2001 Kia Sportage ex 4x4 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

It's been very dependable!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This sportage is 4 years old - It works great - No problems whatsoever! Works well off road. I think people expect too much in a low cost, 4 cylinder suv. This is not a Jeep Renegade people.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 16th July, 2005

17th Jul 2005, 08:19

I agree with the premise of your review, but I respectfully disagree with the notion that a Sportage, or any other new car for sale today is "cheap".

As a whole, cars today are outrageously overpriced. Many people, perhaps who have not worked on and/or had cars apart, think there is more to them than there really is. $20K+ for a metal shell with an engine and seats (which is quite frankly what a car is), is simply ludicrous.

Car manufacturers inflate the prices of their cars, because they know people have stopped thinking about purchase price anymore, and finance everything. They have desensitized people into now thinking $20K for a car is a good deal. Another ploy is to have even more overly-high/outrageous sticker prices, and then offer manufacturers incentives/rebates, or the latest, "employee pricing", to try and make the customer think he or she is getting some kind of a spectacular deal.

In the end, you are still paying a mini-fortune for something which is not even remotely worth the price, and probably financing your life away to sign up for the crazy deal. The only solution is for people to get past the notion, that a new car will change their life, and be willing to keep an older car on the road, until this super over inflated debt-based economy blows over.

I do not care what the economic numbers say about inflation supposedly being low. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. This has been going on since the 1990's, when Clinton started cooking the books on inflation, to falsely make his economic numbers look good...naturally, he could get away with anything. Of course, I do not believe the inflation numbers now either. The numbers are low now, though, because they are relative to previous numbers, which were false. Nobody wants to correct them, because they would have to report that inflation was through the roof during their administration.

All those numbers and reports are a crock anyway. The bottom line is, how much do things cost, relative to average income. Things today are not at all what they used to be... We have to stop feeding it, and come back down to Earth. That is again, why I respectfully take exception to the notion of $20K for a vehicle being "cheap".

8th Aug 2005, 13:46

I agree with you on the Kia Sportage. I bought mine with 59000 miles on it from a dealer. I has run like a swiss watch. I only changed the timing belts and tranny filter, and I change the oil and filter every 30 days. I liked it so much I bought a second for my daughter in college, this time on ebay. I thought it needed a tranny, so I got one on ebay, turned out to be only a hanger bearing was needed. ($42.40) My mechanic liked mine so much HE bought a Sportage. Like anything mechanical you have to stay up with the maintenance. The rear rack will work better if you spray lithium white grease in the mechanism from time to time. Brake pads will only last you 15-20,000 miles. I found that adding Titanium pads made a big difference, and dust shields on the wheels, put the black dust on the wheels to zero. My only complaint is I can't figure out how to open the radio bezel without breaking it, to change the CD player to XM radio. thing is tight.

2001 Kia Sportage EX 2.0 from North America

Summary:

You get what you pay for... buyer beware

Faults:

Lots of Highway noise.. had trouble with wind noise around the windows from day one.

The transmission has had to be replaced twice once at 44,000 and again at 82,000 miles.

Repeatedly have been unable to open the rear door... had to have it adjusted at least 4 times.

Due to pitting corrosion and peeling I had the alloy wheels replaced at 36,000.

Front struts leaking at 22,000 miles had to be replaced.

Rear side passenger window stopped rolling down had to have replaced at 44,000.

Stopped shifting into 4 wheels drive, new transfer case at 44,000.

Experienced electrical problems with the charging system and had to replace the alternator at 80,000.

The timing belt broke at 76,000 had to replace it.

The boot around the gear shift cracked and had to be replaced 35,000.

Exhaust rattling at 35,000 had to get new R& R silencer assembly.

The radio created interference with my cell phone and had to be replaced at 500 miles which cured the problem.

General Comments:

The recommended maintenance schedule it very expensive as are Kia's shop rates and parts. And if you do not follow the schedule your warranty is void.

In the beginning the only saving grace was the warranty. Since the 36,000 bumper to bumper warranty has ended this has been a very expensive repair bill on wheels.

The 100,000 mils warranty has paid on one occasion, to replace the transmission for the second time at 82,000 miles. Every other thing I have had to pay for.

I know I will need shocks and god knows what else for the suspension soon, but am already repair bill poor.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th March, 2005

17th May 2005, 19:13

Don't take this vehicle off roading on a dirt road. It is advertised as a great off-roading vehicle. That is not the case. I have never really even gone off roading. I went down a dirt road twice, and clogged all my filters and bent something (don't remember the name of the part) and when I took it to the KIA dealer, they told me it was from off-roading. I was like what off roading!!!

29th Aug 2006, 12:53

My daughter drove a 2001 Sportage with 58,000 miles and loved it. I was observing how it drove, handled, sounded, etc. I left with the concern that it was not a well build car. My daughter was upset because she liked the way it looked. After pulling up the comments on this site, even she admitted that she didn't want a car with so many potential issues. Thanks for the input and bailing me out since I would be the one getting the phone calls.