Kia?

[d.kaufman]

Understood, but I couldn't help but think Ford Focus parts might have turned up quicker or even possibly found in the states with some searching?

The ford focus with the dct transmission was one of the worst to get parts for. Specially the TCM that's prone to failure. Dorman came out with remanufactured tcms but they were garbage. If they worked out the box you'd be lucky if they lasted 6 months.

Had a customer wait 18 months for a factory one. I quit using aftermarket because of the high failure rate.

 

[indyblue]

you might look other places like Honda.

I was just thinking about the Japanese cars when I read this post.

If I can’t get what I need American, I will go to Japanese. I’ve had a couple Acuras and they were fantastically reliable cars, and relatively easy to work on and get parts for.

 

[1775usmarine]

The 2025 Carnival is very tempting. I’ve been looking hard at this vehicle. Minivan utility with SUV looks strikes a chord with me. And the luxury and driver aid/safety features in the SX Prestige are out of this world. $50k isn’t out of line for a new vehicle and this one has it all:

2025 Kia Carnival: Best-in-Class Cargo & Passenger Room MPV | MSRP & Features | Kia

Discover the 2025 Kia Carnival MPV. Enhance your daily drives with best-in-class horsepower and 8-passenger slide-flex seating. Learn more now!

www.kia.com

(No, I don’t sell Kias, I just really like the Carnival.)

My kids like the carnival as well but I wouldn't marry a clown again or join that circus.

 

[cbhausen]

My kids like the carnival as well but I wouldn't marry a clown again or join that circus.

Yeah, I wish they’d change the name but the change from Sedona to Carnival was keeping in line with global naming. I can look past that although I did see a video where some Karen actually made her husband take the badges off their Carnival. That’s pretty anal, just from the opposite side. Like the finger holding the six back instead of the thumb if you know what I mean.

 

[TR1032]

I've had two Sedonas, a '12 and an '18 that I still have. Bought both used, first non-American brand I ever owned. I had Olds and Pontiac vans before. Olds was good, Pontiac was an electrical pain.

No significant issues with either Kia. Replaced a wheel hub around 100,000 and a failing starter around 120,000 on the '12. Neither job was expensive and parts were readily available. So far the '18 has been great but I'm only at 68,000.

I'd consider a Carnival if I needed another minivan.

 

[Brandon]

My only concern is all the dealers are either scammers or have incompetent service writers. Both Andy and Ray have tried to take advantage of me, and Napleton's service dept is a joke. (dont understand how appointments work, forget to take your car back to the guys to actually work on it, etc. )

I would never go to Andy or skillman for my personal cars.

We take our work trucks to both.
I hate them both.

Ray, they will do tire rotations which is cool, but they never rebalance. So you leave the parking lot and the steering wheel just shakes.

They both take about 3 hours for an oil change. Enough time to know everything about everyone else in the waiting room.

Andy claims they are waiting on the company to authorize the work. Jiffy lube gets you in and out in about 20.

Mother took her suv tonskillman where she bought it, 400 bucks for 4 spark plugs to be changed at 26k miles

 

[oze]

Probably not what you have in mind, but I have a '23 Stinger GT2 that I love. I'm not a small guy by any means, but I've had a couple of long trips and didn't even think about my bad back. It's also fully loaded with all of the electronics, cameras, etc. Also, it's a twin turbo V6 that has a smile-inducing growl when I get on it. It's not a Hemi, but pretty nice for a 6-banger. Speaking of Hemi's, don't ask my son if my Stinger can beat a Challenger RT. He'll have a sad.

 

[Phil502]

My wife had a 2013 Optima she drove for 135,000 miles. I liked it and can’t recall a lot of problems with it. It had the push button ignition so none of that worry about it easily being stolen. It was sold to a private party last month.

 

[blain]

I am considering a Kia. I would appreciate opinions based on personal experience...good or bad.
Thanks, in advance.

Car Complaints is a great place to begin your automotive journey.

Car Complaints dot Com

 

[Ziggidy]

My only concern is all the dealers are either scammers or have incompetent service writers. Both Andy and Ray have tried to take advantage of me, and Napleton's service dept is a joke. (dont understand how appointments work, forget to take your car back to the guys to actually work on it, etc. )

All dealers are the same.

 

[42253]

Kia has a Georgia plant so its good to go.

And good luck finding an "American" car. The very vast majority of parts are from all over the world.

What I meant was an American owned company. What happened to make America great again. Why give money to the Koreans. General Motors and Ford are American owned. Yes, not all the parts are made in America but for the most part it is owned by Americans.

 

[blain]

What I meant was an American owned company. What happened to make America great again. Why give money to the Koreans. General Motors and Ford are American owned. Yes, not all the parts are made in America but for the most part it is owned by Americans.

But "capitalism" is an integral part of the American Way.
If a company builds crap, they should be punished by customers, so they improve.
If a company builds superior products, they should be rewarded by customers, so they continue to do so.
"America Only" is sort of a capitalistic "equity" preference.

 

[KLB]

What I meant was an American owned company. What happened to make America great again. Why give money to the Koreans. General Motors and Ford are American owned. Yes, not all the parts are made in America but for the most part it is owned by Americans.

https://www.cars.com/american-made-index/

Are you going to buy a Tesla? Top "American" car is the Chevy Colorado at 23rd, right below the KIA Sportage.

I'm assuming you would lump Chrysler in as Foreign now since they are owned by a foreign company.

And who actually owns them anyway? A lot of large financial institutions own a big part of them.

Back to the OP, I have a KIA EV6 GT. I absolutely love it. It's comfortable, and it's well put together. I've had it for just under a year and a half, and have no regrets.

 

[woowoo2]

Sorry, but I am not purchasing any car with known engine defects.
Consider a CRV or a Rav4.


my .03

 

[cg21]

Bad. It's not American made. As long as there is an American choice that is what I will buy.

Quite the farce these days i think Toyota Corolla is the most “American” car made anymore.

 

[oze]

Quite the farce these days i think Toyota Corolla is the most “American” car made anymore.

I've given up on hunting for the "most American car", because as cg21 and others have stated, that's a tough thing to determine. So now, I look for the least Chinese content possible. That's why I ended up with a Honda lawn mower (engine made in North Carolina), and a Kia. My Stinger: 0.0% Chinese.
Also, sorry, but I try to avoid products made by workers with communist overlords, even in the USA.

 

[dowalker]

I have had 7 different KIA's
2 Souls, 2 Sportages, 2 Sorento's and 1 Niro hybrid
Never any major issues with any of them. Just normal maintenance
Right now I have my original Soul with 85,000 on it and my Niro which has about 70,000(and I get 50 mpg)
Recommend to anyone

 

[Ark]

There is nothing that could make me own a Kia now.

It's not even about the cars. The word is out that Kias are easy to steal. It doesn't matter if yours is fixed or not. They'll smash your window and wreck up the interior anyway. Insurers have wiped out any cost savings on purchase price by jacking up rates.

 

[bwframe]

Interesting. Didn't consider insurance costs.

 

[Super Bee]

I have seen reports online you can be in the car and gone within a few seconds.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/04/business/hyundai-kia-thefts-increased-10-fold/index.html

Some insurance companies will not cover.

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/04/1173048646/hyundai-kia-car-theft-tiktok-insurance-dealerships

Hearing from Kia/Hyundai service guys about the wait for new engines. They can not keep up with demand.

What Is Going On With Hyundai and Kia Engines?

In recent years, Hyundai and Kia have faced significant challenges stemming from engine issues that have plagued their vehicles.

www.carbuyerusa.com