What are you calling early? The first year the Sportage was sold in the USA was 1995. I've got a 97, 98, and a 99. All with five-speed manual trans, four-door hardtops, and 4WD. All have well over 100K miles on them (that's the way I buy them). The 99 that I'm driving now - cost me $1200 when it had 120K mile on it. Ran perfect and came with four extra rims with brand new studded snows on them. It's the LX version with leather seats, power windows, AC, etc. Now has 190K miles and runs perfect. The original owner had full service records since he bought it new. It has been fixed once under warranty for a broken gear in the Gertrag transmission or transfercase when it had 40K miles on it. Other then that, no problems at all except for a tendency for electrical harness connectors to get corroded when driven in salt. This 99 was driven every day of the winter since new - in New York winter salt. Body held up fine, but the oil pan on the engine got a rust hole in it that I had to fix.
I have a dingy-type front-tow hitch on it and have used it twice to deliver trucks a 1000 miles away. I tow the Kia behind me with the hook-up, deliver the truck, and drive the Kia back. I've had some of it apart just to check it over and I'm impressed. It is built very heavy duty. My only complaint is that it does not have enough overdrive. At 75 MPH highway speeds, the engine turns near 3000 RPM in 5th gear. All my older Subarus are the same way. It could use much steeper axle gears. The Kia has 4.78 ratio axles and my Subarus have 4.33 ratio axles. Worse yet is my 1995 Chevy Trackers. They have 5.12 axle ratios and really spin in 5th gear. I want to put a 1.8 diesel into one of my Tractors, but it's a waste of time if I can't get the RPMs down. In California only, they put 4.30 axles into them instead of the 5.12s.
I guess I'm not sure what you're callling early and what you say was failing. I've heard there were several recalls from Gertrag to fix broken gears - but most of that was done under Kia warranty - so I'm told. I know mine was fixed that way.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Old Time Threshing - by Anthony West. A lovely harvest evening late September 1947, I was a school boy, like all school boys I loved harvest time. The golden corn ripens well and early, the stoking, stacking,.... the drawing in with the tractors and trailers and a few buck rakes thrown in, and possibly a heavy horse. It would be a great day for the collies and the terrier dogs, rats and mice would be at the bottom of the stacks so the dogs, would have a busy time hunting and killing, all the corn was gathered and ricked in what we c
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
