2005 Kia Spectra5 Advice

I agree with Evelyn - there's a great book called "Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony" by Mary Hunt. She suggests paying cash for a car - and you can even do that for a Lexus if you want to, eventually. Start out with something cheap - whatever you can afford to pay cash for - even if it's only a $500 clunker. Then save the money you would have used as a car paymt every month until you have enough to upgrade. For example, if you had planned for a $330 monthly car payment, and saved that each month instead, after 6 months you'd have $2000. Then take that $2K and use it with your trade-in to buy another car. Even junky cars can run for 6 months. Keep doing that, and the next time you'll have a better trade in and $2000 more. It's not instant gratification by any means, but it's a great way to utilize a small budget and keep you from adding debt.

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I do not have a Spectra, but I do have a 2001 Sportage and it has been a wonderful and reliable vehicle for me.I bought it new so what minor problems I have had have been covered under warranty. I can tell you that I have not experienced any major problems with the vehicle and I would buy another one.

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I live and die by the April issue of Consumer Reports. It will give you the repair history of every year, make and model of every vehicle out there.

It would be worth your time to go to the library and check out the April issue of Consumer reports before you buy any car. it also has a list of the most reliable used cars for every price range.

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I have a 2004 Kia Spectra and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. In fact, I've pretty much decided to only buy Kia cars from now on. We bought ours on a used local lot and because it had been repossessed from its first owner, we got half the warranty. I've had it for 2 years and the only time it's had work done on it was when it needed new brakes. We keep up with oil changes and only use regular unleaded gas. It gets great gas mileage and has plenty of room for our 2 boys and their "stuff" in the back seat. I was also impressed with how roomy the trunk was. I am tall with very long legs and I'm comfortable driving and as a passenger. I don't know what you've heard about Kias in the past, but my experience has been nothing by positive.

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I say no way go kia, i had one bc it was cheap but lasted 4 years and than started making awful noisies out of the blue,i am on top of maitaince and oil changes, the kia dealers didnt know what to do after having it for 3 weeks. i took it straight to another car lot hoping they wouldnt hear and got something way better and cooler. your car is what transports the most important things in life it better be reliable

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I have a 2002 Kia and it still to this day runs great! I have kept up on the maintanence and there have been little things that have went out (ie. the horn, every once and awhile the gear shifter will lock up) but other than that it has been a really wonderful car. Not to mention it's great on gas!

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I have an 02 Kia Rio Cinco. It runs great. It is nothing fancy at all, which is fine with me because it's just a car. You don't say how old your LO is, but if they need a carseat I would try it out in the car because I have to do some seat adjusting for a pumpkin seat, but my Britax convertible does just fine. Kia is trying to position itself as a major competitor in the US market so they have a lot to prove. I would feel comfortable buying from them again. P.S. If you are just getting started again make sure you price out how much replacement tires are on that car, some models can get pretty expensive. Also, if you change your own oil get a wrench because there is no way you can get your hands in to change the filter without one.

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I don't have the car. But I have a 2005 Kia Sadona. So far I have 40ish thousand miles on it and nothing has gone wrong. It feels/drives just as nice, minus a few little extras as any nicer van I have driven.

I'm not fearful of any Kia product at all. My brother bought a Kia of some sort, I forget the model and he hasn't complained about too many repairs either.

S.

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C.,
I am sure there are a lot of people who own Kia's who think they are great, and maybe theirs has been. However, I have been looking at getting rid of my gas guzzling mini van and switching to a more efficient car. We looked at the Toyota Yaris and at Kia's. When I told my sis that we were considering a Kia, she had a pretty strong opinion that that wasn't a good idea. She has three friends/coworkers that have, or had, a Kia and all had alot of problems with their cars. I don't know specifics...I am sure you don't want to hear that, especially if you had your heart set on one. :( Good luck, I am sure everything will work out.
D.

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I don't have a 2005 Kia, but we have a 2002 Kia Sedona and a 2006 Kia Spectra. We haven't had any problems with either car. We like them a lot. I think there was only one Kia that we wouldn't even consider and I am thinking that was the Rio (but not 100% sure). When we bought our Sedona it was the only minivan with a 5 star crash rating. I know several people that drive them and love them. Good Luck. Have you tried dealerships out of Shawnee, like into Olathe or anything? Hope you get the car you want.

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