2003 Kia Spectra GS standard

Summary:

Piece of garbage-don't waist your money

Faults:

In two months time the driver side window leaks and occassionally rolls itself down, and it doesn't even have power windows. The trim around that door has fallen off. The front driver door rattles when the radio is on. And the hat rack separator for the hatchback broke off for no reason at all.

General Comments:

I have had this car for 2 months and I have a growing list of annoying little problems with it. I wish I had seen this site before I got the car. If you have to have your transmission replaced with less than 10,000 miles on it, its garbage. I will never own another kia for the rest of my life. And don't get me started on the poor service from the dealer. Yeah, you get a long warranty, but the best warranties are the ones you don't have to use. I don't have time to take my car to the shop every week. It's a shame too, the car drives pretty good for a cheapo. I would sell it in a heartbeat, but resell is awful.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th March, 2004

15th Apr 2004, 12:05

I agree Kia is junk, I bought a brand new 2003 right now it has 5,000 miles on it, the windows leak air so bad the wind noise will drive you nuts. Gas mileage is very poor only 19 miles per gallon. I have a 92 Geo that has 165,000 miles on it, its quiet and gets 35 mpg. I consider the Geo a Bic, but its better than a Kia!

26th Aug 2007, 13:29

Uh, yeah its very clear that you have to give your car a regular oil change under any vehicle warranty. I thought that was common sense, take better care of your care next time.

28th Aug 2007, 01:08

OK, but no other makes need a oil change for the transmission every 30,000 miles. My GM states 100,000 miles, or more frequent if you do heavy towing. That's the problem with Kia. Those $1,000 or so you thought you saved on the vehicle is quickly absorbed by expensive and frequent servicing, and out of warranty repairs. People really haven't yet figured out the way some low end manufacturers make money. The car is cheap, but you need to throw money at it constantly after you've bought it.

3rd Nov 2007, 10:34

Hi.

I am the proud owner of a 2003 Kia Spectra GS. I bought it brand new right off the showroom floor and I love it!! This is the 2nd Kia I have owned. My first Kia was the Kia Sportage, which I liked, but the maintenance was too much and the gas mileage very poor. I do agree with other Kia owners that Kia wants you the owner to do way too much vehicle maintenance. I simply change my oil every 3000 miles faithfully, get ocassional transmission & radiator flushes and all I can say is I've been good to go!

As with any make or model of vehicle, you must do some routine maintenance. No car company makes every car perfectly and there sometimes are lemons on the assembly line.

Bottom Line: Take care of your car because of the great monetary investment that you have put into it! I've rarely heard of a person who did the correct basic maintenance to their car and had outrageous problems with it.

A Satisfied Kia Owner!

2003 Kia Spectra GSX 1.8 straight 4

Summary:

A Cheap, and Reliable Student Car

Faults:

I have had one of the Marker lights fill with water because it had a bad seal on it.

There is no head room.

The radio has no reception.

The the rear passenger side speaker is blown. I do not listen t music loudly and seeing on how I listen to mostly classical music I do not see how that strains the speaker. The other 5 are perfect. And it is not covered in warranty.

General Comments:

It s a fun car to drive to school. I bought it over the summer and just fell in love with it. It rides good on the interstate, the max speed is 115 mies an hour and it races around corners very nicely. I do race it and so far nothing has gone wrong with it. I just play around in it and it catches up to other cars in its class rather nicely (ie. the Focus ZX3 and ZX5). I love it. It also holds a lot of luggage when I travel and is comfortable to sit in for a while. The only gripe that I have with it is that it is not made for Tall people. I am 6'4 and I have 1 inch of head room. If I were ever in an accident I fear hurting my neck. I believe even the Mini Cooper and the lower KIA model Rio has more head room than this car. And a tall person cannot sit in the back because they hit their head... there is plenty of leg room however.

This car also gets bad Gas mileage compared to my last car (1992 Mercury Tracer Station Wagon) which had 100000 miles on it. But they are different companies and KIA is not known for their environmentally sound products.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th February, 2004