Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

2013 and earlier Kia Sedona Prices Paid and Buying Experience

15681011

Comments

  • buddy6713buddy6713 Member Posts: 1
    Hello, just bought an EX last night with the power package and paid $20,312. So I think 20k is a good deal. The EX's in this area (Northwest U.S.) are scarce, even more scarce to find the color you'd like, and the entertainment and luxury option packages have been gone since the end of last year. I contacted every Kia dealer from mid state Washington State to mid state Oregon.

    Good luck to us all!
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I was happy with the $20,000 but not happy they tacked on a $170 doc fee that I should have noticed sooner. They showed us the informal offer in a very deceptive way, and at the time I didn't do the math in my head because I didn't think it contained any funny business.

    After giving us $5,500 for our 2002 EX with all options except rear spoiler, they have listed it on their website for $8,295. I don't think they will get close to that figure unless they do some body work (door dings, paint scuffs, small stone chip in windshield) or find a completely clueless buyer. I think we would have needed to put $500 into fixing up our van's exterior in order to sell it privately for $7,000 or so. That's why we ended up trading it in, which was a first for me.

    In the end, I think we got a good to very good deal on the new Sedona and a fair to below average deal on trading in the old Sedona. I give myself a B-minus for the deal I worked and am actually somewhat disappointed in myself. Oh well - I can always blame it on the wife who rushed the deal a bit and gave up our old Sedona's payoff figure to the dealer :)
  • dbtdbt Member Posts: 298
    Just talked with a Kia rep who just received the new incentive sheet. Published offer on the 2006 Sedona is staying at $4000.
  • typer_801typer_801 Member Posts: 29
    It's still $4000, but it's "cash back" now, instead of a "rebate".
  • sjobs99sjobs99 Member Posts: 4
    Anyone know if there are other incentives to the dealers themselves (e.g., unpublished factory-to-dealer, unit quota spiffs, etc.)? I ask because I had a quote working with a dealer prior to the month-end expiration and he told me today that while the $4K incentive remained, the dealer "lost" their other incentives so didn't have the room to work that they did before. Also, anyone know what the "floor plan" fee from Kia to the dealer is?
  • brian1brian1 Member Posts: 29
    I bought my EX w/power on 1/31 for $20,200+TTL. I do not know the exact details but they made mention that it is a good thing I bought it when I did because the deal in Feb was not as good as Jan. They may just be saying that to make me feel better about getting it in Jan because I was concerned about waiting until Feb to pull the trigger.
  • dbtdbt Member Posts: 298
    Anyone know if there are other incentives to the dealers themselves (e.g., unpublished factory-to-dealer, unit quota spiffs, etc.)? I ask because I had a quote working with a dealer prior to the month-end expiration and he told me today that while the $4K incentive remained, the dealer "lost" their other incentives so didn't have the room to work that they did before.

    FWIW, I got a quote today that was $7400 below MSRP for an 06 LX, which was about $600 more (i.e. a higher price, used to be $8000 off MSRP) than a few days ago, from the same place.
  • sjobs99sjobs99 Member Posts: 4
    Went to a dealer in Phoenix metro area and explained that I had a friend in the biz so I knew about how all the pricing worked, etc. I then said that I'd take a white/grey EX off their hands for $18K after trade and "out the door". I'm recreating much of this from memory so some of this could be off, but here's what their offer was:

    MSRP: $27,559 (slightly bloated)
    Document fees: $349
    License&Tags: $427
    Rebate: -$4,000
    Discount: -$1,600
    Purchase Price: $22,735
    Trade: -$5,000
    Subtotal: $17,735
    Sales Tax (8.1%): $1,435
    Out the door: $19,170

    They were kind enough to round it down to $19K and explain that they were already "in the holdback". Note that I know I goofed a little bit somewhere in those numbers.

    Now prior to this, I told them they needed to be at $18K OTD. So I offered $18,250 and after about 10 minutes, they didn't even bother to counter and let me walk.

    Still not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure they figure there aren't that many EX's with Power Pkg's left so they'll roll the dice a little longer and perhaps they'll get some additional incentives from the factory. I'm also proud of myself that I didn't bite because I typically roll over in these situations and the reality is, I don't NEED this right now.

    Your feedback welcome.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Try to keep the trade-in vehicle out of the equation. It also is useful to keep license, tags, registration, tax out of the equation since those vary by state. Need to keep them out of the discussion to have an apples-to-apples comparison with other buyers around the country.

