Hi, I've got a 2012 Kia Cerato (Forte) Koup SLS, which I bought in 2016 for about $10k. I bought it at roughly 55000 miles, and it's now done about 94000. I haven't spent any real money on it beyond basic servicing each year, but there are a few creaks and clunking noises. After hitting a kerb once or twice, there is an audible clunk when it takes off, when it brakes rapidly, or when it turns with a full steering lock. I suspected a motor mount or a suspension problem, but I took it to a mechanic, and they couldn't find any problems in either areas. Additionally, the engine starts rough on cold start, idling to about 1400 RPM before going down to normal, and having the ticking valve noise at the same time. Given all that, I was thinking that it's better to offload it, at a time when used car prices are very inflated (at least where I live - Australia). I might be able to almost break even on the sale, since similar models in that spec and year are going for at least 11k privately, and from 12k at a dealer. Is it time to cut my losses and sell it?
12k? Definetly get rid of it. I would get rid of it if I could get 5k for it.
9 years old is basically the end of a Kias life.
Yes I agree! That's like close to what those have been MSRP...
Yes, your Kia is falling apart. And one more thing: Change your mechanic, apparently, he does not really know about the cars.
Well, he didn't charge me anything, so that's at least something. Neither did the guy who checked my engine for issues, since the Theta II is problematic at best.
That’s good. I guess, at the end Of the day, it won’t affect your decision about selling the car.
Well, just to follow things up, it was apparently a broken plastic part that was intruding into the wheel well and rubbing against the tyre at certain times - not a mechanical issue. A bolt and some washers seems to have got rid of the problem.
Further follow up here - I had a low-speed crash, which involved replacing the front bumper, and luckily no other damage to the radiator or engine. After that, the clunking noise is gone. So the car is in better shape than it was before the accident. Given that new cars involve a waiting list of at least 6 months, I'm happy to preserve what I've got.
I'd add here that the car isn't due for a major service - and here I'm assuming this involves changing most of the fluids - transmission, brake, power steering and radiator - until 7 months later. The car has hit the old 100000 mile mark, and doesn't appear to have any major problems. I know the Cerato had the Theta II engine, which was problematic for certain markets, but I haven't had an issue at this point, apart from a rough cold start. I might have to replace the clutch before 120000 miles, but I haven't noticed an issue yet. I change the oil with 5W-30 or 5W-20 full synthetic oil every 6200 miles or 6 months, with OEM parts if they're attainable. All in all, this car isn't an endless money pit at this point, but I might consider a better sound system or fit a reversing camera, just so long as the car doesn't detonate itself in the next year or so.