A Kia/Hyundai question - Sportage/Tucson?

Bob & others who may have thoughts on this, what do you think of these things? Edit:  Looking at the 2005-10 generation.  Purely appliance.  I'm really not in love with my DD.  Looking for something cheap and utilitarian that I can just supply basic maintenance and otherwise neglect for a few years and then resell for basically the same price if I so desire.

I see these are based on the Elantra.  V6 I know nothing about, but the 2.0 4cyl is the Beta motor which has never been a real powerhouse, but is very simple and reliable from what I recall.  Probably easier to work on than the V6 as well. 

Any major issues one should watch out for?  Most of these are popping up in the ~$2500-4000 range and 125-175k miles.  Any automatic transmission worries on these?

Any concerns over the AWD/4WD system?

I like the Kona myself.  

Edited:  looking at 2005-10 generation.  

I do like the Kona as well, but I'm looking for older/cheaper.

This car is the 2nd time I've had a new-ish car with value and I am reminded how much I dislike it.  I don't like being concerned about shopping cards or my son scratching the door.  For 8 years with my Saturn, I was never once worried about stuff like that (or depreciation) and it was much less stressful.

that makes more sense. The Beta engine is the first of the truly reliable hyundai engines and like you said, not a powerhouse, but it is relatively torquey for what it is.  FWIW, I still a lot of first gen Santa Fes on the road, many more so than any of Hyundai's cars from that same period of time.

My buddy put 145k ish miles on his 07 Tucson V6 over 8 years or so.

Reliable as gravity. Not the fastest or the prettiest, but it never left us stranded anywhere. 

There's Phillips screws holding the front rotors on, berkeley them, they suck horribly bad. The back window (tailgate) hinges broke at one point and that was $stupid so we jb welded the hinges and windshield caulkinged the glass in place. What finally did it in was the oil pan started rusting out.

I remember it had a really weird charging system problem around 125k miles that took a few trips to the shop, but no other major repairs stick out in my memory.

The AWD auto trans is an anvil. But absolutely intolerant of mismatched tires. SWMBO nuked the trans after only replacing 2 tires instead of all 4. 

RevRico said:

My buddy put 145k ish miles on his 07 Tucson V6 over 8 years or so.

Reliable as gravity.

Excellent.  That's what I want.

I've also been considering a Rav 4.  Not sure how the 2.4L Toyota motor compares.  I recall that being a pretty reliable combo also.  Gen 1/2 CRVs are made of gold, so unless I fall upon an excellent deal, I likely won't consider those.

I like that the Kia/Hyundai and Rav4 are 'right sized'.  170 inches long = not a pain to parallel park and doesn't consume a ton of garage space.

The Gen2 Scion xB has the same Toyota 2.4L and offered a manual trans. Big interior like Rav4 (with less cargo room) Could be worth looking for these too. 

've also been considering a Rav 4.  Not sure how the 2.4L Toyota motor compares.  I recall that being a pretty reliable combo also. 

buy one with the 2.5 or the v6.  The 2.4 is a terrible oil burner.  Been there done that.. have the t shirt.. unless it's had the recall done on the engine where the "new" rings are put in.. I'd wouldn't touch one.  I've not heard flattering things after the rebuild..

Hmm.  I have never been a fan of the XB, but that could be an option.  Price/mileage of these looks pretty reasonable.  They are 3" shorter which is good and bad.  I really really wish manufacturers would make provisions for a good hitch mount when making cars, even if they aren't tow rated.

They're reliable for sure. Drivetrain is simple. The Delta V6 isn't fast or efficient but its the same 2.7 they used for damn near a decade. I like to think of the delta as V8 efficiency with 4 cylinder power. The beta we all know is reliable, torquey and not especially powerful. They did make them in FWD with the 5-spd so it wasn't completely gutless. Drove like a tall Elantra wagon. 

It would be a fine beater for the right price. Don't think I'd spend more than $2500-3000 on one though. 

Also don't forget the Rondo and the Elantra Touring. 

just say no to the 2az toyota engine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_AZ_engine#2AZ

so this is the rav4 I just sold..  I sold it for $4k.. it wa sa good deal.  He's trying to flip it for $7...  It burns oil.. 600 miles a quart... It has multiple dents on the passenger side of the body that cannot be PDR'd.. needs a hood and door..  Still has the air freshener I put on the turn signal stalk...

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/d/newport-2007-toyota-rav4-7-seater/7166252841.html

Be careful out there my friends..  That thing is about a 20k miles away from a $4k rebuild.  good luck to him if he gets it.

