Used 2003 Kia Optima Consumer Reviews
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Life saver
My Kia was my first car after turning 16. I liked he car a lot and it was very practical as a first car. The thing I will remember most is that this car saved my life. I totaled it through a light pole and into the trees at about 70 mph. I made out without a scratch because of the incredible safety of this car. I had heard that Kia's has low crash test ratings but this car proved them wrong by saving my life.
Great car - couple small issues
I love my car. In the 7 years I have had it there has only been a few issues. The alternator went, but that was covered. Same with the switch for my power seat. My biggest issue is with the locks! Had it fixed when the car was 5 yrs old. covered. But now the same issue. When I go to open the door (passenger) all the doors will lock. Now the door will not open at all. The dealer want $360. Guess my passengers will have to crawl through the window for now. Over all I have spent $500 in 7 years other than brakes and tires. Still have the original battery even.
Great Used 2003 Optima
Bought this car with 26,000 miles and 11 months left on the factory 5 year/60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty! It had only minor issues (power window switch and power locks) and the dealer made the repairs for free, under warranty. Fun to drive it with its "sportmatic" transmission. I like putting it in manual shift mode from time to time to pass slower cars, or to perform better on hills. I used to think it was a gas guzzler, until I changed my driving habits: If I don't stomp on the gas in the city, and on the highway I speed up slowly and drive 80 mph or less, I get very good gas mileage. Performs very well and looks very nice. I got a lot of bang for my buck with this car.
Great Ride
At 190000 miles has been a great reliable car. Standard maintenance and very regular oil changes. Today will buy 4th set of tires. Get 25-26 MPG mainly freeway driving.
Optima has been a good car
We bought our 2003 Optima just after getting married in 2003. We werent particularly looking for a Kia but due to the rebates Kia was giving at the time we settled on the Kia because it had superior options and a price we could afford. After 7 years of ownership we are ready to upgrade though and unfortunately wont be buying another Kia. Heres why: Cons: we paid 18000 for the car and today we can get about $3500 if we're lucky. Depreciation on this car is terrible. Belt squeals nonstop and dealers cant figure out problem. Always had transmission troubles that again dealer cant fix. Pros: Super reliable, fuel system problem at 30000 miles and door problem at 120000 but otherwise Reliable!
2003 Kia Optima SE V6
Drives great. You get a lot of car for your money with this car. The warranty and roadside assistance make it even great, Honda and Toyota don't even come close.
I love my Kia Optima
The Kia Optima has been the best car I have ever had. It drives really nice and it is a comfortable car. Very sporty looking.
You Get What You Pay For
We purchased this car used and we know why the original owner sold it. Although the car drives great, the car has had many electrical problems and the transmission started slipping just after we bought it. Each time we put it in the shop it takes two days to get it back. Electrical problems include headlights, remote entry, radio, and battery draining down if not driven daily. Also, we have had the emissions worked on several times. The steering growls like it is out of fluid but it isn't and the dealer can't find the problem. We like the way it drives but with all the electrical problems, would like to get rid of it. We paid way too much for it, no resale!
Nice Front-Poor rear design
The rear end has a lip that extends out from the trunk. While it looks ok, we only had 2500 miles on it before a hotel luggage handler used it to lay our luggage on it and then proceeded to push suitcase in the trunk. It resulted in a few scratches and a major chip of paint taken off. It should be redesigned to be more flush with the trunk . Load your own luggage, golf clubs to avoid damage.
Not a bad car.
My Kia is a great car. I use it to drive 40 miles to work and back 5 days a week. The only problem I have had was when a sensor went out. I believe it was a recall. The dealer took care of the problem quick. It handles better than I ever imagined a Kia would. I would change to front grill of the 2004 back to the 2003 style. It gives the appearance of a more expensive luxury car. Not what you would expect from a Kia. I am planning to trade it in on the new Amanti in a couple of years. Who knows, there may be a Kia in my garage for a while to come.
Worst Nightmare
Everyone says foreign cars are better. I would say to them don't include kia in the mix. Brand new alternator twice in 14 months, had to replace just about everything on it so far and have only 76,000 miles on it. Sound system is horrible it skips like a cd player and the cd player hasn't worked since the first week i bought it. Alarm hasn't worked for 2 years it goes off whenever it wants to when its set. And the parts are so expensive its stupid! I would NEVER recommend a Kia to anyone stick to toyota or honda.
Great Car for the Money
This has been a great car for the dollar. It has alot of the bells and whistles of the competition that you would be paying $20k or more for. The engine is surprisingly powerful. My car was in an accident and did well protecting me.
