Kia Rondo Replacements

Non-repair car talk
kevm14
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Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by kevm14 »

Bob wrote:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cadillac-CTS-V-/121800088960 High milez, but this is one of the lowest prices I have seen on a V2. Unfortunately it was owned up north and probably driven through the winter given the mileage.
Ended at $21k. I dunno if that means that was the high offer, and if that offer was accepted. That is a lot of car for the money.
Bob
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Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by Bob »

I think in the low 20s, I could get on board with the high mileage. That is a hell of a car for the money.
Bob
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Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by Bob »

Also, apparently the secret is out on the cheap leafs. With a bit more depreciation, I could use one as my daily beater and offset the high $/mile of a CTS-V.

http://jalopnik.com/holy-crap-used-niss ... 1743475298
Bob
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Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by Bob »

http://ls1tech.com/forums/vehicle-class ... 6-lsx.html

This is an interesting option. The 1/4 mile performance is better than a V2 due to the relatively light weight. It appears to be durable and able to be used as a daily driver.
kevm14
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Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by kevm14 »

From the top, that engine looks even more shoehorned into the engine bay than it does in the CTS-V. Knowing those were made for an inline 6, I guess that's not surprising. But from the side, I noticed I can actually see the header, so maybe it's better than it looks?

Either way, this would be nice, but you won't get all of the luxury toys of the V2. And you CAN get into a high mile, but clean V2 for this money, as we proved recently. Whether that silver V2 or this is a better value for ~$22k, I don't know. This car is quite light. And I'd even wager that this car would be more reliable than a V2. It is simpler mechanically (no blower) and in terms of features to break. It would be interesting to drive both back to back. This car probably handles better than a V2, especially in a lower speed setting, but I would be willing to bet the V2 is a nicer, more refined car. How much does that matter?

Overall, would this be a replacement to the Elise (in terms of fleet footprint, not exact mission/capability)? Or something you'd use a lot more often?
Bob
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Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by Bob »

I can see this being extremely reliable for the reasons you mentioned. I would probably drive it more than the Elise since I can drive it with normal shoes on, it has good visibility out of the car and it can seat 4 people somewhat comfortably. Also, working A/C is a must-have.


I think in an ideal world, I would like to have a 4 car lineup:

1. Elise
2. Beater daily driver (current: 2012 Prius, future: 2006 Accord)
3. Fun car that can be daily driven on nice days (currently vacant, future: something with a V8 and 4 doors, and probably MT in the case of a 4 car lineup. This will need to be AT if #2 and #3 are combined)
4. Daily driver for my wife (current: Kia Rondo, future: 2012 Prius)
kevm14
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Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by kevm14 »

Your desired fleet is actually very similar to my current fleet, except your totally undesirable as an everyday vehicle is the Elise, and mine is the Ranger. The difference is, I get a lot of utility from the Ranger, but it's worth nothing. You get a lot of emotional utility from the Elise, but you could finance quite a bit from the sale of it.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by kevm14 »

You should probably go to GA and drive that car.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by kevm14 »

I missed this originally:
* Dyno’d @ 459hp/ 425ft lbs. Car was dyno’d with an aftermarket cam that has since been removed, however it is included in the sale. I would estimate the cam at 40-50hp, so the car is probably around 410-420rwhp as it sits.
* Best ¼ Mile = 11.8 @ 120mph
So 120 mph trap at 460 rwhp. Without the cam, is that 115-116 mph? May be a tad slower than a V2.
1) LS3 – this build paired a low mileage block with brand new heads; everything was fully refreshed and properly built. Additionally the LS3 received many upgrades to improve performance, strength, reliability, and to support forced induction at some point in the future. To me all of this was far preferable to buying a car with the junkyard LS1 pullout that has an unknown history.
Yeah, you can't put 15 psi through a stock LS1 on pump gas. You need a (substantially cheaper) truck engine for that.
Bob
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Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:36 am

Re: Kia Rondo Replacements

Post by Bob »

Yeah, I just saw the details on the cam. Even 115 trap would be more than satisfying. I wonder why the other cam was removed. Driveability issues?
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