2001 Kia Sephia

Summary:

A good car at a fair price

Faults:

Horn stopped working.

Dashboard lights stopped working.

Door chime (when you leave your headlights on and try to exit the vehicle) stopped working.

General Comments:

After having read all of the negative things that have been said about the KIA Sephia, I guess I got lucky.

I've had my Sephia for a little over a year now and only recently had any problems (those 3 that I listed). A quick trip to the KIA dealer was all that it took to fix the problems (plus I got a free oil change).

Perhaps my "luck" has to do with the minimal amount of driving that I do. In 13 months, I've only put 3,445 miles on the car.

Does the KIA Sephia have it's faults? Sure. The tilt steering wheel BARELY tilts. The AM/FM cassette system was lousy (so I replaced it). The backseat is only comfortable if you are a child, or have no sensation below the neck.

In spite of it's shortcomings though, I think the 2001 KIA Sephia was a bargain for my money.

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

Review Date: 16th November, 2002

2001 Kia Sephia LS

Summary:

Crap car

Faults:

My transmission is going in the first year.

Fabric catches on fire awfully quick.

Seat belt getting stuck.

Wipers not working properly.

Air conditioner gone in 5 months.

Front end vibration noise since the day we bought the car.

Tires have a sharp squeak noise to them since the day we purchased the car.

Battery not charing properly.

General Comments:

This is the worst car I could ever imagine possible.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th June, 2002

2001 Kia Sephia LX 1.8

Summary:

Great car for the insignificant price we paid

Faults:

Not many things have gone wrong yet.

The engine sometimes doesn't want to start when the outside temperature is extremely hot and the car has recently been shut off.

Strangely, the only trip to the dealership so far, has been, to remove a rock that somehow got itself into one of the front brake rotors. This makes an annoying racket a low speeds.

General Comments:

The handling feels good, at normal driving levels, but this is no race car.

The acceleration is slow, but the engine performs well at higher revs.

Adults should try and stay out of the back seats, the seatbelts are kind of a pain. They lock too easily, and restrict movement.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th August, 2001

2001 Kia Sephia Sedan

Summary:

A consumer's worst nightmare

Faults:

Front driver's side seat sits at angle.

The car is hard to shift into 2nd and 5th gears. When you put the car into second gear, it feels as if the car wants to shut off.

The car wobbles at 25 MPH. When you put the car on the interstate and get up to speed the car vibrates. The car was in the shop 3 days after I bought the it for the vibration, the dealership did an alignment on it. Which only worked for about 6 days, then it started to vibrate again.

The driver's side window is hard to get up.

To top it all off, the radio display goes in and out, mostly when it rains.

General Comments:

The car should be a kids toy that has the bent wheels on it, and wobbles. I would not suggest anyone to buy a KIA. I know that I will never buy KIA again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th July, 2001

25th Jul 2001, 18:42

I live in Australia and our cars are much more expensive than what you Americans and Canadians pay for your cars. I mean our standard Ford Falcon (a Taurus equivelant) costs $35,000AUD. $35,000 USD gets you into a nice new BMW in North America so what I don't understand with your new and used cars so damn cheap why you would buy a Kia? In Australia we have no choice as cars are too expensive, but in the US you can buy prestige cars dirt cheap. In Australia you are paying between $15000-$18000 for a Kia Rio, I bet in the states you could buy a 2 year old 3 series BMW or C-Class Merc for that.