Kia Sorento?

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Coworker is shopping cute utes -- don't shoot me. It's not for me. He knows about snow tires, minivans, sedans, etc. So let's not bother.

He found a 2011 with low miles on the clock. I4 with FWD. Apparently whatever dealer has it is selling it for trade-in, but only after having for a couple of weeks. Which raises red flags. I thought about it, and I think it's because it's an undesirable car. Even if it has low miles, it's a base model front wheel drive cute ute in snowy New England--who would want one? It may well be a legitimate deal.

Opinions? I don't follow Kia's at all so I don't know what problems they may (or may not) have.
 
That's not a cute ute - its near full size. The Sportage is the smaller one, and the current model is in the top 3 of over 20 competitors! Rode in my BIL car and it bested our Subaru from the PASSENGER seat. Don't know who it is to drive.

Probably over 2 tonne so the 4cyl will be struggling.

Back to the sorento Italia edition:
Was the car hit? I used to have a way to back into Carfax ( just open a "free" one from a luxury dealer, then type in your VID oof interest over the address line of the other vehicle
smile.gif
IDK if that works anymore.
 
My Sorento proved to be a very good value.

No issues except:
- Lost right front lower ball joint, cost $250 + alignment at the dealer
- There are issues with the door locking mechanisms - However Kia extended the warranty on this problem
- Scotchguard seat fabric

Be sure that the tires will provide good snow traction. I have Goodyear Assurance Comfort Treads, and they work great in the snow.
 
Carfax is clean. Does look to be heavy, 3,700lb is what google says, RAV4 for same year would be 3,400. Not massively different (but neither I4 is know for "fast").
 
I've owned 3 Hyundai's now own 2, Kia is Hyundai's other brand. If at a new car Kia dealer may have some warranty left if certified preowned. I'm not a fan of 4 cylinders except maybe turbo but if people are OK with the lack of power I guess it's OK. Front wheel drive, I've never had an issue except on ice but then again I do not go out if there's a lot (6+ inches on the streets) and everyone has issues on ice. Thought about Kia for this car we bought but not many dealers close by.
 
Mom has a 2011 Sorento SX. Awesome vehicle. Great ride. Hey Odyssey was nothing but problems. The SX has a v6, plenty of power. Moves the vehicle with no problem at all. Test drove the i4, not bad but could see it getting bogged down if the vehicle is fully loaded like Herby.

Can't go wrong with it!
 
If you drill into the complaints, they are mostly centered around the door locks.

Kia extended the warranty to cover this.
 
Sounds like it might be an ok vehicle then. No big red flags. I'll tell him that.

Thanks!
 
Base 2011 has the non-GDI engine, I believe. The suspension gives a fairly rough ride on crude roads, you feel the bumps. Reliability for me has been near excellent. Only the driver's seat warmer has failed. Mine is a 2012 LX with the GDI engine and rear camera displaying in the rear-view mirror. 2011 is the 1st year of that new model. There were issues with some transmissions and vehicle not tracking straight. Should be resolved by now.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
I will repeat this again since it didn't seem to sink in for some:

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Kia/Sorento/2011/

Looks pretty serious to me.


Maybe it is just me, but I find that site difficult to get a feel for the problems that are covered there. For comparison, I looked at the Honda CRV, which is considered a pretty reliable vehicle, and I come back with a very bad impression. And, many people that do post negative comments there have similar negativity towards the dealer and corporate service regarding their problem (many "never going to buy this brand again" comments).

Then, someone needs to explain the tables to me. 200 complaints on the CRV page is an inch high while 200 complaints on the RAV 4 table is only a half inch high. Its like they are not using the same scale between brands, so the initial look appears to put the RAV 4 WAY above all other similar vehicles.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
I will repeat this again since it didn't seem to sink in for some:

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Kia/Sorento/2011/

Looks pretty serious to me.


Maybe it is just me, but I find that site difficult to get a feel for the problems that are covered there. For comparison, I looked at the Honda CRV, which is considered a pretty reliable vehicle, and I come back with a very bad impression. And, many people that do post negative comments there have similar negativity towards the dealer and corporate service regarding their problem (many "never going to buy this brand again" comments).

Then, someone needs to explain the tables to me. 200 complaints on the CRV page is an inch high while 200 complaints on the RAV 4 table is only a half inch high. Its like they are not using the same scale between brands, so the initial look appears to put the RAV 4 WAY above all other similar vehicles.


It's entertaining reading, but I wouldn't deem the information on that site reliable.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
I will repeat this again since it didn't seem to sink in for some:

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Kia/Sorento/2011/

Looks pretty serious to me.


Maybe it is just me, but I find that site difficult to get a feel for the problems that are covered there. For comparison, I looked at the Honda CRV, which is considered a pretty reliable vehicle, and I come back with a very bad impression. And, many people that do post negative comments there have similar negativity towards the dealer and corporate service regarding their problem (many "never going to buy this brand again" comments).

Then, someone needs to explain the tables to me. 200 complaints on the CRV page is an inch high while 200 complaints on the RAV 4 table is only a half inch high. Its like they are not using the same scale between brands, so the initial look appears to put the RAV 4 WAY above all other similar vehicles.


It's entertaining reading, but I wouldn't deem the information on that site reliable.



I would agree as well. The other thousands of owners don't go on the site and state how they like their vehicle. That site (and those like it) are basically for dissatisfied owners-nothing more.
 
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I think it's safe to say that statistically these results are probably a bit skewed. Another poster on here had his "go to" site for reliability figures...however, when you read the fine print, a good part of their data comes from "partnered auto auctions". Not the best sample in terms of representing reality in my opinion.

Having said that, the 2011 Sorento was a transitional year where they went to unibody construction along with other changes. I don't doubt that year MIGHT be more problematic with a greater number of niggling problems. BUT...how true carcomplaints.com represents that issue would be the question.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of that site. Dataset too small?
 
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