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2003 Kia Specta Runs Drives Great A/c Heat Blue/ Gray Int 4 Cyl Good Gas Mileage on 2040-cars

Year:2003 Mileage:115703 Color: where rust is visible
Location:

Belmar, New Jersey, United States

Belmar, New Jersey, United States
Advertising:

 This is a 2003 Kia Spectra base model, being offered for sale. The Spectra is located in central NJ, and can be picked up or shipped.

The car runs and drives great! It has a pretty blue exterior, with pinstriping intact. The air conditioner works excellent, and gets the air very cold.
The interior is in very good condition, with no holes or tears in any of the upholstery that I could see. A good steam cleaning will restore the interior to a sparkling new look.
The floors have some wear visible, as does the inside of the driver's side door.

There are a few spots on the exterior where rust is visible, but the areas are small. A little bit of matching paint will prevent the rust from spreading. The damaged areas are in front of the driver's side mirror, and by the two rear wheel wells. The damage spots by the wheel wells are very small, two inches each at most. The damage in front of the mirror is a bit larger, and can be seen in one of the photos below.

The undercarriage shows a small amount of rust, which is to be expected in a car driven on the east coast, where snow and salt cause at least some rust to most cars on the road.

Under the hood, however, is clean and free of rust or other defects. When you look under the hood, it looks like a practically new car, with even the motor looking almost new from the outside. It appears that the former owner took very good care of the parts under the hood. The oil does not smell or appear to be burnt, and the transmission shifts smoothly. Even with the exhaust leaks, this car does not make much noise at all when driving.

Regarding the vehicle's mechanical operation, this car drives well. The idle air control motor was replaced in error, as it was not the actual motor that was broken. So the IAC itself is brand new. The connector for the idle control motor is the part which is broken, and can be obtained from a junkyard and installed by a mechanic for generally less than $50.

Due to this problem, the CEL is illuminated, and when the car is idling, the sound of the idle can be heard to go up and down as the connector moves with the vibration of the car.

The two front wheels have wheel bearings that are making some noise. It is not a large amount of noise, but they should be replaced within the first month or two of ownership. The mechanic who checked them out said that the car may drive for awhile just as it is, as wheel bearings will make noise for some time before they actually break.  When the car was purchased, the wheel bearings were not making any noise, so this is a new problem.

In addition, the exhaust has a few leaks in it that should be repaired. If you are purchasing this car in a state that does not require computerized emissions testing, then the only repair that is really necessary is the wheel bearings, as the other problems do not affect driveability, but only inspection eligibility.
Such states include Alabama, Alaska, Florida, North Dakota, South Carolina, etc. This car would be perfect for you if you live in one of those states.

I have had a mechanic look at this car, and while I cannot guarantee that there are no other issues, these were all the issues that he was able to find in a test drive and under hood/ under vehicle inspection.

If you are buying this car from out of state, I recommend that you utilize our shipping service. A quote can be provided to you, if you send me a message including your destination zip code. Shipping rates are very reasonable, and will in most cases cost you less than a plane ticket here and gas and tolls to return home.

If you are a NJ resident, we are required to collect sales tax on the transaction. We can also provide temporary plates for NJ and out of state residents if you choose to drive the car back to your destination.

This car will be a great car to get you to work or school, and is an excellent first car since it has low gas mileage, handles well, and is an automatic transmission car, making it easier to learn to drive with.

Aside from the small spots of damage mentioned above, this car looks great. There are no dents or noticeable scratches in the body itself. This car has relatively low mileage for a car of its age, and it will undoubtedly provide you with reliable transportation for years to come.


TERMS of sale: This vehicle is sold as is where is with no returns and no warrantees either implied or stated. Transport of vehicle is buyer's responsibility.  Please remember that you are buying a USED vehicle, not a new vehicle and expect to see some signs of wear and possible missing or broken items. We go to great lengths to describe the vehicle as accurately as possible and show any existing damage in the photographs that we post, however, we strongly recommend that you inspect this vehicle in person. All sales are final and there are no refunds. I am a licensed NJ used car dealer. We can provide temp tags. If you are registering your car in NJ, I MUST collect the sales tax. For an additional fee, I can also obtain your title, registration and plates for you. We do not charge any documentation fee if you are from out of state. Buyer MUST sign the title transfer papers and provide a copy of his/her driver’s license to complete the sale. If you need a temporary plate, I will also need to see proof of insurance. For questions about this auction, please call or text (732) 754-3548 and reference the item title. Thanks for looking.

