2013 Kia Sportage 108K Engine Broke

Actually, there are only A FEW vehicles I would buy used and even then only select specimens.
I agree… and I’m going to likely be a minority on this take, but one of my go-tos are used Subarus. 98% of the issues are either present or not, and the HG issue is usually a non-issue if it was fixed with the MLS gaskets or is newer than probably 2006 (yes, I know there are later examples but it’s much more rare than 98-02 models). Past the HG issues and on NA models, they’re fairly overbuilt and parts are cheap. Just plan on CV axles in short order once the boots tear, and don’t cheap out with Cardone remans… learned the hard way the first time 🤣

Half my Subies had over 130k when I got them over the past 15 years, and not one had anything other than basic maintenance & about 4 CV axles over roughly 550k miles in my ownership.
 
I agree… and I’m going to likely be a minority on this take, but one of my go-tos are used Subarus. 98% of the issues are either present or not, and the HG issue is usually a non-issue if it was fixed with the MLS gaskets or is newer than probably 2006 (yes, I know there are later examples but it’s much more rare than 98-02 models). Past the HG issues and on NA models, they’re fairly overbuilt and parts are cheap. Just plan on CV axles in short order once the boots tear, and don’t cheap out with Cardone remans… learned the hard way the first time 🤣

Half my Subies had over 130k when I got them over the past 15 years, and not one had anything other than basic maintenance & about 4 CV axles over roughly 550k miles in my ownership.
Sounds like you have a system for selecting used vehicles and it works well! I am tired of the BITOG-elite pretending the only measure of a vehicle is 500k miles or even 200k miles and anything less is garbage, especially considering the vast majority of original vehicle owners never keep them that long anyway, and most vehicles regardless of make and model never achieve that mileage. The fact is mileage kills vehicles quicker than anything else and there are few vehicles that can reliably achieve +250k miles with no issues with "good maintenance" and even fewer with "average maintenance".
 
PWM, I’d mostly agree with mileage, other than utter lack of use. My Grandma bought a 1991 Lumina brand new and when she died in 2008 with around 6400 total miles, she left it to my brother, a mechanic. He sold it before ever driving it. The guy who bought it later complained that he had to change all the injectors, brake lines, calipers, valve cover & intake gaskets, and several other things. My brother feels lack of use on most things is even more detrimental than age or mileage, and I tend to agree. Things need to be lubricated & exercised & brought up to temp or else it’s just as bad as excessive mileage.
 
I would rephrase that as more like 1% of vehicle owners are scared to push it more than 200K miles. I will never buy into that lame statistic. Definitely clickbait retardism at it's finest.
You cannot put 5w20 in a Hyundai or Kia and change it every 7500 miles and expect a long, trouble free life from them, especially a GDI engine. 3.5k max OCI using a 30 grade or preferably higher, intake valves need regular cleaning every 10-20k, and fuel injectors need an additive every oil change interval.
 
You cannot put 5w20 in a Hyundai or Kia and change it every 7500 miles and expect a long, trouble free life from them, especially a GDI engine. 3.5k max OCI using a 30 grade or preferably higher, intake valves need regular cleaning every 10-20k, and fuel injectors need an additive every oil change interval.
If that's considered standard preventive maintenance then HyunKia really needs to get their garbage figured out.
 
You cannot put 5w20 in a Hyundai or Kia and change it every 7500 miles and expect a long, trouble free life from them, especially a GDI engine. 3.5k max OCI using a 30 grade or preferably higher, intake valves need regular cleaning every 10-20k, and fuel injectors need an additive every oil change interval.
Well, I'm lucky since my 2.0L is PFI only and I'm running 0W-40 at 5K miles - if that isn't enough then nothing is enough.
 
We have a lot of HyunKia vehicles coming through my shop with low oil levels, black oil, and noisy engines. I try to tell people to keep an eye on oil levels, and they just kinda shrug or roll their eyes….
Some seem to never burn/use oil, and some guzzle it, go low, and the engine craps out in no time. Hard to predict what will happen.
 
PWM, I’d mostly agree with mileage, other than utter lack of use. My Grandma bought a 1991 Lumina brand new and when she died in 2008 with around 6400 total miles, she left it to my brother, a mechanic. He sold it before ever driving it. The guy who bought it later complained that he had to change all the injectors, brake lines, calipers, valve cover & intake gaskets, and several other things. My brother feels lack of use on most things is even more detrimental than age or mileage, and I tend to agree. Things need to be lubricated & exercised & brought up to temp or else it’s just as bad as excessive mileage.

This is my take on used vehicles. I'd much rather buy something that's fire sale priced due to high mileage than something that's over-priced due to it's "condition". That's fine in the collector market, but when it comes to every day vehicles, it's ridiculous.

My last... half dozen vehicles have been "high mileage": the 1999 Corolla with 265K, the 2003 Marauder with 175k, the 2001 Grand Cherokee with 253k, the 2000 Grand Cherokee with 235k. The list goes on. None of those vehicles has needed more than a few hundred bucks to keep on the road during their 1-3 year tour with me. If you know what to look for, mileage is a non-factor in the used car market.
 
This is my take on used vehicles. I'd much rather buy something that's fire sale priced due to high mileage than something that's over-priced due to it's "condition". That's fine in the collector market, but when it comes to every day vehicles, it's ridiculous.

My last... half dozen vehicles have been "high mileage": the 1999 Corolla with 265K, the 2003 Marauder with 175k, the 2001 Grand Cherokee with 253k, the 2000 Grand Cherokee with 235k. The list goes on. None of those vehicles has needed more than a few hundred bucks to keep on the road during their 1-3 year tour with me. If you know what to look for, mileage is a non-factor in the used car market.

Totally agree, even before used car values went wild, I never saw the value in 2-3 year old cars. I always bought brand new, or very used.
 
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