2001 Kia Spectra GS 1.8L DOHC 16V from North America
Summary:
If you love to spend money on constant repairs, this is the car for you
Faults:
Serpentine belt 4 times: 70k, 85k, 92k, and 100k.
The car was checked for tire and suspension issues at 92k, and nothing was found to be wrong.
Timing belt and water pump replaced as preventive maintenance at 70k.
Emission components (throttle position sensor, EGR valve, etc.).
Fuel pump at 125k (the first time I thought of dumping this car).
Interior pieces broke (rear view mirror fell off, 3 door handles, and the radio stopped working).
The icing on the cake: The timing belt snapped at 129k and required an engine swap ($3,000 out of my pocket).
General Comments:
The car is very peppy, but requires as much money as a high end car would cost to keep running. I had no idea the timing belt was going to snap either, because it was changed at 70k along with the water pump and the first serpentine belt failure. The timing belt is supposed to be changed every 60k. I even contacted the repair shop that repaired it the first time, and they said even though it failed early, they were not going to fix all the damage for free. I went to a different mechanic and had a newer engine put in for $3000, and sold this pile of crap after it was put in.
The ride quality and interior quality was horrible also; at highway speeds this car always felt like it was unstable and going to fall apart. Interior pieces also fell apart.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 22nd April, 2015
23rd Apr 2015, 19:08
No surprise there, it's a Kia, what did you really expect quality wise? The newer models may be more reliable and well built, but it's still too early to tell. Early 2000s Kias were horrible money pits and just crappy cars to begin with. I remember a friend sending her Kia Rio to the junkyard with less than 60000 on the odometer; never seen a car that bad ever.