Used 2003 Kia Rio

"Just my style"

"I hate it that people have had such bad luck with this car, I guess maybe i have only gotten lucky? I have had no real problems with my '01 Rio, my biggest problem was making the mistake of spending more than half the car's price on a warranty (oops, 1st time car buyer). The warranty got the passenger mirror issue fixed, the "door locks itself" issue fixed....and there was a recall on the rims of the car, i dont even know if that was warranty-needed or not. When the warranty expired, and my almost 3 grand was totally down the drain, the clutch cable snapped. Fortunately I was able to fix this myself (easy job really) for the cost of a 28 dollar new part. I've had nothing else go wrong with this car.... It has a little pick-up, but you really have to give it some gas, and you can really feel how stressful that is on the 4 cylinders, so I just deal with not having much pickup so as to not kill the engine. Gas mileage is awesome, A/C and heat work great, everything still runs pretty dang smooth. 80k+ miles. My particular car has power....nothing. steering is powered, but tranny is manual and so is everything else. Less stuff to worry about breaking (I prefer this way - every manufacturer with automatic options on a value car is susceptible to malfunction, not just Kia). My only wish would be for some way to make the car cruise, even if only once you were in 5th gear for those really long highway hauls. Keeping your foot on the pedal for 500+ miles is a bummer. It's not really all that comfy for a full grown man (a little cramped), it's not got a lot of luxury, and its really not as cool looking as say...a Camaro, BUT its been quality, dependable, low maintenance, and a tremendous value. Cheap car, cheap on gas. If it breaks in the next week though, I will blame this review XD Also, if you want to install a high powered audio system...the car doesnt make enough juice, you'll need a capacitor. Its a tiny car, with a tiny alternator and tiny battery."

"excellent car"

"My Kia is 6 yrs old and it still gets an adv of 40 mpg. It doesn't loose power while climbing a hill and is the most comfortable car I have ever owned."

"Better than expected."

"We bought this car in 2002. We wanted a small car that was inexpensive but brand new with a warranty. We were living in Manhattan and needed something small and reliable. We expected to run it into the ground for 5 years and then scrap it for a newer luxury style car. However, almost 8 years later it runs great. We beat the heck out of this thing. Even the mechanic we use said he is surprised how well these cars hold up. Pros- Cheap, reliable, good warranty coverage, and we put no maney into it except oil changes, tires, brakes, etc. Oh yeah, and it's decent on gas. Cons - Paint scratches and doors dent easily, and it's a little cramped inside if you are a bigger person especially on long trips. Overall, this car well exceeds expecations."