I purchased my Rio 10/03 and really like it. I traded in a Ford Escort. The
dealer I bought it from sucks, but I live in the Phoenix, AZ area, so there are
lots of dealers in the area. The dealer I take my Rio to treats me really
great.
I have already put on 20,000 miles in the first year. I have had a few
cosmetic warranty fixups, but other than that, no problems with the car.
My Rio has a 5spd, single disk CD player, AM/FM radio, tilt wheel. It gets
about 28-33 mpg combined.
> I just need a car for going back and forth to school, how well do Kia dealers
> take care of their customers? How well regarded is the Rio? I'm aware that
> it's a very basic car, with not many frills, how durable is it?
I bought a Kia Rio Cinco 2 years ago and it is a POS....the worst car
I've ever owned. Stupid things break (like the metal latch on the
hatch, the rear window brake like fell off completely). It also EATS
tires. I've replaced the tires twice already and need new ones again.
We've also had to recharge the AC every year for some reason.
As if that wasn't enough, it just blew an engine (at 69k miles) and of
course, they aren't going to fix it. So I have a car I owe $11k on
that needs $4700+ in repairs...and I am stuck because my husband has
to have a car to drive to work. They say I was supposed to have the
timing chain inspected at 60k miles and since I didn't, they won't
honor the warranty. But...since when does a timing chain blow and
entire engine?
In short, I would NOT recommend buying a Kia. You'd be better off with
a used Honda or possibly a new Hyundai
Chris Peabody in CA
Shane854 - 06 Nov 2004 02:31 GMT
Kia and Hyundai are the same car, different body styles
>You'd be better off with
>a used Honda or possibly a new Hyundai
Franz - 06 Nov 2004 12:39 GMT
Il 2 Nov 2004 06:02:02 -0800, shatena@aol.com (ChrisPeabody) ha
scritto:
> They say I was supposed to have the
>timing chain inspected at 60k miles and since I didn't, they won't
>honor the warranty. But...since when does a timing chain blow and
>entire engine?
>
>In short, I would NOT recommend buying a Kia.
I would NOT reccommend buying a used car from such an incompetent
driver.
Drivers like this one could destroy the reputation of ANY car
manufacturer.
Franz
Energia Nucleare ???
No, Grappa !!!
Karell Ste-Marie - 23 Nov 2004 14:31 GMT
I've bought a RIO RS last December and I'm quite happy with it, because I
knew what I was buying before I signed the paperwork.
A KIA RIO is the cheapest car in it's class, and there are reasons for that.
If you are rough with your car or you expect this car to perform like a race
car or like a Mercedes then it's not the car for you.
Also, do your services when they say that they should be done, go to the
dealer. If you want to make sure that the dealer honors the warranty there
is a price with that and that's that you take your car to service over to
them. If they didn't change the belt and you were going to them then I would
have a nasty conversation with the owner...
Otherwise, well, let me tell you a little story.
Owning a brand new Mercedes is the same deal, you HAVE to read the fine
print. Did you know that if you purchase a brand-new Mercedes and that you
change the oil before 10k KM then you VOID your warranty? That's right,
275000$ car, warranty gone, bye bye. How do I know this? I happen to be very
good friend with a top-class Mercedes mecanic, he's gave me a few tips when
it was time to throw away my BMW and get myself my first *new* car and
reading the fine print of the warranty was among his top 5 things that I
really needed to do. So getting a 13k$ car or getting a 275k$ car is no
different.
Folks, reading the fine print on the warranty paperwork is very important.
I've become very good buddy with the service manager at my dealership to
make sure that these things never happen. My gas consumption is good, my
tires don't wear out very fast (in 10 months, i've done 30k KM) and whenever
I stop by not only the service manager knows me by name but always warns me
when it's time to take the car in and do a bit of maintenance.
>> I just need a car for going back and forth to school, how well do Kia
>> dealers
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> Chris Peabody in CA
buzzardbreath - 07 Dec 2004 02:07 GMT
shanetena..........sounds like the Rio did you a favor by self-destructing
an you obviousy hated it anyway. The timing BELT not chain is the engine
conductor that keeps everything working in harmony. You needed to follow
the manufactures recommendation re maintenance.....poor maintenance equals
problems that you cannot blame KIA for ..it was your negligence that
created the problem and not KIA's....BTW...Honda and Hyundai also require
a replacement belt at 60,000 miles.....good luck with your Honda !!!!