If I could only have a do over...
I bought my KIA with only 3,000 miles on it in late 2004. It was great until I ran out of warranty time, once that happened the car started falling apart. The timing belt went at less than 70,000 miles causing me to replace the whole engine (in 2010). For the past 2 years the car has decided to cut down when I am driving. It spent 3 months in a KIA Dealership repair shop and they still do not know what is wrong with it. How can a KIA Repair shop not know how to fix its own cars? They now say I need to spend another $1200 just to see "If that is the real problem." I loved my car during the first 5 years, but I wish I could go back and traded it at 4 years.
Happy
Two months and two major trips, Phila. to Boston and Phila. to Richmond. Some tough driving conditions heavy rain and high heat all handled with confidence. Car rides great at speed. Best mileage 28.6. I've had no problems at all.
STILL A NICE CAR
After having my new KIA OPTIMA 2003 for over a month, I find it still worth the money. Still enjoy driving the car. Mine is a 4 cyl, so, when driving onto a Dual Highway, the pick up speed is bad. And when you are using your AC, you can really feel the difference in pickup (not good). But all in all, the car is still worth what you pay for it. Just remember, if you want a car that has a good take off onto a dual highway, for passing, or running your AC and doing the above,you should go with a 6 cyl. But if I had to do over again, I would still buy the 2003 KIA OPTIMA "BUT" I would get a 6 cyl.
WE LIKE IT ALOT
WE'VE OWNED ACCORDS AND CAMERYS AND THIS IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH THEM. THE RIDE IS BETTER, THE TRANSMISSION ISN'T AS GOOD, THE STYLE IS MUCH BETTER AND THE WARRANTY BUMPER TO BUMPER PUTS THE OTHERS TO SHAME. 5YRS. TO SAVE $8,000 DOLLARS OVER THE ACCORD AND CAMERY AND GET A COMPARABLE CAR IS GREAT.
Just bought my Optima
Have been looking for two months at other makes (Ford, Hyundai, Honda, Mitsubishi). I was getting frustrated because the other makes with the features I wanted were TOO expensive. I hadn't even thought to look at KIA. We were passing by the KIA dealership and decided to stop by to browse. WOW..I found just the car with all the features I wanted and a price I could afford. I would recommend anyone who is looking for a well equipted car at a reasonable price to check out the KIA, and the warranty can't be beat.
Love IT.
I went to kia not expecting much. I spend 80% of my day in my car and I have found that I enjoy driving in my kia more that I did my mazda 626. the 2.4L engine with the auto trans. is kind of week off the line but picks up pretty quickly. I so far think that it has been worth the money and more.
2003 best buy!
For the money you spend, its well worth it. Got an LX, 4 cyl auto for 13.5K out the door. Real deal for a car this good. Still loving it after 5k miles.
my new optima
We purchased the kia optima 2003 and could not believe all you get for the price.Our car has everything in it except heated seats.When living in Texas that is not really necessary.The car drives great,is comfortable,gets good gas mileage,and was afordable.I had never heard of a optima before and never drove a kia.I do admit that I was looking for information on the car myself.After driving the car myself it did not really matter what anyone else said because I loved it.The warrenty that kia carries made me fill secure in my decision and to just enjoy my car and I do.I bought my car 8 weeks ago and have already put 4,200 miles on it.It is great!
2003 KIA Optima - a throw away car?
The 2003 KIA Optima LX is the flip-phone of cars. This car wasn't supposed to last 7 years, and "Katie" is 20 now. I am trying to restore the car fully. She starts every time. The car loves summer nights and open highway. I've never had a major problem. It's the opposite of a lemon. Oh, and she has this early tiptronic transmission that makes the car way too fun to drive. That's probably why there aren't many left on the road. People loved driving them and they probably loved them a little too hard. The car doesn't complain if I'm not wearing my seatbelt. There is no annoying display illuminating the inside constantly. It doesn't correct my driving for me. There is no backup camera. There are no excessively complicated systems to deal with. This car is from a strange era of optimism and uncertainty about the future of automobiling. This Optima, along with the models before it served as prototypes for what now looks like some kind of Batmobile... Something called a K5, it says. A K5 looks fun, but it sure looks different. The 2003 blends all the functionality of a modern car, with the simplicity of sedans from earlier decades. The people who designed this car did their absolute best to make it affordable and user friendly, and most of all fun. After 20 years, she has a little oil problem that the mechanic says isn't a big deal. We'll see. Katie needs minor body work and some help with the exhaust. Maybe a tune-up, brake pad change, and a spruce up inside. There's an issue with the thermostat, but we can swap that out. I don't care that this car makes me look like a total scrub. Katie doesn't deserve to end up in the dustbin of history. Very few cars from this era are going to be saved. I want this car to be a forrest green, unicorn of a ride 30 years from now. It will be. If I can get my proverbial poop together. No scratch-offs or lotto tickets for me. But, if I did win big, I would just fix Katie. She's such a good ride. -Rupert Wilson Quaintance IV [contact info removed]
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
NICE CAR
This is my 2nd KIA. First was a 2000 Sephia. The dependabily was the reason why I went back for another. I had 138,000 on my 2 1/2 year old Sephia. I liked the style of the Optima 2003. So far I enjoy driving it. I have had a simple problem which the dealer will correct. I am hopeing to get the same reliable transportation with this car. If so, I will buy another KIA in 3 years.
