Ok! Things to watch for, or to ask about before you buy. Heater core, is it original? The factory heater cores are glued together and tend to come apart after 5 to 7 years of use, regardless of milage. Water pump, these also tend to go south after 5 years or so, to change the water pump you need to remove the timming belt. Speaking about the timming belt it should be changed every 5 years (ish) regardles of miles on the clock. Hubs, you don't have any so don't worry! Exhaust, the tail pipe tends to rust thru and fall of after about 5 years, and the heat shields around the pipes and cat tend to come loose, the spot welds fail and they make a rattling sound. There is also a know issue with the intake valves not seating correctly causing a engine tick, simular to that of valves in need of an adjustment, pulling the head and honing the seats is the only cure if you can't live with the noise.
These alone are a few thousand dollers in repairs if done by a dealer, the heater core is a 10 hour job (no kidding) you have to remove the entire dash to get to it. If done buy yourself the parts would be about $500
The G1 (first Gen) Sportys were the better of the Kia line up, and the 4x4 models are a thousand times more capable than the 'New Sportage' (the G2, Second Gen) over sized fully boxed frame, spartan interior, Mazda powerplant, crawl underneath and you will find alot of 'made in Germany' stamps! The 4x4 is a very capable off-roader if you have a decent set of tires, the downside is the little things, the fitting, trim and such are poor, and parts are not readily available from sources outside a dealership, who will charge you an arm and a leg! (ie: $62CDN for a 3" xM16 bolt)
The G1 Sporty was a entry level 4x4/mini Suv, and many of those that brought them didn't have the funds or the know how to keep them properly serviced, so they started to get a bad rep. But if well maintained the Sportage is a fantastic little 4x4 or in your case 2x4
There is a free on-line web based service manual for the Sporty (all kias) it the only manul out there, so if you like click on the link below and browse! You should find alot of info there.
Global Service Way
? About Kia's
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