    $20,000 seemed like a good target for a 2006 EX with Power Package (MSRP $27,265 if I recall)...in January. Someone reported maybe the unpublished $1,000 factory-to-dealer incentive is NOT in play for February, so they may not have as much room to get close to the $20k.

    Excluding license/tags, you were quoted a price of about $22k. That sounds too high.
  • sjon64sjon64 Member Posts: 3
    Hi. I'm going to probably buy a 2006 EX with the DVD Entertainment System and a Sunroof added. The total cost with financing over a 60 month period, taxes (8.5% in NY,) included in the payments is $30K. Do you think this is a good deal? Or does my dealer have room for improvement? Thank you.
  • sjon64sjon64 Member Posts: 3
    Correction. I did some recalculating and I would be paying $23.5K for the Sedona. Any advice out there if this is a good price or if I can do better? I would appreciate it.
  • brian1brian1 Member Posts: 29
    The EX stickers at $26,265. With little negotiation you should have no trouble getting down to $20,000. That would mean you would be paying $3,500 for a DVD player and sunroof. My suggestion is to go to Circuit City where they advertised a roof mounted DVD player installed for $499. I am not positive on a sunroof but I would think you could get one for around $1,500 installed even from the dealer. My target price for what you want would be around $22,000-$22,500.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Break down the numbers to make analysis of your offer easier.

    What is the price of the vehicle, WITHOUT tax?

    As brian1 said, you should be able to get a 2006 Sedona EX for around $20,000. You should be able to get DVD and moonroof installed for $2,000 or so.

    If your $23,500 price includes tax and the interest on your 8.25% vehicle loan, that sounds very good. Actually, that would almost sound too good to be true.
  • sjon64sjon64 Member Posts: 3
    I did some calculations on the financing end of the Cars.Com website. If my calculations are correct, the price I would be financing would be $23.5 because that amount plus 8.5% sales tax at 7% for 60 months comes to $504/month. My deal is at $500 so pretty close. Thank you all for responding by the way. It is greatly appreciated.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Thanks for clarifying.

    Financing $23,500 for what you are getting sounds too high, as brian1 mentioned in his post.
  • touchofgreytouchofgrey Member Posts: 3
    1st of all - I eventually purchased a 2006 Sedona LX from Delray Kia. Although the sales process wasn't perfect, it was significantly better than my treatment at West Palm Kia.

    To close out the story - I finally contacted the GM at West Palm Kia. Most customer unfriendly General Manager I have ever met. The dealership is running ads saying that if you can't reach a deal, come see him. GOOD LUCK.

    In his last email, when I threatened to take my complaint to the Better Business Bureau - he called me a bigot (couldn't be further from the truth, but I have it in writing). So before you go see Mr. Chris Rodrigues (he gives his name on the radio) think again and do your homework on this dealership. They don't deserve anyone's business.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,200

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • pereziperezi Member Posts: 3
    I went to a kia dealership in jersey yesterday 2/8. They offered me a 2006 LX with DVD package plus they were willing to change out the interior (after factory) to leather. (the mrs. wants leather interior) They said they would give it to me for 19,995.
    We are still looking around in our area but there don't seem to be too many 2006 sedonas left.

    We are trying to decide if we should move on this or keep looking.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    In late January, our local said they could do leather interior and front heated seats for $1,300 on a Sedona LX. They said this was a 'special' from the shop they use for this work.

    $20,000 for an LX with the factory DVD Entertainment package and aftermarket leather seems like a fairly decent deal to me. In January, a base LX was going for around $17,000 or maybe $16,500 if you bargained hard. I think the DVD package invoices for around $1,000, and another $1,000-1,500 for leather puts you in the mid $19s based on January numbers.

    People haven't said much lately about February deals, but someone mentioned the dealers don't have as much unpublished incentives from Kia and so the pricing isn't as good in Feb as it was in Jan.

