Overview & Reviews

An auxiliary audio jack is added to the 2008 Kia Optima.

• Excellent crash scores, plenty of standard features at a low price, spacious backseat, generous warranty, surprisingly involving to drive around town.

• V6 offers little advantage over the more efficient inline-4, styling by the witness protection program, ABS not available on manual-shift LX model.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 66.00

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  Kia EX V-6 - 2008 Kia Optima
  By PatrickDT - November 5 - 8:33 pm

  This Year kia was a pretty good one. But if you are trying to find one of these models used, good luck there very hard to find.The only model I can find used right now is the LX Model with the 4 Cyl. Engine or the EX With the 4 Cyl. Engine.

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  nice little car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Chris B - October 3 - 7:26 pm

  Im 511, 265 lbs. This car offers plenty of room and a great many stock features which all work well. I do have some complaints however. The pillars on the front windshield can be difficult to see around and I have removed the headrests because of visibility issues as well. The shift gate is an absolute nuisance when trying to go from "D" to "R". The key fob frequently opens my trunk because of additional keys in my pocket, but thats pretty nit-picky. Stock tires bad - I put "winters" on this year to manage that. All in all, a sound vehicle at a terrific price warranties are questionable only because of the difference between dealerships. Seat adjustment are just ok.

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  Solid Dependable and Great Deal - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Douglas - June 29 - 11:30 am

  The Optima is a wonderful experience. The car drives real smooth in town and is very quiet on the interstate. It drives very solid and it is a great buy.

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  A great choice - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Mike - June 11 - 5:53 pm

  After driving my used 2001 KIA Rio to 120,000 trouble-free miles, it was time to trade it in. The $3000 rebate and some research made the Optima an easy choice. Simply put I really love this car. Performance is excellent, the 5-speed manual is smooth as silk, the engine feels more powerful than the numbers would suggest. Handling is good and the interior is comfortable and quiet (a big change from my old Rio. It was a great little car, but lets face it, it was a go-cart with doors!). You could easily spend a lot more for a car with fewer features. The KIA brand may not have "status" but they do deliver a lot of value for the money.

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  one thing after another - 2008 Kia Optima
  By bobbyhill - May 23 - 10:23 am

  iv had my car for just over a year, i bought it off my dad and he got it new in 08! in the last year i have had nothing but problems with it, first it was struts and sway bar links and bushings, then wheel bearing, and now the newest thing is my headlights like to burn out, replaced the passenger one 4 times now, at $25 a bulb for h11b its getting expensive, had it to the dealership and they want me to spend a bunch of $ to replace the headlamp assembly! iv been reading up on this and it seems it was a real issue in some of the older optimas, 02 especially! oh yeah, when i had it in there to look at headlight they told me the shift module had to be replaced, at $700 i passed, NOT IMPRESSED!!

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  Outstanding! - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Outstanding!!!! - April 26 - 12:13 pm

  I bought this car instead of the Ford Fusion and Chevy Impala. I could see the quality in the car. The lower price sealed the deal. The engine was clean and sounded good. I like the dual auto/manual shifting. I had 2 Toyota Corollas and this is much better. Better comfort than my Crown Victoria. A/C system is stronger than the Crown Vic. The increased MPG from my Chevy S10 will take me one month without fill ups or 512 miles. Thats great for a long trip. The 2.4 liter is surprising nice and can handle almost anything. I think this car is a winner for the price. I thank God i live in America where we can chose our best values. Kia Optima definitely is a good car. With 42K it looks like new.

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  Best 2008 value - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Matt - December 28 - 4:26 am

  The chrome looks very nice with the black and the tan interior is very nice. Everyone thinks it’s a more expensive car than it really is. I am 6’1”/250 lbs and I am satisfied with this mid size vehicle and all my friends say the same. The trunk is quite large and the only thing I don’t like about the interior is the backseat head rests: they block the view when you’re attempting to switch lanes pretty bad. The gas mileage is a little disappointing. It’s a mid size thus it’s a bit light and drives light and especially in the elements.

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  Great Car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By 6Dogwood - June 5 - 3:46 am

  I sold my Corolla and was looking to find a great replacement. Well, enough said. This is a great car. It can carry four people very comfortably. However, economy is a hard pill to swallow. I am averaging 21 mpg and this is taking some getting used to. My corolla averaged 28 mpg. I thought this was a problem with the vehicle but turns out that after reading other reviews this is normal. Overall I am pleased.

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  Great Car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Norm - May 5 - 8:26 am

  Last summer I picked up my rental car from Hertz and it was Kia Optima. I was totally impressed with this car! After comparing to Camry, Accord, etc. I decided to buy one for myself. I have not been disappointed! This is one fun car to drive and I am very impressed with the peppy engine, interior room, and good looks. Great visibility gives a real feel for the road. Our car includes the Appearance Pkg which really adds lots of goodies and well worth the money. Also, you dont see lots of Optimas on the road, so that even makes it more fun to have a unique car. Current generous rebates clinched the deal for me and so far it has been a perfect car for our family.

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  The Right Choice - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Phil - April 8 - 7:00 am

  This is my first new car, and I would have to say I made the right choice. This car provides all around safety, convenience, and just the right amount of sport as well. All of this is available at the right price. I believe this car is entirely too underrated. It drives tight, the infinity sound system sounds great, the controls are easy to follow, and it goes. The only problem is that it says Kia. People ask me what I own. All I can say is let me take you for a ride and ill prove that this car is awesome.