My wife is looking at getting a new vehicle. We are currently looking at a 2011 Kia Sorento. I figured I would ask for some feedback from anybody who has owned one. The safety ratings are good and it has recieved good reviews, but since when can you trust those. Any feedback would be appreciated.:-)
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Never driven one myself, but have a friend who owns one and really likes it.
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It's a crapshoot, really. Kia Sorento = Hyundai Santa Fe. If you're set on it, go for it - just know that going into it that the resale values are absolute sh*t...so unless you are buying it outright, you'll be upside down financially as soon as you sign the dotted line.

Best of luck!
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:-)
Look for a low mileage certified used Chevy Equinox.
Just one mans opinion.

Good luck brother, having to deal with car salesmen..:-)
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The current Chevy Equinox is a decent vehicle. It is, however....erm, unfortunate looking, shall we say?

The Sorento is a good choice, and has a better warranty. The Hyundai Santa Fe is similar, like Tobii3 said, but I think the styling of the Sorento is better. Hyundai and Kia resale values are starting to climb with the quality levels.

Does she absolutely need an SUV? Normally I wouldn't suggest a different type of vehicle, but while you are at the Kia dealer, take a look at the 2011 Optima. It's a beautiful car, probably the first Korean car that I could actually say "I want that" about.
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You need help. :-)
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Not to knock any car company, but 2 years ago I received a letter from my bank stating they will not finance any KIA sales. The resale is nothing and the bank was losing to much money on repos.
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Have you seen it? Gorgeous. Why any one would buy a Camry or Accord after seeing it, I have no idea. They finally got around to building real cars.
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I think that's changed a bit. I know my credit union wouldn't finance Suzukis still, but Hyundai and Kia were not on the bad list anymore when I went in to finance my Ranger. Which I love dearly, but come on. If any vehicle should be denied financing it's the Ranger. It's 2 years old and has 26k miles on it; what's it worth now, a quarter?
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Its funny you say that. The Ford Ranger is actually made by Mazda. It seems everyone has parts made by so many companies its coming down all cars will be built under one name.
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Those Rangers are TOUGH to sit in, with two people it's like having sex without the actual touching.
I am also looking at a new vehicle, lucky that I have drinks and herbal incense with my local Chevy dealer.
Why can't he be a Ford dealer?
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My sis had a Sante Fe, ended up rolling $6K into her next vehicle just to get rid of it.

She had it for 3 years, was up to date on her payments, but needed a bigger vehicle (lots of kids). The low resale value screwed her over big time. Granted she could have done it differently like selling it rather than trading it in, but she needed to get it done quickly.
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It's cramped, it's noisy, you feel EVERY bump, and it's an old design. I LOVE IT! It feels unbreakable, and I usually get 27-32 mpg. The cab is so small you can leave the A/C on the lowest setting and it keeps you nice and cold in summer, and in winter you can leave the heater on the lowest setting and be toasty. And every person who told me RWD is bad in the snow are dirty, dirty liars. I've never had so much fun in winter driving. You just have to know how to drive. Oh, and the $4000 rebate was also awesome. It needs a wash and smells like a herf, but I never want to get rid of it.
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I'd look at Ford since you are kicking tires.

I'd put Hyundai above Kia in quality and in a few years the Hyundai name will be better than Kia. Hyuandai is on the up and up big time. Look at the Sonata!!! Does a US sold car get any sexier for that price point?
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OK lets try a Certified Pre-owned Ford Escape, great vehicle made in Kansas City.
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We have looked at several different SUV's. We are trading in a 2006 Dodge Charger and would love to buy another one, but they are a little out of our price range for what we want. I do like the Equinox, but it is hard to beat the 30mpg estimated on the Sonata. My wife drives close to 60 miles round trip daily so we are looking for something to haul kids and not need to be refueled every two days. And for anyone wondering why were getting rid of the Charger is because the miles are high (122000). I made a first time car buyer mistake and bought a used car with high miles.:-)
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The Escapes are pretty nice, but if we're talking used, I'd be willing to bet a Mercury Mariner could be found cheaper since Mercury is dead. Plus, they'll be serviced by Ford dealers. I wonder if the Mazda Tribute might be cheaper too because they haven't been able to sell as many as the Escape.

Badge engineering may be distasteful, but at least it can result in bargains.
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:-)
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um...

if you bought it used, you're still paying on it, right?

Trade in value on a "regular" Charger (non R/T, non Hemi) is maybe $6,500 - $7,000...which is probably less than what you owe, right?

Just pointing out some options instead of eating MORE debt rolled into another 5 or more years of car payments, that's all.

Repairs will ALWAYS be cheaper than taking on more car payments.
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Sorry but kia is krap. :-) I would suggest the explorer or escape as a good vehicle.
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