This post is a reflection on my nearly 11-year ownership of my beloved 2008 Kia Sedona LX, which we traded in today. 223,000 miles and change, original engine and transmission that still ran great. I owned it from 55,000 miles when I purchased in 2013, just before the 5/60,000 warranty expired and put 168,000 miles on it myself. I used this vehicle for work purposes as an alarm technician. I had a couple of the seats taken out, and the vehicle was always filled with equipment and wire. I used the factory roof rack/rails pretty frequently for large ladders, and it was always very sturdy. A couple times the vehicle was returned to regular passenger use for cross-country trips, and did great.
This post will serve as a review of the vehicle, and how impressed with it I was. This van was made during a time that Kia was thought of as being pretty so-so quality. Yes I know that they have had issues with their 4-cylinders even recently, but back in 2008 they were nothing special in many peoples’ eyes. My only real complaint was that the interior plastic quality was pretty cheap. Otherwise the materials wore great and the thing still looked great when we traded it. The van had only one small visible rust spot that developed recently, in the rear quarter panel, about the size of a dime. It spent its first 5 years in the American south, but even after 11 years in Michigan, the low level of corrosion was great to see. I sprayed Fluid Film in the doors a couple times but never coated the underbody or panels.
I usually used synthetic oil and changed roughly every 7,000 miles, but went 10k a couple times. Used everything from 0w20 to 0w40. I did a drain/fill on the ATF every 30k or so. Brake fluid got flushed every few years. Coolant got drained/filled a few times. The only big things to fail were the alternator (last year), one of the power steering lines (about 7 months ago), a single wheel bearing, and a starter a few years ago. Something with the hvac controls was also replaced under warranty, and I believe the AC compressor was also replaced under warranty. Otherwise, it seemed to go through some of the suspension parts more frequently than I would have hoped, but I had it loaded up pretty full and our roads are generally awful. Replaced a couple axles, too. A bad suspension clunk, an exhaust leak, and high miles convinced us that it was time to move on, especially since I rely on my vehicle to make a living.
I really, REALLY loved this van. Got it for an unreal deal by any standard back in 2013, and it has continued to pay me back since. Pretty easy to service, was very reliable even when worked hard, and swallowed any load you could throw at it… even 1,000 pounds of laminate flooring on one occasion!!! It did everything. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why people have this opposition to vans. It’s so prevalent that in NA, many/all of the smaller panel vans have been discontinued in favor of trucks. For most people in the trades, vans are an order of magnitude better to work out of. And for families, vans are so much more practical than any SUV.
The trade in was part of our purchase of a new 2024 Carnival (new name for the Sedona in NA). The Carnival will be our new family vehicle, and I’ll now be working out of our 2016 Explorer. Not as spacious as the old Sedona, but still big enough for my work needs. I can’t believe the time finally came to sell the Sedona though… the thing just ran and ran, and worked so perfectly for how I used it. Over the years, I have collected many tools to help me perform my job. The Sedona was the best one yet.
This post will serve as a review of the vehicle, and how impressed with it I was. This van was made during a time that Kia was thought of as being pretty so-so quality. Yes I know that they have had issues with their 4-cylinders even recently, but back in 2008 they were nothing special in many peoples’ eyes. My only real complaint was that the interior plastic quality was pretty cheap. Otherwise the materials wore great and the thing still looked great when we traded it. The van had only one small visible rust spot that developed recently, in the rear quarter panel, about the size of a dime. It spent its first 5 years in the American south, but even after 11 years in Michigan, the low level of corrosion was great to see. I sprayed Fluid Film in the doors a couple times but never coated the underbody or panels.
I usually used synthetic oil and changed roughly every 7,000 miles, but went 10k a couple times. Used everything from 0w20 to 0w40. I did a drain/fill on the ATF every 30k or so. Brake fluid got flushed every few years. Coolant got drained/filled a few times. The only big things to fail were the alternator (last year), one of the power steering lines (about 7 months ago), a single wheel bearing, and a starter a few years ago. Something with the hvac controls was also replaced under warranty, and I believe the AC compressor was also replaced under warranty. Otherwise, it seemed to go through some of the suspension parts more frequently than I would have hoped, but I had it loaded up pretty full and our roads are generally awful. Replaced a couple axles, too. A bad suspension clunk, an exhaust leak, and high miles convinced us that it was time to move on, especially since I rely on my vehicle to make a living.
I really, REALLY loved this van. Got it for an unreal deal by any standard back in 2013, and it has continued to pay me back since. Pretty easy to service, was very reliable even when worked hard, and swallowed any load you could throw at it… even 1,000 pounds of laminate flooring on one occasion!!! It did everything. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why people have this opposition to vans. It’s so prevalent that in NA, many/all of the smaller panel vans have been discontinued in favor of trucks. For most people in the trades, vans are an order of magnitude better to work out of. And for families, vans are so much more practical than any SUV.
The trade in was part of our purchase of a new 2024 Carnival (new name for the Sedona in NA). The Carnival will be our new family vehicle, and I’ll now be working out of our 2016 Explorer. Not as spacious as the old Sedona, but still big enough for my work needs. I can’t believe the time finally came to sell the Sedona though… the thing just ran and ran, and worked so perfectly for how I used it. Over the years, I have collected many tools to help me perform my job. The Sedona was the best one yet.
