Overview & Reviews

One of America's least expensive cars now comes in sedan or wagon flavor. Dubbed the Rio Cinco, the five-door Kia provides 44.3 cubic feet of storage space with the rear seat down.

• Unbeatable price, peppy engine, decent build quality relative to price point, inoffensive styling, great warranty package.

• Unrefined ride quality, power windows and cruise control are MIA from the option list.

User Reviews:

Showing 61 through 70 of 83.00

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  Good second car - 2002 Kia Rio
  By tkorcal - May 14 - 10:00 am

  Has been a good dependable second car. Too small for primary vehicle of family. Would be good for young person also. No problems, Oil changes only.

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  ooops - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Ron Kotler - March 30 - 4:46 am

  Fuel mi.(@55mph.) stinks,,,trans. hunts all the time. driving layout poor. body, at freeway speeds, sounds like your in a wind tunnel. just a terrible auto! Im afraid to drive it, it may cost me again.It holds the road ,,,,Not.

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  2002 Rio Wagon - 2002 Kia Rio
  By mako787 - January 27 - 8:58 pm

  I just purchased a Cinco wagon in January with 106,000 miles on it. It was in excellent condition and I hoped to get a reliable car that was cheap to drive and maintain. I had an older Buick that had cost me a fortune and the engine was knocking so bad I was afraid it was going to throw a rod in my driveway. So far this Kia has been reliable except for the check engine light coming on abut five times now. First it was the O2 sensors that had already been changed out but I had to get another one anyway and then it was the gas cap. Now it came on again and I have no idea what it is this time. The car is noisy and has little power with the AC running.

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  Great economy car very dependable. - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Mark - January 17 - 10:43 pm

  This is my second Kia Rio 4 door sedan. I buy the base model with no power steering, no air, no radio. I live in Minnesota and in the winter at 20-30 below zero it always starts right away and heats up in less then 2 miles of driving. Gas mileage is 33-35 city and 45-48 highway. This car uses the old Mazda 626 drivetrain and so it is a very dependable car. Several of my family members have also purchased either the Rio, or Sophia. Just a really dependable vehicle for the day to day drive, with a fully adjustable drivers seat (On the Rio only). Maintenance through the dealership is very reasonable compared to other cars.

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  2002 Kia Rio! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Kevin Zollner - December 23 - 2:00 am

  Runs great, looks good, and I really lke the car.

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  Great! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By neo - November 28 - 10:00 am

  This price cant beat, even with other better brand, reliable on normal driving condition, this is not for full size family, i like almost everything for the price i paid for this car except handling should improve.

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  a wagon for Empty Nesters - 2002 Kia Rio
  By pizza driver - November 22 - 10:00 am

  It handled our late winter snows and our steep driveway. Gets 30+mpg on road trips. For a wagon, the AC is very good, weve had the hotest July in over 10 years. Its fun to drive, even with the Automatic. We are looking forward to an Autumn trip to the Ozarks.

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  Do not buy one - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Dont Buy ONE! - November 13 - 4:23 pm

  I bought my Rio in January with 68K miles and not after 5 months of driving the engine died! I was on the freeway and it seized! After inspection they thought it was a timing belt but in the process of inspection of the engine found that the lower part of the engine died and then broke the timing belt, spark plugs blown into bits and pieces! After call KIA they said that the last 2 years they made better engines and the engine in the 2002 was not "good." They tried to sell me a new kia but after my experance I will never buy a kia and never recommend them to a friend, in fact I told my friend who owns a kia to sell his fast! Dont get one!

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  vegas daily driver - 2002 Kia Rio
  By vegas driver - October 27 - 10:26 pm

  Great little vehicle. Gets 35 mpg mixed city driving. Was a vehicle from michigan and had little spots of rust on trunk, undercarraige. replaced breaks, wipers, basic items. May need Motor mounts eventually. 1st car Ive had without p/w, p/l. Compact little car I use synthetic oil for daily driving. Avg.300 miles on 9 gal tank. Wish it had criuse as an option. Nice little vehicle for the money and certainly for the year. Could see another 100k, with minimal costs involved. Oh,A/C great on 1st setting here in the desert!

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  College students perspective - 2002 Kia Rio
  By JK - August 12 - 10:43 pm

  Great fuel economy! Perfect for driving in town, not recommended for long road trips with friends because of the small backseat. Mine has 78K miles, only thing wrong with it so far was that I had a thermostat go out last winter. Cant beat the warranty! Another selling point for me on this car was the low car insurance premiums.