a ‘ 13 Soul and aside from it drinking oil like a college student drinks natty ice we’ve had no issues. It’s not the greatest going over bumps though. You kinda feel like you’re in the back of the school bus.

dogisbadob > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 09/03/2019 at 09:32

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LOL no VW is Toyota reliable

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > for Michigan 09/03/2019 at 11:29

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Have you looked at a non-ST Fiesta? They’re cheap, especially with the manual (and stay away from the auto anyway). Smaller than the Soul inside for sure, but it’s a great little car and very practical for the size.

Also check out the Scion options. The xB  gets all the attention because of its quirky looks but the xD is a more normal looking and great option too I think. 

for Michigan > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/03/2019 at 11:50

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Yeah, that’s why it’s on the second set of criteria.

Every Matrix/V ibe I’ve seen is beat. Otherwise, I agree.

for Michigan > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 09/03/2019 at 11:52

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In this price range I can either have an upper trim level, late build MkI or a base model, early build MkII. The MkI seems like the better choice.

They seem to have decent crash- worthiness. What makes you say they’re unsafe?

for Michigan > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 09/03/2019 at 11:54

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The Fiesta is a little on the small side for me and the Scions are rare and usually in rough shape.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > for Michigan 09/03/2019 at 15:51

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The second-gen is so much better that it isn’t even in the same ballpark.

for Michigan > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 09/03/2019 at 18:58

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I see you’re a fan of hyperbole.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > for Michigan 09/03/2019 at 23:57

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Getting less than five stars is pretty bad for any modern car.

However, looking at what is available, the 2014+ ones are slim at the price point, but available on countrywide searches . I’m a bit surprised by that, but not at the same time. They’re great little cars and it makes sense that they have held their value pretty well.