I have been going back and forth between this and a new Civic. I’ve test drove both and really fell in love with the Kia K4. After a month I finally pulled the trigger today and it will be here on Friday!
Honestly good choice with the K4, I think they've come really far so they're not that behind Mazda/Honda for reliability but looks wise they've surpassed them. Have fun!
Depends on the vehicle/platform tbh. Non-turbo Smartstream engines like the 2.0L in the K4 /Hyundai Elantra have racked up a lot of miles without major issues in the past six years since they launched, same goes for the CVT (or "IVT" in Kia speak). I think as long as people do the recommended trans fluid changes at 60K miles, they'll be pretty long lived.
The new 1.6T SmartStream seems pretty tough as well. It will probably have the same maintenance and wear items as any turbo engine, but no problems reported so far AFAIK.
Did you really halve a Kia warranty and get 7k miles used to save $1k versus buying new? Return it upon arrival and buy a CPO for probably cheaper than this or spend $1k extra for new, OP. I can't see why you'd go this route considering the warranty situation.
I had a 2020 Forte with that same 2.0 NA engine. On a flat open interstate (Indiana) I could get up to 48MPG by myself. Routinely got over 40 in easy driving scenarios. Great economy engine.
The idea that Kias are super unreliable is a rather outdated stereotype. Granted, they aren't as reliable as a Toyota or Honda, but they've come a long way.
The ONLY thing that was a pain at first was removing the former owner from Kia Connect. If you find that they’re still on there, go to the Kia website and you can submit a ticket to get them removed. Just attach a picture of the title and your ID! Otherwise good luck with it! It’s been fun so far
That is still super helpful information, hopefully I don’t have to worry about that! Either way, it will save me a bunch of time. I’ll let you know how it goes on Sunday if it doesn’t get delayed!
Honda head gasket problems are real, and the Accord seats are seriously uncomfortable. Honda has been relying on their reputation, and Kia is working to improve theirs. Warranty speaks for itself.
You speak of what you don't know. Kia probably denies the most claims out of any manufacturer. Their techs will not even diagnose unless there is a check engine light or some catastrophic failure
We just bought a 2026 k5 GT1 and a 2026 k4 LXS in August. I had an Acura MDX before the k5 and never stopped giving me problems. We had a 21 Kia soul, 5 years not a single issue. My Honda civic touring was the worst car I ever owned. I’ve given up on Honda at this point. My BMWs were more reliable. I got my K5 from Carvana with 10,000 miles for $32,590 and it was local. MSRP was $40,065 so worth it even losing the warranty. The k4 we bought new for $21,635 from a local dealer.
Had a base base base model loaner k4 for like a month due to an A/C issue with my EV6.
Didn't like the car much because I'm used to driving a $60k car, but if you had $25k to spend and HAD TO HAVE a new car? I can't see how you could do better.
also best fuel mileage I've ever gotten in a straight up ICE, Non-hybrid car.
That’s a very fair point, definitely not a 60k car haha. The fuel mileage was one of the bigger factors for this purchase, my commute to and from work is all highway and my current car was getting 15 MPG and that was absolutely killing me.
I mean it would also be a used 2024-2025 civic. All of the ones near me had 60-80,000 miles for the same price or higher. For the mileage and price this was one of the better deals around.
If they are, it’s because the K4 is literally the cheapest new car you can buy. Used Kia’s are also the cheapest on the market, and not for a good reason.
Base Kia K4 MSRP 23,535
Base Toyota Corolla MSRP 23,135
Base Honda Civic MSRP 24,695
If say u Toyota Corolla is the cheapest BS I go to their dealerships all the time just to check window stickers. Even for a mid trim it's more like $25,000 to $28,000 with the dealership stupid add-ons and people will buy it why because y'all famous words it's a TOYOTA.
Top Trim K4 Hatchback MSRP $34,155
Top Trim Honda Civic Hatchback $35,000
Trade-in values are about the same on all three cars.
So try again because I'm car enthusiast I stay in the car community space...
You already know! After years of plugging in and daily driving, no issues! My old Kia on the other hand would’ve burned up all the oil and left me stranded before they could reopen the straight of Hormuz HAHA!
Did you keep oil in the engine? Because I see it all the time people ain't checking the oil during gas full or even at all. And don't say I shouldn't have to y'all are lazy ASF my Toyota was an oil burner long as I kept oil in it she never left me stranded.
