Overview & Reviews

The Kia Sephia has officially been renamed the Spectra sedan. Got that? So now, there's the Spectra hatchback and the sedan; they've always shared mechanicals, so no big change there. The sedan will now sport some exterior styling cues borrowed from the five-door version.

• Low base price, responsive steering and nimble handling, available hatchback configuration, killer warranty.

User Reviews:

Showing 31 through 40 of 92.00

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  Cant Be Beat for the Price - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By lhartford03 - July 14 - 1:30 am

  I have found my Kia to be very reliable. Few mechanical problems (I keep up on maintenance). Good pick up for a 4 cyl - I have 5 speed version. Overall, the car has gone above and beyond what I would have expected for the price.

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  What do you want from a price point car? - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By elderchuck - May 30 - 4:46 pm

  Sometimes problematic on cheap stuff, but overall fun and economical car to drive and own. Hesitation/surges when warmed up, dealer says "normal" but I say "not". Heard there is a fix but have not found it yet. Would keep car for comfort, economy, price.

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  Possible Problems - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Jacks kia - January 31 - 10:00 am

  Problamtaic Car. I have had nothing but problems with this car. Had all 4 door sensors replace, throttle plate replaced, ORGR valve recall, seat belt unlatches, transmission problems they cant seam to fix, rear hatch seal wont stay on, cheap interior materials, already show wear, rear hatch never opens with release. Overall needed a inexpensive reliable car, and although it has never left me stranded, will NEVER buy a kia again, or from the dealership (taylor kia) in toledo.

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  9 years and still going strong - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By nicegirl - December 26 - 11:23 pm

  I have over 123,000 miles on the car and have had no major repairs, except while under warranty it was discovered that I had a faulty transmission. It was replaced immediately. I agree with an earlier post that repairs, tires, brakes, even windshield wipers are more expensive than they should be. My pain has begun fading as well, but its been 9 yrs. since I bought it. Very reliable.

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  A good car for a good price - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By TH - August 16 - 10:00 am

  I had a Kia Rio before the Kia Spectra .I diffently prefer the Spectra over the Rio.For the money you save, the purchase was well worth it. You can not beat the warranty and reliability of this car!

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  My review title - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Gurn Blanston - February 7 - 10:00 am

  Purchased new in 2002. Havent had any major problems yet. No repairs needed. No warrenty claims. Ive had the services done at the dealership about every 3000 miles. Being 64" its a little tight for me on the leg room, but really not too bad considering. The only real aggravation Ive had with it has to do with a design flaw and my having size 12 shoes. There is an armature about where the toes of a right size 12 shoe that controls the air-handling system (where the air squirts out from) and about once a month I kick that armature off. Its been pretty easy to put back on though...30 second repair. Hmmm...75 characters remaining...oops, 46 now.

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  Not bad - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Have tons of kias... - January 18 - 6:46 pm

  Bought this car after owning a 1988 Toyota Corrolla Wagon with 205,000 miles on it. This was a huge upgrade. We have 3 other kias, and we like them quite well. So this was a time to see if Kias little cars were any good? Well, Im happy! Ive only had to get some belts replaced, and get new tires, other than that, its been a very reliable car. The people who owned it before me had to replace the transmission, and that was it. So Im happy. There are just a couple of rattling noises, but nothing that the radio turned up really loud cant fix. Gas mileage is so so, should be better in my opinion, but it is far from being bad. I plan on getting 200,000 on this. It currently has 156,100 on it.

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  More Bang for the Bucks - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Peg - September 3 - 10:00 am

  Looked at several other similar cars including Elantra and Focus but Spectra drove and felt better. The price was lower and the dealer was much better to deal with. KIA offers the best warranty and the car is well enough equiped that there are only a few options.

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  KIA - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By LANCEYOUNG - July 24 - 2:00 am

  WE WERE DRAWN IN TO THE DEALER BY THE LOW PRICED RIO, AND AFTER HEM AND HAWING AROUND WE TEST DROVE THE SPECTRA, AND THERE WAS NO QUESTION. THE VALUE WAS THERE

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  I am alive - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Charles_wr - March 30 - 10:00 am

  On May 1, 2003 I lost control of my car (my fault) traveled 30 feet off the road through a barbed wire fence, two tree and slammed into a utility pole head on at 70 mph and came to rest 150 on the other side of the pole. Three hours after the wreck I was at home resting with only a scratch on my elbow. Amazingly, NOTHING on the inside of the car moved from the impact. This car did save my life.