After 1st Three tanks full...
There is no "Get up and go" here, but for what you pay it is worth it. I've gotten 26-29 mpg. I normally get more than the ratings, but not here. Handling is good. The engine is a bit noisy, but not that bad. The sportmatic transmission is nice for control. A family car for easy driving. All controls are in good locations except the cruise control on/off switch. It is located by the left knee...go figure. The cruise has to be turned on each time the vechile is used again. Each time you turn it on, it is a one time deal. All other controls are in good layout.
Good Car
The car has been a reliable car. At 60k, please remember to have your timing belt replaced as I didn't and could have had major expenses, but fortunately no bent valves. Battery out at 65k miles. New tires at 55k miles. That's it and now at 83,000 miles. The power locks on the doors stink big time and the drive window sticks.. Trunk auto popup is gone.
The service is the problem not the car
I have made 4 visits to kia service centers and for a simple problem with the belt squeeling. I supose today it will be fixed after the car had to be towed.
the meaning of the word value
The KIA Optima is a fantasticly designed car, the beautiful lines of the vehicle complimented by the reliability of the hyundai sonota frame guarantees the ride of this vehicle to be second to none in its class. Affordability and options all come together with power leather seats as options and an infinity sound system. the front and passenger airbags as well as side airbags keep you feeling safe. sunroof, available v6 or 4cyl. depending on how fast you want to go!
Excellent V-6 Value
My last auto was a Chevy Prizm which was a very nice car overall. This Kia is both prettier, faster, and better designed overall than previous autos owned by me. The V6 is quiet while fun to drive. Plenty of power and I like the 4 speed automatic with the Sport manual shift. The ride is soft but not bad. Handles well with the 15" Michelin tires. Very happy with the build quality of this Kia Optima and the many features that are standard. Very happy with this purchase and highly recommend the Kia Optima to others looking for a midsize auto. Very nice!
Not the best
this is supposed to be a car that gets very good gas mileage, but what i have found is that there should be a law that makes the manufacturer state the real mileage that the car gets. over- all the car does have good looks on the exterior. i have found several rattles that are very annoying on the interior.
Buy american
Had problems with ac, tried to have door locks fixedseveral times never could find problem. In my opion Kia not much help, seems all work should be done at Kia dealers only. Will only buy American only, have owned VW, Toyota
Pretty Nice Sedan and the Price is Great
It rides smooth and has a great initial acceleration.
Great for the money
For the money I could not do better. Comfortable, reliable and stylish for 12,000 dollars.
In Love with My Kia
I like my new Optima because it is easy to handle. I have back problems and it has the 8 point seat adjuster and it really helps when I drive for more than half an hour. I am 5' ft. tall and getting in and out is awesome. It is very roomy especially when my 6'- 1" brother is in the car and in the back seat. My two Children love the storage/ cup holder the have in the back. the trunk space is incredible, I was able to put 20 bags of grocerys plus two soccer balls in there.
6 month owner
I went from a 2000 Integra 5 speed manual to my Kia LX V6 auto trans. The Integra was more fun to drive and I miss the gas mileage, but overall, I like the Kia better. The Kia rides better and is much roomier. It was also less expensive and comes equipped with a better waranty. The stereo sound quality between the two is about equal. Power equipment (windows/locks) seem to work better in the Kia. I just hope the car turns out to be as reliable as my Integra.
A great value...
We decided to look at the Kia Optima along with everything from the Olds Alero, Toyota Camery, Ford Taurus and a whole slew of others. The Kia Optima SE V6 won hands down for both the price, the features that came standard and the warranty. The same car in a Toyota Camery would cost about $5,000 more and I liked the exterior lines of the Optima. With four months and 7,000 miles on the clock, we are still happy with our purchase and I fully plan to have the car past it's warranty. My personal goal is to have this car past 150,000 miles and from what I see so far, I will... Good car for the money.
nice for the price
I have enjoyed my new KIA. I love the pickup when I punch it. The ride is smooth and quiet.