    Good luck and let us know how you do.
  • snjdogloversnjdoglover Member Posts: 13
    Well I have a real bone to pick with kia. Not that I didn't before..but it keeps getting worse. If you read my posts you will see i had a sedona 2004 lemon. Had to trade in for a 2006 and pay a 6K difference. (they gave me sticker price for my old with the lemon law and I just had to pay sticker on the new) Of course I didn't get the deals you guys are getting! I paid like 30K for the EX with power everything. heated leather, (all but dvd player). Anyway, now I am having problems again with my new kia. Things are intermitent so having problem getting them to fix it. I hear a knocking under the left driver side wheelbase. On really cold days my car starts and does a huge squeal as it sits down into gear to idle/warm up. Then my 'oh sh--" bar broke. Just lots of these annoying things. So I bring it in..and I thought if a dealer can't fix your car the same day and it's under warranty they are supposed to give you a rental. Apparently not. I was in a rental with my old kia all the time--hence the lemon. But now they are saying I'll have to pay for it. They'll shuttle me..but I have to sit home without a car for the days that it's being fixed. A brand new car!!!! I bought it in Sept. This is BS. I suggest you not buy that kia! I would never have bought another one had I not had to with the lemon law. They wouldn't give me cash to go elsewhere..just credit. Anyone else not getting rentals when your car is in the shop with a warranty covered problem that they can't fix same day? I have no other car and need a car daily! Ughhh
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Sorry to hear of all your problems with 2004 AND 2006 Sedonas. Our 2002 was nearly trouble-free for the 5 years we owned it.

    That said... I am surprised you thought the dealer was obligated to provide a loaner car. There is no such law, and most vehicle brands do NOT offer loaner service. Some dealers are nicer than others and will give loaners in certain situations (e.g. if you complain a lot, if your car is in the shop for several days, if you have a collision repair)...but this is a dealer-by-dealer basis.

    Point being, you should NOT be hating on Kia about this. You didn't do your homework in this area before buying the van.
  • 97xpresso97xpresso Member Posts: 249
    I agree that loaner car policies are a dealer-by dealer decision. That said, it seems he has plenty of reasons to hate Kia. He had a terrible experience with a 2004, was forced to purchase a 2006 at MSRP, after Kia loses the lemon-law. Now he has problems with the 2006! Deja vu all over again.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I, too, would hate Kia if I had gotten a lemon. And I would probably post about my experience on these forums -- just as I have posted about my GOOD experiences here.
  • dvrmandvrman Member Posts: 12
    what does spiff stand for ?
  • johngusjohngus Member Posts: 3
    Beavis,
    I am really sorry to hear about your experience with your sedona. I purchased a new 2004 in May of 04. It has 80,000 miles on it. I have never had a problem. I still have the original brakes on the van, I just purchased a new 2006 EX with the power package and luxury package in velvet blue from Jack Miller Kia in North Kansas City.

    The MSRP was 29,895. I paid 21895 plus a 199 processing fee that included the 30 day plates. I only have 500 miles on it. So far, it seems great.

    The gas mileage is better than I expected, I averaged 21.69 in cold weather bucking a wind on that first tank. We really appreciated the heated seats.

    I did the entire transaction online. I drove down to KC from southern MN to pick-up the van, We spent no more than 20 minutes in the dealers place of business,
    John
  • vannervanner Member Posts: 47
    What are Kia dealers aroung the US adding on to cars to boost profits and essentially lie about the showroom price?

    Here in Louisville, there are four Kia Stores, all owned by the same auto group, Montgomery Motors. EVERY Kia sold by them WILL have added a $79 "stripe" package, AND, a sort of "RFID" device that mounts under the dash requiring you to swipe a plastic RFID card to get the engine to start. No alarm, no tracking system. It's a SWITCH. It is labeled as a "security" package, and of course, it is. It's even added to '06 and '07 Kias WITH the factory alarm system.

    But this ain't no "Lojack". Lojack actually WORKS, and it's a full grand cheaper. Even the after-market "Theftstopper" system only runs about $350 installed. I've seen similar systems to these at flea markets and on-line for less than $50.

    The ONLY thing it does is disable/enable the starter circuit. There's no GPS or tracking service. The price? $1695!!! Bear in mind you CANNOT purchase a car from this group without this ad-on. They will not put a Kia on the lot or in the showroom without it. So, the newspaper/TV/radio price they advertise on a 2006 Sedona LX is $16,990, but there is no car and never will one be at that price. The total is $16,990 plus the stripe plus the $1695 RFID. This is three years now they have done this I know for sure, since it's on the 07 cars, too, from Rio to the top. Tax, license, papers fees on top of that.

