Used Kia Forte for sale near El Cajon, CA

This was my first expericene shopping for cars and I was a little nervous, the sales people at Auto City made me feel welcome and did not overwhelm me with sales pitches. Frank was kind and helpful and I appriecated that. I did not purchase a car that day but because of the treatment I recieved will be going back there in the near future.

I am a long time owner of a Kia Forte 2019 bought it in 2018. I have almost had it for 5 years now. It has around 80,000 miles of trouble-free driving. I do the necessary maintenance that's it. The pros of this car it's easy on the eyes and easy to pay for. It didn't take me long to double my payments and pay this wonderful machine off. I also like the fact I don't have to go to the gas pumps much. I can go 435 miles on a simple tank of gas. I get about 43.5 miles a gallon highway and average around 34.5 City and mix driving. I love all of the safety features I have lane keep assist frontal crash anti-lock braking and traction control. I even have done some pretty good snow driving with all season radials Continental. It also has a neat feature where it will drive by itself for about a minute. I have the XLS model. So yes I have the Ivt transmission it has worked very well. I don't understand why everybody was so insecure about this Ivt drivetrain it is ran on a chain not a belt. I have nothing but great things to say about Kia engineering. I don't know why but for some reason the 2019 Kia Forte does not have many of the problems associated in the news. I also have the new anti-theft that Kia Motors placed at no charge to me. I think the days are gone when you can complain about Kia recalls. I think we've seen in the news even Honda, Toyota and Nissan have all had recalls also. I feel like Kia turned a big corner in 2013 on making great automobiles. I like them because they're easy on the budget and very reliable and good on gas. I also like the fact there is a lot of room that comes with these vehicles. I also have a Kia Sorento V6 2019 that is also been a good vehicle. Like they say Kia has the power to surprise. Forget keeping up with the Jones get a car that will save you money.

I answered your questionnaire with Excellence for my service. I was treated very well. Carolyn Barnard

I bought my Forte LXS in Feb of 2024 and i've driven 9,000 miles on it so far. it's been great and i prefer this over a Corolla or a Camry. on the highway i sometimes get fuel economy in the low 50's mpg and on average i get around 37 mpg combined. not bad at all. i bought this for $21K after taxes and registration. the value can't be beat imo.

La experiencia que tuve en National City Auto Center fue excelente Rigo y Daniel son muy eficientes y muy amables

I love my kia forte. I got the top tier kia Forte with leather seats which heat and cool and also a sunroof. This car is very comfortable! It is a little on the pricey side for my top tier one, but in the long run it is worth it.

I was able to purchase my car through Hyundai Escondido. Gerardo(Jerry salesperson) was able to assist us in getting the best deal. He is a very thorough person and kind hearted. If you are looking to purchase a car and need a spanish/english speaking person-go to him! -The Oteros

I’ve had my Kia now for 3yrs and only had little major thing go wrong which the dealership handled the issue as a decent time I guess. The first few months of having my Kia during the winter here the car would t push botton to start and boy was I pissed off. I kept having to jump start it then it dawned on me on me that they gave me a dead battery! Which was taking care of with warranty thank God! Other then that issue my model Kia forte got-line wasn’t equipped with a decent sound system I guess the package I thought it would’ve had But! Not! and to replace a aftermarket radio will cost a pretty penny to get done. My tires 17” OEM they feel on the wobbly side while driving 50-70mph on the Hyway! while hearing the sounds from outside in the inside of the car which sucks. But it’s power it gets up to speed especially in Sport Mode! The exterior looks good and interior is good also but I’m a pit in some work on it soon. I wish I would’ve known about the Kia Gt though (manual) speed before test driving my Kia gt line lol. My overall about this Kia it’s worth the price as well the experience to drive and to owne one!

Ryan our sells person was amazing! Got me a great deal! Didn’t spend hours and hours there .. very happy! Also Jacob in financing was great !! So happy i decided to purchase my Jeep here

I drive the 2023 Kia Forte GT Manual, and I couldn’t recommend this car more!! The only complaint I have is now that I’m trying to find a new car with a more fancy name to impress clients, I can’t find anything I enjoy nearly as much. The car is built on a BMW M3 chassis, has the luxury features and interior to match with an average combined fuel mileage of 34mpg and the reliability of a newly redesigned Kia. It handles phenomenally well and is unmatched within its price point. It loses value quickly (until the general population realizes their tech and reliability recently surpassed Toyota and Honda) so buy a used 2023 or 2022, and you’re smooth sailing. I drove this car from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and was complimented by strangers in almost every city I stopped in along the way!

