Used 2008 Kia Spectra Consumer Reviews
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High miles and still going
Michael brown, 06/28/2018
2008 Kia Spectra SX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
I've owned my spectra sx twice now I bought it used in 2014 when it had 280000 miles on it and haven't had to hardly do anything to it t runs as if it was a brand new car I got rid of it in April of 2016 when it had 302000 mile on it to get a 06 Yukon Denali and then recently this year I got it back at 304000 and now it has 305000 Iles and still running like new I love this car its roomy has great quality.
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Not bad for the money
Bryan, 12/30/2009
2008 Kia Spectra EX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
I am a young driver(21) bought this when I was 19(actually still making payments) and this has been a great car. The 5 speed really lets you open up the engine and get the most out of it and I wouldn't have it any other way. Mine has developed a rather strange problem lately, the rear floorboards are getting soaked but there is no leake up top, so I am guessing water is coming in from the bottom? This will be my first experience with KIA customer service so I hope they treat me well and I get my car back soon. This seems like a rare problem so I won't blame the car just yet. Overall, great car for the money hands down.
BEWARE!!! Engine dies - Steering wheel locks!
C.B. Dunlevy, 06/24/2016
2008 Kia Spectra EX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
14 of 19 people found this review helpful
■ 2016 April 23 I brought my car in for the regular “The Works” package maintenance to Kia of Dayton. Thereafter, my car ran a little rough. I did not think much of it until my car began “pausing/hesitating” as I drove it. ■ 2016 May 25 I was driving to an interview and thought the car was going to die on the highway. My car has never behaved like this; and, again, this was after the most recent routine maintenance on April 23, 2016. In addition, sometimes when I put on the brakes, the car stops and then lunges forward. This does not happen all the time; it happens intermittently. ■ 2016 June 10 I had my two twin granddaughters in the car. We met my husband for lunch and then went to Kettering Hospital to visit a relative. While driving in city traffic (going approximately 35 MPH), I gradually applied the brakes to stop at a stop light. When the light turned green, I realized that the engine had died. This concerned me as this has never happened. ■ 2016 June 13 I brought my car in to the dealership and described what was occurring. A diagnostics was performed and the car was driven. The Tech advised that nothing showed on the diagnostics and that when the car was driven, no issues occurred. ■ 2016 June 18 I drove from my house to the local grocery and back to my home. As I went to make a right-hand turn from, I gradually braked, made the turn and then realized the engine had died because my steering wheel locked! I had the air conditioner on, the radio on and was singing to it, so I did not hear the engine die. Further, because I could not steer, I went into the other lane and thankfully, no one was in the lane or I would have hit them. In addition, if someone would have been behind me, they would have hit me as they would not have expected me to turn and suddenly stop—especially since I did not have my foot on the brake after I turned. ■ 2016 June 20 I took my car back in to Kia of Dayton and reported the June 18, 2016 incident. I told the tech that I was very concerned about these incidents and relayed that I considered these to be very dangerous and life-threatening. I also called the Fixed Operations Director, and relayed that my car has been running rough since I got it back on 4/23/2016, feels like it is pausing/hesitating when I drive it; died while I was driving it without warning on 6/10/2016. (I had put on the brake for a stop light and did not know it had died until I tried to accelerate.) I advised that the diagnostics done on 6/13/2016 did not produce anything and that I thought maybe all of this was just an odd happening, so I continued to drive the car. On 6/18/2016, when I was right turning, the car died and the steering wheel locked and that I considered these incidents to be extremely dangerous and life threatening. I called the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and provided information regarding this issue. I wrote the Fixed Operations Director a letter documenting the incidents and my concerns and noted that I had copied the NHTSA. 