I've always thought that Kia's are pieces of crap forever. I recently had to get a rental car to drive to Charlotte..I was given a 2011 Kia Sorento.

Surprisingly I really loved it...so much so that I'm actually tinkering with the idea of selling my 07 Grand Cherokee & getting a 12' Sorento...my question is...am I fucking crazy? I mean...it's a Kia for Christ sake. It gets a whole hell of a lot better gas mileage than the Cherokee does, which is a big reason I'm considering it. I drove from Greenville to Charlotte, stayed for 4 days, drove all over & around the area everyday & I only spent $80 in gas. It would take me god knows how much to do that in the Cherokee...that thing sucks gas like a bitch in the city...not to great on the hwy either.

In all, if I sell the Jeep myself, I'll have about $13,000 to put down once I pay off the little bit I still owe on it. I generally shy away from buying new...I think I'm losing my mind...anyone with knowledge on these want to give me any advise like a slap in the head?


[Edited on July 27, 2011 at 3:57 PM. Reason : h]

7/27/2011 3:29:45 PM

latest hyundais and kias have great designs, engines, and finally, reliability as well.

good buy for sure.

(also see hyundai santa fe)

7/27/2011 3:35:31 PM

I dont see the point in putting yourself further in the hole to go from 07 Grand Cherokee to a Kia, but that is just my opinion.

If you really like the Kia, you should be able to sell your GC private party and then use the remaining moneys to buy a used Sorrento. No reason to go into debt to have a "new" car. But this is also coming from somebody who never has had a car payment and never will have a car payment.

7/27/2011 3:39:00 PM

kias are great.

maybe you can find some incentives to cancel out some of your upside-down loan if you decide to go through with it.

7/27/2011 3:51:51 PM

I also need new tires on my jeep...which isn't cheap & probably new brakes in the next year or two...this factors into my decision as well.

[Edited on July 27, 2011 at 4:07 PM. Reason : j]

7/27/2011 4:06:52 PM

i too have driven one... i too was impressed

the awd sportage turbo is a effin blast too.
its like an evo x suv lol

7/27/2011 5:33:51 PM

Tires for about 600 and brakes for 50. This should not play a factor in the decision. Sounds like you have convinced yourself, so go ahead and do it. Just look for a used one and then you wont even need a car payment

7/28/2011 7:35:33 AM

glad to hear that kia (and hyundai) is (are) decent quality

within the next year i'll be in the market for a sedan hatchback with enough room to haul my dogs in the trunk area instead of the back seat...i think it's the sorento that claims 32mpg highway and while that doesn't touch my 40+ mpg saturn, it's not bad

other considerations will be the focus and mazda3, but they're going to be more expensive than a kia or hyundai option, i think

7/28/2011 8:53:00 AM

My GF was looking recently and we test drove the ford escape the mitsubishi the kia and the hyundai.

Overall she liked the Interiors of the Kia and the Hyundai 100 times more than the ford (which she said had 1000 buttons and was made of cheap crappy plastic and cloth), and the Mitsubishi slightly less than the other two.

Mitsu had the best exterior styling she said

As far as power she liked the ford 4cyl about even with the Kia and Hyundai, the Mitsu she said had a noisy engine that did not move the car.

7/28/2011 9:52:37 AM

whatever operating costs you'd save with the kia, would be dwarfed by the money you'd be throwing away each month in value by buying a new car, interest on said car loan, and the value you've already lost on your jeep. you really want to wait for a flat spot in depreciation to buy a vehicle, not its absolute peak.

7/28/2011 10:43:30 AM

i can't imagine ever buying a new car, even were i rich...i simply don't care about the "features" enough to every be okay with the ridiculous premium associated with buying new (compared to a relatively new equivalent, of course)

7/28/2011 10:46:06 AM

I really love my parents' Kia Sorento. I drove it all last weekend, from PA to NC and back, filled the gas tank twice the entire 4 days. It was great for hauling stuff in the cabin and it felt really nice to drive it.

7/28/2011 11:33:45 AM

^^ I used to feel the same way, but there is something to be said for new ownership.
Changing to synthetic before the first oil change was due and knowing exactly what maintenance has been done. Knowing that the car has never had a mis-shift or over-revved. Knowing that the engine was broken in properly. Knowing that the car hasn't been repeatedly high-rev launched from a stop. etc.etc.

