2001 Kia Sephia Consumer Reviews

First Car

Written by: Class of '09 on 09/13/2008

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

This was my first car given to me by my mother.She bought a Ford and handed me the Kia. So I had nothing to compare it to. I would have to say it was and still is a good car. It's never broken down, or had any major problems. Only regular maintenance. My only complaint is that when i have the heat or a/c on the car's acceleration is greatly slowed. This may be due to its age but at times it can be annoying.

Favorite Features

With the rising gas prices $30 still fills up my tank. At the same time its not a tiny car that will fall over if you lean on it. I am a Tall girl and I need my leg room.

Suggested Improvements

The interior is a big turn off. The seats are for the most part fine. But the ugly gray dash and oddly black control panel are an eye sore.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

Not too bad for a cheap car

Written by: devs Mom on 08/04/2008

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Purchased my kia new in 2001 as a commuter car. Kia just turned over 51000 miles after I had traveled from St. Louis to Woodbridge, VA (30 miles S of D.C.) in 16 hours and only used 2 tanks of gas on a 800+ mile trip (son was impressed). Have also gone to tx, ar and ms with no problem and minimum gas besides regular maintenance, a right front strut assembly, tires and brakes, my only problem is crossed wires which make my windshield wipers come on when I turn on the a. C. (happened after jack leg body work) still not bad for a cheap small 4 cyl. Runs good but is starting to show age. Engine heat shield rattles constantly.

Favorite Features

Gas mileage- highway good, city & stop & go long D.C. area commute not so good. But still economical. Radio and CD player, heater and a.c. best features of car.

Suggested Improvements

Body exterior paint fading and body metal way too thin. Interior you get what you pay for. Only small cups will fit and seats need a cushion. Also how come spark plugs are not mentioned in the owners manual. Looking for that info is how I found this web site

7 out 7 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

I Love It!

Written by: Love It! on 04/24/2008

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I have owned quite a few different cars. I bought my KIA from a used car dealership the 1st of February. It only had 86,000 miles on it. I love this car. I have not had any problems with it. It has some minor hail damage but all in all, it looks and runs great. I am a mother of three teenage children so a lot of horse power in a vehicle is not necessary for me. My children and I both love this car.

Favorite Features

It is easy to get in and out of. There is a lot of head room and it is comfortable.

Suggested Improvements

I love my KIA the way it is.

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

Great car for the money

Written by: Me on 03/14/2008

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I bought this car brand new. I have not had the first problem with it. Paid $10,060. I had timing belt and all drive belts replaced at 70,000 miles. Car had never been in the shop before that.

Favorite Features

Reliability

Suggested Improvements

Thin body metal. Lots of door dings.

8 out 8 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

Pleasant surprise

Written by: the v on 03/10/2008

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I had very few expectations of this car, but it has really grown on me. It is excellent in every way. Reliable, fun to drive, very zippy (except when driving over 80 mph. It gets a little scary at that point, but what do you want for the money?). I would definitely buy a Kia again. But, this car has over 85000K miles on it and shows no signs of stopping, so I will keep it until the wheels fall off!

Favorite Features

Better gas mileage than my Nissan Sentra!! Very fast, great 5 speed torque. comfortable interior, yet compact enough to park in the streets of san francisco

Suggested Improvements

Resale value really stinks.

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

Repairs are frequent

Written by: Ryan on 12/04/2007

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

The car is okay but i've only had it since aug 08 and it already has many problems. It needs a new gear shift cable, possibly a new transmission, a new battery, new front strut mounts, the emerg brake is stuck on and the whole dash blinks when the signal light is on. Like everybody else says the body is just like a pop can. Also all the rubber lining on the doors is falling off. I find this repair list ridiculous because the thing only has 106,000 kms on it. The previous owner hit a pole with it and now the trunk leaks like crazy. This is my first car and I'm 17. I only have a part-time job. I guess the car will be siting in the driveway a little longer.

Favorite Features

Nice stereo, I like the interior design. Rides well when it works. Good gas mileage, went for a 300 km trip and the gas gauge barely budged.

