With all the engine issues why do people continue to buy Hyundai’s and Kia’s

[blupupher]

Lets see, I have a 2018 Santa Fe with 45,000 trouble free miles and a 2004 Sonata with 121,000 miles with routine maintenance and a few parts here and there in my driveway now.
My mom has a 2018 Kia Soul with 40,000 trouble free miles.
My sisters both have Santa Fe's, and 2009 (150,000 miles) and 2010 (197,000 miles). The 2009 has never had anything major go wrong, and only real abnormal issue on the 2010 was the intake manifold @ 180,000 miles (one of those dual length things, common issue on many brands).
I had a 2004 Elantra with over 130,000 miles with the only issue being a transmission solenoid going out @ 99,850 miles and replaced under warranty.
Also had a 2005 Tucson, but only had that for ~15,000 miles before trading it on a van.

So guess I am lucky never having an issue on Hyundai/Kia vehicles.

I did have a co-worker that had one of the Sonata's with a bad engine, replaced by the dealer with 135,000 miles on vehicle, and still driving it 2 years later with another 30,000 miles or so on it.

Also had another co-worker with a Kia Soul with a bad motor, but she was horrible with maintenance.
When she said her motor was "messed up", I asked her when was her last oil change.
She said "I don't know, maybe a year ago", asked how many miles she drives a year, she said around 12,000.
Then I asked when was the last time she checked her oil, and of course deer in headlights, umm, why would I do that.
So that one is not on Kia.

But as said, there are many brands that have issues with certain engines. Look at the Ford 5.4 3 valve with the oiling, phaser, and VVT issues. Or the Toyota 2AZ-FE engine with all its oil burning issues (yet I own 2 of them).

Yes Hyundai/Kia has had a bad run, as every other manufacture has at times. But not all their vehicles have issues.

As mentioned above, H/K is a value vehicle, and those vehicles tend to be abused more, and have more issues from that.

 

[twouvakind]

Because some of us have never had an issue with them and they have been the most reliable vehicles we've owned.

Ditto

 

[CKN]

I just traded one in (2017 Hyundai Santa Fe XL). It retained 53% of what I paid after almost 7 years. So much for "poor resale value" argument.

 

[SC Maintenance]

[QUOTE="I Same reason people still buy Nissan and Dodge.
[/QUOTE]
I have a Nissan in the driveway that has 388,000 miles and the only non wear parts that failed were a heater core and the timing chain guides.

I have another Nissan in the driveway thats 12 years old and has needed Nothing.

I have a 3 year old Toyota that has had more warranty work done than both my Nissan's did combined.

 

[Nick1994]

Depends what you want out of a car.

I’m a Hyundai fan, have had 3 of them now. I don’t think I’d buy a 4 cylinder one right now, not with the current engine stuff going on. But a V6 or V8, sure. They’re good cars aside from the 4 cylinder engines. But even then, I should have kept that ‘15 Sonata. Turned out it got a lifetime engine warranty. Didn’t happen until after I traded it in.

Maybe I’d buy one though and then right before the warranty runs out get an extended warranty.

They’re much nicer cars than a Toyota though. The new Toyotas are Tupperware crap with awful tech. Hyundais are one of the best in the game.

 

[Nesterenko]

I've lived a life 100% Toyota-free since I was turned off by their dumb commercials all those years ago...

Yeah, that's a great reason not to buy usually great cars. Not.

 

[fisher83]

We have owned several and never had any serious issues. The warranty is a big selling point for sure. For $22k we got a brand new car that gets 40 mpg on the highway with a 10 year 100k powertrain and 5 year 60k bumper to bumper warranty. We drive the right amount of miles to get the full amount of years out of the powertrain warranty. I think it's a good value for what you get. If we don't like it at the 10 year mark and decide to sell or trade it still won't have costed us much per year to own the car.

 

[PF52]

Yeah, that's a great reason not to buy usually great cars. Not.

What can I say? I've found their commercials truly annoying, well, many of them anyway.

This is a forum full of countless crazy off-the-wall opinions. Did you read the post above mine? That guy is basing his purchases on an experience from way back in 1976.

