I understand that, Ive come to the realization and am perfectly fine with the fact that I will probably have a car payment until the day I die. This is being purchased for my wife and I want something that I dont have to worry about taking to the shop. Dont get me wrong the Charger is a great car and we've had no problems with it, but I know its just a matter of time. We are planning on paying whatever negative equity there is on the Charger.:-)
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I have a 2009 Highlander and I love it.
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:-) Car payments suck.. :-)
Avoid if you can..IMHO
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Fixed that for you. :-)

Kia and Hyundai have made massive leaps forward in the last 5 years. They make real cars now, not the tinny crap they used to put out.
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I looked at the Sorento and the Sportage. I like the look of the Sportage a litte more, but I like the space in the Sorento. I say go for it! America's best warranty!
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When my truck was stolen a few months ago, the rental car lady told me she was putting me in a SUV. We walked out to a Kia Sorento. Their definition of a SUV and mine were contenants apart.

Overall it drove ok, and considering what I normally drive, gas milage was great. Interior quality was lacking. I would hate to get hit by a truck like mine while driving a Sorento.

My :-):-), YMMVG
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Wife's got one... it works good, zero problems... plus there's a killer warranty.

We got hers last year... it was an 09 w/ 11,000 miles on it. List was 28K, I talked him down to 17K (with all taxes and everything included).
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I have a 2008 Highlander and also love it. 2nd one I've had.

We're talking apples and oranges, or Toyotas and Kias. Not a fan of Kia at all.

Although for me it's worth it, the Highlander is probably 10k more.

Personally, I don't buy cars, I lease them for 3 years and turn them in for a new one. Always a Toyota, and test drove the Venza yesterday and mmight take it home.
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For those who might have an outdated view of Kia, this is the kind of vehicle they're making now. This is the 2011 Optima.
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Bob, if you dont mind me asking. Do you work for KIA??? You have been upselling them the entire thread.
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My in-laws have one. They wanted a slightly larger car with a low payment and that is the route they went. Overall they have never complained to us about it although they had a Sante Fe prior and they have said they wished they spent a little more to get another Sante Fe as it didn't ride as nice. When they go out with us in my wifes 4Runner they always say they wished their car road as nice as hers so I would definitely take it for a test drive and maybe do it on a little rougher of a road to get the true feel for it. It's been in for a few recalls & TSBs and at one point had been brought in for an issue with the transmission. That was last year and they haven't mentioned it being a problem anymore and the TSBs seem to be more and more common nowadays. I know my 2010 Tacoma has had three done recently and they never really phase me.
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Is that a BMW? :-)
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No Where Close!!!!
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what do they say about putting lipstick on the pig?

Hey, drive what you like.
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No, I'm an auto industry nerd though and I give credit where credit is due. I don't remember the last time I saw an automaker make such huge leaps in quality and style in such a short period. If you look at Kia's lineup 5 years ago it was utterly bland and boring. They were starting to be built better, but there was no cohesive design language, and everything had a kind of knock-off feel to it. Have you seen the Subaru "2011 Mediocrity" ads? The car in the ads is the first Kia Optima, and they were not wrong to use that as the basis for it. Now, their designs are starting to have personality; Kia hired Peter Schreyer (he worked for Audi and VW, and styled the Audi TT) 5 years ago to head their design and it looks like that was a good decision.

Same goes for Hyundai. Look at the new 2011 Elantra compared to the last one. The last one was not a good looking car IMHO. The new one looks like a shrunken Sonata, and that's a huge improvement. And the Sonata, that's a great car too.
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I just got my wife a Mazda CX-7 and really like it. Turbo-Charged 4 cylinder really goes fast! It's very comfortable for a 6'5'' guy and was very reasonable in price for the crossover market.

MCS
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No, THIS is a BMW. :-)
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Well we ended up buying a 2011 Sorento. I will say I was skeptical going in, but was impressed with the vehicle. It rides like a dream and you cant beat the standard safety features. 30 mpg is nice on the highway. It came standard equiped with rear sensors along with a back up camera. They also gave me $3000 over blue book for my Charger, which was a huge selling point along with a $2000 rebate, which almost wiped out any negative equity we had. Overall I am impressed with the Sorento so far. Ill try to get some pics posted as soon as my wife lets me near it. Thanks everyone for the feedback.:-)
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These actaully are better looking in person. I looked at a few, but was set on the SUV route.:-):-)
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Looks are one thing. Reality is another.

Anyone over 5'8" can tell you that car was built ridiculously too small.

Driving is interesting considering the "panoramic" roof drops the ceiling 2 inches...which means your head is jammed against the ceiling while your knees are stuck on both sides of the steering wheel.

Your knees end up in your face and your head ends up in the ceiling if you even attempt to maneuver into the backseat.

The Sorento is a much better choice over the Optima!
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