2001 Kia Sephia

Summary:

KIA's have their ups and downs

Faults:

Only a couple days after purchasing my brand new Kia, it wouldn't start. Turns out there was some sort of wiring problem.

My gear shift has gone out two different times. The first time it was covered by warranty, but the second time they said it was due to me spilling things down in there and "gunking it up". (Maybe all cars have this and I am not aware of it, but there is a hole next to the gear shift that you can stick a screw driver into and it will magically make you gear shift come out of park. Seems strange to me that any car should need this.)

My fan went out causing my car to over heat in a drive thru line.

Currently I believe my fuel injector is shot (haven't taken it into the shop yet). Sometimes I give it gas and the car just idles as if it's in neutral.

General Comments:

This has not been a horrible car despite it's problems.

I was 18 when I bought this car, and it was pretty much all I could afford at the time. I could have bought used, however I've been down that road and never had the money to fix any of them when things would go wrong. The warranty was most appealing to me.

Financing a KIA is pretty much pointless. Making the set payments (which I haven't missed a single payment), you will never be able to trade it in or sell it. I have been upside down on my loan since I drove my car off the lot due to it's horrible resell value.

It's not much to look at it, but I guess it serves it purpose.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 24th August, 2005

2001 Kia Sephia LS 1.8L

Summary:

Good

Faults:

Driver side visor needed to be replaced.

Front console between seats is broken.

General Comments:

The car has been very reliable so far, although I am nervous because of the high kilometers. The car has never left us stranded and has always started. Though I don't like the car, I can't say anything bad about it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd January, 2005

16th Aug 2005, 13:37

Why did you give it a sad face.

2001 Kia Sephia L 1.8

Summary:

Came out ahead!

Faults:

The usual warranty covered alternator problem. It got replaced with a replacement type and since then, no problem.

The tires wore out quickly.

Not a problem with the car since the tires I replaced them with are wearing at a normal pace.

General Comments:

Awesome reliability!! I abuse this car.

I tow trailers on a regular basis with this thing. People take a second look as I pass them on the highway towing a 14 ft fiberglass with a 40 horse on the back.

In the winter I tow a snowmobile trailer to a cabin up north (5 hr trip) with TWO snowmobiles on it. Granted it's a 5 speed, but this thing is rock solid. It was never designed to tow that kind of weight.

For those that complain about silly shortcomings, what do you expect at this price? When you buy inexpensive, don't expect the Cadilac of Cadilacs. As for repairs, What repairs, I do oil changes that's about it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th March, 2004

2001 Kia Sephia LS 4 Cylinder

Summary:

A very good car for the money

Faults:

The tires wore out a bit early, at about 20,000 miles.

The headlights tend to dim slightly.

I had to replace the brake pads after the second year.

General Comments:

Overall, the repairs have been minor and the car gets great gas mileage.

The seats could be be a little more comfortable on long drives, but I barely notice any discomfort driving around town.

Make sure to invest in cruise control or you will pay dearly on drives lasting more than a few hours.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th March, 2004

2001 Kia Sephia 1.8

Summary:

Good, only if you know what your doing

Faults:

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.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th January, 2004