Faults:

Electrical faults (various).

General Comments:

Bought out of necessity as my beloved Nissan Primera became uneconomical to repair. Saw this Shuma, a vision in blue, took it for a test drive and purchased it for 400 pounds after a quick peruse of the paperwork.

Big mistake. The car had appalling seats, which I found difficult to get into a comfortable position. To add to the poor seats, the ride was also not the best; I think the suspension was an optional extra on this car that the first owner didn't specify. It was crashy and bouncy even on smooth roads.

On a more irritating note, the car had a random electrical fault which I first noticed when I would use the headlights to flash oncoming traffic. Whenever this was deployed at low speeds, the car would stall. This happened for a couple of weeks and then stopped. But a short while later, the car failed to start while at a petrol station, as if the battery had died. After turning the wheel however, the dash lights came back on and the car started as it nothing had happened. It was then I decided I'd had enough; fixing it would probably be more than the thing was worth, so I traded it in after six weeks for a Chevrolet Lacetti Estate, which so far has been excellent, despite higher miles. Incidentally when I received the V5 back, I was the seventh owner, which says a lot about this particular Kia.

Faults:

Leak in the tailgate (easily fixed once found); otherwise just the normal 'wear and tear'.

General Comments:

Bought this car as a cheap runabout/second car, and was impressed by its comfort and reliability that I bought another Kia as my first car. Mazda underpinnings, so parts are cheap and easy to source.

Faults:

Car not starting from cold. Have had the Plugs and leads changed, coolant temperature sensor replaced, and fuel injectors cleaned, all to no avail, the car still will not start first time when cold.

Rubber seal around front passenger window lets air in at high speed.

Rubber seal around offside rear passenger door keeps falling off.

Engine prone to stalling when cold.

General Comments:

A lot of problems and I've only had it 6 months - it is clear why the previous owners sold it as its reliability and build quality leave a lot to be desired (my 10 year old Skoda was less trouble!)

That being said you do get a lot of car for the money and it is very fast with good acceleration, engine can handle everything thrown at it.

Uses a lot of petrol when stationary in traffic!

Faults:

The automatic transmission was faulty from new.

The dealer did not pick up on this till around 18000 miles.

General Comments:

Once the transmisson was replaced she ran much better.

Needed run up to get up long steep hills if you wanted to come off the hill doing more than 90mph.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Very good value. The only drawback is reverse parking, the rear view is poor.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I bought the car because it was cheap. I suppose I wasn't expecting much but it has been a revelation. Excellent build quality (no rattles or squeaks). A stylish and comfortable car. The auto is bit underpowered on inclines and the engine can sound unrefined if pushed. Fuel consumption is OK for a car this size with auto (35 mpg). Most people can't believe it's a Kia!