We have a 2009 Kia Sedona and frankly, I am amazed that we have not had one problem other than normal wear and tear items-brakes,rotors,belts,etc.. We bought it new. I just replaced the alternator on mine after all this time but the things keeps going and going. The a/c still blows ice cold and fortunately never had a problem or issue with it. My in-laws have a Kia Sportage that is a couple years older than mine and they have yet to have a problem with it. KIa has really stepped up their game and quality is much better since when they first started. I have a few friends and neighbors who have newer models and they are really nice. I will probably be getting an Optima within the next year. Granted they are not the most luxurious vehicles but they make a good car without having to pay the insane new prices on other brands that do the same thing.

I am a long-time Toyota owner and have no plans to replace my 2009 Corolla, but if I wrecked it or something, I'd consider a Kia. I have been impressed with the styling, fit and finish of the ones I have been able to drive. I like the Soul in spite of myself. It looks funky on the outside, but has a conventional, well-designed interior and a larger engine (2.4L) than is usual for that kind of car, so it can get out of its own way.

Almost universally, people who hate Hyundai/Kia, are those who've never owned one.

Ask actual owners. People who chime in with comments like: "get what you pay for" or "throwaway car" or whatever are exhibiting selection bias; the tendency to approve of one's own choices over other options.

I owned a Hyundai Genesis 4.6 for quite a while. Despite all the blah-blah negative bullshit uniformed opinions I got, I put well over 100K miles on that car, and only bought one factory part - ever. It was a factory Hyundai cord to attach my wife's IPhone to the car. Everything else was either an oil filter, tires, a battery, or something any car would need regardless of price or model. To this day one of the best cars I've ever owned.

If you want to know about any car - regardless of who made it - check out Craigslist. Now hear me out on this. Put any and all in search configurations for price, year, etc. Now put in the make and model you're looking for, and put 200K in as the minimum mileage. See what pops up that's still running and passes inspection. You'll find out what's what pretty quick.

I was reading an online article the other day, under the google search "most reliable cars". A well known auto magazine came up with this online article. There very first mention was a Volvo. Now, not to piss off any Volvo owners here, but real quick, try my craigslist trick and see how many Volvos pop up with over 200K. How many with over 100K? Ask Volvo owners. They'll tell you it's a great car, but you need to ditch it before the warranty is up. There's a reason for that. The very same magazine once recommended no one ever buy a jeep. Have you any idea how many Jeep 4.0L engines are out there with over 300K on the odometer? Check it out sometime.

Honda, Toyota, and Datsun/Nissan were once in the exact same position Hyundai KIA finds themselves in now. They were the new-kids in town, with promises of quality and prices lower than domestic cars. And the fan-boys of those days were quick to tell you how they were throw-away cars, junk made for the lowest bidder, yada yada.

Ask the execs of GM, Ford, and Dodge how that turned out for them.

When people talk like this about cars or computers, or whatever new thing they don't understand, I can hear the familiar tones of "plastic guns! that'll never catch on. Throw-away junk!"

I'm not saying they're always wrong, just saying maybe check with Gaston before casting stones.

My daughter has a Sportage that is probably 8 or 9 years old, but is low mileage. We have never had any problems that the warranty did not cover.