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Auto blog

Audi, Jag, Kia and Tesla top Strategic Vision 2014 Total Quality Index

Sun, 06 Jul 2014

A couple weeks ago, J.D. Power released its latest Initial Quality Study, which gave high marks to Porsche, Hyundai and General Motors, with the latter earning more individual IQS awards than any other manufacturer. Now, it's Strategic Vision's turn, and it's doling out its praise not to Porsche, but to Tesla, which wasn't even included in the JD Power IQS.
The Model S was named the best vehicle overall in total quality, while Porsche's corporate brother and endurance-racing rival, Audi, was named the best premium brand, alongside Jaguar. Strategic Vision cited the Q5 and the ancient Q7 for individual segment awards, as well as the A5, which was a mere point off the top of its segment. SV also handed out compliments for the Audi's interior work. The win for the German brand is a nice improvement over its IQS score, with which it landed above the industry average, but solidly mid-pack.
Jaguar was without a segment winner, although SV did say that the Indian-owned English brand had a number of vehicles very near the top of their segments. This is the second significant win for Jag in two weeks, after it finished second overall on the JD Power IQS a few weeks ago.

Feds open investigation into recall of 1.7M Hyundais, Kias

Sat, May 20 2017

US safety regulators have opened a formal investigation into the recall of nearly 1.7 million vehicles by Hyundai and affiliate Kia over engine defects, according to filings published Saturday. A South Korean whistleblower reported concerns last year to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which will probe the timeliness of three recalls carried out in the United States and whether they covered enough vehicles. Fines could be imposed on the automakers if the NHTSA determines the recalls were not conducted properly. The agency did not immediately comment on the probe. A Hyundai spokesman in Seoul the company "has conducted recalls in compliance with US regulations and procedure" and will "sincerely" cooperate with the investigation. In 2015, Hyundai recalled 470,000 U.S. Sonata sedans, saying engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash. At that time, affiliate Kia did not recall its vehicles, which share the same "Theta II" engines. Kim Gwang-ho, then an engineer at Hyundai, flew to Washington in August 2016 to tell NHTSA the companies should have recalled more vehicles over the problem, citing an internal report. He also reported several alleged safety lapses to both U.S. and South Korean authorities. On March 31, Hyundai expanded its original U.S. recall to 572,000 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles with "Theta II" engines, citing the same issue involving manufacturing debris, the NHTSA said. On the same day, Kia also recalled 618,160 Optima, Sorento and Sportage vehicles which use the same engine. The recall, which was also conducted in Canada and South Korea, cost the duo 360 billion won ($322.40 million). "TIMELINESS AND SCOPE" According to the filings published Saturday, the agency opened a probe May 18 into "both the timeliness and scope" of the "Theta II" engine recalls and their "compliance with reporting requirements." In August 2014, Hyundai agreed to pay a $17.35 million fine to settle a NHTSA investigation it delayed the recall of 43,500 Genesis cars to fix a brake defect linked to two injuries. NHTSA said in 2014 Hyundai "must change the way they deal with safety-related defects." Hyundai vowed to make improvements to how it handled safety issues after the fine. In 2015, the company retained former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood as an adviser on safety issues.

The anti-Prius | 2017 Kia Niro Hybrid First Drive

Tue, Dec 20 2016

The 2017 Kia Niro is a significant model for the brand. It's the company's first car designed from the get-go to be a hybrid. And as Kia's VP of product planning explains, it's helping lead the company's push to improve fuel economy by 25 percent across the board. So it's kind of funny that almost everything about this car reads as "conventional" or simply "normal." There are exceptions to this. Under the attractive – if not adventurous – skin is some interesting technology. Most of the mechanicals are shared with the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq, including the direct-injected 1.6-liter inline-four and electric motor that send power to the front wheels. The powertrain makes a combined 139 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Kia also implemented various aerodynamic and weight aids to make the most of the engine and motor. The Niro features air curtains, a rear spoiler, and active air shutters to help achieve a 0.29 coefficient of drag, and the hood, hatch, brake calipers, and some suspension components are all made of aluminum. Plus, when ordered with navigation, the Niro will provide tips on driving more efficiently, and will use topographical information to use electric power in the most efficient manner. The various bits of fuel-maximizing technology mean the Niro manages Prius-like fuel economy ratings of 52 mpg in the city, 49 on the highway, and 50 combined. That's only for the base FE model, though. Moving up to the slightly better-equipped LX and EX models yields a small decrease to 51 city, 46 highway, and 49 overall. If you opt for the Touring model, shown here, because you want all the bells and whistles, be ready to sacrifice more mileage – it only manages 46 city, 40 highway, and 43 overall. Kia says this is due to the increased weight of the standard features, different roof rails that change the aerodynamic profile, and the larger, wider 18-inch wheels and tires that increase the rotational mass and rolling resistance. All of the effort Kia put into making the Niro a highly efficient Prius fighter seems to have been matched by an effort to make the car appear as normal as possible and give it the broadest appeal. So, no polarizing looks like on the latest Prius and Prius Prime. Glancing at it, you'd say the Niro is just another crossover. The greenhouse looks like a scaled-down version of the Sorento's. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since the larger Kia crossover is fairly handsome.