    Any other dealers around the country do anything like that?

    I can buy a Kia in other nearby cities within a hundred miles or so without this shakedown, but of course their bottom line price is somewhat higher than what these stores advertise to give them more profit in the package. But at least that's HONEST and still doesn't come up to the local Kia store total purchase scam! (Add-on isn't even considered in any trade-in price since it's a junk gimmick one could buy for $50 on the internet.)

    Sometimes the total purchase experience prohibits buying some cars in some geographic areas. (One of these store's service departments also includes $80 for an "oil system flush" in each 12K warranty service and will only take it out if you make them - otherwise they don't tell anyone it isn't needed for Kia warranty and isn't needed at ALL in modern engines.)
  • brian1brian1 Member Posts: 29
    I recently purchased a 2006 Sedona that had a similar "security package" on it. It was a dealer locate/transfer car that the dealer I was buying it from did not alert me to this add-on. When I got to the dealership and looked at the window sticker it had the "security system" added on for $1,295. The first thing I told my salesman was I did not want this and he said there is nothing they could do as they had to pay for it from the transferring dealer. I was pissed because there was not other dealer around that had the Sedona I was looking for. The salesman said dont worry as I would only have to pay cost for the security system. It ended up being $50. What a scam. Imagine how many people pay $1000+ for this and know no better.
  • kanddkandd Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone purchased a Kia Sedona LX with DVD in St. Louis area in last 60 days? What did you pay?
  • volfyvolfy Member Posts: 274
    Just paid $23,600 before TT&L (cash deal, no trade in) for an '06 Sedona EX with Luxury Package and Power package - clear white with grey interior. Sticker Price was 29,665. I am sure I probably could have bought it for $23,000 if I were true to my old form and beat down the dealer for every last dollar. Maybe I'm getting old and soft, but the salesman knew his product well and was very patient in explaining every feature and answering every question my wife had on the Sedona. Plus he was the only one out of some 6 dealerships we visited (of vavious makes) that let us go by ourselves on as long a test drive as we liked. The rest all insist on coming along for the ride, and some were plain bothersome during the test drive.

    The finance guy was not as nice. After making us wait nearly 1hr, he tried to pad the deal with the usual "document fee". $50 in this case. I explained that the $23,600 price I agreed to pay is IT, and the only other fees I will pay is to the government for their cut (TT&L). He agreed to take it off, but then proceeded to screw up on the numbers. I clicked my calculator and made him print the Buyer's Order some 4 times before he got the number right. Meanwhile, my two boys (2 and 4yr) just about tore their two showroom cars apart. :P

    Dealership: Performance Kia, Houston, TX

    Test drive and touchy feely: 1-1/2 hrs. :)
    Negotiation: 20 mins. ;)
    Waiting on and then duking out with the finance guy: 1-1/2 hrs. :mad:
    Taking delivery next day: 20mins. :D

    Van was shined up and detailed, with a full tank of gas. Nice touch.

    In 1wk, we've already put 1,000 miles on it shuttling visiting relatives to and from the airport, plus a trip to San Antonio. So far - great van! The '07 Hyundai Entourage was ever so slightly more refined - some better interior trim material and barely noticeably better ride (could be difference in the test drive route). Definitely not worth the (at least) $6,000 premium over the '06 Sedona.

    I've already downloaded the Safety Recall Notices and will be calling Kia USA for a confirmation. I studied them closely and they are really just some minor details.
  • iscazziscazz Member Posts: 5
    I had virtually the same experience with Kia. 2004 was a lemon :lemon: ; in the shop 7 times for the same problem that they were never able to fix. Was offered a trade with "assistance from Kia to have no money out pocket" into 2006 L :lemon: X model. They gave me "owner loyalty" rebate and I still had to pay $30k for the car. Turns out the no money out of pocket referred to 84 months of payments at the same payment. They rolled over $9k into the new car. Currently have a lawyer working on getting Kia to take this second lemon :lemon: back.

    It has little problems constantly. Check engine light for no apparent reason, "TPMS" light comes on when nothing wrong, then when needed it doesn't work, the front airbags malfunction (don't deploy, just warning lights), ESC & ABS lights come on for no reason, parking break won't release all the way, not to mention the recalls.

