Used 2003 Kia Spectra Consumer Reviews
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Second owner, purchased with 50,000 miles on it
kimllopez, 02/20/2014
2003 Kia Spectra GSX 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
Purchased this car in 2009 with 50,000 miles on the engine. With the bald tires on the car, it road like a roller coaster ride on the freeway. Purchased new tires and it drove almost 100% better. Replaced the entire radiator about 2 years later. Replaced the ball joint 6 months before that. Replaced the right passenger side head light about 5 times since we purchased the car, at some point it completely stopped working and my husband switched around the light from the brights to the regular headlight to salvage it. Parts are extremely hard to find for this car, we've usually have to purchase online and when we do find the part in store it is usually more expensive than say a honday or acura.
Solid so Far
deathsaid, 12/09/2012
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
Our Spectra has 120, 000 miles on it and has been pretty reliable so far. I have it for the last 20K or so and before that my father-in-law owned it. It has gone through some brakes and needed some work to fix in the brake fluid system. Front brakes put off a lot of dirt, hubcaps are literally black at this point. All things considered this car has been great, not the sexiest car or most comfy (i am 6'6) but very dependable. Nothing fancy or flashy about it but it gets from point A to point B.
2003 Kia Spectra for sale near you
3 of 3 listings
- Base SedanMSRP: $5,995468 mi away
- Base SedanMSRP: $3,400698 mi away
- LS SedanMSRP: N/A1,915 mi away
Cheap used car, wouldn't buy new
Kia Driver, 03/16/2010
2003 Kia Spectra LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
I find this to be a decent used car for someone just learning to drive or looking for nothing more than point A to point B transportation. It's been pretty reliable although when things do break, they are expensive to repair. Many parts have to be ordered from Korea and it's hard to find a mechanic that will work on them. Very difficult to work on yourself as well. The "little things" like interior trim and such start falling apart around 50k miles though. By 87K the dash was warped, interior trim always falling off, drivers seat no longer went back, and power windows only worked sometimes. The drive train itself is fairly reliable though.
Love my Kia!
kiersten565, 07/10/2012
2003 Kia Spectra 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
I've been driving my Kia for almost four years now, it was used as my dad's commuter car. I now have 220,000 miles on it and still going strong! Tires have been replaced, along with a new fuel filter and occasional oil changes and tire rotations but nothing major. I put almost 100 miles on it a day and it has great gas mileage. I'm so surprised at how long it's lasted for me. I will be very sad the day it gives up!
Worst car I've ever owned
lissal, 08/07/2013
2003 Kia Spectra GS 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I purchased this car new, and owned it for 5 years. In that time, I replaced the serpentine belt 3 times, the alternator once, the radiator twice (the replacement from the Kia garage had a hole in it, though it was supposedly a new part), and the alternator belt 4 times. The electrical system started acting wonky after three years, and after spending 2 months in the Kia garage, I got it back but the internal lights never worked after that. I cut my losses and gave the car to a friend, who told me that the engine died at 78,000 miles. I would never again buy a Kia.