Ok, I've read through most of this and it almost sounds to me that you are bad mouthing the Kia's a little. I bought my 95 new for my wife and she put 60,000 trouble free miles on it intill I sold my Jeep TJ in 2000. Since I took over the Kia I have lifted the front 4 inches with a combo of 2 1/2" Eibach springs and the first set of Up Your Kia spacers made (I designed them with a friend at his dads machine shop before any one else was making coil spacers for IFS trucks). I have TJ springs in the back to keep it leavel. I have another 106.000 miles on it still with the only problems being a clogged fuel injector twice. This is the tuffest little 4x4 I have ever owned and I have impressed guys with built TJs in moab on 4 rated trails. I also use my Sportage on the local search and rescue and have lead or followed every jeep or other truck on the unit and you will not find any of them bad talking my Kia. It my not be the most popular 4x4 out there but it is a real 4x4. I think Calmini could have made money on them if they would have given them a chance. I would like to do a SAS on it some day but for now it is my boys truck and when he is ready to do it we will. I have had friends with the same year Trackers and Sidekicks and cant believe how much power my Kia had, I know Suzuki upped the power but it was because of the Kia. The Mazda diffs are strong and it looks lilke a Miata limited slip will fit the front and a RX7 will fit the rear. I will be trying it as soon as my other boys friend puts a 302 and 8.8 ford IRS in his Miata.
Ok I said my peace, I'm fine now, Dennis