Faults:

Check Engine Light appeared recently. (Will be checked this week)

General Comments:

This is the first car I have personally owned myself. I bought it brand-new in June of 2002. I got the car with 8 miles and have put 25,798 miles on it. I work for UPS and drive many miles back and forth to different buildings, plus my own personal errands. I have not had any problems with the car. I feel I got a very good deal. The car has held up better than I expected it too. It still feels as solid as the day I bought it. The only concerns I have which will be addressed shortly are that the car appears to have a minor shimmy going speeds of 60-63 miles per hour; it only occurs at these speeds; below or above these speeds it disappears. I feel very safe and do not experience crosswinds as I have in other cars. I know a friend who has a Dodge Neon, and am confident my car is much more reliable and well-constructed than the Neon. I have been very happy with the service I have received from the dealer. The salespeople are friendly and do their best to accommodate you when you need assistance. I wanted a car that was reliable and dependable, and that appears to be what I got. I realize many people state that Kia's are crap, but they are ignorant. Half the time they haven't owned one. Kia's aren't bad cars; they don't have a reliability record like that of Hyundai, they simply have yet to establish a record. I do believe the car could use a bit more low-end torque, however, that will be fixed as I am having a CAI and custom dual-exhaust installed this week. And the warranty is unbeatable.

P.S.: I used the browser back button because they didn't tell me when I wrote the review higher is cheaper...it should be 9/10.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

I got this car for a graduation gift. I never thought it would amount to a great car. I was just a little something to get me to and from college. However, I was wrong. This car has surpassed my expectations immensely. The 2002 KIA Rio really is an excellent buy. It is not a luxury car, but that is not it's intent. For a low price, you get a very reliable car that runs far better than many others I have ridden in. The only small negative that I see about the car is its slower pick-up (which has been corrected in the later models by adding more to the engine). All other aspects of the car seem to outweigh that. It can go very fast without any trouble, it rides smoothly. Overall, a great car. KIA is on the rise.

Faults:

No problems to date. Has been a great and affordable car.

General Comments:

Kia's are an affordable vehicle. They are a great price and have an excellent warranty (if your dealer doesn't try to jerk you around). They can't put a warranty like that on a peice of crap they would go bankrupt.