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:

Relatively low quality materials used in the interior, and it seems they've been careless about the finish (electric glass buttons and CD storage place have been broken or dislocated).

Electric side mirrors controller has stopped working several times, and needed to be changed constantly.

Generally poor quality and finish inside and outside, radio antenna and wipers have broken, and wipers replaced. Right sun visor is broken.

General Comments:

I'm impressed with the reliability of the engine, given that that Kia Motors was a relatively new company in the business, and it was expected that the car would completely break down after 10 years or more, but even now (after 13 years of almost everyday use) it hasn't let me down.

It's cheap to fix and maintain.

Very good-looking and loveable.

Not a very enjoyable car to drive; the seats are very low, however the instrument panel and the doors are relatively high, so that a driver who's not remarkably tall will face some difficulties trying to have a view of the street around him.

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!