I am thinking of purchasing an 2002 Kia Spectra it is an automatic with no frills. Not even cruise (so any good info on purchasing or installing aftermarket cuise appreciated) I was just curious to get the any 02 Spectra owners thoughts or complants on this car. By the way it only has 15000 on it!
Thanks Todd
This is a decent car, but nothing more. If you want more than just basic transportation, you'll need to look elsewhere.
I've got an '02. I bought it new with 10 miles on it. But I drive a car like no one else. I put it on 116 mile mail route with little over 400 stops. I torture most cars that I drive. With that in mind: The front wheel bearings went out at about 48k and again two months later. Then they realized they were getting bad bearings in and corrected the problem. They went out again at 100k. The good news is that the parts are under their warranty. Also the throttle position sensor goes out too. I'm on the third one of those. But on the bright side I have had no problems with the engine and drive train or tie rod ends and ball joints. The drive train and steering parts are always being replaced in the American made cars and SUVs. The brakes are too expensive...I replace those every three or four months and I still can't find those parts at the local parts store so I order them online. The only other problem is the check engine light came on with a 442 code or a leak in the evap system ( I think). They replaced my gas cap and it came on one week later. lol It still plagues me today. But I do expect to get another 70k out of it easy. Its a good little economical car not fancy but it gets from one place to another. I suspect yours will last you much longer than mine as long as you keep up the maintenance. Me...123k and still going strong. Ro
Letter carriers and brakes don't get along very well together.
I recall working on a Spectra where there wasn't enough clearance between the floor pan and the fuel tank and it punctured one of the plastic valves/fittings in the top of the tank. It had a leak dtc like the one you described.
The Kia dealer has the capability of commanding the evap leak test to run, so they should know whether they've corrected this problem prior to returning the vehicle to you. It could be expensive to locate, however.
I have a 2002 with less than 15000 miles on it. We have had several issues with it. When we bring it in we get a run around. Told by a service tech that warranty was no good since I was not doing the routine maint. at dealer. Finally I sent a letter to their hqs in CA with a copy to the dealer here in Durham. That got the problem fixed but not a single word of reply. I recommend not buying.
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