We are looking to replace our 10-year old Toyota Sienna and are interested in considering Kia Sedona. We will be buying a new vehicle, so it would be 2008 Sedona.
Everything we have read on the Internet so far is mostly favorable and the problems reported by owners are either minor or rare incidents.
Disregarding resale value, do you know of any issues with Kia Sedona? We would be specifically interested in knowing the opinions of owners that had the vehicle for more than a year.
*Overall, it is one of the best vehicle values in the industry when you factor in space, comfort, versatililty and price. It is thousands less than other minivans, and does almost everything well;
*The only consistent negatives I have seen are such niggling things. One example is an occasional complaint about less-than-average headlights. Okay, get a set of Philips NightGuide capsules at $30/set, and that problem is solved.
*SERIOUSLY consider spending the extra money for an EX. Whether you choose a more basic EX with the up-level cloth seats (my personal choice), or the more loaded EX with the leather, you will be MUCH happier with the equipment, comfort and performance level of your van than the rather plebian (though still well equipped) LX version.
*Right now, there is still a good abundance of '08's left, and with a $5000 rebate on top of the best deal you can make. But if you want to wait until '09, the Sedona will be adding SIRIUS satellite radio capability, with auxiliary and MP3-USB connection, standard on all trim levels with three months complimentary service and an optional navigation system for the EX trim line.
At one time, my wife assumed that a minivan was a "station-in-life" vehicle, needed only when you had kids around. I have owned three Sedonas now, and their versatility along with better ride, space, comfort and fuel economy over SUV's means we will be staying in Sedonas. This is one seriously good vehicle.
We've had our 2003 since new with no problems. It's a very heavy car so don't expect great mpg but it rides nice on long trips and has plenty of room. I drive it very little since gas is so darn high. I have 43,000 miles on it. Good car but haggle with them to REALLY get the price down. They have them priced way too high in the hopes that a 'sucker' drops in. Don't be that sucker. Get at least $5000 off or even more. And don't pay for all the BS they put on the price like paint and fabric protector, rain guards, air deflector. All that crap is pure gravy. Get that taken off before you even walk in the door.
Having sold many Kia Sedona's and few Toyota Sienna's, I would advise go with the Kia Sedona because it offers great reliability, great comfort, loads of features, excellent warranty, and most importantly thousands less than the Sienna.
My customers prefer the Kia Sedona Van for the above reasons.
A great point. In fact, I will take it a step further.
I had gotten used to hearing occasional comments from Chrysler owners about the sub-standard powertrains in those minivans - underpowered engines and clanky, unreliable transmissions. But I was not prepared for the cacophony of troubles that Sienna owners are piling on me.
I have an uncle who calls it, "Quite possibly the worst, most unreliable vehicle made in a number of decades." That seems a bit strong, and maybe Toyota people have gotten spoiled by the reliability of Toyotas in past years. But these people sure do raise a stink about it.
Which is fine, because at some point, at least some of them start asking me what is the make of minivan I own. When I tell them about the Sedona, and then they see these things, well let's just say that my Sedona has sold at least a dozen others to people, many of whom had never even heard of the brand before.
The older Sedonas are worth avoiding, especially the '02 and '03. That was Kia's first attempt at a minivan, and while they did far better than most would have thought, the owners did have to serve as unpaid quality engineers on those models.
The good news is that Hyundai/Kia tends to listen to their customer, and fix the things that are troublesome.
Since the '09 is the 4th year of the re-designed van, I think you can feel pretty good about it. The '08 should be fine as well, and there are probably still a lot in dealer lots.
_______________________________ How about the current Sedona's handling?
-Responsive steering? Y/N?
-Tight straight-ahead feel?
-Body lean in sudden(avoidance) turns?
-Nose-diving when braking suddenly?
I know handling is not the entire package, but a car that does what it is told and doesn't do what you don't ask it to do is one that I can feel confident and at the same time relaxed to drive in.
BTW I'm the one who started the "forum" for people to drop in with feelings about the 2006 1/2 and later Kia Optima sedan. No Kia owners of that model? I'm an Optima convert, and can't wait to hear what owners have to say.
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