It wouldn't have influenced my decision to buy the car one bit. Read other manufacturer forums about ANY performance car and you will see various issues, complaints, etc. and they all get sorted out eventually. It's more in your face when all members of a site own the same car which will make it appear worse than it is.
Personally, I've only had the audio fade to rear 2-3 times, the H/K system sounds better now after 4k miles than it did on initial delivery, my seats are not wearing at all, and the car performs brilliantly. It's a first year model of a sports car, and we should expect some growing pains. The big picture is how Kia reacts to these issues and solves them.
Just think, these are minor annoyances to use in the grand scheme of things. We can go out and drive our cars daily and not have to worry about the motor turning into a grenade spontaneously, or even making sure we sell the car before the warranty is up so we don't get hit with massive repairs (Hyundai/Kia drivetrain reliability). We don't have to take the car in every 1k miles for big service, constantly tweak settings to maintain performance, etc. etc.
Bottom line, sure it may have some paint issues and the stereo likes to entertain the rear passengers more than me driving, but I wouldn't trade this car for any other make/model on the road. I grin like a fat kid in a candy store every time I hit the Start button and get to drive and I don't see that changing any time soon. I will deal with Kia for any issues I may have, but don't let a few posts on an internet forum convince you that this isn't anything less than a stellar GT car, and seriously something special. If you like it, go get one. There is no way to describe living with this car other than doing it. A test drive won't do it, random car magazine hack article #5894587587435 won't do it, you just have to experience it, and I promise you that you won't regret it.
/soapboxOff
