Kia Soul and 3 across and more.....

Our van is shot and needs close to $1000 worth of work, not something we are willing to put in since it is only worth a little more.

We are pricing cars and will be able to pull off a cheap payment on a car such as a used but certified Kia Soul. Right now we are eyeing a 2010 but there are other options.

It will be a massive change going from a full size van to a tiny car but with as much as I drive, it will be worth it.

Johnathon will most likely 5-step and if not I will pick up a cheap harmony backless (which I may do anyways). Seth is in the Frontier 85 or can go full time in the Clek Oobr (although he is only 38lbs). River will be rear-facing in the Radian with the Angle Adjuster. I should be able to pull it off, right?

Any pros and cons on this vehicle? Any difference in the years? We are trying to stay certified and under $14500 so that we can have cheap payments and a reliable car.

Oh and for the record if we get this car then we will save enough in gas alone to cover almost the full monthly payment. Another reason to make the switch.

What seats do you have? I'll be with a Soul tomorrow and can try what I've got.

Radians, Cco, fr85, mr65, amp(hbb), backless bigkid, maestro.

Eta: put the MyRide and a kf30 in it yesterday in about 4 minutes. Easy installs with latch and sb.

I would prefer to have the FR85 and Radian plus a backless for Johnathon so if you could try the Radian rf'ing and FR85 for me that would be wonderful.

We've had a FR85 in our Soul for a year or so, easy install. I'm not sure how 3-across friendly it will be, though. We've only ever had 2 carseats in the back since we got the FR85.

There's a pic of the only 3 across I've ever done in http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=230429.

I will say you will need the angle adjuster for the Radian. We originally had one RF in the middle before the angle adjusters came out and you couldn't easily put the front seats all the way back. My DH actually put a hole in the fabric of our drivers seat by jamming the seat all the way back against the radian every time he drove it. From what I've heard, the angle adjuster should solve that, though. I'll let you know in a week or two when ours arrives and I get our radian back in the Soul.

From what I've read, they are pretty reliable little cars. The gas mileage may be on the lower end of published, so not great. We usually get in the mid-high 20's. It really seems to vary between individual vehicles.

We have a 2010 Soul+ we bought new 2 years ago, and have 45k miles on it. Finally just replaced the original tires, but have done nothing other than change the oil so far. So far it has held up really well; some minor dings in the plastic on the door interiors (we've shoved an awful lot of stuff that didn't really fit in there....).

The back isn't huge, but I can easily carry groceries or an umbrella stroller or whatever. My 6'2" DH loves driving it, so there's plenty of room up front. It does reasonably well in the snow. Traction/stability control works great. The seats on the + glow in the dark.

As far as I know, there are no major differences between the 2010 and 2011; I think some tweaks were made for 2012. There are only 3 versions (base, +, !) and they have minor differences in options and standard wheel size. The base also has a smaller engine and comes with a manual transmission.

If you are really into internet research, join the Kia Soul forums and dig around. Some people have obviously had some issues, but the overall feel is people really like them. Many original owners have upgraded to the 2012 model, in fact.

If you have any other specific questions, I might be able to answer them.

Well we bought it. LOL. We have the Frontier 85 paasenger side, RF Radian center, Bubble bum but will replace with harmony backless on drivers side. Tight fit but works.

mykidsmylife said:

Well we bought it. LOL. We have the Frontier 85 paasenger side, RF Radian center, Bubble bum but will replace with harmony backless on drivers side. Tight fit but works.

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I was thinking it would. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the back seat.