2002 Kia Optima consumer reviews

Bought my 02 Optima new, have put 236,000 miles on it. Live in Bay Area and most miles not on freeways, Never garaged and paint still nice. Brake shake problem fixed with drilled slotted rotors. Regular maintenance done myself and still runs great. Hard hat hit windshield at 70mph on freeway didn’t even crack. Still has original glass. Power antenna quit working but a week later fixed itself, same with cruise control. Engine or transmission never been apart except timing belt and waterpump replacement. I love this car, bought it for 100,000 mi warranty but never broke down. Been a technician for Ford for 35 plus years and this is superior to what cars they’ve built.

I'm really tall from the waist up, and this car accommodates me well. Power is pretty good for a v6. Have round-tripped a bunch of times between central FL and either St. Louis or Chicago. Does 75-80 mph all day long. Comfortable, good steering, roomy interior front and back, roomy trunk, good access to everything under the hood, easy to work on. Sunroof, cruise control, good radio and sound, comfortable seats with electric adjustability. 400+ on a tank of gas. There's a lot to like.

It had 53300 miles on it. Its the v6es sedan. After the first week the transmission started slipping, the headlights dim and brighten, the radio and cd playervswitch back and forth. It read on diagnostic that i need a speed control sensor. The car has been a nightmare. Theres something wrong with my gas tank it constantly kicks off while you are pumping gas into it

I owned my 2002 Kia Optima for 12 years. I loved the inside of the car and all the nooks and crannies for putting my things, CD's pens, paper, cell phone cords etc. Was very easy to drive and took the bumps and over R/R tracks smoothly. The only reason I sold it was because a few things starting going bad and I didn't want to put more money in a 12 year old car. If I could have bought another one just like it I would have. Only thing I would have changed is for it to have run on Diesel.

Great car, needs to be more affordable for families. I'll definitely consider another Kia that's more affordable.

This is my first car that I had bought, it runs really well and I have little problems. It's an '02 and I bought it used. But, overall I would recommend a KIA to someone. I love this car. I couldn't of bought a better one.

I bought this car in 2007 from a Kia dealership with 41K miles, it was a leased car. Price was good and has lots of options, its the V-6 SE with leather, moonroof, auto-manual trans, etc. It got great mileage for a car at that time, have consistantly averaged up to 30 mpg highway and 20+ mpg city. Its got almost 200K miles now and still running good. It seems the engine and tranny cant be killed (knock on wood) but some other parts are cheap and have been replaced, brakes seem to go fast, suspension has been redone all around, been through 4 sets of wheel bearings, the front sub-frame rusted out but Kia had a factory recall and replaced it for free. The rear went out shortly after, no recall & cost $800 to fix. I'm probly gonna keep until something major needs to be fixed & maybe give to family member to see how long it will last. I really didn't think this car would have performed and lasted this long when purchased. Paid $10,000 and had over 6 years so my operating cost was nearly $130 per month before maintenance (i'm an engineering technician). And this little rice burner has saved some serious gas money because i often put 3,000 miles a month on it.

I bought this car brand new in April of 2002. I liked the features and performance. I still do but early on the engine light constantly went on. I kept bringing it back to the dealer and they always fixed it, no questions asked. As it turned out, I almost rebuilt the car because they almost always changed an important part when the light went on. The engine light has not gone on for about 5 years. But the leather seats are now somewhat uncomfortable and the radio has a mind of its own, turning on when it hits a bump. Overall, it was a good purchase and I have no immediate plans to trade it. Would I buy a used one? Maybe because the Kia seems to be very well built. When you open the trunk from the inside, it does not pop open. It just unlocks because the trunk door is so heavy. In an accident that could come in real handy.

i purchased my kia in 2002 it had only 3 miles on it. with a routine maintanence i currently have over 265,000 miles on it. i have really enjoyed my kia optima. my optima even lasted thru hurricane katrina.