What's better: Newer Kia or Older Jetta?

At that age, it's going to depend a lot on the individual vehicle.

VWs over all tend to be in better shape... not because they are better vehicles (they aren't... in fact, they are worse in many ways) but because their owners are generally wealthier and they have more preventative maintenance done and do things like park in a garage and regularly wash and clean their vehicle.

The problem with VWs is the high price for what you get and the high cost of parts and labour to maintain them. If it's purely about money.... it's going to be very hard to beat a KIA--especially since KIAs are worth almost nothing after five years.

Try and find one that has been owned by an older person and well maintained, and put the extra money you would have spent on the Jetta into preventative maintenance.

Newer Kia

It's a toss-up. Neither make is known for reliability. Go with a Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Nissan or Subaru. Yes...yes I know. They're all Japanese Companies. Well, the Japanese make the most-reliable cars in the world.

20+ years in car sales/management/finance and I've seen ALL of these makes with 250,000+ mile still running. I currently drive a 2002 Mazda Protege5 with 182,000 miles and it runs perfectly.

Avoid Kia's for sure. A NEWER VW would be ok, but not an older one.

I would get the VW if it's a TDI (diesel) model. The petrol powered ones are the not so good models.

As for Kia, it's a toss up. They're pretty much disposable. The advantage of getting a Kia is that it's cheaper to maintain and repair.

I agree with Rob R. Better stick with a Japanese car, majority of them are much higher rated. You will find a good one under $6K

I've owned a lot of used cars over the years and newer is ALWAYS better (even with higher miles). Technology and engineering are advancing so quickly these days that a car only a couple of model years newer is way more advanced than it's predecesors. When it comes to used cars NEWER is BETTER.

I would go with the Kia. If you wanna fork out big money for repairs then go with the Volkswagen. Euro car parts are expensive and hard to come by. A lot of times you have no choice but to go to the dealer and let them order the part marked up at least 150% and shipped from Germany which takes weeks. I know because I made the mistake of owning a Mercedes.

Kia's are trash. Please do not get a KIA. You will have a not of issues. If I were you, get a newer Jetta or look for a different German or Asian car.

The Kia will be cheaper to maintain since the Jetta is a Euro car.

Neither are particularly good choices and it would depend on each cars mechanical condition. Id probably give the slight edge to the Kia just because its newer & has lower miles and I presume you will take care of it if you want it to last 8 years.

Buying a car is a very important decision. You want something reliable, comfortable, and unique. We recommend taking a look at our line up and take one for a test drive.

Raul T.

Kia Social Team