6th Nov 2007, 13:13
Just wanted to add my comments. I decided to lease my first car and I choose the 2003 KIA Rio RXV. It was the sporty little car I was looking for and I enjoyed buying the little extras to "soup" it up.
I've had only a few problems with it over the past 4 years, but each time they were looked after by the dealship right away and all was fully covered by Kia's great warranty.
I just turned in my lease early due to the large amount of KM's on it (102,000!!) and it was the saddest day for me. I loved that little red "hot rod". I know that whoever gets this great car will get even more happy years out of her.
I'm happy to say I now own a hot Black 2007 Spectra 5 and love it. I can't wait to "soup" this one up. I'm getting great gas mileage and still have one of the best full coverages bumper to bumper going... and they even gave me free oil changes this time... hey every penny counts when it's in your own pockets :)
16th Aug 2009, 01:56
I purchased my 2004 Kia Rio in August 2006, from a small used car dealership in Fresno, which due to our distressed economy, has gone out of business.
The car had 53,000 miles, a mediocre stereo and the speakers vibrated - other than that I couldn't complain, yet.
In 2008 when I turned on the A/C, I had problems with acceleration that would last about 2 days, then everything back to "normal". Three different mechanics couldn't fix the problem, finally it just went away.
My windows get foggy (inside) in damp weather and my windshield wipers click annoyingly when I have them set to intermittent.
The first week of August, 2009 my timing belt broke. I need a 1.6 liter, 16 valve dual overhead cam and I haven't had any luck. I can't afford $1,500.00. Why are these so pricey?
If I had the opportunity to purchase a Kia again - trust and believe I wouldn't.
2nd Nov 2009, 17:35
I have a 2003 Kia Rio RX which was bought second hand. In general not too many problems. Front brakes and back brakes within a year of other and then kaboom, it died and I've been told I need a new engine. At 115,000 the time belt has lost some teeth, bent a couple of pistons and then died. Needless to say at a cost of about $1500 for a used engine and then putting it in, as a working single parent one cannot afford to do this. Everything I have read says Kia's are famous for replacing the timing belt at 100,000 or less. This is the first I've heard.
2nd Nov 2009, 18:07
Not uncommon, I wouldn't go more than 60,000 miles on a timing belt on ANY car. Timing belts should be replaced around there anyways. Especially if it's an interference engine.
14th Jul 2011, 16:24
My experience with Kia is opposite to yours. The engine runs smoooooth. Brakes don't have to be pressed with all your might half way down. Just touch, & they work great.
Fog? Ice inside is a result of overheating inside in winter. 15*C - 18*C is more than enough. Some people like to have a sauna inside the car in winter! Also, open the windows & cool down inside just before you park.
My Kia carries a canoe & camping equipment in the summer for 300 km one way with no problems. This is not a big car, but properly driven & maintained, it does the job.
30th Sep 2011, 16:50
I agree with you on that one. We have a 2003 Kia Rio RX-V. Right now it just hit the 200000kms mark. We are about to need to replace the CV joints, but other than that, we haven't had any problems yet. We also replaced the alternator at about 190000kms.
We have had our car loaded down all summer. We took it camping 8 times, and we use a car topper for all our extra gear. For our camping trips, it provides the best amount of space to accommodate us, our two dogs, two children and all our camping stuff. Next year we will also be hauling around a canoe.
24th Oct 2007, 18:58
I bought my Kia Rio RXV brand new in 2003. It is the most trouble free car I have ever owned. There have been two recalls on it, both did not affect my car; but the dealership replaced the parts.."just in case". I live in a warm, wet climate; so if you don't use your defog.. the car fogs up. I am up to 57000 KMS, and am still loving this car. I have added a Thule roof rack for my Kayak, and my Rio gets me anywhere I want to go. My advice to the people who have had problems with there cars is... if you bought this "economy" car for horse-power, fit-finish quality; then you got what you deserve. I knew I was not buying a sports car, and I knew this was not a hand-built luxury car. What I got was a quiet (even at 180 KMS/HR I can still hear the radio on a low volume) reliable, fuel effeciant (35$ lasts me 2-weeks) Car. Oh and by the way, when you are reading these negative reviews about the Rio; it is interesting to note how many of those people "leased" their cars. That is a "financing" issuie, and not the cars fault!!!