Kia Optima LX 4
Love this car! Great handling and pick up. Wonderful gas mileage, for a full sized "luxury" car. Large,roomy interior. Looks like it cost a lot more than it really does. Better than th e Hyundai Sonata(Kias' cousin). Smooth ride, great comfort for short or long rides. Nice safety features. Would reccomend to anyone looking at a Taurus or comparable car! More car, less money!
great for the money
car came with problems but the dealer fixed then without questions and quickly
03 Kia Optima
The Kia Optima is the first car in a long time I have been more than happy to brag about. It has the amenities of cars costing thousands more and the quiet, smooth ride of a larger luxury auto. I have nothing but praise for this car and the dealer who sold it to me. No buyers regrets at all! And don't even get me started on the 10/100 warranty! Where else does anybody have the guts to back up their product with that kind of warranty? You can spend more money on another car than you will at a Kia dealer, but, why would you?
Very Impressed
I think this is a great car for anyone who was, like me, wanting to get into a Honda Accord. The handling is superb, it rides like a luxury car, but for a lot less. Plus, it comes with great creature features. It's defnintely a comporable car to the big boys!
VERY HAPPY
I have had noting but fun since i have gotten it. The car purrs and hada a great sound when you punch it. I have a Blast driving it. Friends always want me to to let them drive it. For the Price I don't think any car compares. I got mine with every option.
A lot of car for the money
so far after 3 weeks of ownership there isn't anything I don't like about this car. This is how the big three should learn how to make cars. We looked at a lot of cars in this class and nothing could compare to the Kia's for price and warranty.
I love this car!
I own a 2003 Kia Optima LX V6. I have had the car for 2 weeks and just love it! A helpful hint on the 2003 Optima owners: That grill! Ugh, looks like shark teeth in Finding Nemo. What I did was go to a Kia dealership and get a 2004 grill. It's the same fit as the 2003, just 6 screws later and you have a car that is radically changed. The part was only $87 and made it look like a newer car. I highly recommend it.
Fine Ride
I love this car!! I had a Focus and i loved it and when trade in time came, the Optima is the only car that caught my eye...
A GREAT COMPETITOR
Although we just purchased the 2003 SE Optima it has the beginnngs of a 'keeper'. I have sold others and this car will be difficult to compete against, even without the 10-100 warranty. The leather interior is a great opton, well thought out. The 2.7 is more than adequate for civilized driving. Freshened build for 2003 was needed.
great car-and i have owned alot
i have owned a subaru outback 1999- 2001,than, nissan ultima,than mazda tribute.i travel alot,live in the mountains-need a good all around,dependable vehicle.the kia is the best.gas mileage great.rides smooth-i have the 4 cylinder,5 speed.rides like a champ.
This Kia Will Turn Heads!
I bought the Optima two months ago, and absolutely love it! Previously I owned a Mercedes-Benz 300SD, and the Optima turns just as many heads, and is very fun to drive!
Pleasant surprise
Great value for the money---a v-6 sedan for the price of smaller 4 cylinders. Smooth ride, nice fit and finish. turns many heads, and people are very surprised to find out that it is a Kia
The more I know it the better I like it
The more I drive this car the better I like it. Peppy, handles great, and the Selectronic shifter is great in the mountains. Good gas milage, good looks, and nice interior (leather package). Will it be reliable in the long haul? Only time will tell, but with the great warranty I am not worried.
Like it!
The car is a great value. I have the V- 6 and it rides great. I have had only one problem with the sunroof motor that was repaired by dealer, no charge to me. Car has excellent warranty! 5 year 60,000 bumper to bumper! 10 years - 100,00 powertrain.Most options are standard and I also got the leather package. The interior set up and controls look nice and function well. The styling is great, and several people thought I was driving a Mercedes because of the new front grill European style. A car with all the options I wanted for just slightly over $20,000! Time will tell, I hope the vehicle lasts. So far, so good!
Best Car I've ever owned
The Optima is a luxury car for an economy price. With Leather, Wood Interior, Moon Roof and all the extras, the Kia is a steal for the money I paid. I went to a Toyota dealer with the price I paid for the Optima and they could barely get me into a stripped down Corolla for that price. I've had the car for nearly one year and put on 28,000 miles and I have not had a single problem. The blue color is very nice looking also. I wanted the Pearl white and settled for the Blue and now I think the blue looks even better!