u/VisualProfessional12

We all know this car is beautiful, but adding on that bottom grill insert makes such a difference!

Top photo is before

Bottom photo is with the inserts

It comes in 2 pieces and is made to go on either side of the license plate, so if you don't have a front license plate, you need to get 2 sets and cut one piece to fit. Or, just get a fun vanity plate to go on the front!

I grabbed mine from Amazon and they are currently on sale!

Bottom Grill Inserts

I have two questions - for those of you who did the estimated payment calculator before finalizing a deal, did the actual terms come close to the estimate?

Would it be possible to get a tier 1 lease deal (credit score is in mid 700's) without a cosigner if you've only had major credit cards with over 5 years of payment history, but no other loans or rent?

Context - I'm looking at leases for my son. He graduated from a university in December of 2025, so should qualify for any graduate rebates. He's worked since he was 16 and landed a well paying job in his degree field 4 months ago. He also kept his previous job but cut back hours to part time so that he can beef up his savings. He's driven beaters for the past 7 years and is now ready to take on a payment and extra insurance to get into something reliable. After having a conversation about what he wants and what his plans are for the next 3-5 years, we came to the conclusion that a lease would be the best move for him right now. But, after doing a lot of research these past few weeks, he's gotten quite overwhelmed. So, I figured I'd narrow it down to 4 or 5 choices and he can take it from there. I've been looking at offers from brokers and local dealerships. I've found a handful of good lease deals but unsure if the estimates are actually attainable for him on his own. Take the estimated lease offer on the Corolla for example. His credit score is 746, income to debt ratio and credit utilization are both below 10%, but this will be his first loan. He's had 2 major credit cards for almost 6 years with perfect payment history, but no mortgage, rent or other loans. If absolutely necessary, he will have a tier 1 co-signer but we are trying to avoid that.

I'm assuming this is a tick, but they were super tiny.

We went to bass River State Forest in NJ and walked a trail. Stupid, I now know. I had an oversized long sleeve shirt on over a tank top. I got hot, so wrapped the long sleeve shirt around my waist. It was hanging and likely brushed against a bush. When we got back into the car, I had the shirt on my lap. A couple minutes into the drive home, I felt an itch, looked down, and saw at least 2 dozen of these super tiny bugs crawling on my knees. We pulled over, I jumped out and brushed myself off. I checked the shirt, they were all over it, so I trashed it. I spent a good 15 minutes brushing myself off then we headed home. On the way, I found dozens more. So we pulled over again before reaching civilization and I took a towel and thoroughly scrubbed myself and wiped out the car. Once we got home, I immediately threw those clothes into the wash with hot water. Everything else stayed outside. I then took a hot shower and scrubbed with a rough washcloth, shaved, and allowed tea tree oil to sit in my hair. We took the shop vac to the car and cleaned it out really well. I only noticed one on my arm and none on my upper torso. They were all on my legs, hopefully my hair and scalp are fine. So, my question is, is this a tick? And should I do anything else?

To start, I've seen many comments on threads that are comparing Kia to Toyota/Honda saying that Kia's depreciate faster/more than some other brands. So I decided to look up the value of our Forte on KBB.

For context, we bought a 23' Forte Gt Line 3.5 years ago. Final price was 22k with the extras, paid tax and tags out of pocket, no trade in, and got a ridiculously good interest rate. We have about 7k left on the loan. Car has just over 23,000 miles on it.

The car is in perfect condition. No accidents or scratches, interior is like brand new (back seatbelt buckles still have the foam on them and info cards are still on the vizor 😆). I chose the good condition option since it was the one most used. They value the car at 15k-19k for trade in, 19k-22k for private sale.

So, are Kia's holding their value better now? Is there still a shortage in used cars that is driving up the prices? Or is KBB just wayyyyyyy off with this one? I find it hard to believe that we "could" sell this car for only a couple thousand less than we paid for it 🤔

I'm very interested in hearing what your KBB value is for your Kia VS what you paid for it.