 

[I<3oil]

I have a Nissan in the driveway that has 388,000 miles and the only non wear parts that failed were a heater core and the timing chain guides.

I have another Nissan in the driveway thats 12 years old and has needed Nothing.

I have a 3 year old Toyota that has had more warranty work done than both my Nissan's did combined.

I'm glad/sorry about your 1 personal statistic and anecdote. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Pablo]

Price point is the driver.

What I don't get are the perf/turbo models. Those grenade with clockwork regularity.

 

[SC Maintenance]

155472[/ATTACH]

 

[I<3oil]

You have any data beyond your smart alec comment that you don't know why people buy Nissan's? Or presumably Hyundai's since your commenting on this thread.

This study says there in the top 10 - and this study would be in the period of time where Carlos Ghosn tried to ruin them. There likely getting better now that the Japanese are in charge again. https://www.crsautomotive.com/what-are-the-total-costs-of-vehicle-ownership-per-brand/

And looky here, there right behind Hyundai, and ahead of anything from the (formerly) big 3.

And the other favorite brand to kick - Subaru - is 4th. Wonder how that works?

View attachment 155472

I have my own personal statistic with a Nissan vehicle I owned for 5 years. Fantastic powertrain, complete crap everything else. Nissan isn't called the "Dodge of Japan" just because someone wanted to be funny one day.

 

[SevenBizzos]

I had no idea these had engine "issues". The 2004 Elantra made is 150k before ending up in a swamp. I plan on keeping the current one to 300k.

 

[SC Maintenance]

before ending up in a swamp

There is a story there we must hear. Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[slo town]

People kept buying the Focus and Fiestas with the DSP6 DCT.

I bought a 6.0 diesel voluntarily.

My wife Sue drove a Focus with the DCT. At the time she was driving up to 1,000 miles per week. It was a perfect car for racking up long highway miles. But that Getrag designed DCT (German!) was the biggest piece of mechanical junk I've ever owned in my 70 years. Too bad really, the car was pretty nice otherwise.

Scott

 

[Dave P.]

With all the engine issues why do people continue to buy Hyundai’s and Kia’s
For the same reasons guys keep marrying Jennifer Lopez. They know she's high maintenance but they still do it.
Of course, J Lo is better looking than a Kia or Hyundai so there's that...

 

[wemay]

My wife Sue drove a Focus with the DCT. At the time she was driving up to 1,000 miles per week. It was a perfect car for racking up long highway miles. But that Getrag designed DCT (German!) was the biggest piece of mechanical junk I've ever owned in my 70 years. Too bad really, the car was pretty nice otherwise.

Scott

View attachment 155480

Man.... that was a sharp looker.

 

[benjy]

girlfriends 18 optima bought in 18 with 7 thou has been great!! much better than the oil burning 13 malibu she traded with only 60xxx on it. nice MG, always wanted but never got a Brit sports car + love the austin healys, especially the earlier ones!!

 

[slo town]

Man.... that was a sharp looker.

It was a very good car except for the DCT trans. Nice motor and chassis, relatively quiet, good sound system, strong AC, nice leather seats - perfect for racking up 1,000 miles per week on. But the Getrag designed trans totally ruined an otherwise nice car. Clutch chatter was bad enough make me feel sorry for the engine mounts. And sometimes it seemed as if it was upshifting into neutral, making me question whether or not it would lose drive some day and simply coast to a stop, dead in its tracks.

Scott

 

[PF52]

It was a very good car except for the DCT trans. Nice motor and chassis, relatively quiet, good sound system, strong AC, nice leather seats - perfect for racking up 1,000 miles per week on. But the Getrag designed trans totally ruined an otherwise nice car. Clutch chatter was bad enough make me feel sorry for the engine mounts. And sometimes it seemed as if it was upshifting into neutral, making me question whether or not it would lose drive some day and simply coast to a stop, dead in its tracks.

Scott

View attachment 155517

I've had a couple of those as rentals, from California's ONT airport. The DCT transmission spoiled an otherwise nice vehicle. Never before have I felt so much like I could be stranded at any moment in the desert.