These are getting more rare every day

I like the practicality of the SOUL. As for reliability, four Hyundai/KIA models owned. Other than one Sonata (2011) having slight engine ping on 87, not a single other issue.
 
My wife’s aunt has one. Its very spacious/ SUV-ish. Very maneuverable and not an issue to park either. She lives in a big city so it fits her needs perfectly.

Looks like it’ll fit your needs nicely too.
 
No cruise control? Sorry, I could not deal with that. But all to their own, your money, your ride. enjoy.
I used to think that too, but, at least in my area, even on the expressway or tollway, I can't really get use out of it anyway. If the road's not under construction, there is enough traffic in the way that I never get full use out of it. Half of my fleet has it, the other doesn't, and I honestly can't tell you the last time I activated cruise control.
 
cruise control is my speed limiter... takes a lot of effort not to speed at times so when i see i'm having trouble i use CC if possible.
I've done exactly this many times. Got a ticket in Kansas once because the car I was driving didn't have it, and it's quite easy to lose track of your speed when counting tumbleweeds.

I also use cruise to set a minimum speed at times. I override with the pedal to my cruising speed, and cruise helps make sure I don't fall behind the rate of traffic on hills. I find this to be helpful in areas like the Ozarks.
 
Almost bought one to replace my wife’s 6 speed HR-V, but I just didn’t love it. I don’t know why, it was actually a better built car, but something about it just didn’t feel right so I passed.

Not to mention the Kia dealer was being way too difficult about giving me an OTD price without getting pre-approved financing. I had an OTD price for my new Ridgeline back in June and it was done all by email...they wouldn’t even talk numbers in person without running my credit first 😒
 
Nice choice. I've thought about one of these if my Mazda 3 falls apart on me.. I really enjoy a 4cyl stick shift small car. Its pretty hard to find a newer Mazda 3 hatchback with the manual and right now they are holding their value way to well for my cheapness.
 
When you say "no keyless entry" do you mean you have to use a key to unlock the doors or do you just mean it doesn't use a fob and push button for starting rather than a key? I didn't think any cars came without remotes for unlocking the doors anymore.
Yes you must unlock with the key in the door. It has power locks though, twist the key and all locks drop down (or up when unlocking). No push button start either, you gotta put the key in the steering column cylinder to fire it off.
As far as the manual trans and it’s trade in hit, I bought the car for me, not the next owner. I’ll be driving it for a long time if it holds up as well as the soul owners on this forum. On the subject of ride comfort this car has a pretty tall sidewall so it rides quite well, nicely damped.
 
Test drive in 2019 . Real gas mileage is likely to be 35 or 36 . Hyundai display is bit generous . Usually off 3 > 4 m.p.g. more than calculated . Imagine the KIA is same . Still impressive for mostly city and 2 passengers . I.S.G. did engage a few times .
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The first display is current ( instant ) and second is overall m.p.g. . Both likely off up to 4 m.p.g. .
 
I don’t have much use for my f150 anymore. Living in a new house I no longer have to tote all the stuff necessary to shore up my 105 year old house. The Ford really stuffs our 2 car garage too.
So without further ado here’s the solution to the problem⬇️⬇️⬇️ This base 2021 Kia Soul has a 6 speed manual, port fuel injection 2.0 liter 4 cylinder. It doesn’t have : auto stop/start, cylinder deactivation or rev hang. It also doesn’t have keyless entry or cruise control. It does have A/C and a very good radio (for base model) that has apple car play etc. I’m amazed at how much thought went into the design. The interior is very nice, not what you’d expect in a base car at all. Panel gaps are spot on and the paint is perfect (which I can’t say about my Ford). It steers, stops and rides well. Interior is quiet. The gear box is smooth even in cool weather. My note went from $488 to $188 with zero % financing. It does have hub caps; that may seem like a step down but one thing is for sure: come new tire time there’s no nice wheels to ruin. It also doesn’t have a sunroof which I love, for me simplicity is the key. It also has no problem keeping up with traffic, in fact coming home from the dealer I had to watch my speed, I was always 10 over. 5/60 bumper to bumper and 10 year 100,000 mile warranty just ices the cake. Made in Korea, not Mexico.
Honda needs to watch out, Kia / Hyundai are looking to take them over and if this base car is any indication, they’ll do it.
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You made the right choice.. the f150 was a dinosaur heap.
 
I imagine you can add cruise control if it suits you.
Also, I'm all-for keeping it simple, stupid. Less to go wrong.

And a 6MT that is smooth, cold as well as hot. That's pretty darned good (and in my experience, fairly unusual... though it depends on the ambient temp where you live / drive the vehicle)!
 
I went from a $488 truck note to $188 for the soul. That plus 10-11 gal fill ups just ices the cake. The F150 had a 36 gallon tank and ponying up for gas with that bad boy was dreadful. Can’t remember the last time 20 bucks took the tank from 3/8 to full. So far running around my area (mostly city) I’m getting 35 mpg. If you’ve only driven a ’19 model or earlier you‘ll find the redesign for 2020 addressed a lot of issues like ride, interior noise and chassis rigidity.
I think the cold weather shiftability is the result of the trans being filled with 70w oil. I could worry about that but with only 132 lbs of torque I think Kia has trans wear under control.
 
Even if you have to haul around light building supplies, you can get a hitch and a lightweight trailer to go behind the Kia soul. That's what I did with my focus before I had a truck. Even now, I still prefer the light utility trailer behind the Forester.

If you really need a truck, rent one. That's looking to be a far cheaper option for me. It's not just the truck payment, it's putting gas in something that uses twice as much fuel as before.

I'm sure if you really don't like the shift quality, you can swap out for a MT Fluid.
 
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