Bought a 2007 model at a very good price, especially after the $3500 rebate. However, after 3 days, the "check engine" light came on and I had to take it to the service center. Found out that it was "probably" due a tniy leak that developed because the fuel cap was not tightened properly or the dealer had poured in gas when the engine was running when getting the car ready for delivery. Seems that is a common problem. The potential problem was never pointed to me by the dealership when I took the car. The service center manager was very polite & helpful, but I had to wait for 4 hours because I had no appointment.

I got this car new in feb and love it! My friend had an 07 and liked it. I tried the camry, liked it but 4k more. I liked the new Accord but they none in stock and woulnt budge on the price. So I bought the 08 Kia Optima and its been the best car ive owned. Its got airbags galore and comfy to drive and the gas mileage is 24 miles to the gallon in town and great warranty!!!!!

I love the car. Bought a 2007 and a 2008 (both when new) . The only problem are the seats, hurts my back when I'm in for more than one hour. Need a pillow for that. Otherwise the car is just perfect in every way. Smooth ride, plenty of space, seats fold down in the rear thereby increasing my trunk space by two. The dash is kind on the eyes and the performance is dandy.

A great alternative to gas guzzlers with plenty of room for my 6'2" 300lb frame. Trunk is big enough to hold my handicapped mobility scooter and then some without folding down the rear seats. It goes like a bunny with the 4 cyl engine and takes a small drink. I bought one for my son and one for my wife and I liked them so much, I traded my Impala for one for me. Looks great in red with black leather.

I have owned 2 of these. I have talked friends into them. The first one was great. Only problem was when it was wrecked by family member. 2nd one nothing but problems from day one. So I have mixed reviews depending on which car I report. Overall we all average 27.5 mpg. I get 31+ in the same area with my friends. We all have noticed that using automatic there is sluggish performance below 25mph. The car doesn't seem to want to shift low enough for performance. So you can go slow or use the manual mode and go with the rest. Those of use who use the manual shifting get better mpg on average. There are different seats depending on the package you buy. The cheapest are the least comfortable of course and the leather is better. They are comfortable seats if you buy the better package, but still no Lincoln or Lexus. The one thing that was strange for me was the local tax for registration. They told me the car is worth more than what it is selling for and charged me accordingly. The stock tires are a little louder than some others. I changed to goodyear at 22k and they sing worse but perform better than the michelin. Out of 6 of these cars (between mine and friends) we have had 1 bad fuel pump, 1 transmission lock up, one car had 2 front and 1 rear wheel out of alignment, 1 shock mount bad, one driver seat w/electric had bad upholstery, and one had continuous problems with belts loosening. The dealer always fixed the problems asap until the new manager took over and he is more difficult to deal with. But Kia has always been responsive and called with followup asking if everything ok.
One other thing about the transmission, when using cruise control in automatic mode you will shift a lot if driving in hilly territory. When we use the manual mode, there is not near as much shifting and better mpg. This being said, I am in the Central Alabama area and your mileage may vary. We notice the bad things or things we don't like, so I hope this will help someone. Overall, we are still satisfied with the Kia's.

Overall I love this car. It grips the road very well! The front end borders on ugly, but I'm more interested in function and reliability. Functionally the car is great and priced appropriately,the reliability is "wait & see". Dash looks great but is just nice paint that probably will mark and scratch easily so, be careful if you want it to stay nice, ie:keep keys and kids toys away from it! The console is small but does have an auxilliary input for mp3 or conect your portable dvd player for great movie sound!

for the money, you get a great deal, plus it's looks sexy and no break downs(2006 and a half) could be in fifth gear and still had a little more to play with horspower wise definatley get the manual

I love the way this car feels,very sharp on corners.Great pick up but the interior seats are like cheap cardboard.The dash controls are all sonata based and very nice.They do not sell a radio with mp3 unless you spring for the infinity for 1000 bucks.I would buy the car again when they fix the seats,other than that a great vehicle for short to mid range trips

keeps up with the traffic on 101 and climbs the hill with the best. sportmatic trans interesting addition to the 4 cyl. not sure if it has something to do with poor mileage or not. Adjustable seat height for short people a real plus, especially with the visor and sun in the eyes.

Engine runs smooth and the ride is confortable. Seats could be a touch more comfortable. Fit and finish was good.