Not saying I will always buy new cars, but with all the used cars I've owned there has always been a couple month period where I don't fully trust the car until I've had a chance to put some miles on it and feel it out. There are a lot of hacks to cover up slipping transmissions, leaking head gaskets, etc and you never really know with a used car until you put some miles on it.

Plus, some cars hold their value so well that buying a nearly-new version just doesn't make sense. I'd say buying new can be worth it if you're in the car for the long haul and don't plan to swap it out after a year or two. I'd pay a few grand more to have an extra year of warranty and the satisfaction of knowing the full history of the car from the day it rolled off the truck.

[Edited on July 28, 2011 at 11:55 AM. Reason : s]

7/28/2011 11:49:10 AM

quag, in todays finance world, it is often a much better choice to buy new than used.

The near zero percent financing rate for new cars with well qualified buyers often saves 4-5k over the life of a 5 year loan on a mid priced car. Thow in the fact that your car will be under warranty, and almost every penny of every payment goes towards the principal, it can be a tough choice. The difference in percentage points can be up to 5% (big money).

But a lot depends on the car. The car I selected (Mini) was number 3 or 4 of all cars for resale value. I determined that buying a used car with less warranty and higher finance rate would actually cost me just a slight bit less to own than a new car. The choice wasnt hard at that point. If you were going to be buying something like a Jag, with huge depreciation, I'd say you have a lot of money to waste (but that is still your choice).

But under normal times, it is hard to justifty a new car. But if people didnt buy them, we wouldnt have used cars, and there is something to be said for knowing a cars entire history.

[Edited on July 28, 2011 at 12:21 PM. Reason : .]

7/28/2011 12:19:39 PM

okay, those are all good points...i don't suppose i've ever owned a car that maintained it's value worth squat

also, i've never had any significant trouble (*knocks on wood*) with any of the three used cars i've owned, so i'm under the misconception that used is, mechanically, just as reliable as new

also, i've never had a car payment and right now, i never intend to...when i reach 200k on my saturn (about a year is my guess, since my wife and i use it for all of our traveling), i plan on buying another car but my preference is for it to be around ~$10k and pay cash...i already have a mortgage, i don't need anymore loans, hah

[Edited on July 28, 2011 at 12:58 PM. Reason : .]

7/28/2011 12:57:11 PM

My Z3, at 256k miles, was costing me about $200 a month to maintain over the last year and a half. I decided enough was enough.

All depends on the car. Mty wife's Honda Civic has 207k mikes on it. She has about 100k when we first met. Other than preventative maintenance, we spent a total of $800 on repairs in the last 107k mikes, which is amazing.

7/28/2011 1:05:51 PM

^ I have a 94 accord that has been owned my myself and my family since 96 and the only maintenance it has been in the shop for is the timing belt and water pump twice. That was a major decision in getting this car. It is extremely easy to work on and parts are plentiful and cheap. I will drive this car until it falls apart. 250K on the odometer now, and planning to make it to at least 350 and i have complete confidence in this, as I have taken care of the car.

I know this doesnt apply to the people that have no interest in turning a wrench, but I have saved thousands by taking the time to read a manual and learn how to fix it. I had a 328is for a bit and that was nothing but problems. Constantly throwing some code or having some gremlin problems. Hell the thing would throw a code that cost $50 to reset if you didnt tighten the gas cap enough. Got rid of that car quickly, as the cost to maintain was more than i wanted to spend.

Buying a car with known reliability and ease of maintenance is the first thing i look at in a car. I know some people really want to enjoy the driving experience, but I see a car as a way to transport me where i need to go.

I have heard good things about the Kia, but I wouldnt feel comfortable with one until they have a proven track record of reliability and ease of maintenance. They have made great strides over the past 5-10 years, but for some reason i dont yet believe in the long term reliability.

I completely disagree that buying a new car is in any way a better financial decision. You are losing 10-15% driving it off the lot. That 10-15% is more than enough to cover the maintenance costs of buying a used car. If i bought a new car and was having to take it to the shop on a regular basis, i would get rid of it. It is a new car and it should function as so. Who cares if the dealer is paying for the repairs. There may be an inflated market for cars such as your mini or other cars, but that is few and far between.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ctd/2489261420.html
2007 for 10K, trade your jeep, get right side up and have no car payments

or buy new and have 5-8K in car payments. That 5-8K could go a long way towards maintaining the used vehicle

7/28/2011 2:01:31 PM

In regards to new vs used

The used car marked is currently very high, in many cases your not saving the 20% that your used to.