Suggested Improvements

Kia cars are okay brand new but stay away from the sephia. I definitly woul not have bought it if I knew this was going to happen. Not worth the trouble

4 out 9 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

Pick of the Litter

Written by: Saberus on 10/03/2007

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

A steal for 11k new. My little red Kia wouldn't quit. I wasn't faithful in changing the oil after 18k miles, but the engine didn't seem to notice. Dealership mistakenly put in ATF instead of 5w-30 on that change, and ran for 9000 miles on it before I changed it myself and found out. The engine was stronger than ever. I don't know or understand how, but it was dyno'd after that at 240hp, and was getting 35ish mpg. She was unbeatable. But I couldn't keep up the payments, and she was repo'd in 2004. Never had a problem with her. Willing to bet that little car would have outlasted me if I still had her. I miss my car.

Favorite Features

Ice-cold A/C, and toasty heat. Never turned fans up past 1. Seats were comfortable, lumbar support and seat pan tilt were primo. Sturdy suspension stood up to the accidental curb or pothole without incident. Fuel efficiency and low maintenence costs made it easy on the wallet. Awesome first car.

Suggested Improvements

Stock tires left something to be desired. Can't say much else, I had an uncommon specimen. Deserves better resale value.

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

Okay for short-term

Written by: crazychemist78 on 09/02/2007

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

We bought this car new in 2001, mainly for the price, fuel economy and warranty. Handled pretty well, a bit underpowered but the manual tranny helped. Interior very cheap. Seats bent easily, vents broke easily, cupholder was awful, shifter skirt broke easily. Entire brake system minus master cylinder replaced three times. A/C system blew a hose. Doors froze constantly in winter. Recently lost power, found that both catalytic converters (yes there are 2!) had gone out and were blocking exhaust after the car heated up. This of course fried the spark plugs, wires, and coil packs. Dealer wanted $2100 just to fix this issue, used it to buy another car instead (not a Kia.)

Favorite Features

Pretty exterior. Fun to drive, handled well with new tires. Stick shift was very easy to use. Fairly reliable, tho w/headaches. Good gas mileage (~30 mpg 25:75 city:highway.) Put quite a few miles on it before it wasn't worth fixing. Planned on keeping it as a third car before the major breakdown.

Suggested Improvements

Body is very weak and easy to dent. I dented the fender while changing the tire! Interior very cheap, not very comfortable for commutes. If they brought it back I would definitely suggest upgrading the quality of all of the components, as it could have been a very nice car if the quality were better.

9 out 10 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

Can't beat it

Written by: ramer1 on 08/15/2007

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Purchased the car used in a pinch. The car had 40,000 miles on it and now has 180,000 miles on it. Only paid $3000 for it when it was 2 years old and said that I would drive it till it dropped. Still going!! Right after it was purchased, the car was driven for 40,000 miles without an oil change... still no problems. You can't beat the price, the gas mileage or the insurance, although parts are sometimes hard to find. Nothing but general maintenance since purchased. I now have a new truck, but will probably buy another Sephia after this one dies to have another 35 mpg road car.

Favorite Features

35 MPG!!

Suggested Improvements

Paint.

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post

2001 Kia Sephia

Written by: DAKIAMAN! on 04/23/2007

Vehicle

2001 Kia Sephia LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I love this car. I originally bought a 1998 m type sephia and it was crap, always in the shop. But because I couldn't afford anything else, I decided to give Kia a second try. I bought an 01 Sephia LS with 10 miles and still drive it today with over 93K miles! This car has never let me stranded and always starts in the morning. I plan to keep this car forever! I'm really happy to drive it everday!

Favorite Features

I like my dash. I'm a big guy and a lot of times I drive cars I have to reach for the steering wheel, but not now with my Kia. I also like the front end of my car. I put in some after market fog lights and now my friend tells me it looks like spomgebob's teeth!

Suggested Improvements

Definitely the body, the body dents quickly, and stronger seats. I had to replace my seat already once and the second one is on the way!

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

Report inappropriate post