[Lokoto20]

I have a 2021 Forte GT with 19.000 miles on it and my lease is up next week.
I am debating whether I should purchase the vehicle, particularly given the current state of the auto market.
This is my first Kia and I am just not sure how reliable it is in the long term.
I have been reading many articles and it appears it is very individual. Many caution for issues with engine and dual clutch wearing out.
If I buy it, I plan to drive at least up to 80-90K.
Up till this point, the car has been fine and I have been getting used to the jerkiness of the dual clutch. I have had few stalls that were not pleasant but learned to live with it.
Any thoughts, personal experiences would be helpful.
I have driven Hondas, Infiniti's and BMW's for many years and Kia is still a new territory for me.
Many thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Intruder]

As you said, it really does come down to the car. However, you‘ll find that the majority of cars will give you many trouble-free miles. The key, as I’m sure you know, is regular maintenance. Cars need to be taken care of. Also, you’ll still have the warranty intact so that’s a big plus.

I have the feeling that the quality of most cars nowadays is just not there. Too many manufacturers are riding on their past glory days of reliability. Kia certainly has come a long way and to be fair, they never were really that bad. It was mostly bad owners.

 

[RandyM]

I've often asked about the reliability of the Forte and have heard stories of 150,000 miles plus with normal maintenance. If your car hasn't been abused and has gotten factory-spec maintenance from a reputable shop, I think you can expect a long service life.

I think the days of Toyota and Honda being exemplary cars and everything else as cheap junk are mostly behind us. In the 2008 financial crash a number of marginal parts suppliers went bankrupt. There are relatively few survivors, usually the best run, and today they sell to all of the manufacturers. In the day, you could hold a Kia part and a Honda part and see dramatic differences. Not so today.

Still, if you want an objective assurance of your car's potential longevity, spend about $150 to have a good mechanic to check it out, including an expert computer scan. I would ask the mechanic about the stalling you mention.

Also, at your next oil change do an oil analysis. They are cheap and will reveal if your engine is headed for trouble.

You have the 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. If you have documentation you should be in good shape for anything that could happen.

 

[fernandocordonrios]

I have a 2021 Forte GT with 19.000 miles on it and my lease is up next week. I am debating whether I should purchase the vehicle, particularly given the current state of the auto market. This is my first Kia and I am just not sure how reliable it is in the long term. I have been reading many articles and it appears it is very individual. Many caution for issues with engine and dual clutch wearing out. If I buy it, I plan to drive at least up to 80-90K. Up till this point, the car has been fine and I have been getting used to the jerkiness of the dual clutch. I have had few stalls that were not pleasant but learned to live with it. Any thoughts, personal experiences would be helpful. I have driven Hondas, Infiniti's and BMW's for many years and Kia is still a new territory for me. Many thanks in advance for your input.

I got mine at 40k miles still running great

 

[Steve g]

I have never leased a car.. everyone I know that has leased a car has taken an absolute bath at the end... at this point it comes down to numbers..

 

[ForteGT2]

I have a 2021 Forte GT with 19.000 miles on it and my lease is up next week.
I am debating whether I should purchase the vehicle, particularly given the current state of the auto market.
This is my first Kia and I am just not sure how reliable it is in the long term.
I have been reading many articles and it appears it is very individual. Many caution for issues with engine and dual clutch wearing out.
If I buy it, I plan to drive at least up to 80-90K.
Up till this point, the car has been fine and I have been getting used to the jerkiness of the dual clutch. I have had few stalls that were not pleasant but learned to live with it.
Any thoughts, personal experiences would be helpful.
I have driven Hondas, Infiniti's and BMW's for many years and Kia is still a new territory for me.
Many thanks in advance for your input.

You'll have the original 10 year/100K limited powertrain warranty won't you? That should be a serious factor in making your decision.

 

[Destonomos]

I have never leased a car.. everyone I know that has leased a car has taken an absolute bath at the end... at this point it comes down to numbers..

This. The only people I've known to do leases are rich people with luxury cars that they commute to work with. They assume they will always have a car payment so why not spend within your means up to the top of a lease and now you never have to worry about cars again because you give them back after your done banging them out for 40-50k miles after 3 years or so.

I keep cars longer (7-9 years) and enjoy having a 3-4 year period where I don't have a car payment. If the car makes it to the end then I save even more when I trade it in. I try to get my depreciation below 20 cents a mile after I am done with a car.

Currently I've been depreciating my 2020 kia forte gt-line at .13 cents a mile after 4 years of driving. That doesn't include maintenance and my fuel injection cleaner I put in every fill up. I'd say I'm more realistically around .22 cents a mile in depreciation.

 

[ForteGT2]

I have never leased a car, and I don't understand why someone would lease Vs buy, considering you don't own the car and are responsible for any scratch or ding - and pay through-the-nose if you exceed the allowable mileage. I've read enough horror stories of Leasers paying quite a bit of money when they turned in the leased vehicle.
I don't see the advantages of leasing over buying - OTOH I realize everybody doesn't think like me...

 

[anonimaus]

I lease my cars. My Forte GT has 12k km’s on it in almost two years. I traded my leased EX with similar mileage on it after two years of leasing and came out ahead in a GT. I’ve always leased even highly modified cars because I could put them back to stock or simply sell them to make up for or exceed the outstanding remaining lease buyout. Leasing isn’t for everyone but it can be lucrative if you aren’t putting many miles on your cars.