I ran this car for many many years until very recently when the CV Joint went out nearly leaving my stranded at Christmas with no mechanics open. That said, we were able to purchase a new part and replace it ourselves - I'd never changed a CV joint before, but the construction of this car is very sparse and simple and it was actually pretty easy. This happened right at 178,000 miles nearly. That said, that's a lot of miles for any CV Joint. Strangely just after the CV Joint went out the Shift Lock Inhibitor went out (A 20 dollar part, aka 'neutral safety switch.). This was fairly easy to change too. This brings the total cost of repairs for my car to nearly 100 dollars in the last 4 years, very amazing.
This car has been highly reliable. This really impressed me as I've always associated KIA vehicles with the word "cheap" and only bought one because my boss realized I needed a more reliable car and picked it up at an auction and let me pay him back with payroll deductions.
For its small 4 cylinder engine it is actually pretty zippy, though in its age its getting a little less peppy.
The seats are not particularly comfortable at first, and are very firm, however I've noticed that their design is fantastic for long trips. Unlike other seats I experience little to no fatigue on extended driving periods and really seems to work out well for me.
Given its reliability record thus far I am confident that barring a major car accident, this car will easily reach the 250,000 mile mark.
Hi, I was just wondering how much it cost you to repair the CV joints, you said it was under $100.00, but everywhere else I've looked they say the CV joints run from $150-350 a side. I'm buying a 2001 Kia Sephia off my boyfriend in a week, and we need to get the joints fixed before he can get a safety check to switch it over to my name. Any information is greatly appreciated, thanks :)
Many people say bad stuff about Kia Sephia. I had mine for years and it is still great, cheap on gas, reliable at any given time.
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