Cars even a 1/2 years older may not have features that a new one comes with standard (such as integrated Bluetooth, reverse cameras etc)

Many manufacturers have also made improvements in gas mileage in their latest gen cars.

That 2007 kia will not have the features that a current one will have, wont have the warranty, and may also not have the safety rating.

7/28/2011 2:43:38 PM

I wouldn't say I'm upside down in my Jeep...I bought it used when all the shit hit the fan with the economy...no cars were moving... I traded in a 2000 Mazda Protege with 115000 miles, put down $1,000 cash & walked away with a $10,000 vehicle loan for a loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee with 16000 miles that at the time was a little short of 2 years old. Its current resale value is around $17,000 - $18,000 this year. Considering my Mazda was a piece of shit I thought I came out alright considering it all. I'm sure someone here will disagree. All similar used 07 Jeeps today are priced around $18 - $19K @ dealerships in Raleigh.

I'm probably going to hang on to it. I was only enticed by the Kia b/c it was much better on gas, had a lot of new technology inside & had a nice warranty....Jeep's warranty sucks cock. I'm a little scared about a) the resale value & b)if I'll still like the look of it 5 years from now & want to hang on to it for the long haul. Wish my Jeep didn't suck gas so bad though...it's painful.

7/28/2011 3:00:51 PM

Quote :

"That 2007 kia will not have the features that a current one will have, wont have the warranty, and may also not have the safety rating."

true.

anybody considering buying hyundai/kia used, should get a current generation car, which means upto a year old.

japanese you can get several years old and be fine, but the koreans just upped the ante, and according to many in the car industry, have beat their japanese counterparts.

7/28/2011 3:04:08 PM

Quote :

"or buy new and have 5-8K in car payments. That 5-8K could go a long way towards maintaining the used vehicle"

If you buy a car such as the one you linked to that is 4 years old with 50k miles you're just going to have to replace it 3-4 years earlier than if you bought a brand new car. You miss out on the warranty years which should be the best years of the car's life, you get less features, you get a worse financing rate, and then you have to replace it 3-4 years earlier. If you're planning to keep it until the wheels fall off it's probably worth an extra $10k or whatever to buy new. If you just want to drive it a couple years and then upgrade then you probably do want the car that has already taken the new car depreciation hit.

[Edited on July 28, 2011 at 3:52 PM. Reason : s]

7/28/2011 3:52:30 PM

Quote :

"07 Grand Cherokee to a Kia"

the key will last longer than that piece of shit any day.

7/28/2011 4:18:03 PM

i wouldn't buy either a kia or a hyundai older than 2 years... (swoopy hyundais and mean kias are good cars, the older just obscure-knockoff looking models are still kinda crappy)

7/28/2011 6:13:29 PM

The Hyundai Equus is absurdly awesome for a $55k luxury car.

7/28/2011 10:54:24 PM

I understand what you guys are saying about the newer features and that I linked an older gen one. I hadnt looked to see what the difs were.

But he wouldnt have a higher finance rate because he could sell the Jeep and use the cash to buy straight up, aka no loan or car payment.

For the 20K price of a new one he can buy a 10K car now and a 10K car 6-8 years down the road when he decides to get another car. There is no way you come out on top financially buying a new car.

as far as the warranty goes Im not sold on its "value" Buying used allows you to look at the year and model and access the problems it has. If you buy from a reputable person, they should have taken the car in for anything under warranty and had the problems already worked out, and this is one less thing for you to deal with.

Quote :

"If you're planning to keep it until the wheels fall off it's probably worth an extra $10k or whatever to buy new"

so what you are saying here is that the first few years of a new cars life is worth 10K and the next 20 years of its life are worth the other 10K. I let somebody else take that 10K hit for the first few years.

7/29/2011 7:47:45 AM

If I drove a car for 30 years it would have 600,000-700,000 miles by the time I was done with it.
I'd say the first 400,000 miles are definitely some of the best miles of a car's life.


[Edited on July 29, 2011 at 9:48 AM. Reason : l]

7/29/2011 9:46:32 AM

^^ the used car market is quite different than it was even 2 years ago. with the economic crunch being felt by nearly everyone, folks who have to buy vehicles are buying used when they might have purchases new a few years ago.

