Should I trust a 2008 Kia Spectra 5 as my only family vehicle?

I have heard a lot of bad reviews. Are these cars worth it? Why do buyers choose kia? The warranty? The low price?





Does anyone own one with small kids? How many carseats do you have in the backseat?|||Sure, it's fine.


Why not look at the Hyundai Sonata? Comparable price and mileage (on the 4 cylinder), same warranty, and much more room for your family.





I don't own one, but it should snuggly fit 2 carseats.|||Well I never owned the Spectra 5 buy I had a regular Spectra until it got rear ended by a truck at an intersection. The chassis got bent since I was stopped and he was going about 50, but I was fine. So the safety of a Kia is a great reason to buy one. They come standard with ABS and side curtain airbags. I found the car to be reliable, fun to drive, good on gas, and cheaper than an equally equipped Civic. Not to mention that the new Civic is ugly in my opinion. If you have any problems, the 5 year/60,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty is great. Basically, anyone who says the Spectra is a bad car hasn't driven one.|||Kia is a subsidiary of Hyundai, so if you wouldn't buy a Hyundai, then forget the Kia as well. I had a awful experience with Hyundai in 86 and will never own a Koren car again, and that includes the Daewoo's GM has been selling as Suzuki's Forenza, Reno, and Verona....and lets not forget about the Chevy Aveo....all junk. Buy a nice used Honda or Toyota|||The bad reviews you heard must have been old reviews.


Kia's were bad in the 90's.


After 2001, they began making much better cars because they hired lots of people and made lots of money.


Now they are reliable and have great quality. They are very nice cars.





I have driven over 200 cars because of my jobs. Kia and Hyundai always suprise me. They have very nice cars now.|||The only thing that makes KIA worth buying is its warranty and low cost. Other than that you can expect that the car will lose at least half of its value in the first year of ownership|||why not spend a few extra dollars for a more refined, better gas mileage honda civic?|||yes go for it its great|||Most bad reviews are from people that have never had a Kia or heard of Kias that were bad in the '90s. I see a lot of Kia Sephias on the road, so I think it's safe to say they are fairly good guys, even back in the late '90s. Especially consider the fact that there weren't many Kias sold in the U.S. in the '90s. I own an '04 Kia Optima and it is large enough to fit a car seat for my 2 y.o. son, a booster chair base for my 7 y.o. daughter and a carrier base for my newborn! I believe the newer Spectras are around the same size, although you may want to research that. I think having more than two car seats or carriers in the back would be a squeeze. I can fit all three, but it works for now. Once the kids get older I think more room will open up.





I think I bought a Kia because I really didn't want to spend a lot on a Camry, Accord or Altima. I really didn't want a GM, Ford or Chrysler car either, too many reliability issues. I test drove the Optima and it was nice, it was a lot more refined than most people would think, it was spacious and I believe the interior is up to Japanese standards, maybe even better than some Japanese brands.





The warranty was promising, but as in all warranties, you must follow the scheduled maintenance and that could be costly. If you do buy a new Kia, the first year the dealer will fix or adjust anything wrong for free. Then the 5 year/60,000 mile warranty kicks in and that is pretty nice also. The only thing that my car still has is the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. I think the dealer won't help me out with that since I haven't had the timing belt changes or had any of the 30/60/90,000 mile servicing done. I have had the struts replaced in a private garage and replaced the front brake pads myself. The dealer did change out the key f.o.b. receiver (opens and closes the door with the remote) free, under warranty. Well, the only thing that has gone out is the driver's side marker light on the front quarter panel (the yellow light assembly all by itself, next to the tire that stays lit while the headlamps are on) and on of the key f.o.b. remotes.





The price was fairly appealing, especially when you consider the amount of standard equipment.





Kia is a great car company and is a great alternative to Honda and Toyota.