GRM Review: Kia Optima SX

David S. Wallens wrote: See also: six-speed Subaru Legacy GT wagon. The awesome comments were backed up with lousy sales.

And yet, the used market goes crazy for these cars. Just try and find one, and when you do, be prepared to pay a big premium over an AT sedan. See also, Volvo V70R, MT BMW wagons, CTS-V wagons, S4 Avant, and so on.

I think the real problem is that enthusiasts just know better than to buy new cars these days. We don't have irrational fears that perfectly good 6 year old 100k mile cars are going to stop working for no reason tomorrow. So in the low end of the market, we get new cars that are made for the sort of oblivious, misinformed folks that actually buy new cars. It kind of sucks, but what are you gonna do?

The other limiting factor for manuals in the US is that 30 years of mfrs assuming nobody wants manuals has resulted in a population that no longer has any reason or opportunity to learn how to use one. I believe that if we had strict driver training with even a brief manual transmission training component instead of the joke that drivers ed has become, then the adoption rate would probably triple or more.

In reply to Josh:

Hills. I was able to convince my wife to drive a manual until we moved from Orlando to Birmingham.

I drive a manual transmissioned car. My coworker looked at it and said "A manual? Are we back in high school in 1985 again?"

Otto Maddox wrote: In reply to Josh: Hills. I was able to convince my wife to drive a manual until we moved from Orlando to Birmingham.

That's hardly an insurmountable obstacle to the Manual cause. Subarus don't roll down hills. The manual X3 I drove the other day also held itself in place, worked quite well. I didn't even know it was going to do that before I rolled up to the hill.

e-brake is right behing the shifter....hills are no issue.

Last week we had my wife's '04 Sedona at the dealer for service (replaced a broken motor mount under warrantee for free) and I had the chance to look at and drive the new '12 Sedona. Though the price has only risen marginally in eight years, the technology contect has risen dramatically. 4-wheel disks vs. rear drums, standard ABS, ESC, and traction control, airbags all around, 6 speed trans, Bluetooth, etc. It weighs about 400 lbs. less and has 70 more hp. We're seriously considering it.

jstein77 wrote: Last week we had my wife's '04 Sedona at the dealer for service (replaced a broken motor mount under warrantee for free) and I had the chance to look at and drive the new '12 Sedona. Though the price has only risen marginally in eight years, the technology contect has risen dramatically. 4-wheel disks vs. rear drums, standard ABS, ESC, and traction control, airbags all around, 6 speed trans, Bluetooth, etc. It weighs about 400 lbs. less and has 70 more hp. We're seriously considering it.

Not to mention you'll actually get over 17mpg with the new one! lol

My friend's '11 SX:

I think my dad may be closer to one of these. He asked me specifically what I thought about the new Optima over the weekend.

His Impala seems to be leaking oil, I guessed likely from some seal that's pretty damn hard to get to, since he was quoted $2000 to have it fixed. Will have to crawl under the car and have a look-see myself this weekend. For a car thats maybe worth $3000, that he just put $3000 worth of work into last year due to a bunch of annoying electrical gremlins, I think he's finally ready to let it go, or at least pass it on to my youngest brother. Quite frankly I'm already impressed he kept it for himself past 100k miles.