Responds well to acceleration and steering.

Slow getting replacement parts & very parts very expensive.

I have had many problems with this car. I bought it used. The couple that owned it first traded it in on a 1998 Kia. I thought this meant they was happy with the Kia cars. I had the car for less than a month when the vehicle speed sensor had to be replaced. 2 months later I replaced the left CV axel, another 2 months later the right CV axel had to be replaced. The dash was discolored on the driver side like it was burnt. I had that replaced. Shortly after that I received a recall notice on the Emmissions Evaporator. The car has always had a gear shifting problem, never shifts smooth, & the check engine light stays on. The air bag light stays on. I have recently replaced the left CV axel again & just replaced the transmission.

Similar Products Used:

none

acceleration (5-speed)
reliability (5-speed)
handling (both)

acceleration (automatic)
reliability (automatic)
ride (both)

My sister owns an automatic 1999 Kia Sephia, and I own a stripped down 5-speed version of the same car from the same year. I have driven both extensively, and I am astounded at the contrats between the two. The automatic has lousy acceleration, even for an economical car, worse than expected MPG, and has been to the shop more times for more reasons than I can count (admittedly, the vehicle has accrued 50,000+ miles in just over 2 years).

Contrarily, the 5-speed has been superb. Extremely reliable, only one trip to the shop for a relatively minor problem (inhibited intake, covered by the warranty), decent MPG, and believe it or not the 5-speed has some punch performance-wise. I have gone toe-to-toe with Integras in this car, and there's enough torque on 3rd/4th gear to afford some passing power on the highway, though at about 85mph the car does begin to rattle a bit.

Both cars do well during the Chicago winter as long as about 7-10 minutes are allowed for the engine to warm up. Brakes have been fine on both cars.

Both cars handle corners in a suprisingly taut manner.

The only complaint that I have in regard to BOTH vehicles is the ride; it is an as* breaker on long highway trips.

In sum, I can strongly recommend the Kia Sephia, but ONLY as a 5-speed manual. After my own experience with this car, I relate to the verbal thrashing that some owners have unleashed upon it, but I also suspect that nearly all of them own automatics, because I must the manual has been good to me.

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Hyundai Sonata 1991 (compares less than favorably except for 5-speed performance)
Mercedes Benz 280 1979 (unfair comparison to a wonderful driving machine, even for the age of the MB)
VW Scirocco 1986 (less than favorable comparison)

PRICE

CHEAP WAS I HAD TO REPLACE BATTERY IN THE FIRST YEAR, FUEL PUMP, BRAKES, CAR WOULD SHAKE, IGNITION WOULD LOCK AND I COULD NOT START CAR. CHEAP CAR.

I BOUGHT MY KIA NEW AND HAD IT ONLY FOR 1 YEAR & 6 MONTHS. I HAD PROBLEMS LIKE EVERY OTHER MONTH. HAD A A FEW RECALL ON THE CAR. I NEEDED A CAR AND IT WAS AFFORDABLE AT THE TIME, BUT WAS THE WORST MISTAKE I MADE IN BUYING IT. I FINALLY TRADED THE CAR EVEN THOUGH I WAS UPSIDE DOWN. I JUST WANTED OUT OF THAT JUNKY CAR. I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO PAY MORE FOR WHAT I HAVE NOW.

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CUTLASS SUPREME & GRAND AM GREAT CARS

Gas, Gas, Gas! Uses very little of it.

Not very roomy. Poor acceleration after 40 mph.

Nice little car. Gets going quick but has poor accelartion after about forty miles per hour. Great on gas money. Got it cheap from my sister after she owned it for a year. Just needed repairs after 7 years. Had new muffler and front axle replaced. Other than that no major problems. Interior is small. Dashboard is starting to fall apart. Had to put new radio in cause factory one bit the dust. Was a great value, but got it as a steal from my sister.

