2001 Kia Sephia review from North America
"Good, only if you know what your doing"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The check engine light came on; I was told that this problem was from the gas cap not being tight-end down all the way.
The rear seat belt was broken for a while before we could get it taken in.
The Clock was not keeping proper time; however, it is illuminated.
Just recently the radio has gone out. This shouldn't be to hard to fix. I hope that the clock and the radio are not related.
I have to occasionally fill up the tires with air.
General comments?
Well, I knew when I was purchasing it, used at 11000 miles, I could have serious issues, because of the reviews I read and because of its lack of quality. Since I live in Great Falls, Montana, I don't put the vehicle under a great deal of driving stress. I mainly stay in town and rarely drive it over 45. I estimated that I could get away with a great deal of problems, because of this factor.
I also was making a gamble that the Koreans could put together a vehicle that could at least last for 100,000 miles, based on the level of technology that is available these days and the level of Korean (collectively) car building experience.
Therefore, I treat it as well as I can and am praying that the car will last until 100,000 miles. I have driven the car cross country to Orlando, FL and once to Alamogordo, New Mexico. I have 45 thousand miles on it now. I do not plan to drive it across country anymore, unless I have too.
I have driven it off-road on some pretty bumpy dirt roads trying to get to a hiking trail-head. It seemed to manage okay.
Although, I do have some gripes. The manufacture should give you all the troubleshooting information you need, so that if there is a problem, a person could run through some preliminary checks before they brought it in. The nearest KIA dealer for me is in Billings, which is a 4 hour drive.
Anyways, so far so good. It needs a tune up. Don't get me wrong, you will have to pray for your Kai's operation for it to keep going. Only an act of God could have kept it from disintigrating on the roads that I took it on.
Recommended reviews
![]() ![]() | Great car, would recommend it to anyone I know! |
![]() ![]() | Kia's aren't cars, they are money pits! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 Manual |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 8/10 |
| Comfort marks | 5/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 11000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 44000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Escort |
| Date of Entry | 19th January, 2004 |

