CR says stay away. looking at an '04 with low miles for $10,500. thoughts?
Stay away.
I have no direct experience with these but have often wondered about the Kia Sedona myself. But “stay away” isn’t very much information. I know a lot of people who say things like that based, not on real information, but only on it being a Korean company.
I recall that when Hondas and Toyotas first hit the market everyone said similar things. Now everyone will tell you to pay more to get one. So, if anyone has more specific info on the problems the Sedona has had, I’d like to know as well. I have actually heard quite good things about them, including high safety ratings.
Edmunds estimates repairs at about $2500 over the next 5 years; maintenance should be about $4400. They estimate repairs at $2850 and maintenance at $3500 for an Odyssey. That’s no so different. The estimated outlay for the Kia is $550 more compared to the Odyssey over 5 years.
I am going by memory here, which is very dangerous. However, I am going to make a suggestion for something you can do in this case, rather than stating a final opinion.
I have been reading CR of nearly 50 years, and have found their ratings very usable. Not flawless, but certainly much better than personal opinions of well-meaning people who sometimes have very high self-esteem.
By memory, I think when I read CR they have said Kia is much improved from its early days, and some models are acceptable. I do not think they have said avoid all Korean models, period. This is something you can check out for yourself, which is always the best way to do things.
Look at the car issue (usually April) and look for other Kia models, and then you will know the story. I am in Mexico and a lot of my stuff is in Texas, so I can’t look it up.
Wait, my wife does have the 2006 annual buying guide. Since things can change, it may be dangerous to quote it. But, the 2006 BG said avoid the '02 Sedona, and it was listed as below average. The '03 Sedona was shown as average reliability.
However, the '04 Serento was shown with a check mark for reliability, and the '03 Serento as average reliability. So, that, though obsolete information, shows my vague memory was correct, that Kia models do vary.
Be sure to verify a dealer for service and parts in your area, unless you have an independent mechanic who says he can get parts.
The best thing if you have access to a library with back issues is look for the full test on Kia models, and see what they actually report.
A family member bought one new, had 2 issues witch dealer took care of, she has 89000mi and had nothing but reg upkeep.
I drove it a couple of times and was impressed.
Consumer reports was talking about past troubles with kia
Not a horrible choice, but the biggest problem is poor fuel economy. These vans were very heavy, and get bad gas mileage. I have also seen a large amount of engine sludge problems. The newer body style Sedona that came out a few years after yours is much nicer.