24th Sep 2002, 11:36
I own a '95 Kia Sportage. I have owned this vehicle since august of '96, it was born in december of '95 and had 7,034 miles on it when I took it off the lot. it had a few minor problems the first couple years, but they were understandable. the cable for the fuel door and tire carrier would break or come undone every now and then. I killed a battery once and realized about a year later after replacing 3 batteries that it was the alternator. got a cheap one and was done with that. it has always leaned ever so slightly to the passenger side and I am guessing that that is because of the t-case, intake manifold, battery and gas tank all being on the same side with no heavy objects on the driver's side to balance them out. I hear monteros have similar problems. well to make a really long story a little shorter, I began to modify my sportage. I now have 4" of suspension lift, 1.5" body lift and I run 32" tires. it performs better now after all the modifications and repairs than it did when I bought it. all the noisy things? take them off, they aren't all that necessary. all the problematic things get rid of them, you don't need them. all the costly crap? bye-bye. strip it down and jack it up, throw on some meaty boots and go crawling. 'swhat I do.
Dave.
14th Sep 2004, 12:35
I own a 1998 KIA Sportage. I love it. It is a bit underpowered, but I can live with it. I don't have much trouble with it, but the driver's side window is messed up. I wish I could get a 4" lift kit for it.
5th Sep 2007, 21:06
Heres my problem, I'm going to have a 1995 Kia Sportage tomorrow for $350 and its clean, but, it seems like its running on 2 cylinders and the converter gets cherry red after it runs for 15 minutes. The guy I'm buying it from said the head gasket is bad. The oil is not milky and the anti-freeze level is fine. Am I making a mistake? He replaced the coil pacs, plugs, wires.
20th Apr 2010, 22:54
I drive a 95 Kia Sportage. It's a piece of dump, but I love it.
I get 15 to 16 around town, and 25 or so on the highway.
The 4 wheel drive is just fine, but I had to switch it to manual locking hubs, because the auto ones are crap.
GET BIGGER TIRES!!! It won't drop your mileage too bad. 225's are perfect stock.
I wanna get a 2.5 or 3 inch suspension lift. More ground clearance is key.
It's way underpowered, especially on the highway, but in low gears it's fine.
Going up hills for a while, the engine heats up quick, so check your temp gauge a lot.
The manual transmission is great to drive. It's real loose though, but you get used to it.
I love this car, because I can beat the crap out of it and I don't care one bit. I just make sure the engine is in check and all good. Great first car.
6th Oct 2010, 20:36
Several guys are now lifting these and having fun. Check out www.4x4wire.com and look for the Sportage forum.
For some cool pics check out www.upyourkia.com.
I've lifted mine and have 31s on it. A little underpowered, but still get 22 MPG with a corrected speedometer.
Don't believe your temperature gauge. If it is 3/4, it is hot.
17th Nov 2010, 13:13
I have a 2001 Kia Sportage EX 4X4.
For me it's been great. I use it for my exterminating business and for recreation it's even more useful. I installed a Curt 3,000LB Cap. trailer hitch and pull my 1800 Lb. 16 ft. boat with it no problem.
I recently noticed one of my rear coils broke, wouldn't have known unless I saw it and I'm looking to give it a lift in the spring time next year. When pulling heavy, check the brakes often.
The only small SUV with a full chassis, I'm loving it and having fun.
Bronx, New York.
27th Jan 2001, 20:23
I have a 1995 4x4 Sportage and love it despite a couple of kinks that had to be worked out. I wanted to be able to go off road but the 7.9 inches of ground clearance was not sufficient. I installed a 2.5 inch suspension lift kit and 30x9.5 in tires to get approx. 12.0 inches of ground clearance. It now goes most anywhere. It now leans much less in corners than stock, but is pretty bouncy.
I will keep this vehicle for a long time since resale values are low. It's a unique cheap truck that you can enjoy and not cry when it gets scratched on the trail. It's slow and noisy but gets you where you need to go and does it with character. This Sportage is not cute, it has a rugged stance that says "I am a 4 wheel drive". If you have one do not quit looking for ways to make it perform better in the dirt.