Used 2001 Kia Optima Consumer Reviews
Not bad for a 14 year old Korean Sedan
Purchased a Kia Optima LX 4 cylinder/automatic sedan for my son in college. He drives it... I pay for things. At 156,000 miles the car runs great. Starts quickly regardless of temperature, A/C still blows cold and all power features still work including windows. The only thing I've had to do is put brakes on it and one motor mount. When a motor mount breaks, you'll definitely know it!!! Sitting outside year round in the Midwest including snow and salt on the roads, the car has zero rust on it. Paint has chipped off around the door handles, but the clear coat remains. Could be because the car is washed weekly, but the car is surprisingly comfortable, particularly for something so old. The car features side impact airbags and that is rare in all but high end luxury cars of that vintage. I suspect a lot of people carping about their Optima's bought them used and are the kinds of people who don't believe in maintenance. Change the oil and fluids at the recommended intervals and you should have good results. If you buy ANY car with the notion that it's a throwaway vehicle, then expect to do just that... throw it away. UPDATE: As of September 2016, the Optima is still performing fine.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Kia CAN be reliable
I love my 2001 Optima. I've had it for only a month, and it has 95,000 miles on it. It drives like a Buick, though, and is as reliable as a Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai. I had to have a new timing belt put in it ($500), but that was just a maintenance thing since it looks as though the previous owner had never done it. It's so much fun to drive, though, and all of my neighbors, friends, and family salivate over it saying it looks brand new. I couldn't find a better deal for $5,000 with all the options!
Never Ever again
The car is roomy, great gas mileage with the five speed, and the base 4 cyl is not bad at all. However I have had nothing but problems with this car. Everything from the center console falling apart to the infamous power window problems. Premature clutch failure, electrical dash problems, engine problems and on and on. Yes there is a bumper to bumper warranty, but it does not pay for car rental if you have to leave the vehicle in the shop (which you certainly will). When you factor in the horrendous resale and/or trade-in value I would say that this is one of the worst automobile purchases you could ever make
Better choices await...
Bottom line: This is a very cheap, no frills car. If you are looking for something that will get you around and no more...this is the car for you. If you are looking for a car that holds it's resale value...this is NOT it. Currently worth more as a tax credit on donation -or- totaled than trade-in value. I bought this car in 2003 and have put approximately 45,000 miles on it, mostly highway. At 75,000 total miles it looks and drives like it has 150,000 miles.
2001 Kia
My Kia Optima is one of the worst cars that I have ever had. The dealership failed to inform me that if the car transfers owners then the warranty will only be good for 50,000 miles. My car was at 55,000 miles when my timing belt went out on it and blew the whole motor.
Kia is a deathtrap.
I have owned my optima for 1 1/2 years and ultimately hate it. I am trying to get kia to take it back as a lemon, but of course they don't want to. there have been 5 recalls to date on this model, and one of those recalls almost caused the loss of life to myself and my 5 year old son on the freeway, as the vehicle failed to operated(ie:the crankshaft positioning sensor recall). i am currently experiencing the second failure of this particular recall. I would have been better off to spend the extra money to buy a honda or toyota. Even though this car has the warrenty, you will use it often. If you love your family, buy a different car.
Trade offs
For the most part I am satisfied with my Optima. I love the acceleration and the smooth ride, but just wish it was built to last. From the moment I got it, I had an issue with the paint peeling off one of my door handles, serious paint chip issue with the side view mirrors,and then some fun with power door locks opting not to wrk. All said you cant beat the price, but you do get what you pay for. I have satisfied for the most part, but if I knew then what I know now, I might have thought longer and harder about my purchase.
What a Disappointment
At only 62000 miles this car already needed a new timing belt and transmission. Also had to have the auto window repaired. Way too much work needed on a car of this year and mileage. Kia Customer Support very rude.
Not worth the money
I bought this car brand new off the showroom floor. Immediately we had some small issues but nothing major. After owning it for about 3 years and having more warranty problems, my car spent 6 months in the shop. So many things were replaced it's hard to remember. There were transmission problems, computer problems, speaker/radio problems, window and lock problems, and engine problems to name a few. Due to the horrible depreciation on the car, we were only just now able to get rid of it without going into neg. equity. My advice, stay away, there's a reason for the warranty.
2001 Kia Optima SE V6
The worst part about buying from a used car lot: you don't know what you're going to get. I did just that. Bought it w/94K later finding out the previous owner did not do ANY maintenance to this car. Little "fixes" add up very quickly. Kia service dept. knows what they're talking about. My regular mechanic still can't figure out a nasty chugging/"hiccup" the car does in reverse and idling which has been going on about 6 months now. They cleaned out the idle system, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Looks like I'll have to take it back to Kia to have it checked out. Also has a passenger side-impact airbag problem - $1600 to fix. I'll just go without the airbags... it's not worth it.