Mid size sedans... of these 3, how to choose?

KamCottage

I am looking at buying a used Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata or Kia Optima. Roughly around 3 or 4 years old. I am having trouble comparing because lots of specs have changed over the last several years on all 3. So it's hard to compare, say, a 2017 Sonata with a 2019 Altima or a 2018 Optima. I have to set up basically 12 or more comparisons to really cover everything in this group of choices. Is there an easier way to do this?

Basically I am looking for the most reliable of these 3 with great mileage and good repair ratings. They are all very close I realize. Also, when it comes to used inventory, which is limited to begin with, I don't want a black car, or a black interior, which seems the most common. So that reduces choice even further. I haven't test driven any but the Altima. So I am feeling a bit overwhelmed about choosing. Also trying to decide about shopping for President's Day weekend which is a traditionally good car sale weekend. Or wait until more used inventory comes on the market since it was low during the pandemic. My Honda Civic has 179000 miles on it so I am anxious to do something soon. Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.

qbrozen

1. Scratch the Altima. Nissan's CVT has reliability problems.
2. Forget any "holiday sale." It is a total farce, ESPECIALLY for used cars. It isn't like the dealer's profit margin suddenly shrinks a few days a year for special occasions.
3. A used HyunKia is a good value. If you can find CPO, then you get the 10yr powertrain warranty, which is nice peace of mind.

KamCottage

Hey thank you qbrozen. Those are things I had not yet run across in my research so I appreciate the heads up. Will continue to research. My hope is to find the right combo of good spec years and price.

oldfarmer50

I don’t think any of those cars will be as reliable as your Honda but having said that I agree with qbrozen’s advice. Just curious, have you considered a domestic model like a Malibu or Fusion? Sometimes you can get a better price on those.

On any car do a search for known problems. Sometimes just choosing a different engine or trim level can make a difference between a reliable car and a money pit.

KamCottage

Oldfarmer50.... Good question about domestic models. I have tended to be a snob about American cars (which probably reflects, among other things, my age of 61). If domestics have gotten close in quality and reliability to the other models I mentioned that would be good to know. I have not had to get a car in 21 years so have not kept up. LOL. I could possibly drive my Honda up to 250000 miles but that makes me a little nervous about going any farther than an hour from home. Not to mention the repair costs surely to come on it.

qbrozen

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/nissan/altima/owners

oldfarmer50

KamCottage said:

Oldfarmer50.... Good question about domestic models. I have tended to be a snob about American cars (which probably reflects, among other things, my age of 61). If domestics have gotten close in quality and reliability to the other models I mentioned that would be good to know. I have not had to get a car in 21 years so have not kept up. LOL. I could possibly drive my Honda up to 250000 miles but that makes me a little nervous about going any farther than an hour from home. Not to mention the repair costs surely to come on it.

Relative quality of domestic brands is a much debated issue but I’d like to think they are the equal of the cars on your list. Certainly the perception that Asian or Korean cars are better will drive the price upward. Why not go on one of the online auto sites like AutoTrader or AutoTempest and compare prices.

andres3

KamCottage said:

Oldfarmer50.... Good question about domestic models. I have tended to be a snob about American cars (which probably reflects, among other things, my age of 61). If domestics have gotten close in quality and reliability to the other models I mentioned that would be good to know. I have not had to get a car in 21 years so have not kept up. LOL. I could possibly drive my Honda up to 250000 miles but that makes me a little nervous about going any farther than an hour from home. Not to mention the repair costs surely to come on it.

If you can find a recommended good Honda mechanic/auto shop in your area, I think that would alleviate your fears. I see no reason you can't get your Honda to 250,000 miles cheaply if you've maintained it well.

texases

Depends how old, while the Altimas have CVT problems the HyunKias have engine problems. Check out Carcomplaints.com for these models.

I'd go for a Camry SE.

qbrozen

texases said:

Depends how old, while the Altimas have CVT problems the HyunKias have engine problems. Check out Carcomplaints.com for these models.

I'd go for a Camry SE.

OP stated 2017-2018.
Not sure that site supports your choice.





Looks to me like the Optima is the way to go, using just these data.

texases

Good point, I skipped the years comment. Can a second owner pay to get the 100k warranty? That would be another plus.

qbrozen

texases said:

Good point, I skipped the years comment. Can a second owner pay to get the 100k warranty? That would be another plus.

A CPO gives the 2nd owner that 100k warranty.

KamCottage

texases said:

Depends how old, while the Altimas have CVT problems the HyunKias have engine problems. Check out Carcomplaints.com for these models.

I'd go for a Camry SE.

Thanks all for your thoughts everyone. Regarding the Camry, I couldn't edit this post since too much time had gone by but my other cross post says that I need at least 45" of front leg room. But not a truck. And can't afford the Lexus types.

texases

Don’t trust listed dimensions to decide on cars. You have to sit in them.

KamCottage

texases said:

Don’t trust listed dimensions to decide on cars. You have to sit in them.

Really? Can't you at least use them as a general guideline? Otherwise you'd have to sit in dozens and dozens of cars to see what fits. Franky I would rather have a Toyota or Honda but the husband is 6' 4 " and cannot drive the Civic without his knees being up around the steering wheel.

texases

Drop by a CarMax and try out a lot of different models. I'm 6'5" and have been surprised at cars that fit, and those that don't.

roadburner

I drove an Optima(Kia bribed me with a $25 gift card), and I was pleasantly surprised. If I was looking for a FWD sedan that is probably what I'd go with.

qbrozen

KamCottage said:

texases said:

Don’t trust listed dimensions to decide on cars. You have to sit in them.

Really? Can't you at least use them as a general guideline? Otherwise you'd have to sit in dozens and dozens of cars to see what fits. Franky I would rather have a Toyota or Honda but the husband is 6' 4 " and cannot drive the Civic without his knees being up around the steering wheel.

@texases is right, the dimensions mean very little. It is the seat that is important. Just about anything with an 8-way (or more) power seat should work. There are some exceptions, of course. But, to put it in perspective, an Accord with a 4-way manual seat is less accommodating for tall folks than a Civic with a power seat. I'm 6'5", BTW.

andres3

roadburner said:

I drove an Optima(Kia bribed me with a $25 gift card), and I was pleasantly surprised. If I was looking for a FWD sedan that is probably what I'd go with.

Ha! It isn't terrible. After all, I leased one for 3 years after test driving one. The 1.6T is very unrefined and coarse though. Doesn't sound good at all. Also, the 7-speed DCT was lackluster at best.

Lastly, in those recent CR mags I read the other day, there was an article about disputing the constant, regular, and numerous error prone ways of the 3 big credit bureaus. In the article, it suggest that if and when you lose a dispute, that you can hire a consumer affairs specialized lawyer to sue the 3 credit agencies and get your way to have the record corrected, and that the lawyer fees will be billed to the losing party.

Almost made me want to revisit my case with Kia Financial and the inaccurate credit bureaus.