Bought the vehicle new in October of 2023. Now it’s March of 2025. Have yet to have an issue🤞though have heard of common problems many have had. I’ve put roughly 20 k miles on the car in a year and a half (mostly interstate driving). Technology package is lovely and the vehicle has an overall stylish feel. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that you’re buying a 20k dollar vehicle from 2023. It’s plastics galore in there, so, though stylish, the material quality isn’t the best. If you’re someone who takes care of your things, you shouldn’t have an issue! Use the maintenance schedule found in the Owner’s manual and this vehicle should get you where you’re going for a reasonable amount of years. That being said, if you’re trying to decide between and LX[S] and GT (not including GT-Line), choose the GT. Though you’re paying a little extra, you get a standard transmission with real gears (the car has more power than you’d think too) rather than the CVT found in the LX[S] (and GT-line). CVT tech has greatly improved within recent years, but they’re still known to be problematic at times. All in all, this generation of Kia seems to be more reliable than most previous gens. Definitely a real deal competitor with the carolla/civic and worth the consideration!

No complaints, all praise and compliments! I admire carmax business model, and them having a no negotiation rule is a beautiful thing. Ray was my consultant and we sold our 2012 forte to buy an suv. Message me if you have any questions and I will answer them.

This vehicle has really good fuel efficiency (why I bought it), over 40 mpg on interstates or other uninterrupted highways, and in the 30s on drives including a reasonable amount of urban freeway and/or minimal-stoplight roads. The dashboard if set right tells you what mpg you're averaging on any one drive. I bought the car used at about 16,000 miles, am up to about 36,000, and have not yet had any major repair problems. The only exasperating issue consists of the controls on the dashboard, steering wheel column, vents, and sound system, and their explanation in the manual. Just as one example, the manual of 200 or so pages has nothing in the index about "Air Conditioning" or "Heating," and under "Climate Control..." only deals with a maintenance matter rather than with with how to get the A/C or heat to work (usually, although I occasionally forget this, by making sure the air that's seemingly not coming out, even though the fan is blowing, is directed at body level, not one's feet or elsewhere, so that it does come out at body level, the default after ignition usually being something other than body level). The jiffy get-started manual is insufficient on the same air conditioning/heating topic. More generally, control buttons in many case depend on sometimes undecipherable, guesswork, markings or icons. I'd be happier if the Koreans would make the car and Americans would make user-friendly controls and write user-friendly manuals.

Mike is always great to work with. I am very appreciative for the help and guidance. I?m not sure how much more you need me to say.

Bought my Forte GT Certified used, never knew until now Kia stepped up their game. I really like the car, with the exception I’ve had already quite a bit of warranty work performed, the original owner didn’t take care of. So far I’m getting any maintenance done that it’s lacked, cosmetically updating the badges, and adding performance improvements here and there. It does have get up and go, once past the little bit of turbo lag. I’m averaging around 22 mpg in the city and have gotten as much as 40mpg on the highway with the cruise control on. Overall, I’m pretty impressed with it and look forward to adding more performance improvements as I can to help it out.

My wife and I purchased a really nice car (2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee) yesterday from Junior Alba at Kearney Mesa Jeep, Dodge. Junior listened to want we wanted and presented us with several cars that met the criteria. Very nice man. Interacted with several people during the purchase process, all nice. Give this team a chance if you are in the market for a car.

I own a very nice car, I like it very much, the handling is great I would recommend it to everyone good price performance good

I love this car. It looks great. All the tech and safety features are through the roof cool. So far it has been super reliable. This is my first car that is not American made and I love it.

"Me and my family purchased four vehicles from Auto City...." - brianwoodward57 Me and my family purchased four vehicles from Auto City. Each time, there is no nonsense, no pressure and no games. They are very helpful when choosing a car and getting financing. There is no price haggling because the prices are extremely fair...and I know how to verify the value of a vehicle. I recently purchased a 2019 Nissan Sentra with all the fixins'. I purchased the car for about $900 less than any other dealership I shopped. Plus, it was in great condition, except for some minor things one would expect a used car to have...but their service department fixed them very quickly and perfectly. My last car I purchased at Auto City was a 2011 Chrysler 200 which had 54000 miles. I am still driving that car in the family and it currently has 218,000 miles. My son bought a Toyota Matrix and drove Uber for 3 years, trading it in with 230,000 miles. Another car bought was a Chevrolet Malibu that was purchased and is driving great with no problems and well over 100,000 miles. All of the cars we purchased had no problem other than an alternator, battery and minor things like that when cars reached over 160,000 miles, and this is to be expected. We never had any major issues with any car, and no problem until many miles later after purchase. My most recent purchase at Auto City took in to consideration that I was self-employed this time. Isaac Duran, the finance manager, did everything in his power to get financing with a lower interest rate, and he did it. All I can say is that if you go anywhere else, you will pay more, put up with weird sales games and miss out on an easy, positive experience in buying a car. And, to boot, they will stand by your car for 6 months, 6,000 miles along side the dealer warranty (they have a huge auto service department to ensure the cars they sell are good). They have always backed us up and made buying a car a positive, easy, confident and a no-risk transaction. Anywhere else I went to check, I always got the "weird-ar" pegging out. Very good, honest people and great cars, with no worries! This is a very positive review, but there is truly nothing I can complain about after buying all of our family cars there for years. Talk to salesperson Mike or Alex...they are both very helpful, friendly and know what they are doing. The sales manager is great and ensures everything goes quick, smooth and I get a good deal.

