Not very good
No passenger airbag from the start. Been in five times in eight months to have fixed.
Cd player not working and a wait up to six weeks.
Rust on the hood.
I wouldn't even consider buying another.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 20th July, 2007
Competently designed, competitively priced dependable transportation
Nothing has gone wrong... car perfectly satisfactory @ 2000 miles.
Bought the car as an economical daily commuter and use it for all longer distance driving. It's more comfortable than our Monte Carlo and MUCH better fuel economy than my Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
The car performs well for it's smallish engine, peppy enough around town and cruises comfotably at beyond Interstate regulated speeds. Handling is very good, comfort/ low noise levels surprisingly good.
I actually hadn't expected as much value from a KIA as we have received. Can't find realistic negatives so far, except for styling and social acceptance.
Plenty of headroom and legroom, and usable rear passenger seats.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 23rd July, 2006
How much did you pay for it? It looks really nice.
I recently purchased a 2006 Spectra LX and I love it. The engine has plenty of power, for normal driving, and its appearance is pretty nice as well. The car's acceleration and deceleration could be a little smoother, but all things considered, I feel like I got a very good deal.
31 miles later I returned it
Well, as you can see by the mileage statement, I only had the car for 17 miles. That was enough to tell me that I couldn't keep it longer than that.
So, after I bought the car, went through finance and all that (6 hours at the dealership) I happily got in my car and drove home. Time was about 3:00 PM. I lived about 20 miles from the dealership, so I headed home in my new baby.
35 miles, engine seized and caused me to wreck my new car. Very sad.
Had it towed all the way back to the dealer. They said it was their fault and that they didn't do "PDI" to the car. I don't know what that is, but they replaced the car at no charge with another one just like it and said that they did "PDI" on it and it should be good to go.
The second Spectra had around 12 miles on it. 14 miles later (26 on the odometer) same thing. The engine blew white smoke out the tailpipe and the hood and quit running.
So, the third time back at the dealer, they said that they would replace it again, but I told them, I don't feel safe in this car anymore. So, I took my Sable back and have been driving it ever since.
The Spectra really attracted me because of the price, the pep of the engine, and the airbags.
It drove great, it looked great, and it broke. Twice.
I still think that the car is really nice looking, but after the second engine blow out the same day, I just couldn't feel safe again.
This problem could have been the dealer's fault both times because the same thing happened twice. Maybe the "PDI" would fix it, whatever it is. But bad first and second impressions ruined the experience for me.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 2nd December, 2005
"PDI" is pre-delivery inspection.
Something is not right here; you had 2 different cars and both blew out engines?
I can tell you right now it was the dealer's fault. If they admitted to you that they did not do an inspection what would make you think they checked all the other cars?
I would have left with my old car right away after the first time.
I'm sure KIA has strict quality control before the vehicle leaves the factory otherwise they would not be in business for long.
It's your job as a consumer to check EVERYTHING before you drive off the lot. Dealers are supposed to do this and I'm sure most do, but take whatever they say with a grain of salt and do it yourself.
11th Jan 2008, 17:23
Very unhappy, Brake lights quit working after 15k, not only do they not work, but assuming it was the fuse.. put in a new fuse.. kept killing my battery, because then the lights wouldn’t turn off.. the silver paint on the gearshift has already chipped off.. lost a bolt cover under the back passenger seat.. as well as the bolt cover on the handle near the back passenger side window. now the CD player/Radio has stopped working.. only had the car for a year, bought it with 4 miles on it.. now have around 37k.. Convenient how everything has is dying shortly after the warranty on that specific part is up.. would buy another one. Is anybody else having these problems?