2000 Kia Sephia LS review from North America

Transmission went out right before I got the car.

Tent on the back window was cracked because of the defrost.

Front dash has warped due to sitting in the sun because right now I can't drive it. I can't drive it because I hit a van that was stopped on the interstate, and because I was surrounded by trucks and suvs there was nowhere I could go and nothing I could do.

I acquired the car from my cousin who bought a truck and had no use for the car, so he gave it to me. At first I didn't want it because I know how he drives. However, I took it because I had no car and how do you pass up a free 3-year old car?

I read reviews about how people don't like the quality of the car. But what apparently no one knows is that Kia bought the engines that they use from Ford (who are notorious for leaking issues) and basically rebuilt it to the point that it is more reliable and efficient than its Ford counterpart. And I know because my uncle is a Master mechanic who specializes in trouble-shooting Kia, Dodge, and Nissan.

Besides how can I not have respect for a car that I have put up against both Mustangs and Corvettes, and won. This from a stock five-speed with less than a third of their power.

This car may be hated; it may have been built cheaply; however, one fact remains; this little car has enough power to get out of its own way in an extremely quick hurry. People who have or still do own one may say that they are slow and have no go. I have two things to say to them: 1) Drive a manual equivalent and tell me its not faster or more fun, and 2) Its more about the driver than it is the car.