    Service tells me to see Sales; Sales says it's a service issue. Service gives me a "loaner" car, only to tell me there is nothing wrong with mine. I lose work time to drop off the car and pick it up. I have filed complaints with the BBB, the Attorney General's office, all the media in the area. Nobody cares.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    That sucks, and I'd be pissed too if I had gotten 2 vehicles that were so problematic. But I can't help wondering why you signed on to such a poor deal on the 2006? That was your fault for going along with it, wasn't it?
  • iscazziscazz Member Posts: 5
    Agreed, signing was my fault, but to make a long story short, the things promised were not what they seemed and I was held hostage. They had the 2004 vehicle in service and had me in the dealership for 6 hours with no way to leave. And in the same way that the lemon law protects consumers, it protects the dealers. They don't have to honor what you paid in the first place, they give "fair market value" and factor in depreciation and length of use when/if they replace the vehicle.

    Weston Kia of Gresham, Oregon made promises to help me with the problem car, guaranteed me that the 2004 would not be sold, but returned to Kia in California for diagnosis and technical training, but turned around then next day and sold the car off the lot. Telling me that they "had a permanent fix for the problem the car was experiencing."

    I don't have as big a problem with the fact that I am paying too much money for the 2006, my problem is that I traded one bad vehicle for another equally bad vehicle. My original trade-in was upside down, but we needed the family vehicle so I took that loss.
  • volfyvolfy Member Posts: 274
    iscazz, I see that you've posted your unfortunate saga several times already. It seems that you haven't been able to get a solution to your problem. Have you tried the following:

    1. Go to another Kia dealership's Service dept.
    2. Contact Kia USA customer relation

    I realize venting your frustration online can be rather therapeutic for you, but none of us can really do anything to help your cause. Right after I bought my '99 Hyundai Sonata, I read online about similar complaints about Hyundai cars at the time. Most chose to contact HyundaiUSA directly and got them to work with the local dealership service dept. One Hyundai Forum even help set up a Customer Mediation Service. HyundaiUSA appeared very eager to work with their customers to solve quality problems. Now Hyundai is climbing pretty high on the Customer Satisfaction and Initial quality Index.

    Since Hyundai owns Kia, I would imagine they share similar corporate policy. Our experience with the '99 Sonata is one major reason we bought the '06 Sedona. After 7yrs, I still drive the Sonata everyday to work. And it is still under warranty for another 3 yrs. I've only had to use the warranty once - to fix a bad master clutch cylinder at 4-1/2yrs. I'll probably drive it for another 7yrs, or until it starts giving me major problems. By then, resale value wouldn't mean anything to me, and I'll probably just donate it to charity.

    We plan to do the same with our '06 Sedona.
  • iscazziscazz Member Posts: 5
    Venting my frustrations are the least of my concerns. I have not posted my "saga" several times, just answering postings such as yours.

    I would love to:

    1.) Contact another Kia dealership in my area, however, the other dealership near me, the "oldest Kia dealership in America" shut its doors recently --I did contact them before they closed, but their response was to show me 3 other vans sitting on the service lot with exactly the same problems and no way for them to diagnose or fix and

    2.) As I posted earlier, I have contacted KIA Motors America and have had no response, other than "thank you for the information" because the problems do not pose a "safety risk" according to corporate, I just need to keep dealing with my local dealership/service.

    Driving my car until it started giving me major problems was my intention as well (which is why we purchased GAP insurance and the extended warranty). However, I did not expect to experience the first of the long string of unrepairable issues with less than 1,000 miles on the car.
  • volfyvolfy Member Posts: 274
    Since I don't ever lease (or had to finance, so far), I haven't found GAP insurance to be a worthwhile investment. Extended warranty beyond the 5/60 Bumper-to-Bumper and 10/100 powertrain??!! Wow, you must really want to keep your car for a while.

    Personally, I've never found extended warranty to be worthwhile either. In essense, you are betting money against your own car, that it will lots of trouble years from now (5/10 yrs in this case) - enough that all the repair bills will more than offset your original investment in the warranty. IMHO, if *I* had that little faith in the car, I should've bought some other vehicle.

    That's why the long warranty works for me. I figure if I invest whatever money I didn't spend on the extended warranty, in 5/10yrs or more I would have acrued funds to help pay for repairs, if necessary, for a few more yrs, beyond which is time to get rid of the car anyway.

    Obviously, everybody manage their risks differently. Unfortunately, yours didn't work out.

