TireSmoke.org

So I got rid of the Avalanche and picked up a an Optima. I never thought I'd ever drive a Kia, but I am amazed and happy with how much car I got, great power and mileage, and tons of features. Hard to believe I can run low 14s and get 34+ on the freeway out of the twin turbo 2.0, 280 HP. It's my first car with air conditioned seats, which are a blessing down here. It's not as nice as the the 335xi, but for half the price, you can't beat it. For an extra $1200, I got 10 yr/100K mile bumper to bumper from Kia. Nothing but maintenance for many years to come.

Mine pretty much looks like this. For some reason, these rims are uncommon but I like them better than all others:

Why did you get rid of the Avy ?

I was up in Michigan last winter where my friend had a loaner Kia Sedona (I think -- the minivan) with a V6 and it was surprisingly strong. We had it up to 100 in short order. Why? Because we could!

-Dave

I really liked the Avalanche, but I couldn't stand driving a truck in 20 miles of stop n go traffic then dealing with parking garages designed for cars. Twice the mileage doesn't hurt. I miss all the hauling capability though.