1998 Kia Sephia Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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User reviews for 1998 Kia Sephia
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by Alex B
Mar 28, 2013
The Sephia was the first car Kia brought to the US. The 1998 model I owned was the second generation, which is slightly better looking and has a revised interior and engine. My car was VERY used; in fact, I got it for free with a blown engine and had to install one from a wrecking yard. I drove this car during college and it served me well. The car was extremely reliable in terms of mechanical parts, but the interior was made of very cheap material and nearly everything was broken or rattled. I had to replace the driver's window motor a couple of times. I also had trouble with the fuel tank not venting properly, causing it to be hard to fill up with gas. I had the LS model which includes power mirrors and a few extra features, but it had the 5-speed manual transmission, which I prefer. The engine had decent power considering the car's light weight, and the manual helped to deliver the power better. Fuel economy around 55 mph was excellent, but the short gearing made 70 mph driving a strain (4000 rpm in 5th gear). The car is small, so backseat and trunk space is at a premium, but I was able to carry a good amount (when moving from place to place) with careful packing. The car came to its demise when I got into an accident with it, which also proved that the construction of the exterior is just as flimsy as the inside. The car was badly damaged even at the low speed of my collision, and the airbag failed to deploy. Overall, not a very safe vehicle.Mar 28, 2013
by Anonymous
Aug 31, 2010
i like the origilal car with the work ive done. plenty of performance now. handles great now with my suspension and wheel and tire package. interior. what interior? as good as a 4 door can look. ill make it look better. plenty of fun...nowAug 31, 2010
by Dani L
Jul 17, 2010
on a scale of 1 to 10 i give it a 5 all around.
its at about a 7 with my mods
ill give it a 3 and a kick in the fender if she dies
then ill get a koup
and ill give the koup an 11Jul 17, 2010
User rating:
by Alex B
Mar 28, 2013
The Sephia was the first car Kia brought to the US. The 1998 model I owned was the second generation, which is slightly better looking and has a revised interior and engine. My car was VERY used; in fact, I got it for free with a blown engine and had to install one from a wrecking yard. I drove this car during college and it served me well. The car was extremely reliable in terms of mechanical parts, but the interior was made of very cheap material and nearly everything was broken or rattled. I had to replace the driver's window motor a couple of times. I also had trouble with the fuel tank not venting properly, causing it to be hard to fill up with gas. I had the LS model which includes power mirrors and a few extra features, but it had the 5-speed manual transmission, which I prefer. The engine had decent power considering the car's light weight, and the manual helped to deliver the power better. Fuel economy around 55 mph was excellent, but the short gearing made 70 mph driving a strain (4000 rpm in 5th gear). The car is small, so backseat and trunk space is at a premium, but I was able to carry a good amount (when moving from place to place) with careful packing. The car came to its demise when I got into an accident with it, which also proved that the construction of the exterior is just as flimsy as the inside. The car was badly damaged even at the low speed of my collision, and the airbag failed to deploy. Overall, not a very safe vehicle.Mar 28, 2013
by Anonymous
Aug 31, 2010
i like the origilal car with the work ive done. plenty of performance now. handles great now with my suspension and wheel and tire package. interior. what interior? as good as a 4 door can look. ill make it look better. plenty of fun...nowAug 31, 2010
by Dani L
Jul 17, 2010
on a scale of 1 to 10 i give it a 5 all around.
its at about a 7 with my mods
ill give it a 3 and a kick in the fender if she dies
then ill get a koup
and ill give the koup an 11Jul 17, 2010
by Eric J
Apr 21, 2010
I like this because it was the car that gave me my first speeding ticket. It was also a 5-speed with no power steering :( No anything power for that matter. But it was a good drifting car. From what i rememberApr 21, 2010
by Floyd U
Mar 17, 2010
I purchased this car in 2000, used with only 8000 miles on it..