    BTW, I bought my '06 Sedona knowing about "all the safety recalls". I downloaded and study them and found them to be minor in nature and don't pose any immediate threat to my family's safety. I will schedule with the local service dept to get them taken care of. It's the first yr of a redesign and I accept the fact that it will have some minor issues here and there. If you are not ready to accept that, you shouldn't buy the car. My '99 Sonata was also a first yr redesign. It too had one (or two?) recall, which was taken care off by the Hyundai service dept.

    To me, what is not acceptable is things like one of my coworker's brand new Ford F-150 burnt to the ground because of a faulty cruise control circuit, and the fact that Ford delayed admission of the problem and tried to cover up the issue. Kia, in this case, responded to the problems found and published the recalls barely 6months after NorthAmerican introduction of the '06 Sedona. i much prefer that.
  • rosco11rosco11 Member Posts: 2
    MSRP 31,995 incl. $700 destination. What are people paying right now for this vehicle? Any incentives? I live in Maine and I am willing to drive. It seems that I missed the boat on 2006 pricing....is there any hope for a decent price?
  • lordpercylordpercy Member Posts: 1
    I bought a new 2006 EX with power & luxury packages yesterday in southern California. MSRP: $29,665.

    Price was $22,260 after $4000 rebate before TTL.

    Just wanted to post my numbers -- this forum was very useful to me before my purchase.
  • ddesaiddesai Member Posts: 1
    We paid $30,014 (price includes $139 "doc fee") for 2007 Kia sedona EX (LC, PE and PK packages, MSRP $31,995). We live in northern NJ. Another dealer had quoted us around 30,000 BUT this included $750 rebate and did NOT include additional $318 "doc fee" and $800 "advertising fee".

    Have been driving for around 2 weeks. 15 MPG for the first tank. A little smaller than the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette GL that it replaced. Happy with the Sedona overall.
  • miamivalleymiamivalley Member Posts: 1
    I was quoted $23,900 TTL included for a 2007 LX with Power Sliding doors. Had my mind set on a 2006 EX with Power and Luxury Package for the same or better, dealer couldn't get anymore. So we walked away, is that a good price? :confuse:
  • jscottg64jscottg64 Member Posts: 13
    Has anyone out there leased a Sedona? I've had a few dealers tell me there aren't any leases available on the Sedona, which seems pretty strange to me...even if Kia won't do it directly, I'd think they'd work w/ a 3rd party leasing company.
  • sarathyjsarathyj Member Posts: 3
    Was looking around for a 2006 Kia Sedona EX with "Luxury Package" (Adjustable Pedals are a must for us, and it comes only with the Luxury Package). The local dealer has 2006 EX without the luxury package, but says they can install it themselves. I'm taking this with a pinch of salt, because I thought these options have to be added during manufacturing. Any thoughts. Should I go ahead with these guys or be circumspect? Thanks!
  • stevenfjlstevenfjl Member Posts: 5
    What I've gained in features for the price I'll more than lose in what it costs to fuel this vehicle. I get 7MPG in the city and my driving habits are conducive to getting good mileage. My 2006 KIA Sedona EX vehicle was rated at 19MPG City although KIA has revised it to 18MPG. So, I'm getting only 37% of the rated mileage in the city. Highway mileage is great as I get 28MPG Highway. Unfortunately, I do little highway driving so my overall mileage is 11MPG. Considering that the current cost of fuel is just under $3 per gallon, based on my actual mileage its like paying $8 per gallon for city driving and $6 per gallon overall.

    I've been trying to get KIA to do something about this since early September 2006. After much prodding I had a factory representative go for a fuel consumption test with me. The 28MPG Highway / 7MPG City I mentioned above was the results of that test. Since then KIA has REFUSED to do anything. There's even a loophole in the lemon law since mileage is not covered. So, BUYER BEWARE before making this purchase.
  • wileemomwileemom Member Posts: 1
    Basic Kia Sedona, only extra was a tow package. Paid 20,595 and took the 3.5 financing instead of the 1,000 rebate.
    Kia Dealership in Auburn, WA. Nice salesman, easy experience.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Obviously, 7 mpg is not normal for this vehicle, or any minivan for that matter. That sucks. I'd try everything you can think of to get the problem resolved. Couldn't this be some sort of underlying mechanical issue causing the van to use so much gas?