You can fill in the blanks on what that does to the supply/demand curve and what type of pressure vector that puts on new and used car pricing.

Ultimately, in 2011, buying used is not necessarily the best bet.

[Edited on July 29, 2011 at 10:07 AM. Reason : .]

7/29/2011 10:06:47 AM

haha, guess i overestimated My cars are 17 and 33 years old each . 250K and 280K and I expect each to get to 350-400K each. I have a total of 5600 in both of them (5K for the accord in 2000 and 600 in the van) and the resale is worth ~3K for both of them. So I have taken a depreciation of 2600 dollars and have had over 10 years of use.

Quote :

"first few years of a new cars life is worth 10K"

not the first 400K miles, not sure where you got the 30 year part from

and you can legitimately expect to get 250K out of any car if you take care of it. How long it takes to get to 250K is up to how much you commute.

Most people just have aversions to buying older or used cars because they see the car as a part of their image. I dont give a shit what my car looks like so long as it runs and is safe

7/29/2011 10:09:27 AM

^Isn't your situation a little different though? I see the point of the folks saying that, given the state of the market right now, buying new might just make more sense than buying 2 years old. To illustrate the point that buying used makes more sense though with your vehicles is a bit off You've purchased cars that already had the majority of their depreciation curve behind them, and taken care of them, hence your numbers look pretty awesome. Deprecation still stings if you're in the first few years though--take my car for example. Cost the original owner $36K in 2003. I paid $19K for it in 2006. So I didn't take that $17,000 in depreciation. Looks pretty good, right? But I've had it for almost 5 years and the car is now probably worth somewhere around $7000. So I've eaten another $12K in depreciation over 5 years. Granted, the higher the original value the more it's going to fall, but still an expensive proposition.

And while I agree that you can get 250K out of any car if you take care of it, depending on the car, some things just aren't going to last that long. Again using my own example, I have zero doubts that the engine will make 250K as long as I keep it up. I also have near-zero doubts that the transmission will need to be replaced along the way.

Not trying to knock your viewpoint--I'm 30 and have never bought a new car--but I think in the current market, depending on what you're shopping for, it can make a lot of sense. When it comes time to replace my girlfriend's car (probably in the next year or so), previously I would have steered her towards a used Civic or similar, but right now a new Hyundai Elantra or Kia Forte is looking pretty convincing.

7/29/2011 12:44:02 PM

TLDR

I drove a 2011 V6 grand cherokee (290hp) and averaged 26.9mpg from here to panama city fl, and back.

I was very impressed. The dash rattled like heck and the air bladder in the chair did break . Car had 18k miles on it. Maybe I wasnt impressed....

7/30/2011 12:20:20 AM

dude I'm saying buy new because the 2 year old models suck a fat one.
I'm not getting into the economics of it because the new version of the sonata and the 2 year old model are in completely different ball parks of fit, finish, fun and economy.


And right now i truly think that buying a new direct injected car will save you more in gas then the difference in price between the current car and a 2 year old model over a 3-5 year ownership.

8/1/2011 8:32:44 AM

Quote :

" I have heard good things about the Kia, but I wouldnt feel comfortable with one until they have a proven track record of reliability and ease of maintenance. They have made great strides over the past 5-10 years, but for some reason i dont yet believe in the long term reliability. "

It takes more than one general of vehicles for people to get the impression that a car is well made. Since the current crop of Hyundais and Kias are generally thought of as well made cars you can expect the previous generation to be good as well. They didn't introduce the 100k mile warranty just for the hell of it They've made good solid products for over 5 years now, but most people are just figuring that out now.

8/1/2011 8:50:32 AM

my brother was all over the hyundai bandwagon from when he was stationed in Korea... said they were amazing vehicles for the last 8 years

8/1/2011 9:59:46 AM

^^While I would tend to agree with that, the issue with buying a used (2+ year old) Kia or Hyundai is most of their models that are actually interesting/compelling/dynamically good have all come out in the past year or two. The Genesis might be the one that doesn't fit in that box since I think it's been out for more than 2 years. But the Sonata, Optima, Elantra, Forte, Soul, Sorrento, (Santa Fe?), and Equus are all new in the past year or two IIRC.


[Edited on August 1, 2011 at 5:41 PM. Reason : sdfhsdthsthrstdnsytg]

8/1/2011 5:39:20 PM