Overview & Reviews

A five-door hatchback model dubbed the Spectra5 joins the lineup, along with a sporty SX sedan. Both models come with a front spoiler, black mesh grille, black headlight bezels, upgraded tires, 16-inch alloys, side sills, rear valance panel and rear spoiler. Inside, there is leather wrapping for the steering wheel and shift knob, gray sport cloth upholstery, metallic trim pieces and metal pedals. A sport-tuned suspension is also included, and models with a manual transmission get a front strut tower bar as well.

• Low price, spunky engine, well-finished interior, standard side-curtain airbags, excellent warranty.

• Obtrusive engine noise at high speeds, ABS not available on LX model.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 132.00

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  GREAT VALUE - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By jack germain - December 27 - 7:46 am

  The cost $9450. almost $2700 below invoice. Took a test drive and immediately bought it. People are saying it gets bad gas mileage. I put mobil 1 oil in it after having driven 600 miles. I get 40 mpg on the road and 32 mpg overall town. I happy with it except the high speed of the engine during shift changes.

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  review - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By justen - December 19 - 6:20 am

  All around good commuter; youre not going to win any car shows but you know youll get to work on time and might even have some fun doing so.

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  2005 Kia Spectra - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By finngirl - November 30 - 5:23 am

  I bought the car with 44,000 in 2007, and at 85,000 the engine became completely clogged with oil despite regular oil changes every 3,000-5,000 miles. The manual recommends changing the oil every 7,500. A Kia dealership just said to change the oil every 1,000 miles, to clear the clog but that didnt work, and I had to replace the engine. After the replacement, Ive since learned this has been a problem with this particular engine, and Kia has stopped making it.

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  Nice lil car - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By silver bullet - November 13 - 3:16 pm

  At 65, 300 lbs I wondered at first if I could even fit in it, to my surprise I did. Now at about 45000 miles I cant complain much. It has good power and with the stick in it I really go if I need to, but I think it needs to have a sixth gear in it. I put an after market sound system in but left the factory deck in it and it sounds quite good. I had no problems other than the front spoiler is gone due to rubbing on parking ties and drive entries.

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  2 months of ownership - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Norm Sheldrake - August 17 - 11:23 pm

  The over all car has been great however the seat ratchet device has been a problem since purchase, The company has a new seat ordered and have to set up a time to replace it. All the tires are mounted on Aluminum alloy wheels; they are awesome however both the right tires have been losing air and have had to be reinflated on a daily basis. there is what appears to be a brake caliper noise in the left front wheel are since first purchasing the vehicle in June up to the present of july , 19th 2005. I started off with getting 23 MPG. it went up to 40 MPG. after having it in the garage for check up the mileage has deteriorated to 28 MPG. Overall, I truly love the vehicle.

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  My Kia - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By kwinn - April 20 - 3:30 pm

  I bought mine on July 5th. Overall I am happy with the car. However I must say it lacks thigh support. After an hour on the highway my legs were begging for a break. The fuel economy is not that good either. I am averaging 26 on the highway on my automatic. Since I dont drive in the city that much I dont know what thats like. Its got a decent stereo and enough room in the back. Trunk is spacious and a great value over all. But if you have long legs buy something else. Cabin is very quiet on the highway, however tire noise is very prominent. It has ample power for a 4 cylinder. A/C is overworked and takes a long time to cool down on an 85 degree day.

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  185,000 Miles!! - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By Chad Stevens - April 8 - 9:43 am

  I am the 2nd owner of this car. Bought it in 2013 wit 160,000 miles for 3k. The cars exterior was in reasonable condition, minor wear and tears,dents and dings. Mechanically she was sound. After a few thousand miles, the radio went, Clutch went, brake caliper froze up, replaced the timing belt. However, at 160,000 miles those items are expected to be replaced. Since then, everything has been great, except the transmission synchronizers are starting to fail. I still use this car as my daily driver, and commute my daily 48 miles. To date i have 186,458 miles on it. Not bad for KIA. I may just buy another when this one finally decides to rest. And for sake of argument, i drive very spirited.

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  Good Car/Sorry Mileage - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By singnchef - March 26 - 7:23 am

  We really like most everything about this car except the mileage. We only get 28-29 mpg on the highway and 21-22 in town. Dealer says there is nothing wrong and nothing they can do. I get better mileage out of my 91 Taurus with a 3.0 six. This is a good car, but Kia needs to do something about the mpgs.

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  Fun to drive, very economical - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By matchick - March 12 - 10:33 pm

  After 2 years and 52,000 miles, I still love this car. The seats could be more comfortable, but it is cute, runs great and is super fun to drive. I get about 32 miles to the gallon highway, so very easy on the pump. Non standard tires make replacements a bit pricey at about $125 per tire.

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  Mostly a good car - 2005 Kia Spectra
  By dawnmg - January 9 - 9:56 am

  I think the car is too close to the ground. It is impossible to park head-in without scrapping the curb. Even going up slanted driveways causes problems. The gas mileage on mine is horrible. After nearly 5 years of driving in town and on the highway, I am very disappointed in the gas mileage. I get about 18mpg in town and 21 on the highway. So sad! I thought FWD meant front wheel drive. If I have front wheel drive, why do my rear tires spin when starting on a hill?