    It is hard to understand how you can get 28 mpg highway but only 7 mpg city from the same vehicle. Perhaps a skilled mechanic might have some ideas?

    Personally, I would scour the web, including Kia's own good info in their Kiatech area, looking for any sort of mechanical/driveability issues. Start reporting the symptoms to your dealer in hopes of getting them to replace as many components as possible. You probably won't need most/all of these new parts, but you might just find the needle in the haystack, i.e. the problem part that is causing the poor city fuel economy.

    At this point, you've got nothing to lose.
  • 11b33t11b33t Member Posts: 51
    Can you not get a 2007 Sedona EX? You're right to be leery about an added package and suggest you get what will be done in writing. Check to make sure it doesn't invalidate any warrenties..
  • snjdogloversnjdoglover Member Posts: 13
    I had a 2004 lemon which was traded in for a 2006. Since gettting it in Sept, I've had a dead battery. Arm rests broken in rear. Going back in for another broken arm rest soon. Broken 'oh sh#%" bar in rear. Knocking noise they can't duplicate. Ocassional squeal upon start up they can't duplicate since it's a once in a while thing. My tan leather seats get dirty so fast--they seem to take off your pants color. Not high quality leather. Now my automatic doors are not working. They'll open with the driver button controls and the key chain but they are all manual now when I pull the handle or hit the button by the actual seat. My experience with Kia's are nothing but trouble. I highly suggest those considering think twice. My experience is I am constantly in the shop with my kias.
  • johngusjohngus Member Posts: 3
    Just for balance, I need to post this. I also have a new 2006 Sedona EX with the power option and luxury option. I bought it in February. It now has 4800 miles on it. I love it. The only thing I have done is change oil. I changed to Mobil One. I paid 21895 plus tax and license. The sticker was 29895.

    I also have a 2004 that I purchased new. It has 82,000 miles with no problems. In fact, I still have the original brake pads on it. While I love this Sedona, the 2006 clearly has a higher level of refinement.
  • stevenfjlstevenfjl Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for your suggestions. At this point KIA has actually 'flat out' REFUSED to do anything to try and correct the problem. They have seen firsthand the mileage issue and then told me that mileage is not warranted so they aren't going to do anything. I first contacted the dealership and was told that they have to follow KIA's policies for checking out the vehicle. They told me that KIA does not let them check the vehicle out until there is 5000 miles it. So I went to KIA. And a factory representative went for a fuel consumption test with me. My results of the poor mileage bore out and subsequently KIA told me that they 'will not' do anything for the problem -- 'period'. I've talked to mechanics, including two from a performance shop for high end cars and none have ever heard of such a disparity between highway and city mileage. I've contacted local TV stations and am currently working with a representative from one of them to try to get this problem resolved with KIA. I hope to have further information to post at a later date.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I guess I don't understand why Kia would send a rep with you for a 'fuel consumption test' if they had no intentions of doing anything to remedy the problem? Have you asked them under what circumstances they WOULD do something? Otherwise, it makes no sense why they would bother having a Kia rep go with you to prove that the fuel consumption really is as bad as you claim.
  • stevenfjlstevenfjl Member Posts: 5
    When they decided to go for a fuel consumption test I thought that they had planned on fixing the issue if their mileage numbers bore out the same or similar to mine. In fact, the email I received from the factory rep that went on the test with me sent me an email about a week after the test and said that he would go for another fuel consumption test after the mileage reached 1500 to 2500 miles. At about 2000 miles I contacted him by email to schedule the test and did not receive a response. A week later I emailed him again and still got no response. In another week I emailed him yet again and still got no response after a week. So, I called him and left a message for him to call me back. He didn't call, but another representative from KIA did. That person told me that there is no warranty on mileage issues and that nothing would be done to correct it. When I pursued questioning him on the matter he simply stated that KIA will not do anything for this issue. I can't tell you what the rationale is, but I suspect that it is basically money. I think that they don't want to attempt any repair because then they may open themselves to a legal obligation to correct it. And, it may turn out to be a very expensive proposition for them. If they do nothing then their is no basis under the law requiring them to fix it. My auto mechanic contacted a friend of his that handles lemon law issues and the lawyer said to him -- let me guess, a factory representative checked it out and then they said they wouldn't fix it. So, I guess this is standard practice for auto manufacturers. Beyond that, I don't know what to tell you.
Sign In or Register to comment.