Hi all, new here. I have a 2005 Civic that I love, but with a vernal pool in the back floor and general wear and tear decided to look for a newer car. I’m confused about varying reports on the CVT’s and choose to drive regular automatics. Came across a 2018 Kona (an SUV but has AWD). Any thoughts on Konas appreciated. Thanks.
In my opinion it is not a good time to buy a car right now. Prices are inflated very high due to lack of supply from COVID-19 economy. I would suspect that prices will eventually drop. So if your Honda is still reliable it might be a good idea to wait it out. That way you also have more time to research and test drive vehicles to help you make that future decision.
I’m aware the timing’s not perfect, and have to agree- we’ve been inundated with people moving here permanently due to COVID, and demand is totally skewed for housing, cars,etc. Hoping my Civic can hang in there, but it’s pretty weird here and winter’s coming.
Hyundai’s in general are good, reliable cars. My wife is on her second one.
3 yrs old so it should be 40% less then a new one. What is the price you can buy a 2021 or 2022 for? Interest financing? Cash? Compare both cars and see which is better deal. Warranty on a 2018?
You can buy a 2018 with no warranty and have issues. Or not. That is how life works.
My daughter bought a new 2020 CR-V last year, and she is very happy with it. Check prices for the 2018 Kona and a new one and see how much difference there is. Assume that dealers get MSRP for new cars for this comparison. A dealer would sell a 2018 Kona SEL AWD for about $18,200 according to Edmunds. A new one would sell for about $22,300. Those estimates are for Central MD.
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2018 KONA
ORIGINAL MSRP RANGE
$19,500 - $28,700
The dealership is selling the one I’m interested in for just under 20K- it’s been there since April and I noticed price fluctuations. It has low mileage, no accidents (according to a free VIN check ). Curious as to why it’s been there so long or is this a normal time range? Bought the old Honda from a private party and it was so nice- the woman sent me extra keys 3 months after I bought it back in 2010. Thanks for replying everyone, and any info still appreciated
Thank you- haven’t dealt with a dealership before.
with todays crazy used car market being high. if you can I would go with a new car for a few thousand more than used. you will have better safety features, a better warranty, and you will not have to worry how the vehicle was maintained. or not maintained.
It seems that a regular automatic transmission isn’t an option in too many newer models. The ones I’ve seen that have the regular ATs are not my style; huge cars for a small me. Correct me if I’m wrong- please! Naturally I want everything- great storage, AWD, good gas mileage, etc. Keep hearing stories about Subarus-either love em or hate em. I would like this car to last like the Honda, and feel like I’m putting my dog to sleep when I finally give it up-
I was considering a new Kona SE while Covid was raging and for about $20,000 for one with a traditional automatic it looked pretty good.
Now for a new one with a CVT, with little color/options selection in the $25,000 to $30,000 range,
I’ll keep my money in my pocket.
The best thing about a Hyundai is their 5 year warranty so you’re willing to trade away 3 years of the warranty and I don’t know how many miles of wear for about $2,000 less than new 2021’s were selling for 6 months ago?
If you “Need” it fine, you’ve got no choice but if you simply “Want” it you may want to wait a year, pay your monthly payment into your savings account and then buy new.
here are some sites you can look through.
New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews and Pricing | Edmunds
Thanks! Have been foraging through these -
Makes for common sense. However it seems like Toyota’s CVT’s seem to get good reports here.
Thank you- same here, and will check them out–
The Hyundai direct injection engines are not known to hold up very well in the long run. The Kona’s 2.0 engine is not one of the worst ones, but the same engine in the Kia Soul and some other Hyundai/Kia cars are having recalls for oil burning.
I am not saying a Honda would be any better, but also think the new CVT’s, if maintained well, would probably be ok.
Take a look at the Honda HRV and the Toyota CH-R too.
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Thank you! Am going for a test drive today on the Kona if the rain lets up. Terrible summer here. And thanks all for your advice and comments. Much appreciated. Saw website carcomplaints.com and would rather have wings at this point.!
I went for the test drive and felt very comfortable driving it. I negotiated $600 below asking price. The interior is a little plasticky, but overall it drove beautifully. More cargo space than I expected with rear seats down,great visibility, high carriage, AT trans and not too fussy entertainment system, etc.
I’ll give an update in a couple of months for anyone interested.
Take care, everyone! And don’t drive like my brother.
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In my opinion, Hyundai/Kia as a company right now is in a similar position to Honda in the 90’s. 90’s Hondas were innovative, fun to drive, had rock-solid reliability, and were pretty close to the best cars you could get at the time. They’ve slipped since then - they’re still very good, but they’ve forgotten a lot about what made cars like the Civic/CRX/Prelude a blast to drive, and their reliability, while remaining high, has slipped.
By contrast, Hyundai/Kia is innovating left and right. Their designs are largely unlike anything else on the road, the reliability has shot up to an incredible degree from the 90’s, and the driving experience is quite good. I suspect you’ll enjoy your new Kona. Good choice.
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I think the 2004 Sonata was a breakthrough for Hyundai/Kia, it competed head to head with the Accord and Camry. I got one as a rental, remembered thinking ‘This is a Hyundai? Very nice!’
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