Excellent car for going from point A to point B
General maintenance is all that is required.
No problems, AC fine, engine transmission fine, etc. still going strong after 185,000 miles. Most reliable car I've ever had.
38 - 40 MPG. Great car for low middle class people who are not proud.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 5th October, 2009
Frugal reliable basic transportation; nothing more, nothing less
Wheel bearing failed on PA Turnpike resulting in me driving the car 20 miles home on three wheels.
Rear hatch support strut rusted through.
Shifter is quite possibly the worst and sloppiest I've ever driven. Not sure if there is a worn bushing in there or something, but I hope it wasn't designed to be as bad as it clearly is.
Transmission makes terrible grinding noises in first and second gears as a result of a lousy factory rebuild at 25,000 miles. Despite the noise of the transmission seemingly about to fly apart, I've had no functional issues.
I bought this car for basic transportation on a very long commute (180 miles round trip). I was hoping the car would last for 6 months and I could throw it away for the next one.
I have been very pleasantly surprised by this little machine. With gas prices hovering around $3 a gallon, this car has paid for itself with the money I've saved in fuel costs versus driving my Geo Tracker (!). I paid $750 for this little car, and it's saved me almost $900 in gas since. I've also installed 4 tires, a water pump, timing belt, front brake pads, new rear wheel bearings and a CD player in it. It also doesn't have air conditioning, which I don't mind too much. It does have 2 front airbags, which makes me feel better about driving such a tiny auto - and this auto is TINY. The only car I've ever had that was smaller than this one was a 1990 Ford Festiva. Incidentally, the Aspire is the Festiva's replacement, upgraded with fuel injection and the afore-mentioned airbags. The Aspire also has a more modern dash layout and is better handling a more comfortable, although, in this car class, that's not saying a whole lot.
All in all, the car has been amazingly reliable. I bought it from the original owner, an engineer, who fastidiously maintained the car. It still looked and smelled new inside. The car also gets me 40-45 mpg day in and day out, dropping to maybe 38 on really cold days (temps in the teens or lower).
If you are looking for a simple and reliable car to get you around with little to no fuss and which gets almost hybrid-like gas mileage, this is the car for you. If you are looking for anything else, skip it - you'll be disappointed.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th July, 2007
Great little car and excellent gas saver
Nothing major has really gone wrong with this car, the clutch did go out, but only because the car was given to my mother-in-law for a few years and she was a terrible driver and gear shifter, she ruined it. The car was poorly maintained, but we now have it back and we trying to get it back into good working order. The engine still starts right away although it tends to idle very low and almost wants to stall. otherwise, it is a great little car.
Most owner don't realize that this little car was built in S. Korea by the Kia Corp. it states that right on the door panel.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 19th August, 2006
Actually most people do know that the Aspire (like its predecessor the Festiva) was built in S Korea by KIA.
The Aspire I had was a good reliable car, but you could dent it with your finger.. it seemes like tiny pebbles could fly up from the road and knock small dents into the thing. I thought that maybe it was the body that was made by Kia..
Festiva was the same way. Doors would shake at 60 mph from the cheap metal. But it was incredibly reliable thanks to its Mazda engine.
16th Nov 2009, 20:12
We bought our 1995 Aspire about 6 months ago. I cannot say enough good things about this car. We have owned Festiva and they are great little cars. When we found out that the Aspires replaced the Festiva, we thought well we will give them a try. After giving our teens our Festiva, we wanted something comparable in gas mileage. We have driven our share of Chevy's, Dodges, Plymouths cars and we always go back to Fords. They never give us a lick of trouble. If you want something that will give you great gas mileage and very dependable, I suggest you buy a Ford. However the Aspires do lack comfort, but that is what you get when buy a small car.