Reviewing the 2004 Kia Sedona LX Minivan
The actual purchase was very easy. Those salesmen do know how to make a sale! We had not planned on buying one quite yet although we had done some research. If we had not agreed to take the car for the afternoon as offered, maybe we would have waited. However, we did have grocery shopping to do with our two young children, and the groceries would fit much better in the minivan than our tiny Dodge Neon, so we agreed.
The first impression of the car was great. The color (sage) was nice, the interior was well organized, and there were tons of neat little nooks and crannies everywhere. For the basic, low end model, it had some nice standard features, such as dual sliding doors, power locks, rear vents, and cd player.
We had the salesman figure out what our payments would be for 6 years and went home (with the minivan) to think about it. We decided to tell the salesman that if he could give it to us for $300/month, we’d take it. . .he did, and we did. That added up to be somewhere around $18,000, which is pretty good for a brand new minivan. We decided a 6 year loan was not too bad considering our interest rate was low and the incredible warranty (ranging between 5 years/50,000 miles and 10 years/100,000 miles for various services) would outlive the payments if necessary.
The Kia Sedona is a very nice minivan for the price. There are tons of places to keep snacks, drinks, maps, books, sunglasses, and other extras. The seats switch around and come out with relative ease. The seats are also quite comfortable. It drives fairly nice, and the price and warranty can’t be beat! Next time we buy a minivan, we will probably stick with the Sedona.
However there are a few issues I want to point out. First of all, it does not cost that much more to get the EX model, which includes second row captain’s seats and keyless entry, a luggage rack, leather interior, and a nicer body look – I would like to keep that in mind for any future purchases. (I would also consider ordering the LX with keyless entry and luggage rack to save money). Also, the gas mileage is admittadly terrible, only about 14-17 mpg. I suppose this is caused by the minivan being about 500 lbs more than the average minivan, due to the five star frontal crash test rating. . .which is a good thing, but the prices at the pumps are NOT a good thing. The only other two problems we have found with our minivan is that one of our side doors sticks quite a bit, which we hope to get fixed soon; and, I find that the minivan sways a bit much with turning. My husband, however, does not notice this, so it could be “a girl thing”.
Otherwise, we have had no major problems so far with this vehicle and we are over 20,000 miles now. It is a comfortable, dependable ride for a relatively low price. I would definately recommend it for families on a budget, or people who would like a luxury (EX) minivan without the financial pinch. The warranty assures that you will not be taking a very big risk by purchasing the Sedona. Kia may not offer some of the luxury features such as power doors/back door or the fold-in-the-floor seats, but I think for the price, the Kia Sedona is a well rounded and practical vehicle. For those who are looking for all the luxury features, I have heard that Kia will be rolling out a more modern model in 2008.
Looking for a new minivan? Try your nearest Kia dealer – just don’t borrow it for the afternoon unless you are ready to start making payments!
