12th Aug 2001, 20:55
13 Aug. 2001.
I believe that the last two comments have missed the one basic point. That is Australia uses $ and the US uses $, but they are far from being the same $. The Australian $ is worth only 1/2 of the US $. Everyone in this new world economy should keep exchange rates in mind before making any financial comments.
By the way my Kia Carnival II/ A.K.A. Sedona cost me 1,200,000.00, (Yes ONE million), does that make it expensive? No, actually it is about $2000.00 US dollars cheaper than in the US or Australia.
Jim.
11th Jan 2002, 17:16
I have a 1998 Kia Sephia. I can tell you that it is infact an economical car as far as buying price. What hasn't been economical, however, have been the repairs. This is a horrible car, and I have read some terrible reviews on it from consumers. It is now in the shop for the 12th time and has 8 different problems. It has 52,000 miles on it, and here is what I have had fixed already:
1.) plugs and wires at 10,000 miles.
2.) Brake pads and rotors at 4,000 miles.
3.) Interior light didn't work
4.) Wiper motor.
5.) something else wrong with wipers... then finally recalled the third time.
6.) flange gasket
7.) Exhaust front to back once
8.) Catalytic converter (seperate exhaust repair)
9.) Valve cover gaskets three times.
10.) Heater (I live in Alaska by the way)
11.) Fuel valve
12.) Cam shaft gasket
12.) Timing belt (before maint. requires)
13.) Tensioner
14.) Dash has broken in three places
15.) Oil filter leaks between changes
16.) Alternator
17.) Starter
18.) Battery
19.) Rear right door switch
20.) Steering lock switch.
I am sure there is more, I lost track by now. I would NOT refer anyone to a Kia dealer to purchase anything, not even a map!
2nd Jun 2002, 20:49
I have a 2000 Sephia and I've had to have the entire transmission changed already.
I wonder if any of you and any problems with the automatic transmission not wanting to change gears when it should?
11th Jul 2006, 13:15
I have a 2001 KIA Sepia with 90,000 miles and have never had a problem with it. I would defintley buy another one.
24th Jan 2007, 15:34
I have had my 2001 Kia Sephia since 2003 (obviously I bought it used) and I rarely have trouble with it. The most recent is that my battery light and brake light came on at the same time. This resulted in the lights going dim and the car to jerk forward while driving. Supposedly there is a defect in the alternator that causes the battery to lose voltage - just thought everyone would like to know or if this has happened to anybody else, what did you do to fix the problem? Other than this problem, I have never had another problem with the car, in fact I'm thinking of trading in my Kia Sephia for a Kia Sportage.
2nd Mar 2007, 14:39
Need a code for Kia radio. My 2001 Sephia had work done, the battery was removed, and now I can't play the radio. Can anyone help? Contact bgcrown@hotmail.com
28th Mar 2007, 12:08
I have heard a lot of negative comments about the Kia Sephia. I am a poor college student who needs to commute from home to school to work. The commute is only 5 to 10 minutes long and it is local in the city traveling. I saw a 2001 Kia Sephia for sale and I don't see anything wrong with it. It is priced at 1,995. Should I go for it? I only need it for about 1-2 years.
28th Jun 2007, 09:31
I agree with the person above me :)
I mean I don't have a lot of money - I'm just a sophomore in high school, but I am going to need a car to travel throughout the school year, as simple as going to the grocery store -- as big as going down to north carolina which is about 4 hours from where I go to school to visit my boyfriend and friends. I want a reliable car but I'm pretty sure once I graduate from high school I will have saved up enough and have the credit to get a brand new car.
So this is just to last me a few years. the one I was looking at on the other hand was a mere 3,000 and it's a 2001, I really think I might go for it???
12th Mar 2008, 15:15
I need code for the Kia radio on a 1996 Sephia. Had work done, battery was removed, now can't play the radio; can anyone help?
Contact enochtrosky@yahoo.com
27th Apr 2009, 16:21
I have an '00 Sephia, have had it for 7 years, and have no complaints. Student who's looking: I say go for it. I paid $2k US for it and it's been worth every penny. It ferried me to school and back, with a lot of stuff in it. I drove it from PA to CA with no problems. I've replaced the brake pads, yes. But I've had to do that with other used cars (a Ford and a Subaru).
And yes, with the automatic transmission I have some trouble with it dropping gears. But I'm not a power driver. A few miles in the city, no problem. I'm not out to race. If I had the chance to buy an equally priced honda, I'd say get the Honda. But my car has been great for the money.
13th Jun 2009, 16:18
My 2001 Kia has over 100,000 miles on it and not until this week have I EVER had problems with it. Bought it new and have drove it back and forth 8+ hours regularly. I'm now having the brake/battery light and jerking problem mentioned above... but at 8 years old and 100,000 miles I think it was definitely worth the money.
19th May 2010, 00:08
Why don't you see too many Kias (or Hyundais) for sale with over 60k miles? Because most of them are in the junkyard by that point.
Seriously, you can buy a 1989 Buick for $850 and get more miles out of it and spending less on repairs. And, it's a much nicer car (and I hate '89 Buicks).
16th Nov 2012, 20:53
I would highly recommend this car to anyone looking for a reliable get around car. My father got one new, drove it for 15 years, and now I drive it from place to place. It's been driven quite hard over the years as well. Aside from cracking in the dash and the radio not working, it has needed little work other than routine maintenance. Of course, with any used car, you should have it inspected by a good mechanic, and a vehicle history report is highly recommended.
4th Aug 2001, 13:34
This is a comment on the last comment. I don't know how the Australian economy is, but in America we sometimes view $18,000 as a lot of money. You couldn't buy a C Class for that (even a two year old one). Some people who are on a small budget here in America buy cars like KIA as an alternative to used cars, but you could buy a used car that costs up to $5,000 less and get better reliability. I bought my '92 Mercury Topaz GS fully loaded for (including the V6 engine) for $12,000. It was two years old and it was in such good condition that when I first saw it I thought it was new.