Kia Optima By bunkie68 on Oct 04, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I bought my 2006 Kia Optima from Carmax in March 2007. My old car was becoming unreliable, and I needed something I could count on that wouldn't break the bank. I chose the Optima based on recommendations from people I trusted and based on its five-star crash test safety rating - I have a young son, so safety was a very big concern for me. I love my car! It's a four-door sedan, and I chose a model with the V6 engine rather than the four-cylinder. I commute to work in heavy traffic each day, and the V6 has plenty of zip to let me merge without worrying that I'll get run over. So far I've found the Optima very reliable, although I only have about 19,000 miles on it right now - the real test will be how it holds up over the next five or six years! I like the appearance - practical yet fun, it doesn't scream "Mom-Mobile!", at least not to me. I get about 25-27 miles to the gallon in traffic, and I rated it a 4 on gas mileage only because I know I'd likely get better mileage if I'd gone with the four-cylinder. For a V6, it's not bad at all, and I can make a 350-mile road trip on one tank of gas, so highway mileage is great. I find that the Kia handles well in traffic, and when I'm in the market for another car, Kia will be at the top of my list of choices.