Okay, all the car pix are uploaded and here’s what I’ve got, in no particular order.  Each of these links will open up a slideshow in a new window.

• Kia Soul
• Kia Forte
• Kia Rio
• Hyundai Veloster
• Hyundai Elantra
• Hyundai Sonata
• Ford Fiesta
• Ford Focus
• Mazda 3

Strangely enough, even after my visit to Ricart, and after looking at all those cars…  my opinions and thoughts haven’t changed much.      I still favor the Soul, but I like all of the other Kia models, and the Hyundai Elantra and Veloster are sharp looking as well.  Decisions, decisions.

I’ve never really had a good opinion towards Ford, and that will continue after I checked out the Fiesta and Focus.  Ricart had a billion of them, but they just seemed cramped and cheap (construction / quality-wise) compared to all of the other import cars.  They do have some funky colors available though.

I’m learning from the reaction of my friends that the Soul is definitely a “love it” or “hate it” type of vehicle.  I’ve been told that it is too boxy, that it looks like a toaster, etc…    and while the style may be something that folks can debate, the cargo space and the people space are unbelievable for a smaller car.

Quite a few of the other cars were nice, but I’m not even that tall and in a couple of them my head was actually touching the roof when I had my hat on.    Not in the Soul.  But like I said, I haven’t made a decision yet, but at least now I have a bunch of price stickers and photos to help me narrow it down even more.