Need Comments! 2003 Kia Spectra good/bad?

[Clement]

I'm looking at getting a 2003 Kia Spectra for the wife. She's really sick of her 18 year old Bonneville. It is a 4spd auto, about 23K miles, very clean. We're buying it from a dealer so I'll get a part of the original 5yr/60K and 10yr/100K warranty.

Consumer reports doesn't have much info on this car, but it not listed as one of the cars to avoid.

Any good?

 

[eljefino]

That 10/100k drops to 5/60k, both powertrain and bumper to bumper if it's the same as Hyundais warranty. Kia is a corporate cousin of Hyundai so it could be the same deal or not.

Don't see what buying from a dealer has to do with it; should be the same transferability private party. Since the dealer appears very insistent that the warranty applies only because you're buying from them I'd read the fine print from an independent source: Not the dealer, not myself either.

The car is probably a great value for the money; Hyundai has brought their quality around. But don't pay much; the cars depreciate like rocks. Six grand would be my first wild a-- guess at a fair price.

 

[Clement]

The car is selling for about $5500, I think they want to get rid of it.

The dealer was not insistent on the warranty, that was my assumption about the continuity of the warranty.

I believe it is based on the Hyundai Elantra platform, and has a 135hp(?), 2.0L.

If it is as reliable as my Accent has been for me, that would be fantistic.

You are right about the depreciation! I owe about 6K on my Accent that is worth about 4K tops! Oh well, I'm gonna drive this thing into the ground.

 

[bfg9k]

The Kia Spectra has the worst front impact crash rating since 2001...

http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/17/pf/autos/iihs_small_car/

Personally, I'd pass on Kia Spectras altogether, my safety isn't worth a bargain to me.

I did rent a Kia Optima once, and a coworker has a Kia SUV - perfectly nice cars, and their crash ratings are much better than the Spectra!

 

[Mr Nice]

Clement,

Go to epinions.com and you can find many reviews of the Kia Spectra. The good thing about epinions.com, you get reviews from car owners......not a car magazine review.

[ February 16, 2005, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: LT4 Vette ]

 

[55Test]

quote:

---

Originally posted by LT4 Vette:
Clement,

Go to epinions.com and you can find many reviews of the Kia Spectra. The good thing about epinions.com, you get reviews from car owners......not a car magazine review.

---

Also check out carsurvey.org and carpoint.msn.com both of which have a user review section.

 

[yugrus]

Make sure this particular car is not former rental. If it was, I'd bring it into the garage I trust for quite a bit of inspection. Rentals are often abused in terms of hard driving.

 

[Korean_redneck]

quote:

---

Originally posted by bfg9k:
The Kia Spectra has the worst front impact crash rating since 2001...

http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/17/pf/autos/iihs_small_car/

Personally, I'd pass on Kia Spectras altogether, my safety isn't worth a bargain to me.

I did rent a Kia Optima once, and a coworker has a Kia SUV - perfectly nice cars, and their crash ratings are much better than the Spectra!

---

I just don't get it.. how can Kia Spectra got a Poor rating when it is the exaclty the same as the Hyundai Elantra that got good rating? I'm confused?

but reliablity wise,, the 2.0 litre Hyundai engine is Bullet Proof. I proven this by driven like **** in my 1999 Hyundai Tiburon 2.0 which is the same engine design but without CVVT and air sensor.