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Hyundai Elantra. Elantra blows the Sephia away!

none

In the short time that I had the car here is what was replaced:
1.fuel line seperated from vehicle one day after purchase leaving me in the road with a pool of raw gas.
2.heater would not work in the middle of a snow storm in january.
3.A/C compressor would hum and make all sorts of noise replaced 2 times.
4.brakes and roters were bad at 5,000 miles
5.gas guage would never read full.
6.throtle position sensor bad at 12000 miles- going out again at 15000 miles
7.battery had to be replaced one month after purchase
8.power steering pump went out 9,000 miles
I hated this vehicle, every day that I had to get in this vehicle it made me sick. I have never been so displeased with anything in my life than this vehicle. I was so glad when this past february I was able to get rid of this piece of junk. I have two small children, and the fact that this vehicle left me stranded twice in one year, and went into the shop every two weeks makes me sick. Oh and let me tell you the so called regional manager for NM, stinks. Can you believe that he told me that my case would never stand up in court. Well you can bet that I spoke to a lawer who was ready and willing to go after KIA. But I decided to try and trade in the junkmobile instead. Too bad that I was only one more break away from being able to file for the lemon law. Well I can only judge from my problems that I had, but I do have one thing to say to kia.... YOU CAN KEEP YOUR CHEAP ASS PIECE OF JUNK CAR. BUYERS BEWARE KIA DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR VEHICLES. IF YOU BUY ONE PRAY THAT IT IS NOT A FACTORY DEFECT SUCH AS MINE. KIA WILL ONLY LAUGH AT YOU AND TURN THEIR HEADS. I HOPE SOMEONE SOMEWHERE STANDS UP TO THIS CAR COMPANY AND THROWS IT RIGHT BACK IN THEIR FACES.

I would rate this car in the negitives. Never have I owned such junk. This car was in the shop 24 times in one year. I would never recomend anyone to buy this vehicle. Very unreliable, something on the car was always broken, or making noise.

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Pontiac Grand AM. Wish I never would have traded it in for this juck.

engine aceleration

dashboard, dents

My kia has 135000 miles on it, im reading the reviews, and im very pleased with this car its more dependable than any gm car, they suck,ive owned gm cars in the past and they were more time in the shop than on the road. In 6 years i have only had to replace the clutch and the struts thats it.

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hyndai, gm cars

engine aceleration

dashboard, dents

My kia has 135000 miles on it, im reading the reviews, and im very pleased with this car its more dependable than any gm car, they suck,ive owned gm cars in the past and they were more time in the shop than on the road. In 6 years i have only had to replace the clutch and the struts thats it.

Similar Products Used:

hyndai, gm cars

engine aceleration

dashboard, dents

My kia has 135000 miles on it, im reading the reviews, and im very pleased with this car its more dependable than any gm car, they suck,ive owned gm cars in the past and they were more time in the shop than on the road. In 6 years i have only had to replace the clutch and the struts thats it.

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hyndai, gm cars

Roomy/Comfortable , good gas milage (31mpg town and 36mpg highway), plenty of features for a cheap price, excellent warranty (have yet to ty it), Excellent A/C, handles road very well!

None

Love it! No problems what so ever. And I drive the tar out of this little car! 13000 miles in 6 months. Changed the oil eve 2500 miles with Mobil1 Synthetic. Very responsive.

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Nissans, Hondas, Toyotas

Great acceleration
Decent gas mileage
Good price

Overall cheapness. Low quality paint job, and lacks styling inside and out.
No aftermarket performance parts available.

Compared to many sport compacts out there (yes, I'm refering to this car as a sport compact), I think it's the best bang for the buck. As long as you get the 5-spd, it has great acceleration. I used mine once in an autocross race, and did very well. This car has a lot of pull. Although the quality doesn't match the higher priced cars, it serves its purpose well. No major repairs have been needed other than the two accidents the car as been involved in. The paint is cheap, but like I mentioned, it's not a high-priced car. If you can afford better, go with a Saturn or Honda.

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99 Saturn SC2 (auto)- much better car, but the Kia might beat it off the line.
Honda Civic - higher quality, but slightly slower. Civic has better gas mileage as well as the Saturn