Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Wanted a Wagon - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Greg - October 14 - 10:00 am

  Overall i like the car its got good power and a lot of features for the money. It has a quit cabin and handles bumps in the road like a more expensive car. I have been on a few camping trips with this car and it was a joy to drive.

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  WOW! What a fun car! - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Pacific NW Customer - September 2 - 2:43 am

  I bought my Spec5 from the dealership as soon as it was available. I do a LOT of business driving, and love the roominess of the hatchback when I have to carry my supplies with me. The peppy 2.0 liter engine with the 5- speed makes this car a blast to drive. Im getting almost 30 mpg in town, and closer to 35 on the open road. I havent run out of power when passing or accelerating, and it climbs in the mountains great too! Never a problem in the first 8000 miles! Love the 7500 mile oil changes, and of course the great warranty!

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  More than I expected… - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Islanders - November 23 - 4:46 pm

  I have only had the Spectra5 for a week, but Im 63 and have plenty of head room and enough leg room in both the front and back seats. The cabin is roomy with good cargo space. Nice trim kit, power windows, locks, strong AC. A great car to drive. Im also impressed with the build quality. Nice solid feel to the transmission, and engine, etc from the first time I test drove it. Getting 30 mpg mixed driving with AC on. Im trying to conserve fuel, but also havent been passed by anyone. That might drop a little if it is a real grid lock urban crawl. So far Im very pleased. I had a trailer hitch installed for a bike rack. Also getting Thule roof racks and sat radio. Great car.

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  Kia Spectra-Thumbs Up! - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By KiaFan - September 30 - 12:50 am

  I drove my Kia Spectra EX Automatic over 3700 miles in Western Canada and USA after buying one month before. Excellent comfort, cruise control was flawless, held the road well, achieved average of 35 mpg (39 in one stretch), great brakes. Plenty adequate pickup on entering a freeway. Very quiet engine at highway speed of 70 or at idle (wondered if in was running while waiting at a stop sign). The finish and fit is excellent. The price was right - at least $3000 less than a Corolla or Civic or Jetta. I also checked it to its sister/brother the Hyundai Elantra... compares well, same engine, nicer interior. Stereo/CD radio very good. Great warranty.

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  Parking lights stay on sometimes - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Don - September 13 - 5:46 am

  Bought car 6 mo. ago, had this problem since I bought car, dealer said if it doesnt happen all the time, they couldnt fix it. That was fine in the summer but when I had to have it jumped 3 times in the parking lot at work in -10, thats a problem. Brought it back, still wouldnt fix it. Car is 6 mo. old, 13,000 miles, lost 6 grand in value. My mpg were 24-33 thats terrible. My folks big Buick gets 30 and its a nice ride, not like this.

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  2nd Time Around - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By cph0857 - June 18 - 7:19 pm

  I totaled my 07 Spectra about 3 weeks ago and was heartbroken. This car had been flawless with no problems. My collision was at 40 mph, with an immoveable object. (Tree) Yes, I was sober. My Kia took great care of me in the accident, crumpled all around me with no serious damage to the passenger compartment. I wish the exterior panels had not been so damaged, but I will trade the totaled exterior for the protected interior any day. I walked away with just a tiny cut on my finger from the broken glass. I found an ’08 with 5,000 miles and we are settling in nicely. I expect to have a long and happy life with my new Spectra.

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  First and Last Kia - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By stoneattic - May 30 - 7:53 am

  If you use the stereo aux with a satellite radio or charging ipod there is a very noticeable alternator whine. The dealer had it twice, now claims thats the way its supposed to work. If you are going to have a convenience feature it should work properly. As annoying as this is the real clincher is that the parking lights will go on by themselves in the middle of the night for no reason, draining the battery. Im not the only one with this. Search Kia forums and you will find many with the same issue. Kia claims a new BCM will fix it, but it hasnt corrected mine. Then theres the goofy shift points, but theres not enough room to list all of my complaints. Dealer is awful too.

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  Great Buy! - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Tina - April 10 - 9:30 pm

  This is my first new car and I dont think I could have done any better! Smooth driving and great gas mileage.

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  unexpected... an inexpensive, great car - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By midwest customer - August 7 - 4:33 am

  Perfect for my purposes. Lots of city driving with the occasional cross country drive. I was blown away when I drove almost 500 miles at about 75mph before needing gas. The roomy interior is perfect as I often have a full car. Safety is a huge issue for me and I always feel good in this car. ABS served me well while driving through N.E. snowstorms. The cruise control is great too. Drives very smoothly, and the CD changer and iPod hookup are great for long drives. I love being able to have my GPS, cell phone charger, and iPod all plugged in at the same time. I have had this car for 4 months and have received tons of compliments.

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  2008 kia spectra owned 10 years now - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Joseph Hall - June 12 - 5:52 pm

  I bought my 2008 Kia Spectra from the dealer with 2 miles on it in april of 2008. I am pretty sure those 2 miles were put on by me in my test drive too. She now has 101K miles on her over 10 years and I can safely say this is the best car Ive ever owned. Despite what the reviews seem to say here, my LX does have ac which has never once needed to be repaired, only recharged once. As for maintenance I have only had to do regular service, and, as long as you treat the car well, youll most likely never have to do any advanced repairs for a long time to come. This car is amazingly reliable and affordable. It also has more climate control settings than your average car that costs twice as much, with 9 fan speeds and many more temperature settings than any other car Ive driven. I love it and have come to rely on it.