Here's an example of a Sportage I came across:

https://www.carolinacars.org/vdp/16437875/Used-2008-Kia-Sportage-EX-V6-2WD-for-sale-in-CHARLOTTE-NC-28204

$4k, but clean.  Seems like the type of thing I could drive for 100k miles then sell for $2500.  Plus, its the best color combo:  Brown on Brown

Dude, that thing is stupid clean. I'd go $3500

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

I'm sorry, calling that a "7-seater" is borderline misleading. I mean, if you're carrying 7 midgets maybe but two of them better be legless. 

In reply to bobzilla :

It has 7 seats.. but it never worked out well with more than 5.. and even then it's a squeeze.

In reply to ProDarwin :

Looks good.  Two things in the Carfax.  One, a mention of a front bump 12 years ago.  Should be fine but look it over.  Two, they show a place where it was regularly serviced.  I myself would contact that garage and try to sweet talk them into some contact info of the previous owner.  Then try to speak with that PO to find out why they sold or what problems lurk.  

In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :

as far as why they got rid of it... it's 12 years old. A lot of people don't keep cars that long. and its a 12year oldkorean car. Reliable, but in 12 years they've advanced about 5 generation since then. 

bobzilla said:

In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :

as far as why they got rid of it... it's 12 years old. A lot of people don't keep cars that long. and its a 12year oldkorean car. Reliable, but in 12 years they've advanced about 5 generation since then. 

This was my thought.

John is always quite the detective when he buys cars.  I may have to give it a shot, but I'm not really concerned they are hiding something.

Edit:  Holy E36 M3 OEM parts for Kia/Hyundai are completely reasonable.  Motor mounts, $68 each.  Alternator $197.  A/C Compressor $320.  Headlight assembly, $125

 Stories like this is why I am cautious.  A used Toyota seems like a good bet but someone might get stung by this $7k Rav4.   I would think that potential $7k buyer would like to speak to Mr. Caffeine and get "the rest of the story."

Fueled by Caffeine said:

just say no to the 2az toyota engine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_AZ_engine#2AZ

 

so this is the rav4 I just sold..  I sold it for $4k.. it wa sa good deal.  He's trying to flip it for $7...  It burns oil.. 600 miles a quart... It has multiple dents on the passenger side of the body that cannot be PDR'd.. needs a hood and door..  Still has the air freshener I put on the turn signal stalk...

 

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/d/newport-2007-toyota-rav4-7-seater/7166252841.html

 

Be careful out there my friends..  That thing is about a 20k miles away from a $4k rebuild.  good luck to him if he gets it.

ProDarwin said:

bobzilla said:

In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :

as far as why they got rid of it... it's 12 years old. A lot of people don't keep cars that long. and its a 12year oldkorean car. Reliable, but in 12 years they've advanced about 5 generation since then. 

This was my thought.

John is always quite the detective when he buys cars.  I may have to give it a shot, but I'm not really concerned they are hiding something.

 

Edit:  Holy E36 M3 OEM parts for Kia/Hyundai are completely reasonable.  Motor mounts, $68 each.  Alternator $197.  A/C Compressor $320.  Headlight assembly, $125

 

And they are stupid easy to fix in that era as well. Now you get my fanboi feelings. 

In reply to John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) :

It's been in two accidents(very minor).. If you pull a carfax you'll know this guy is crazy..  

Ugh.  Souls keep popping up and they are cheap.  My fear is even though they are slightly smaller, their utility will be significantly less.  Roof rack can't run full length, cargo area is smaller, hitch options suck.

What are the opinions on these?

In reply to ProDarwin :

I've had a soul and a sportage as a rental car.  I'd choose the sportage for your stated uses.  plus if you look hard enough you can find a manual transmission... https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/cto/d/saint-michael-2012-kia-sportage-manual/7161282096.html

Fueled by Caffeine said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

I've had a soul and a sportage as a rental car.  I'd choose the sportage for your stated uses.  plus if you look hard enough you can find a manual transmission... https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/cto/d/saint-michael-2012-kia-sportage-manual/7161282096.html

That is not bad.  I'm generally looking at the older ones because they are cheaper.  As a bonus, they seem to all have roof racks, which I use pretty extensively (and are mega $$$ to add aftermarket).

I haven't been using CL lately because the listings are all "scams" in the sense that they are just there to lure to to the dealer but the car isn't actually available.  I just found 3 a few minutes ago where I can't even locate the dealer's website and no price is listed.  WTF.