The more I sniff around on the Web, the more I get the feeling that any initial quality problems with the Sedona (and Kia in general) are being quickly cleaned up. Yep, I've heard about the poor gas mileage, but even taking this into consideration, it's only going to cost (at today's prices) no more than a couple of hundred dollars a year above a Caravan to run........... and I can buy a lot of gas for the $4000.00 difference in price between the two.
My knowledge of the auto industry is not without it's limits, but it's just possible that the US car makers are going to find another unwelcome guest at the table ready to eat their lunch.
Domestic car manufacturers have had an unwelcome guest for many years and have done very little to combat 'him'.
American consumers started taking Japanese products seriously back in the
70's (or so) when they realized that they were made better; lasted longer; fewer maintenance issues. The cars were always cheaper. Now Japanese cars are higher priced, made in America, and still can't be made fast enough for the demand (you don't see Toyota offering unlimited rebates or incentives to buy a Camry, etc.) because their quality systems are better. The domestic manufacturers COULD make a higher quality vehicle and which the American consumer would buy. The 'Big Three' choose not to. They want repairs; they want obsolescence; the paradigm of the average American consumer is one who wants a new car every 3 years, or 5; but not 7 years or 200,000 miles, heaven forbid.
We had a 94' Saturn that didn't make it to 100,000 miles before the head gave out; Jeep Cherokee that got to 108,000 before the radiator rusted through; didn't get 100,000 out of an Escort before (yeah, the head warped). My Toyota Supra went to 314,000 before the head gasket finally gave out; 245,000 on my old Mazda B2000; I have 98,000 on a Kia Rio that is 3 years and it runs cool and uses no oil yet. I foresee 200,000 easy for it. We have 90,000+ on a '98 Sportage; runs perfectly; cool, burns no oil;
90,000+ on a Honda CRV; runs perfectly; cool, burns no oil.
I have worked in quality control for a domestic automotive tier one supplier; I know, to some degree, how the domestics run their quality and it's 'bottom line' only. I don't like sending my money overseas but it also doesn't bother me not to support an industry who has blatantly disregarded the quality conscious American consumer.
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