and for only $3000.. I have only ever had to do routine
maintenance on this vehicle. I very much enjoyed driving this
car cross country(to Louisiana and Texas) several times. It
also has one of the better body styles of all small/medium
sedans around. I would recommend this vehicle a thousand
times over... Mar 17, 2010
by Emily E
Sep 09, 2009
you all know why i dont like this car.... it sucks.. we all know that.. the repairs that it needs are up to now the newly added one and it just doesnt stop at all it sucks sooo much!! omgSep 09, 2009
by Daniel M
Apr 07, 2009
looks like a roach and feels like a tin can. performance wasnt bad but wasnt any good either. cost of ownership....not worth what i paid for it. definatly not fun at all to drive especially if it is automaticApr 07, 2009
by Anonymous
Jan 17, 2009
i bought mine for 300.00 used 2 years ago all iv done to it is general maintence replaced the timing belt and it runs like a sewing machine best 300.00 car ive ever owned.,only problem no room to work under the hoodJan 17, 2009
by Jeffrey C
Jan 06, 2009
the one i drove has a good amount of power to be a front wheel drive car, it was a straight drive and gets about 35 miles to the gallon and so i think its a fun to drive carJan 06, 2009
by AlvinandIana D
Dec 22, 2008
Performance - it's not impressive, but not appalling either. Could use a bit more power, though. Breaking is average and the handling is surprisingly responsive and firm.
Build Quality - face it: it's a cheap car so you get what you pay for. Plastic all over and bland upholstery. A bit of rattling here and there and not enough exterior sound proofing.
Appearance: not the best looking of the bunch but I've definitely seen uglier cars.
Cost: not bad, actually. Maintenance is not too expensive and with a bit of hyper-miling (coasting mainly) I've gotten up to 27 mpg. Expect an average of 21-23, though.
Fun factor: like I mentioned before, the handling is one of the highlights of its performance. Of course, it's not as good as driving a VW. The steering doesn't feel week and it's quite responsive and agile. The turning ratio is pretty good which makes it easy to maneuver in tight spots. Dec 22, 2008
by Kyle S
Aug 02, 2008
The car has no power at all, and when the AC is on you better not expect to pass anybody. I am getting around 23 MPG with it around town, but I can't help that. The car is very easy to control, making for some awsome cornering and "dime" turns.Aug 02, 2008
by Jeffrey C
May 06, 2008
I bought this car to run a newspaper route. It performed flawlessly. It now has over 160,000 and still has the original clutch. Two complete tune ups. 1 water pump and all the belts. The owner's manual says do not use to tow but I pull a 4x8 trailer all the time with it. The most annoying problem is that after some age and abuse, the rear window lets water in and soaks the seats from trunk area.May 06, 2008
by Hans C
Mar 19, 2008
The Sephia was fun to drive, but the ride was punishing. Braking and acceleration was middling, and the reliability was spotty in my own Sephia. While handling was solid, the mechanical quality of the components were questionable at best. The sedan is roomy by compact sedan standards, but interior materials are a bit subpar. Rear seat space is generous. If you buy one, make sure you know its repair and maintenance history.Mar 19, 2008
by Anonymous
Dec 03, 2007
Up to date designDec 03, 2007
What users have asked
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Needed to know if the positive cable to the battery runs from the back (firewall) to the front or vise versa?
58 views
repair manual
repair manual on how to replace a clutch assembly on 1998 kia sephia std
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Shaking car
My car shakes at a red light only when it's in drive. It drives fine I just changed spark plugs it just had an oil change. Air filter looks fine ,I've replaced starter altinator so I'm not sure why it's shaking
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car leaking water from somewhere near water pump.
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Top Comparisons
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1998 Kia Sephia Pricing
Original MSRP
$10,445 to $11,445Price range
N/AAverage price on CG
N/AYoY price change
N/ATrims & specs
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · AM/FM radio
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: trunk release · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Lights
Exterior entry lights: security approach lamps
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent