2003 Kia Rio

Rating from bvest

(4)
Comfort:		4 out of 5
Performance:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		4 out of 5

"We bought a 2003 Rio New. It had 1,100 mile on the clock. We just recently traded the car off after 10 years and 334,000 mile on the odometer. Yes that's right, 334,000. My wife drove the car an average of 120 mile a day to work and back. We went through several sets of tires, brakes, wheel bearings. Done all maintenance that was required, changed oil every 5,000 miles. The only work that was ever done on the car was just regular maintenance. Fuel mileage averaged around 30-32 depending on how hard it was pushed. The best was 38 mpg."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from Michelle

(1)
Comfort:		2 out of 5
Performance:		1 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		2 out of 5
Reliability:		1 out of 5

"We bought the car for our Daughter since it was suppose to be great on gas (not that great) and had it about 1 1/2 years when the timing belt slipped on her way to class. She was stuck in the middle of the road so my husband got it to the shop, long story short it shot the whole engine threw a valve through the Pistons and Shota piston through the head. After talking with several shop owners this is apparently normal for this type of car, wish we had known this info first, now we have a large yard ornament in our yard, The price of an engine is more than the value for the car. So we will shop another brand. please beware if you own a RIO change the timing belt at 70,000 miles or your worse nightmare may come true."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from Amanda

(4)
Comfort:		3 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Handling:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		2 out of 5
Interior Design:		2 out of 5
Features:		2 out of 5
Value for the Money:		4 out of 5
Reliability:		4 out of 5

"I bought my rio brand new. Always got all the maintenance that was recommended on time. The second the warranty expired at 50k miles I started having problems. I got locked INSIDE the car because the locks broke. Then the handle on the driver side door breaks on the outside. It had not worked on the inside before that. The check engine light comes on repeatedly and I will immediately stop somewhere to get it checked and it goes off. They cant figure out why. The car recently hit 100k miles, which was really longer than I thought it would last so I cant say it hasn't done what a car needed to do for me. As soon as it hit 100k I started having strange problems with it. Don't know what they are as it is in the shop right now. The car does get great mileage. It was my first manual transmission so I'm really am surprised it has lasted as long as it has without having problems that I could have caused by driving it horribly when I first got it. As far as features...there are none. I can't think of anything in the car that really isn't pretty standard now. My cd player has not worked since a year after I got the car and I don't believe it was covered in the warranty."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Just getting around

Rating from brecker

(4)
Comfort:		5 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Handling:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Features:		4 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"I have owned my rio for about a year and a half. It's a 5 speed. It has never given me any trouble. She hugs the road very well for not being a sports car. She is very good on gas:) and comfortable for road trips..."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from Yentabear

(5)
Comfort:		3 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Handling:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		4 out of 5
Interior Design:		4 out of 5
Features:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		4 out of 5

"I purchased my Rio new in 2003, it currently has 96,000 miles. It has been to Chicago & back 2 times, Houston, Las Vegas, Reno, Laughlin. Basically it goes where I go. I have really had no problems with the car at all. It gets between 35 (town) 48 (hiway). My only complaint, if you can call it that, is the front seats need more padding. Especially on long drives. I think it is a great car. I plan on keeping it at least 2 more years (just bought new plates)."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Commuting

Rating from Nurse and Student

(4)
Comfort:		3 out of 5
Performance:		3 out of 5
Handling:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		4 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Features:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"This care, like the three other Kia vehicles I have owned, is not the flashiest, fastest, or quickest cares out there, but fore the money you spend you get a reliable, economic, practical car. My Kia is 5 years old with 90K miles on it now; the A/C went out in year two, but the extended warranty (something I only buy when it's on a car) covered the replacement cost and paid for itself. I have had no other problems or real complaints about the car, and have pretty much just done the recommended (by the manufacturer, not the dealer) routine maintenance. Clutch went out after 60K miles, but a drive a lot of highway miles. I average 29-32 mpg most weeks, and while the interior is nothing to write home about, it doesn't have an excessive number of squeaks and rattles lfor a economy car. The road noise can be very high at high speed, especially on concrete highways, but I've not been in a small car where it is not. My only disappointment is the lack of ABS. After having a Sephia with ABS, I was kind of mystified at Kia's decision not to offer it on this (or any) car."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: N/A

Rating from Ontheroad

(5)
Comfort:		3 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Handling:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Features:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"Six years of service and 70k miles, with nothing but normal service. I would certainly recommend this car to anyone looking for reliable economical transportation."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: N/A

Rating from Lovin' my little Kia Rio Cinco

(4)
Comfort:		3 out of 5
Performance:		4 out of 5
Handling:		4 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		3 out of 5
Features:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"I have owned my car since I bought it new in 2003. It is now January 2008. I cant believe I have had this car for 5 years! It has been the most reliable of the 4 cars I have owned in my lifetime. I have never had to take my car to the shop. I know there is a recall on the "2003 KIA RIO FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY " for which I need to take it back to the dealer, but the serviceman that I talked to said it would be no prob and to bring it by. Other than a few little issues it has been a great car. I took it to the dealer to be check before I drove from AZ to MI which is about a 4,000 mile road trip. I drove there and back completely safe. No breakdowns at all. The only problem was that I don?t have cruise control. It gets great gas mileage though and it zooms! I have the standard model so I am in total control of the acceleration which is excellent. Like I said there are a few little problems. There are 3 recalls: The first is the seat belt, the second about the fuel system, and the last is the clip that is supposed to be added security when using a child safety seat. Also, the cigarette lighter fuses keep blowing when I try to plug anything into them. I tried different things each time. There is one in the front and one in the back and neither have ever worked. Oh yah the speakers blew right away too even though I dont listen to loud music. The other issues are somewhat surface. It gets easily dinged by stray rocks and the paint is chipping and oxidizing because of the sun out here even though I paid extra for sun protection and extra clear coats. It is also very low to the ground when driving it makes it hard to see around large vehicles. Still for what I paid I think I must have gotten the best deal on a car ever. No shop fees so far and my car is paid for with A/C, 5 doors, Alloy wheels, Pirelli tires, and a CD player. It made it back and forth across the US without a hitch. I am quite happy, but the next car I am getting cruise control and working cigarette outlets. : )"

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: N/A

Rating from Perky Duck

(2)
Comfort:		2 out of 5
Performance:		1 out of 5
Handling:		2 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		3 out of 5
Interior Design:		1 out of 5
Features:		3 out of 5
Value for the Money:		3 out of 5
Reliability:		1 out of 5

"I bought the car because it looked like good value for the money. I couldn't have been more wrong!! The engine had an intermittant fault which the dealer couldn't find. Every time we used it we were expecting it to stall. It got to the stage where it had my wife in tears. Eventually we had to part ex to another model which cost us thousands. Kia offered "as a gesture of goodwill" half price on the next service but then withdrew the offer saying it only applied to the Rio not the new car. My personal experience is that both the Rio and Kia customer services are pretty useless and I therefore recommend that you avoid any dealings with them."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: N/A

Rating from Car Lover

(4)
Comfort:		4 out of 5
Performance:		3 out of 5
Handling:		3 out of 5
Exterior Styling:		2 out of 5
Interior Design:		5 out of 5
Features:		2 out of 5
Value for the Money:		5 out of 5
Reliability:		5 out of 5

"This car was awsome. We got because our Saturn's transmission blew up. It was very comfortable. It never lost a part. The air conditioning was optional. And this car had it. This car also got scratches very very easiely. It was scratched in 3 months. Otherwise this car got very good gas milage around 33"

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: N/A