18th Oct 2010, 08:54
Kia Rio and the "people's car" Kia Pride are the lemons of Kia. The Sephia and the other types are reliable and fuel-efficient though.
Danilo, Philippines.
2nd Dec 2010, 22:16
I bought my Kia new in 2001. 170k miles later and it is still going. I had to replace the clutch once (about 150k) and the timing belt. Around 30k, it had a weird problem; on pressing the gas, it actually caused the car to stall and the engine to stall. They replaced batteries, wire harness, and spark plugs - finally they got it fixed.
I think overall, I replaced the timing belt, clutch, radiator fan, wheel bearings, radiator.
I have passed the car down to my son; currently we are replacing the belts for the first time (alternator belt went bad/ is missing). And the power steering is leaking (high pressure hose).
In short, not the best car in the world, but it has worked for me over the 10 years. I have had it towed a total of maybe 4 or 5 times during this time.
12th Dec 2010, 22:40
I've owned this Kia Rio since 2001. It currently has about 180,000 miles on it.
We've had the transmission, battery, wires, and compressor replaced. The car currently gets about 35-40 MPG and is still running well. Listen, it's not the prettiest car in the world, and it doesn't have all the features, but it is reliable, and gas efficient, especially if you drive a lot of highway miles.
I'm very happy with this vehicle for the price I paid, however, I will probably upgrade to a better model if I go with Kia again.
24th Jul 2011, 17:56
Sorry for your loss... but we have an '01 Kia Rio, and it has 175K and is still going.
9th Oct 2011, 14:23
I purchased my 2001 Sunburst Gold Rio on July, 5th 2001. Being a first year model, I got stiffed on the price. I got mine for $11,999, and 3 months later they were going for the $5,995 price.
Everything in my car is manual; transmission, windows & doors. At least it came with a CD player.
First night I brought her home, I couldn't go anywhere because none of my parking/brake lights worked. So I took it back the following day & they fixed it.
Month 3 my clutch went out. I will take the blame for that because I honestly didn't know how to properly drive a stick, & I peeled out every chance I got. So after learning how to drive my car the right way, I was back on the road.
On the first road trip I took with a friend to California, we heard this muffled whistling sound. After freaking out for about an hour, it turns out it was the windows; the rubber does not seal correctly.
On my next road trip to Houston, everything was fine until the drive home, when we pulled over for a quick nap and left the car running because it was wickedly hot. When we awoke, the car was no longer running, did not think anything at first, but then when we arrived back home, it was running really rough & would stall when I made left hand turns. This went on for almost a year, I brought it to Kia and it would work for a day and start stalling again.
Finally I took it in and told them I did not want it until it was really fixed this time. So 28 days and 15 parts later it worked & also qualified for the Lemon Law (Arizona). I got half what I paid back, and used it to pay off the car.
Now don't let my issues scare you, I did rock my "DIARIO" like it was a rental.
Few more notes; I live in Phoenix, and IT IS MAD HOT HERE!
The A pillars both warped and have been replace twice. The clear coat faded (has since been repainted black), the cover to the air filter crumbled, my passenger door stopped working because a piece of plastic on the handle broke off, the front head lights have this film that won't come off. I've also had to replace the plastic pieces that hold the visors in place 2 times each. My airbag light is always on, the rear right seat belt won't budge. Dome light no longer works either.
This year I hit 100,000 miles in June, and I took it into Kia just before, and they replaced my CV boots and valve cover gaskets, no charge, and gave me a laundry list of things I still needed to repair.
I have a love hate relationship with my car. I am not gonna say that I would never own another Kia, but I will say that my next car will be built in the USA (to help our economy).
11th Oct 2010, 17:27
I bought my Kia Rio in 2001 brand new. I bought it when the price was introduced at 5995. It was the best deal I had ever made. It got me through our hardest winters in Colorado, never missing a beat, always started right up. I only spend $50 a month on gas, who can beat that!!
It is now at 78,000 miles later, almost 10 years later, and I have never had an issue with it... until now. I went to replace the clutch and it ain't been right since. But the car's issue is with the mechanic and not the car. The clutch line was not put in correctly, and the bracket was not changed. That is currently being taken care of, and I expect I can get another 30,000 miles on that car.