This Sonota ef looks very similar to my previous Optima 2005 model. Hyundai and Kia once shared Sonata/Optima model with minor cosmetic changes.

To answer your question based on my Kia Optima:
>1. is it true the 2.0 is under powered?
Slightly underpowered not seriously. Still a very decent drive but take care when overtaking.

>2. besides the engine, what else is the difference between the 2.0 and 2.4?
No comment

>3. to choose between 2.0 and 2.4 which would be a better pick?
2.4 means higher road tax and higher FC but if within your budget go for 2.4 for more power.

>4. how regular is the service interval? and is the spare parts expensive?
I serviced every 10K km using semi-syn oil. Maintenance for an old Sonata can be high (budget about RM4K a year). On the other hand spare parts are readily available.

>5. which workshop is recommended to send this car to? (i live in kl)
Any ordinary workshop can repair the old model Sonata/Optima. No need to look for specialist workshop.

>6. i heard the FC is very bad is it true? is there anyway to overcome it?
For my 2.0 Optima FC was very reasonable. Only slightly more than Jap cars of the same cc.

>7. is there alot of body roll during cornering?
This is a car for comfort, not cornering fast.


The Sonata ef would be about 10 years old so paying rm20k for it is too high. You should be looking at rm10K to rm15k max.

This post has been edited by KennyKB: Jul 23 2015, 09:56 PM

That's about the value for a 12 year old Sonata. The mileage looks honest, a rarity among dealers.