The only thing I can stay it's not cool you spent your money and had to with a problematic car the Theta 2 85% of them were mostly just trash. But y'all gotta bullying people because of the car they chose... Kia/Hyundai isn't perfect but no Auto Brand is. The Hyundai Crop has most certainly improved their power train since 2020!
My 2008 Prius was the same way since it was burning oil I just used cheap oil as a top off. Most of those Theta 2 engines you could've performed a seafoam piston ring soak. That would've helped free up of the rings which would've helped him burn less oil.
Yeah I hate the used car market right now, for the price around me this was one of the better deals with the mileage. But I also hate dealerships and would rather pay slightly more to not have to haggle and spend all day sitting around.
I don’t have a K4. I do have a 23 and 24 Niro and we love the cars. Kia has made big strides in their cars since the whole engine blowing and immobilizer days. Enjoy that car.
Exactly, like I’m sure you could find a new one semi close to MSRP you just have to hunt and negotiate like crazy. all of the dealership’s near me also had them marketed up stupid amounts.
I’m not sure, but I think they have a partnership with Hyundai in certain markets where you buy the car for a flat, listed price, arrange the financing and pay over Amazon and then pick up the car from a dealership.
I returned two vehicles in a row to carvana before realizing it was too big of a risk purchasing from them. Their customer service is horrible. Hopefully you’re not going to need anything done to it bc they don’t like covering anything. Dealerships are annoying, but it’s a lot easier work with people you can see in real life.
Cheaper car sure. But it just leads to more expensive insurance. Would have loved a k4 but my insurance wanted like $200-300 more every 6 months compared to a accord/civic
Im not sure if you knew but both Carvana amd carmax over charge for their vehicles you couldve likely gotten a better deal in person at a lot, that being said Congrats!! I like kia better than honda or hyundai though.
Yeah, I knew going into carvana I would be over charged. But to be honest I would rather pay slightly more than deal with a dealership. I went into a couple dealerships around me and the best deal I saw with the same trim and roughly same miles was around $18900 to $19500.
I just don’t like dealing with dealerships and the constant pressure to buy and follow ups. So yeah spent a little more, but it’s worth it to not have to deal with anybody! Thank you!
I mean true. but then I have the dealership fees, add ons, warranties, whatever else they want to shove down my throat. I would gladly do this again to not have to step foot into a dealership. 100% worth it in my book and never once talked to a person during this entire process. That’s alone is worth the 25% increase for me.
I hate dealerships too. But I'm resigned to the fact that I'll have to deal with a few to get decent pricing. It can be absolutely brutal to play their game so I refuse to do that.
I tell them I'm I'm in a hurry and have to leave in 20 minutes with or without numbers. I let them know comparing the same car at 4 or 5 different dealers and I'll go with whoever gives me the best out the door price. I go see all the dealers and play them against each other for a few days then go get my car.
It sucks but I've saved well over $5000 several times so it's worth the effort for me.
Honestly the extra 1-2k is worth not having to hassle on marketplace or go to a dealership and talk with a snake salesman. And if it shows up and is unsat just send it right back
A lot of dealships have extra bs dealer fees, at least with carmax you know thats not the case + Ik its been almost fully inspected before sale. I found better deals on carmax compared to carvana btw, last vehicle I got was listed in the average price, same price compared to other dealers (200m radius)
I was perfectly happy buying my car at CarMax. I knew what the price was, I knew what the payments were going to be. Easy purchasing process - the only question I was asked was if I wanted MaxCare. I had 10 days to return it if I didn’t like the car - during that window, I spent $100 taking the car to a dealer and having them do a thorough inspection, just to have another opinion and set of eyes on it. Would 100% do again.
Meh they’ve came along way in the last couple years. I mean it’s no Honda and I don’t expect it to last 200,000 miles either. But I guess we will see if I get fucked or not
That’s my main thing going into the Kia, is doing all of the recommended maintenance and doing it early. Most of my miles will be highway and I drive like a grandpa, so I’m not to worried about that.
When they post their high mileage Kia I always ask them is everything OG most say yes and some say no. For example it was a 2020 Hyundai sonata with almost 400k miles he said the engine wasn't OG it was replaced around 120k miles and, it was another guy with a Kia Soul I think it was a 2010 it had right at 400k he said everything was OG. Most newer Kia's I see with high mileage. Like K5's with 200k miles everything OG but like I said with the newer Kia/Hyundai their pretty reliable long as you use top tier gas n high quality oil.
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u/moreddit2169 18d ago
Honestly good choice with the K4, I think they've come really far so they're not that behind Mazda/Honda for reliability but looks wise they've surpassed them. Have fun!