It's too soon to tell how reliable this car will be in the future. However, at just one-month-old, it fits all my wants and desires. I love the interior, its comfort, and the extras that are in this car. The controls on the steering wheel make it safer while driving. The navigation system replaces all maps that I have on my phone and it helps to have the speed limit posted on the navigation read-out. This is my fourth Kia and I have never been disappointed.

Provided excellent service and great communication! My car was ready sooner than expected as well! Thank you William!

Great Experience as a first time buyer ! Jorge And Daniel Were Very Helpful & True to their Word With a plethora of options to choose from when it came to vehicles

Scheduling an apt is always easy, Sam was great - Always great to see Vanessa at the Kia service as well. Took about an hour and a half to have everything done

Bought a 2023 forte gt-line for my daughter. We have had the car for 13months and have driven about 12,000 miles. I honestly cannot believe the 1star reviews, nor should you. I was a loyal Honda fanboy for over 30 years before I bought this Kia. I bought a totally loaded Forte non turbo for a hair under 25k with a crazy good warranty. Why not? I figured. 13 months and 12k miles later it rides better, has more power and is quieter than the day we bought it! Zero issues with anything. No squeaks, rattles or interior flaws. Sadly no tire wear. I cannot wait to replace the Kuhmos it came with. It handles great and is fun to drive. My wife calls it “a peppy little thing”. And she drives a CX-5 turbo or my 5.7 liter ram. Over 40 mpg on highway and mid 30s driving around town. This is a fine car. Not a cheap version Hyundai. Much nicer IMHO than the Hyundai. For those knocking the resale… run the numbers and try to buy one as cheap as you say you sold yours for. The Harmon Kardon stereo sounds awesome! This is one of my favorite purchases because its value continues to surprise me. And they give a $500.00 military discount. Don’t buy based on my opinions go test drive one! Test drives are free. Go to carvanna or get on car gurus and see how cheap you can buy one a year or two old used one for.

In for six months service. As usual they were very good. On time and very thorough

I’ve had my Kia for 20 months, am leasing the car. I like that it’s got a sporty look, rides smooth and has lots of great features! Hope to keep or get another one somewhere down the line.

I’m very happy with Kearny Mesa Jeep brought my son in there. He bought a 2019 Camry SE on their Uesd Car lot. Treated me very professional.

I bought my 2018 Kia forte Lx aurora black pearl 63k miles automatic transmission fully loaded. Absolutely gorgeous car inside and out! All xx Aside I absolutely love driving this car! It does everything I ask it to do and it's truly a joy to drive! I can't say enough about the features of the infotainment system and the beautiful interior! All of the safety systems make me feel amazing! I use a car cover on it when it's not being driven and I use the steering wheel club on the wheel when the car's not being driven. I Absolutely Love My KIA!!!!

Excellent customer service. They make you feel at home. Their friendly and sometimes their not.

The number one reason I would recommend North County Kia to anyone I care about is simple: they genuinely care about their customers. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with a warm smile and made to feel welcome and valued. My sales consultant, Navid Zeighami, was incredibly professional—he took me on a test drive, patiently explained all the features, and showed me every vehicle I was interested in. He helped me compare models, features, and pricing until I found the perfect car for me and my family. The exceptional service didn’t stop there. The finance manager, Jim Cole, brought an incredibly positive energy to the experience. Knowing that my wife and I are both active duty military, he showed a sincere appreciation for our service. North County Kia’s support for the military is real and heartfelt—even the general manager, Abraham Nodarse, came out personally to thank us for our service. Because of this team—Navid Zeighami, Jim Cole, Abraham Nodarse, and the entire North County Kia family—I wholeheartedly recommend North County Kia of Escondido to anyone looking to purchase a vehicle. They go above and beyond, and it truly shows.

I purchased my GT turbo - automatic in 2021 as 2022 model and my only regret was that didn’t wait for the cooling seats package. Great looking vehicle with above average performance and great fuel efficiency. It’s one of the best affordable sports sedans in the market and one of the few where you can actually fit a 6’ adult in the backseat. I’m looking to add another with my desired package soon.