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 21 through 30 of 83.00

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  GOOD RIO - 2002 Kia Rio
  By nick b - July 30 - 10:00 am

  i have had the rio for almost a year now.i use it every day an so far it hAS BEEN RELIABLE.I AM PLEASED WITH IT SO FAR.GOOD BASIC TRANSPORTATION.

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  Favorite car in 40 years of driving - 2002 Kia Rio
  By querflote - December 3 - 10:26 am

  Bought the car when it had 10 K miles, one year old, one previous driver. Since then have put 140K miles on it, with fewer problems than any other car I have ever driven. Replaced timing belt at 60 K and 120K. Has no AC (bought it in PA). 5 sp manual transmission. Fun to drive, plenty of acceleration in 1st and 2nd. Manual everything (windows, etc. ) means that nothing ever breaks, and no little things need repair. Incredible highway mileage, even at 65-70 mph (40-43 mpg). Had to replace gasket for trunk lid. Not a car for 4 large adults - better for 2 adults, 2 kids in back seat. Great value for the money I paid. Am expecting to put another 100 K miles on it.

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  Dogs and I love it! - 2002 Kia Rio
  By RiowithDogs - August 5 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! I got it so I could haul my two mini-greyhounds in the back. They love it, too! Very fun to drive, great mileage. The dealership was awesome and the price was right! Everyone thinks it is a sporty Honda Civic. There are no bells and whistles, but truly a well put together car with a fantastic price. I would buy it again!

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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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  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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  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.

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  Good basic Transportation - 2002 Kia Rio
  By tkorcal - July 11 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Rio in Jan. 02. I have had no problems. I use it as a second car for work and back daily and running the kids back and forth.

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  I love it - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Riand - July 10 - 2:13 pm

  I love my little Kia , its done well over the years and have been reliable. I havent had any problems with the car and I would recomend some one to buy!

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  Underestimated - 2002 Kia Rio
  By Ronin - June 2 - 6:10 am

  I was a bit wary about buying this car especially when Im used to BMW and Audi. I was surprised with the elasticity of the 1.5 L engine with its 97 BHP. In a world that is dominated by V6s and V8s you understand. With the fuel prices soaring like they are, and commuting 66 miles a day this is definitely a welcome change to the 17mpg average I was getting on a 95 Rodeo. It gets an average of 33mpg! The only thing I noticed is driving in excess of 70mph I get a howling through the window. This car is definitely worth the money I invested in it. Bought it with just a little over 60k miles on it.