2000 Kia Sportage EX 2WD review from North America

Window regulators went out a coupla times, replaced under warranty.

Alternator went around 80K.

Heat Shield rattles once in a while- about an $80 fix.

Overheats on me if I sit parked with the AC blowing full blast in 90 degree weather for more than 15 minutes.

I know a lot of people have been hating the Sportage, but I don't really see why. My 2WD stickshift Sportage has been to hell and back with me. I drive the living hell out of the car, trying to push all 130 hamsters out of the puny little 2 liter, and the car seems to be holding together fine. I change oil every 4K miles, and that's about it.

I am by no means nice to this car. I beat the hell out of it in dirt tracks and mud pits (who needs 4WD? getting stuck is half the fun), and the thing is still holding together. The stock rubber it came with was pure junk, so I just put on wider (225/70 R15) rubber on it, which goes on stock steel wheels and does not change the speedometer reading, and I've changed brakes once in the last 100,000 miles. That's it.

Practically everything, from the powertrain (except alternator, if you consider it part of the powertrain) to the suspension is still holding together beautifully (and that tells you something, considering I treat each speed bump as a small jump ramp).

Sure the thing hits an aerodynamic brick wall at 105 miles an hour, but it doesn't have too much of a problem getting there.

The thing is dirt cheap to maintain because there isn't much that can go wrong with it, and it's a rear wheel drive truck, cheap and easy to fix.

Very long warranty also mitigates a lot of initial quiality issues.

I would definately by again, simply because it is fun to make all four tires squeak around every corner. ABS would have been cool on this thing though.