2016 June 22 the tech called and said that they ran another electronic diagnostic and have driven the car over 50 miles and nothing shows up on the diagnostic and they cannot reproduce the incidents. I reiterated that I do not feel safe driving the car. I asked if any of the incidents were recorded in the car’s memory. No. I asked if the sensors in the car were able to record things like this. No. So, the sensors are not sensitive enough to record such incidents. I asked him what might cause the car to pause/hesitate while I am driving and he said that it might be the spark plugs. I asked if he checked these and he said no as that would mean that they need to tear apart the car to check these. I also asked about the fuel filter and the same thing applies. He said that tearing apart the car and looking at it will cost me. 2016 June 23 I called and left a message with the Fixed Opertions Director around 12:30 pm advising that I would like to speak to him regarding my car. Since I did not hear back from him, I called Kia of Dayton and asked for the corporate office # and was given 1.270.783.8080. I called and spoke with a woman named Tricia. I explained to her what was going on with my vehicle and she suggested that I call and speak with the General Manager of Kia of Dayton. I called Kia of Dayton and spoke with the General Manager and conveyed my concerns about how serious these incidents are. He offered to do a trade in with me. Unbelievable. I advised that I am the only owner of this vehicle, that she has run fine until 4/23/2016. I am currently waiting for Kia Corporate to look into all of this as an internet search documents that the issue of Kia's suddenly dying while being driven goes back to at least the 2001 models. Query as to how many "accidents" have occurred that were attributed to a driver when it was a product failure! BEWARE!!! And, I love my car.... :-(
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Zippy car!
Teresa, 02/28/2018
updated 09/10/2018
2008 Kia Spectra EX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I previously owned a 2005 Ford Freestyle, fully loaded. Never had an issue with this car and suddenly the transmission failed. I have never owned a Kia, until now. While I am disappointed in the lack of "extras", it is a simple car and what I could afford at the moment. It has a surprising bit of get up and go. I feel like I could pass anyone on the road. Everything on the inside (radio, trip meter, lights, etc.) is very easy to find and operate. I tend to think of it as a "sleeper" car because the acceleration is so awesome but it's just a simple four-door sedan. This would be a wonderful starter vehicle for someone. I plan to keep the car for a year and build my credit, but if I continue to be happy with it, I will be a Kia owner after this! Side note, I bought this car from a Kia dealership and it was very clean and I was told the mechanic tore it apart and fixed what was wrong (which wasn't much). Update: after owning for 6 months the only issue I have is the driver door cannot be opened from the inside. Seems to be a problem for other Spectra owners.
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Love my Lil blue fox!
Mr. Fox, 03/05/2017
updated 09/12/2022
2008 Kia Spectra EX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
It's been the best car I've had in a long time. Never had even so much as a check engine light the whole time I've owned since it had 6 miles on it. On a straight freeway trip once I actually obtained 44mpg with cruise set. I was absolutely amazed! Even around town my fuel mileage in my Lil Fox is stupendous! She only eats a Lil bit and goes a long way on that. I can't speak highly enough of this vehicle! ( Maybe I just got a hold of a good one?) Regular service as needed, that's all. Never, ever left me stranded. Showing just a Lil bit of normal wear and tear, but still looking good. And most importantly, mechanically the best! I'm retired, this might very well be the last vehicle I may own. I'm sure it will be around for a long time with lots of love. *Update!* My lil fox just turned over 100,000 miles! Still doing wonderfully great. Even in the blasting heat of this summer she ran cool, no overheating problems! I can only say that it is a bit saddening that the Spectra model is no longer produced today.(The last year they made this model was 2009). If they still did, if I ever decided to trade up, it would be to the newer Spectra. Kia makes wonderful cars but the rub is that none of the newer makes/models can obtain the fuel mileage I can achieve with my Spectra to this day. As long as my lil fox will answer the call of my key, I will keep her. She always takes me where I need to go, without hesitation, summer, winter, anytime. Kudos to Kia for the Spectra! ***Update as of 9/7/2019*** My lil blue fox (spectra) now has 163,000 miles and runs as good and smooth as the first day. Just had the factory fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator valve replaced, yes they lasted 10 1/2yrs!!! Exceptional as far as I'm concerned.
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