Are you guys that Loyal??

ewoss3 · Mar 2, 2002

Ob1Kioti, I looked at that other orange tractor. I had to drive 100 miles to find that the fit and finish was inadequate, no hydro, the dealer prep not complete, no hydro, a blue underside(which mooron came up with that color), no hydro, the dealers maintenace shop was more cluttered than my shop,no hydro,and the dealer did not welcome me. and did I mention no hydro

before I get some nastygrams it's not that kewl great looking NH blue

rbargeron · Mar 3, 2002

Jeff - whether product will be successful long-term is based on a lot of factors. But, unlike Yugo's case, the industrial infrastructure in Kioti's country of origin is very robust. Remember that Korea got rebuilt long after Japan did - so their plants and machinery are even better. I think the odds that Kioti builds a high-precision product are quite high. There's also a significant over-capacity in the manufacturing base in Korea right now - made even more acute by the recession in Japan. I'm expecting two things about Kioti - they'll be good, and, barring US government intervention, they'll be cheap.

hayden · Mar 3, 2002

I agree there's no reason to think Korea can't build quality stuff. In fact, there are lots of counter examples. Hyundai builds excellent excavators etc.

john_bud · Mar 3, 2002

I have spent significant time in both Japan and Korea in the past 5 years. While you are correct that Korea's infrastructure was rebuilt later than Japan's, it was NOT rebuilt in the same manor or with the same goal of quality. The plants that I have seen in Korea were NOT better than the plants in Japan. Or for that matter, manufacturing plants in the USA.

The primary focus (that I could determine) in the Korean factories is to manufacture a product as inexpensively as possible. The focus in the Japanese factories (that I could determine) is to manufacture the highest quality product at a reasonable price. The lessons taught by Dr. Demming in the 50's and 60's are still valid and being followed in Japan today. Just compare the fit and finish of a Camry and a Sonata. Then compare the price. Who's factory is focused on quality and who's focused on low priced product?

I'll get off the soap box now...

John Bud

Ob1Kioti · Mar 4, 2002

ewoss3, did someone pee in your Corn flakes??/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif The underside is painted grey now. The blues are older models. How long ago was it when you looked at them? Every dealer around where I live has a cluttered shop, regardless of brand. I'm sure not all dealers are good, nice, etc regardless of brand. Dealers that are bad are not brand specific. I have ONE good dealer around me out of 4 dealerships. BTW I know they don't have a Hydro I stated that in my opening post.

Ob1

Jeff396 · Mar 4, 2002

Yes, Yugo was a poor comparison. Hyundai is probably closer to fair. When it came to a choice between Toyota and Hyundai I would still opt for the Toyota. However, that 10 year 100,000 mile warranty offered by Hyundai (or was it Kia) would be the thing that might convince be to take a chance./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

Golfgar4 · Mar 4, 2002

I've been reading with interest all the postings in this thread (why work when you can enjoy yourself on TBN /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif?) I'm one of those guys who is currently shopping and researching for the "perfect" tractor. I must admit that when I first started looking around, I was WOWED /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif by the big 3. I pretty much limited myself to those manufacturers. But the longer I searched, and the more I paid attention to the wisdom on TBN, I realized that it did not matter what anyone else thought. I had to live, and hopefully love, whichever one I selected. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I agree with anyone who says compare everything on an equal basis and then make a decision that fits YOU. The only problem that I've seen with Kioti is that I haven't seen a Kioti! I checked their dealers through their web site, and there was only 1 listed in my state. And guess what - they don't handle Kioti anymore /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif. So as much as I liked what I saw on the webg site, especially the prices, I don't think Kioti is a legitimate contender since I wouldn't have any dealer support within a reasonable driving distance! And I'm sorry, but I'm not willing to wait until they are legitimate contenders. I want to be able to use my tractor for a few years before it's used to plant me /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif!

medfieldtractor · Mar 4, 2002

I own a Kubota tractor (which I love and think is of excellent quality) and two Hyundai vehicles. The Hyundai's we own are their top of the line sedan (XG300) and their SUV (Santa Fe) and both vehicles match and surpass Kubota and Toyota on quality - - the catching up has already happened. The Sonata costs less than the Camry. On a price basis, the XG300 (now called the XG350 for model year 2002) costs around the same as a Camry, and the quality and features of a Camry compared to the XG300 aren't even close. In fact, I traded in a Camry for one of our Hyundai's, and a Honda Civic for the other. Both Hyundai's run circles around our old cars. We've owned them for a year and I remain very satisfied - - obviously only time will really tell (and I could be proved wrong if the cars develop serious premature problems) but so far, based on twelve months experience, I would buy another Hyundai in a second.

rbargeron · Mar 4, 2002

Hi John - mass international marketing of big-ticket products (cars, tractors) is for well-capitalized, government "assisted" companies, making world-class products. Korean heavy manufacturing seems to be in that spot right now. Whether or not they've adopted Edwards Demming as their mentor, they appear to be on a roll.

BTI · Mar 4, 2002

This thread has really developed a life of its own hasn't it? I understand where you are coming from and it's too bad there are no dealers in your area. /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif/w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif