Topic: Vehicle: 2003 Kia rio Hatchback

[Unincoroporated]

Hey everybody,
just wondering if you guys could help me out here.
Looking to buy my first car and after doing my research I've narrowed it down. I'm a bit curious about kia
I don't know to much about them except that they are affiliated with hyundai.
Specifically im looking at a 2003 Rio hatchback.
Now, being that Kia is a newer company have any of you found them to be unreliable?
The car im checking out currently has 220,000Kms, which again i am not sure if this is alot for this vehicle or company. Any Reviews about the rio or Kia, thoughts or information would be great!
Thanks alot!

[PJungnitsch]

There's a pretty good review on this site:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2007/08/23/used-vehicle-review-kia-rio-2001-2005.htm

[mp3butt]

My friend, may I ask what's your budget? If you ask me I would stay away from old Kia, especially Rio.

The following is CR's summary on the Kia Rio

"The Rio sedan is based on the unimpressive Ford Aspire, which was made for Ford by Kia for a few years in the mid-1990s. It offers a tall body for extra head room and a rounded-off roof. A 1.5-liter, 96-hp four-cylinder engine, the only available powertrain, can be coupled with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. Expect to get what you pay for. A wagon version is called the Cinco. A slightly more powerful four-cylinder engine became standard for 2003. The 2006 redesign brought a more powerful 1.6-liter engine, a relatively comfortable ride, and a quiet cabin. Handling remained reluctant but secure. Curtain air bags are standard, but the Rio still got a Poor in the IIHS side-crash test. ABS is hard to find."

I have also enclosed the safety record.

New Kia vehicles are very good, however.

MP3

[slybry]

I do not care what car you are buying, I would steer clear of a 2003 with 220,000 kms on it. This is a lot of wear and tear. No doubt with high kms like that you will have repairs coming. All the componants are going to be tired and worn.

Repairing a car is so costly that I find there is no economy in buying cars near the end of their life.

I would rather spend more up front and find a 2003 gem with low kms and is in mint condition.

[gta_driver]

If the car is nicely maintained, has mostly highway km's on it as opposed to hard in city km's on it and is priced right, I would go for it. I've owned many high milers in the past and put another 100k to 200k km's on it with very few issues. I've also owned low mileage "gems", well maintained and owned by "grannies" who basically drive the car to the grocery store and church and have had to replace many parts on them because of metal fatigue and the fact that these vehicles are not used to being driven any distance, above a certain speed and/or daily.