2015 Kia Forte LX sedan

[faramir9]

So the new lady friend has a car of which I know naught. A 2015 Kia Forte LX sedan, automatic. She got it last spring, put 12K miles on in 8 or 9 months, likes it a lot so far.

First, I scratch my head at what new cars cost. MSRP after destination charge and tax/title etc. was about $19,400. And that is with no options apart from the auto transmission. It does not even have cruise control or keyless entry. And yet the Forte is marketed as affordable compared to the Civic, Corolla or Focus....oy.

What should I look out for with this car? I drove it once and found the ride near-perfect. Firm but not harsh. There was a bit of a jolt or jump on acceleration, which might be due to the Eco mode. Brakes were solid; rear disks, too. Not enough seat time to say much but it seemed OK to me.

This is the second MY of this Forte generation, with better safety test scores and fuel economy, which is impressive. (26/39/31) I like that the base 1.8 L does not have DI or turbo. Should be easy on oil.

But apart from surfing the Kia site and a few places like Edmunds I know nothing about the Forte---and I suspect she's gonna ask me for advice. Any hidden mines to avoid here?

Thanks.

 

[Eddie]

Number 1 is to read her owners manual and go from there. Come back with questions. Ed

 

[cptbarkey]

A new Optima LX can be had for 19k or less in the big cities. low gas prices, a saturated market, and general disdain for anything not a compromised CUV make 4 door sedans a bargain these days.

 

[faramir9]

Yep; I don't know what she paid out-the-door---no point discussing it now it's a done deal---but I am sure it was less than sticker. Even so it opened my eyes as to what MSRP for new cars is like these days. Will be happy to keep driving the Saturn another year or three and save up....