Overview & Reviews
For 2005, the Optima wears clear turn signal lenses up front, the sunroof on the EX gains a one-touch opening feature and the optional leather seats get new stitching.
- Low price, pleasant highway ride, refined V6, lots of storage space, excellent warranty.
User Reviews:
Showing 41 through 50 of 66.00-
THE SMILING COBRA - 2005 Kia Optima
By alantalbot - January 1 - 4:27 pmI bought it used from Enterprise Cars in Jan 2007, it had 40K miles on it then. Had it for almost exactly 5 years. In that span of time, nothing really ever went wrong with it. It drove great. I did all the required maintenance on it. Timing belt was done at 75K. After about 4 years, gas mileage started to decline. Took it in for fuel system cleaning and a few other things. Suddenly, with no warning, there was an engine malfunction. It wasnt even overheating or making noise, but it was permanently damaged. I said goodbye to it was it was taken away to the junkyard, got 600 bucks for it. I was told by others that altho Kia is kinda cheaply made, that theyll run forever. What a lie.
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Not THAT Impressed... - 2005 Kia Optima
By Not THAT Impressed.. - October 15 - 12:10 amJust bought my Kia Optima used not new. Im used to a sports car so handling is very different, seems jerky to me. Much smoother ride (shocks/suspension) than my old Camaro, but doesnt handle corners/turns well. My first impression is "where is all my gas going?" Just appears to guzzle it. There is a hitch with initial start, kinda jerks when moving from a stand still. Interior is very nice, wood grain, stereo, seating etc. My 64" bros had plenty of leg room in back seat. I still have trouble finding the turn signal, seems too high on steering column. :) Overall its a nice car, just a big transition for me coming from a sports car to a 4 door sedan.
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Dont get hit! - 2005 Kia Optima
By Brad Zimmerman - September 14 - 1:30 pmOverall, car was good looking and fun to drive. Lots of pick up for a 4 cylinder. Comfortable on long trips with ok mileage (29 hwy). 2 days after I got it, battery was dead - faulty alternator was replaced. Then, battery failed. After that, the car was trouble free. Then, I was rear ended by an SUV at about 20 miles an hour. My car was pushed into the car ahead of me. This low speed collision caused $17,000+ damage to the Optima, totaling it. My 8 month old car with 6500 miles on it was totaled with this small wreck! The body shop said repair parts for Kias are overpriced and hard to get, sometimes requiring a long wait for the parts. The car did protect me as I wasnt hurt.
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Watch out if you have infants... - 2005 Kia Optima
By sesasalt - August 17 - 11:30 amWe bought this car when we had a one year old child, and now we have a two year old and another baby on the way. We are out of luck on using the nicer strollers though because the trunk is very short (as in height). We are unable to fit our single seater Graco stroller in it w/o scratching the top of the stroller handle, and almost all the tandem strollers are too big... We are just unsatisfied with the size of the trunk... Other than that, we dont have any major problems with this car.
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Poor Choice - 2005 Kia Optima
By dwilbert63 - July 22 - 6:43 pmI purchased this car "used" with only 1,000+- miles on it. Within the third year of ownership and out of warranty I have put almost $2,000 into simply keeping it running. I also am forced to replace both headlights about every six weeks. Now I am told the A/C pump is bad and its going to take another $400-$600 to repair. FORGET IT! Kia Customer Relations will not help, nor will any dealer. NEVER AGAIN will I buy a KIA! Buyer - beware, dont fall victim to a company that wont support its own vehicle! This car is overrated. Oh yeah, my insurance is much higher because of the inadequate safety of the car, get that!
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Excellent car! - 2005 Kia Optima
By prodigit - July 19 - 12:03 pmBought it in 2012, second hand, for $3000. Cant complain. A little low on MPG though... Very luxurious, but after 50k miles starts to have lots of issues.
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The Perfect Car - 2005 Kia Optima
By Happy Owner - June 21 - 4:13 amWonderful car. Nothing but reliable. The only thing that could be better would be gas mileage, but this car is wonderful. Very reliable. Gets good mileage on highway. Absolutely love it. Only real problem is the trunk is super heavy to open. Worse in winter. Sleek beautiful. This car has the exact same interior and exterior as Toyota Avalon and the competing Honda. I dont know why Kia isnt outselling Toyota. You will not regret buying this car.
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I Really Like This Car! - 2005 Kia Optima
By Mark in Cinti - April 17 - 4:23 amIve had this car for about seven months now, and Im surprised at how much I like it. It is comfortable, smooth, powerful enough, and incredibly easy to drive. I have owned and driven a good number of luxury cars, but right now, Im more pleased with my Optima than any of them. Well see how it goes over the long haul, but Im still smilin today! Definitely go with the EX V6 with leather.
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Great Car For The Money - 2005 Kia Optima
By ltp - March 17 - 8:10 amI have only owned this car for a month but can already tell Im going to like it very much. Lots of power, every bell and whistle, good handling, tight build, and a GREAT stereo (Infinity system). Even a leather interior and all for under $21K. Lots of car for the money.
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Dependable Car - 2005 Kia Optima
By SafetyFirst - March 8 - 5:43 amI purchased my 2005 Kia Optima from a friend in June 2007 and it had almost 30k miles on it. I was in school and couldnt afford to get the 30k scheduled tune-up (shame on me). I did get regular oil changes and tire rotations. Only once did the car need to go to the shop and the problem was an accelerator sensor that was covered by the warranty. I never broke down in this car during the three years/45k miles I put on it. I believe the gas mileage to be great and the car felt solid. I just recently traded it in with 72k miles on it and bought a 2009 Kia Optima with 12K. I purchased a second Kia because I was so impressed with the reliability.
