Thinking About Buying a 2019 Kia Optima

Discussion
1

Hello everyone, I am a 19 year old college student trying to buy my first car. I don’t know much about cars yet. I recently asked about a stinger with 73k miles for 19k and got a lot of opinions. I found another Kia that looks alright for about 15.7k before fees with 43k miles. Is this a good choice? Is it a reliable car that can last me a good 5 years without major repairs? Any thoughts would really help!

Also, how much will depreciation affect this car? It’s had two previous owners and was certified pre-owned, originally priced at 26k, now down to 16k. If I get it and drive it to around 80k miles in the next 5 years, will it still have any resale value? Thanks for any help!

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Is it a 2.4L 4 cylinder? You might want to pass on that. I’ve heard those engines fail early.

3

Brady said:
Is it a 2.4L 4 cylinder? You might want to pass on that. I’ve heard those engines fail early.

Not all of them fail. It’s mostly US-built ones. I’ve got 133k miles on my 2.4L and have had zero issues. Mine was built in Korea.

4

@Bryn
The Sonata? You mentioned it was totaled. What happened?

5

Brady said:
@Bryn
The Sonata? You mentioned it was totaled. What happened?

Someone ran a red light and totaled it.

6

Bryn said:

Brady said:
@Bryn
The Sonata? You mentioned it was totaled. What happened?

Someone ran a red light and totaled it.

That counts as premature failure if the engine got hit.

7

Bryn said:

Brady said:
@Bryn
The Sonata? You mentioned it was totaled. What happened?

Someone ran a red light and totaled it.

I’m sorry to hear that. That must have been frustrating.

8

@Brady
Yeah, but these things happen! The insurance covered my Tucson, so that’s okay with me lol.

9

Bryn said:
@Brady
Yeah, but these things happen! The insurance covered my Tucson, so that’s okay with me lol.

Glad that worked out for you.

10

Brady said:
@Bryn
The Sonata? You mentioned it was totaled. What happened?

The Sonata was a 2.0T, but my Optima is a 2.4L.

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Bryn said:

Brady said:
@Bryn
The Sonata? You mentioned it was totaled. What happened?

The Sonata was a 2.0T, but my Optima is a 2.4L.

Got it.

12

Brady said:
Is it a 2.4L 4 cylinder? You might want to pass on that. I’ve heard those engines fail early.

It’s not specific to that motor. Every 4 cylinder engine has issues, but the 2.4 is particularly known for premature failures.

13

Make sure you can get insurance on it before you decide. Some insurers won’t cover this model due to theft issues. You should try to quote it with a few companies.

14

Adi said:
Make sure you can get insurance on it before you decide. Some insurers won’t cover this model due to theft issues. You should try to quote it with a few companies.

100% this. I was about to say the same.

15

Adi said:
Make sure you can get insurance on it before you decide. Some insurers won’t cover this model due to theft issues. You should try to quote it with a few companies.

I live in a smaller area and it’s easy to insure, but if I move back to bigger cities, I may have to sell it.

16

Someone I know had one and got rid of it after Kia replaced the engine because it blew. Don’t recommend.

17

I just traded in my 2019 Optima. It started burning oil at 50k miles, and around 90k miles, it lost all coolant and left me stranded. By then, it burned a quart of oil every 500 miles.

I was surprised at how much I got for it. I paid about 18k for it new. I thought the dealership wouldn’t even take it with all the issues but they offered me $8500.

18

@Arlen
How did you get it for 18k new? That’s impressive, and would you say it is a bad car overall? :frowning:

19

Delaney said:
@Arlen
How did you get it for 18k new? That’s impressive, and would you say it is a bad car overall? :frowning:

Keep an eye on market adjustments. You really need to scout your local and nearby areas heavily.

Dealerships near me had a 3500 market adjustment on all their Forte GT lines. I got mine for 17.5k out the door with financing and 5 down.

New doesn’t always mean better, depends on your budget.

20

Delaney said:
@Arlen
How did you get it for 18k new? That’s impressive, and would you say it is a bad car overall? :frowning:

That was before the pandemic. Car buying was different then. They were having a sale and gave me extra off because it was the end of the month. They wanted to sell more cars that month. It was also one trim level below this one.

I loved my Optima at first, but the engine is just really bad. You won’t get the same warranty if you’re not the first owner. I personally would not buy this car.