Hello everyone!
This is my first Question / post, so here goes. I am deciding between buying a 2021 Toyota Corolla LE or 2021 Kia Forte LXS. The price difference is a few thousand more for the corolla.
Both the Kia and Corolla come with a nice exterior and interior, with good legroom in the back, and tech features (Kia offers a little more in this category).
Being this is my first car purchase I am really concerned with reliability and longevity of the car.
Kia comes with a great warranty:
5 Basic Years / 60,000 Basic Miles
10 Drivetrain Years / 100,000 Drivetrain Miles
You might wanna type ‘Kia’ in the search box in the top right corner.
Depends, if you want the car to reliabely take you from A to B, get the Corolla.
If you want the car to reliabely bring s'mores to the dinner table, buy the Kia so you can use the engine fire as a marshmellow mass-production machine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iaMHhWkSNw
LOL! Thank you so much for your advice!
Wow !! just watched the video you posted. This is just crazy. Thanks!
Also want to add that 3-4 Kia Fortes ar going for around $10.000 while 6-7 year old Corollas are going for $10.000 so Kia resale value isnt good. There is absolutely NO reason to buy a NEW Kia. Short term <3 year ownership should be alright, but you would want to lease. Long-term, you want to get a Japanese brand with good resale value like Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Subaru... and Toyota&Honda tend to be more reliable.
Since you care about reliability and longevity, definitely go with the Toyota Corolla over the Kia Forte. Hyundai Motor Group products are not built as well as Toyota ones and especially in the last 11 or so years Hyundai has really gone downhill in quality/reliability - the pre-2010 ones could actually last longer than the more modern ones. Also, it may appear the Hyundai has the better warranty, but don’t be fooled. I have known countless friends, co-workers, family members who had a tough time getting good service at the Hyundai/Kia dealership (they don’t seem to occur after the sale is done), as well as some warranty claims denied. The majority of them got rid of their Hyundai/Kia and switched to Toyota/Honda and never looked back.
If I were in your shoes, it would be an easy decision: Toyota Corolla all the way.
Thank you so much for your insight regarding the warranty denial , It really helps with my decision making.
Pick the Corolla because -
1. Worlds best selling car with a track record of legendary reliability
2. Kia (& Hyundai) products fall apart >100,000 miles
With that said, the long term reliability of both these vehicles are unproven because they’re brand new.
If I was in your shoes, I’d look for a lightly used, good condition Corolla & save a few thousand $$$.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for your advice. I did look into getting a used Toyota Corolla 2015 and 2018 LE. But with the hassle of getting it checked out and with accidents on the Carfax, plus dings and dents all over the car I decided it wasn’t worth the money. I’m sure there are other deals to be had in this used car category. I just don’t have the head for it right now maybe sometime later.
My opinion:
If you are looking for keep the car for longer than 5 years, go for the Corolla. If you are the kind of person who changes your vehicles every 3 to 5 years, the price difference is not justifiable although the Corolla will have a better resale value too.
Hi thank you so much for your advice. Yes I am looking to keep it more than five years. And I’m glad to hear that the resale value is better. Thanks again!
Hands down the corolla is the king for reliability it's such a fantastic car it doesn't even need the warranty honestly, for the few extra grand it is super worth it and if you want more tech in the car see about buying a higher trim level if you can
Thank you so much for your advice. I’m going to ask for the Convenience package. The push button start It’s just so much more convenient than pulling out my keys every single time. Thanks!
No problem! Always happy to help a friend!
Like every one else is saying there is no comparison. Go with the toyota.
Thank you so much!
Definitely go with the Corolla. Those two cars are like day and night.
Thanks! Would love to hear more why you feel that way.
Drive both and see how well it suits your needs. Car reliability is something only time will answer. I had a Kia Forte that I drove 187,000 miles with original transmission and engine and no issues. Having said that the predicted reliability of the corolla is greater than the Kia. One more very valuable thing to keep in mind is safety, the Toyota will be cheaper to insure as the Kia Forte is among the top 10 cars in fatalities per million registered cars.
Hi! I so far drove the Kia forte and it drives pretty good. I’m hopefully going to be able to drive the Corolla tomorrow. The IHS safety Rating for the Kia is 9.3 out of 10. And for the Corolla it’s 9.7 , That’s gonna be a big difference for me. Thanks again for your advice!