Thread: Buying a Soul some time this week.. have some general Q's

Hey everyone, I plan on purchasing a new Kia Soul some time this week. I'm looking at 2012 models and above in order to get the 6-speed auto (sorry guys, I can't drive stick on the crazy hills when I move to Austin), as well as the direct injection engine.

I have a couple questions regarding the car itself:

1. Does the base model Soul come with cruise control?
2. Does the base model Soul come with the center console storage compartment/arm-rest?
3. Is this vehicle indeed cheaper to insure than most vehicles in its class? 24 year old male, absolutely clean record, currently insured through a local agency on a 2009 RAV4 that my dad owns.
4. I heard the Soul's don't come with spare tires.. how much for an aftermarket spare kit? Could I build my own kit for cheaper?
5. In lieu of #4, could I just use roadside assistance instead? (and get a spare kit later?)
6. Could I get a better deal on the 2012's than the 2013's since the end of the month/new year is coming up?


I live in the Houston area, so if anyone who lives nearby could list their model+options and purchase price, I'd be glad to know what ballpark price range to aim for when I'm at the dealership.

Thanks! Looking forward to being an owner soon so I can be more active here

Originally Posted by thewerzinator

Hey everyone, I plan on purchasing a new Kia Soul some time this week. I'm looking at 2012 models and above in order to get the 6-speed auto (sorry guys, I can't drive stick on the crazy hills when I move to Austin), as well as the direct injection engine.

I have a couple questions regarding the car itself:

1. Does the base model Soul come with cruise control?
2. Does the base model Soul come with the center console storage compartment/arm-rest?
3. Is this vehicle indeed cheaper to insure than most vehicles in its class? 24 year old male, absolutely clean record, currently insured through a local agency on a 2009 RAV4 that my dad owns.
4. I heard the Soul's don't come with spare tires.. how much for an aftermarket spare kit? Could I build my own kit for cheaper?
5. In lieu of #4, could I just use roadside assistance instead? (and get a spare kit later?)
6. Could I get a better deal on the 2012's than the 2013's since the end of the month/new year is coming up?


I live in the Houston area, so if anyone who lives nearby could list their model+options and purchase price, I'd be glad to know what ballpark price range to aim for when I'm at the dealership.

Thanks! Looking forward to being an owner soon so I can be more active here

1. The manual does NOT, I think the auto does?
2. Some do, most don't. They're $130 on eBay. Don't let that stop u.
3. Call and get a quote at the different trims
4. Prob not. They come with fix-a-flat. The spare tire kit is like $200ish? on eBay.
5. Yes
6. Prob. Just have to shop around

Good luck.


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1. I don't think the base does!
2. Again, not sure about the base but from what I have read it comes with a arm rest rather than the console(A lot of people have told me that the console is better to have)
3. As for the vehicle insurance, I feel like it is. I went from Nationwide with a 02 Coupe Accord to Geico 2010 Soul and dropped about 90 dollars(full coverage).
4. I guess the base doesn't have a spare? My ! came with a spare. IMHO if you are getting a base just because of Price, I would rethink and get the next model up unless you really want the manual.
5. I have a spare tire and road side(then again my road side is AAA under my parents)
6. as for the deal, that will require shopping. From my experiences(all of purchasing one car and shopping with my parents for their last 2) that the dealers should be wanting to move the 2012's quickly so the lot doesn't have to pay taxes on them.

welcome to the forum, hope you get fixed up soon. Can't believe there would be any 2012's left by now. (this is all US info even though I'm located in Canada):

1. base AT has more features than a base MT. Cruise is standard (either year)
2. center console armrest/storage is not standard, but its possible it could be dealer installed.
3. only you can verify that with your local insurance agent
4. no spares on any Soul model sold in the US (not the case in Canada). It comes with a mobility kit. One our members Cobra259 (he's works at a Kia parts department at a delaership in the US) sells the complete kit for approximately $200 and will ship anywhere in the US. Also available on Ebay.
5. Yes, you do get it for 5 years
6. Yes if you can find one, but probably a good deal on a 2013 model too. Very little change between a 2012 and 2013 models.

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Also, did the MSRP for the 2013 go up from the 2012?
Kia's website says the 2013 starts at $14,400 while cars.com says the MSRP for the 2012 starts at $13,900

You get 5yrs/60,000 miles of 24 Hour Roadside Assistance with your car from KIA, so really, worrying about a spare you won't have to use for five years is unnecessary.

Do yourself a favor, buy the car you want and not one that you will add aftermarket crap to afterwards. Want a cruise, get one with cruise. Want Keyless Entry, get one with keyless entry.

Adding things like a center console afterwards isn't such a big deal.

Originally Posted by dmwagner

You get 5yrs/60,000 miles of 24 Hour Roadside Assistance with your car from KIA, so really, worrying about a spare you won't have to use for five years is unnecessary.

Do yourself a favor, buy the car you want and not one that you will add aftermarket crap to afterwards. Want a cruise, get one with cruise. Want Keyless Entry, get one with keyless entry.

Adding things like a center console afterwards isn't such a big deal.

Yeah, cruise is a must for me. Keyless entry isn't standard? Like, the remote fob? Or are you talking about the fob associated with the push button start?

I had Cruise added for $390.00. Very little need for it in my area (also why I chose the standard trans.) but I'm planing some long trips next year and figured it would be nice to have.
I got the center counsol from my deaer for $126.00. Very easy to install.
My insurance seemsto have droped $25.00 per 1/4
I normally carry a 12 volt air compressor and the last time I used it was over 6 years ago!
Planning a trip to WY next year and may pick up real spare.
For $1295.00 my dealer extended the 60,000 mile warrenty and roadside service to 100,000 miles
I've allso added a solid "Cargo Cover" that serves as an aded storage shelf and a solid cover over the "Storge Compartment".

Originally Posted by thewerzinator

Yeah, cruise is a must for me. Keyless entry isn't standard? Like, the remote fob? Or are you talking about the fob associated with the push button start?

Sounds like you need to head over to KIA and check this stuff out.

Originally Posted by thewerzinator

Hey everyone, I plan on purchasing a new Kia Soul some time this week. I'm looking at 2012 models and above in order to get the 6-speed auto (sorry guys, I can't drive stick on the crazy hills when I move to Austin), as well as the direct injection engine.

I have a couple questions regarding the car itself:

1. Does the base model Soul come with cruise control?
2. Does the base model Soul come with the center console storage compartment/arm-rest?
3. Is this vehicle indeed cheaper to insure than most vehicles in its class? 24 year old male, absolutely clean record, currently insured through a local agency on a 2009 RAV4 that my dad owns.
4. I heard the Soul's don't come with spare tires.. how much for an aftermarket spare kit? Could I build my own kit for cheaper?
5. In lieu of #4, could I just use roadside assistance instead? (and get a spare kit later?)
6. Could I get a better deal on the 2012's than the 2013's since the end of the month/new year is coming up?

1. Yes. We have a 2012 base model auto with 6 speed and cruise.
2. No.
3. Slightly more expensive to insure than my used but paid for Nissan Titan worth about the same.
4. No spare tire. Couple hundred bucks to go the dealer route. Cheapest to find a donut in a junkyard with the same bolt pattern. Or just don't worry about it if you travel local.
5. Yes.
6. Probably not, if there's any 2012's even still hanging around. I also have a 2013 base model and I've had it for almost 3 months. At that time there weren't any 2012's around locally.

PS: Keyless entry is standard on the automatics. On my manual it wasn't included.