Older Kias - Brand Opinion?

paulo57509

paulo57509

Joined
Jul 13, 2003
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I was bored and browsing Carfax. While I'm not currently on the market, I was wondering about 10-plus year old Kias, that have ~150k miles. It seems that these are priced in the $5k-$10k range.

I know there are a lot of variables here, but in general, if given routine maintenance, one-owner and no collisions, what's the general feeling about the brand?
 
SC Maintenance said:
The theta 2 came out in like 2010 - so you would have to go back further than that to get me interested.

I think the much older V6's were pretty good, but I have never owned one.
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I had a 2008 Sedona. The engine was bulletproof in that thing. So was the transmission. All original at 223,000 miles when I sold it, and it carried a load for work every day from 55k miles onward (I was the second owner). It ate thru a couple axles, and some suspension parts, which isn’t uncommon for vans. But the van was great overall. I still miss it.
 
I see a few older KIA's around. I figure if they were going to blow up, they would have blown up by now. My neighbor just got an Azera and it looks sharp. I guess one of their kids just got their license.
 
Anything below 2010 is bulletproof IMO. Anything above 2010 has to be a V6 or it's a no-go from me. I own an '05 Elantra and I've owned an '03 Santa Fe V6 and an '16 Sonata Hybrid. The hybrid was nothing but problems and very expensive when they happened so I don't recommend a hybrid from Hyundai/Kia. The older cars are bulletproof though no issues from them whatsoever!
 
The key issue would actually be finding an older Kia or Hyundai that's still around. They were created from the beginning to be disposable like a Bic lighter. Most of them are long gone and have been recycled into pop cans by now. Might be easier to find a clean Checker Marathon or an AMC Hornet.
 
paulo57509 said:
I was bored and browsing Carfax. While I'm not currently on the market, I was wondering about 10-plus year old Kias, that have ~150k miles. It seems that these are priced in the $5k-$10k range.

I know there are a lot of variables here, but in general, if given routine maintenance, one-owner and no collisions, what's the general feeling about the brand?
Click to expand...
"General feeling about the brand", is for the marketing team to worry about.
If you are going to buy any used car with some age and miles, I would do some research on the model by year... Lots of "good feelings" get spoiled if you buy a car with a known common problem, that the seller "didn't know about". Sure there are more bad KIA model years than, Toyota, but there are a few years of the Prius, Matrix, Camry, RAV4 that can have some costly failures, that you should investigate if you are looking at those model year's.

I think a good Hyundai is the 09-12 Elantra Touring(wagon) as I still see lots of those up here, and they are just a good competent driving car.
 
My personal perception of Kia cars, and Hyundai, is somewhat negative. They are on my "do not buy" list, right below Audi and above Nissan. I don't seem to see a lot of older Kia and Hyundai cars on the road. And a lot of those that I do see, seem to be in pretty ragged condition. If you are into all the techy gadgets that are now part of the auto culture, then I can see how a Kia would be your thing. But for me, reliability and quality are more important than gadgets.

Admittedly, I've never owned one, so my opinion is totally based upon reviews that I have read, and personal observation of what I see on the road, and at local auto shops.
 
I had an 07 Hyundai SantaFe with a 3.3 Kia stamped engine. It went about 190K. At 150,000 miles on that engine its life time is limited.
 
We still have a 2012 Sedona V6 that has been in the family 13 years and at 150k plus miles now. It's been stellar, only 4 repairs I can remember in 13 years and that counts the new alternator it just got, which was the first "notable' repair in that time.

The previous "get the V6" comment is spot on and my sentiments as well.
 
my 2003 sorento is still going strong with 165k but not without some bumps along the way but nothing major. mine has the mitshibishi based sigma v6 tho. by far the most difficult engine to service and work on i have ever encountered. the parts that dont involve the engine have been completely trouble free
 
I had a 2003 tiburon with the V6 strong engine and torquey same engine in moms 04 sonata dad had a 07 Santa Fe and I had a 08 sonata with the 2.4 world engine also for it’s time a good engine. I miss that era of vehicle.
 
I bought my mom a 99 Sportage about 2004. It had 40000 miles on it. It was plagued with electrical gremlins. It developed a weeping head gasket around 70k.

I put the bars pellets in it and those worked on the gasket.

Even with these problems it was much better than the 1987 Omni it replaced.
 
Folks, thanks for the responses. The Theta engine issues was a known.

In my experience, when Asian imports get old, a tell tale is electrical issues. Perhaps this is the issue with all vehicles due to the heavy reliance of electronics these days.
 
The pre-GDI era was great. All their automatic transmissions kept going with basic Drain & Fill.
- Accent, Elantra, Rio, and Spectra engines were bulletproof with basic timing belt and water pump every 60-90k miles. All are super fun with manual transmissions. Some trim levels do not have cruise control, be aware. Hatchback versions are my favorite.
- The 2.4L was always a hit or miss in Sonata/Tucson/Santa Fe/Sorento/Sportage/Optima. The 2.0L in Tucson/Sportage/Soul was also occasional bust, but much better success rate than 2.4L.
- The V6 are great for the most part. The 2.7L is known for more timing chain issues, and the 3.5L is more prone to oil leaks and even engine bay fires related to these oil leaks. The 3.3L and 3.8L are golden, with occasional timing chain hiccup.

In all fairness - the cars still on the road now are most likely safe, they stood the test of time. All the ones that could blow up and have issues are already in the automotive graveyard. An Azera is a wonderful car for anyone, so is earlier Amanti/XG350. And Veracruz is a great family hauler, if Sedona/Entourage isn't right for some people.
That's my general brand opinion.

P.S. Never forget the gentle giant - Kia Borrego. Whether 3.8L V6 or 4.6L V8 - it was a great full size SUV. Also the OG Kia Sorento was a great body-on-frame SUV, and could be had with a 3.5L V6, manual transmission, and 4x4. It was meant to compete with Honda Passport/Isuzu Rodeo. Absolutely incredible IMHO.
 
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