[Blue07]

QUOTE (batman75 @ Jul 31 2010, 10:25 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=346319

My girlfriend is looking at buying a 2006 Sonata used with one owner from a KIA dealer. It is a V6. Dealer is asking $8500 and the car has 46k miles.

Does this seem like a good deal?

Also will this be a reliable car? She doesn't make much money so she wants something reliable since it would be painful for her to be hit with big repair bills.

According to KBB, suggested retail is $12,860 and the trade in value (excellent shape) is $8,550. Dealers can normally sell a car for about $1,000 more than KBB's trade in value and still make a decent profit. That would have made a realistic negotiated "retail" price around $9,550. So it appears $8,500 is good. Just because a car is sold off a lot does not mean it is in excellent shape. Be sure to check it carefully. And NEVER trust Carfax. (I've personally seen four cars that were in accidents but had clean bills of health from Carfax.)

As far as reliability, visit your local library and read the most recent Consumer Reports car issue. (It's normally the April issue.) According to the 2008 CR car issue (the only issue I have), the 2006 V6 Sonata received an overall used car verdict of Average (clear circle) . I found this odd because the car received many solid red circles for individual areas. However the I4 received the best used car verdict given by CR, a solid red circle. Again, that was two years ago and might have changed.

 

[Blue07]

According to CR the I4 is more reliable. However this based off a two year old report. I would absolutely read the 2010 CR issue for the most up to date statistics. In my opinion, engine strain is a non-issue and will not affect longevity. Although the I4 is clearly not as fast as the beefy V6, it is far from underpowered and remains relaxed under almost all circumstances.