Faults:

Everything has gone wrong. The car is a pile of crap.

Transmission problems, dealer can't solve them.

I have electrical problems.

The hardware on the car is the cheapest around. The rearview mirror fell off, I pulled the door handle off the door.

Generally there are creaks, groans with the car that shouldn't be on a new car.

General Comments:

This is by far the worst car ever made. I will never, ever buy a Kia again.

The car is slow, noisy, and cheap.

The car ends up costing more money because of the problems and missing work, as the car breaks down.

Faults:

Fuel pump went at 50,000 miles.

Tires worn out by 30,000 miles but I am just now replacing at 63,000 miles.

Brakes will need to be replaced soon at 63,000 miles.

I am having the timing belt replaced now at 63,000 miles (normal item at this mileage for most cars).

General Comments:

I have some problems shifting into reverse, but I find this to be common amongst manual transmission vehicle (friends with Subaru/Toyota also have some difficulty).

Back seat is very comfortable for passengers for it's size.

Rear molding hits the Front door when opened. Something all 2000 Sephia's have wrong. Unknown if this occurs on later/earlier models.

I religiously change the oil / oil filter every 3000 miles.

The car gives me really no problems. There are a lot of items that come up at 60k miles, just like other vehicles.

Miles per Gallon is steady usually around 33-34 highway.

I travelled from Philadelphia, PA to Brooklyn, NY for a year with no major problems except for the fuel pump.

Acceleration is limited when using the AC as in most cars.

I had a problem with the windshield wipers. The OEM's and certain replacement wipers did not fit well as I always had streaks on the window during the rain that seemed to be due to the wipers not hitting the windshield properly. Have since replaced the wipers again and have found the new wipers fit and work great. I do not remember which wipers they are however.

Was broken into once. Found the interior parts to be cheap due to the plastic used.

Getting non-stocked parts takes a long time. A broken window due to vandalism took 1 week to fix due to shipping from Korea.

I have heard Kia's are hit or miss, apparently I hit.

Faults:

Speedometer and odometer stopped working twice. Apparent electrical problem.

Alternator and battery required replacement at 28,000 miles.

Radio needed to be replaced at 25,000 miles.

The mechanism that allows the drivers seat to move forward often becomes jammed and I need to fuss with it to get the seat to move. This is frustrating.

The check engine light occasionally comes on for no reason. I have taken the car to the dealer to have the car looked at for problems. Each time the dealer has corrected the light. The dealer said to be worried if the light starts blinking, otherwise it's nothing. I hate those 'just kidding' mechanical reminders. The light hasn't come on since the last time it was fixed (at 25,000 miles).

General Comments:

Seating can become uncomfortable on trips longer than a few hours.

Car handles reasonably well and is fun to drive.

I love the manual transmission and have had no problems with it.

The interior has worn well and I have been surprised at the quality of the interior cloth. The Sephia doesn't have the cheap quality interior cloth and plastic feel I have observed in other cars in the same car class.

Front visors are cheap and it would be nice if there were a vanity mirror attached to the passengers side visor.

Acceleration is sufficient for a small engine.

The engine whines and strains if driven over 65 MPH (expected from a small engine).

During drives longer than an hour, if the air conditioner us being used, steam vapors emit from the vents.

The doors are heavy for this class of car. They don't have a light and cheap feel, like other economy cars.

The trunk is huge for this size car.

The Sephia is a great car to use for work, errands and carting kids around. It's very functional.

I will be moving into a larger car in a year. It's getting difficult to fit four girls into it comfortably anymore (two teenagers, a toddler in a car seat and an eight year old).

The Sephia is great value for the money and I would recommend it to anyone who isn't looking for the bells and whistles of an expensive car.

The bumper to bumper warranty cannot be beat. I purchased the car knowing it wasn't a high-end model and was expecting problems (you get what you pay for). Considering the unbeatable warranty and overall cost of the car there is no reason to get upset about something that goes wrong. If the extended warranty is purchased (with the base price of this model being so inexpensive there is no reason why you shouldn't buy it) there should be no worries.

Overall, if you are willing to deal with some potential problems and spend very little for a great looking new car then the Sephia is for you.