Need a second vehicle thats good on gas

[Ardvark]

My husbands van is too big for me to drive. I like driving it but it's a hassle putting my baby in and out of it. It's an Astro (or Safari... same thing anyway) and I have to climb IN the van to put my child in her car seat. I rented a kia rio this weekend and like how it is for putting baby in and out of the car. I know nothing about Kia's though as far as reliability goes.

We don't have a lot of money to buy a second vehicle, only about $5,000. Do you think it's reasonable to get a reliable car for this price? I saw a 2003 Kia Rio RSV with around 50,000 km on it, private sale and they were asking $5890 so I was thinking of researching Kia's and if they are decent enough cars putting an offer in on it. It's a standard though which is a negative for me only because I prefer an automatic.

What other cars should I be looking at? As long as they are reliable, decent on fuel and would be fairly easy for me to put baby in and out of the car I'd consider it.

[Shaner]

Kia is fine, I wouldn't hesitate buying one myself if I was in the market for a very cheap vehicle. A lot of people will likely come into this thread and bash Kia just like people used to do to Hyundai (and still do somewhat), but both Kia and Hyundai have come a long way.

If the price is right and you like the vehicle, go for it.

[QTheNukes]

Kia is fine, I wouldn't hesitate buying one myself if I was in the market for a very cheap vehicle. A lot of people will likely come into this thread and bash Kia just like people used to do to Hyundai (and still do somewhat), but both Kia and Hyundai have come a long way.

If the price is right and you like the vehicle, go for it.

Kia is considered to be fine now but in the 2003 model year they were still independent of Hyundai and probably very crappy. I drove in a brand new 2002 and was worried for my life.

Pass on the 2003 Kia.

Secondly, $5000 gets a lot of used car, that car is way over priced.

[Ardvark]

Kia is considered to be fine now but in the 2003 model year they were still independent of Hyundai and probably very crappy. I drove in a brand new 2002 and was worried for my life.

Pass on the 2003 Kia.

Secondly, $5000 gets a lot of used car, that car is way over priced.

Thanks for the info re: hyundai/kia. If $5K can get me a lot of car, what vehicle(s) would you recommend that are compact size (or mid is okay too) that I would expect to get for around $5K? I'm always curious when people say a vehicle is overpriced what they are comparing it to.

[CUVShopper]

I would look into a Civic or Corolla; both well built and will last a long time.

[notanexpert]

Kia and Hyundai are also one of the least fuel efficient in their size. Compare them to a similar-size Honda or Toyota and you find that the Japanese are way more fuel efficient. Check the Yaris/Fit (or Echo/Civic for older cars) versus an Accent or Rio. Plus, the residual value on them is total crap, at least if you sell a 10+ year old Japanese car you get some money back.

[nx2k]

I would look into a Civic or Corolla; both well built and will last a long time.

good luck finding an 03 corolla for $5k.

[BAM]

fact is for 5000$ or less you are looking at

2004-2005 Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent
1999-2001 Corolla and/or Civic
2002-2003 Ford Focus
2002-2005 Pontiac Sunfire

I think I would look at Hyundai Accents as late as you can find w/ about 100k km. I am currently driving a 2004 Elantra (called an Avante over here) in Korea and it has been flawless I only have about 45k KM on it though. In general I prefer the Civic and/Corolla as well but 2 years is a longtime and mostly those have higher KM's.

Really you need to find the gem of a car and not focus too much on models. Make friends with a trustworthy mechanic who will be honest and you can find a decent car.

[AV-Fishing]

Toyota Yaris
Honda Fit

Stay away from North American cars ... they're going bankrupt!!! hahahaha

[hi-tech]

How about the Hyundai Accent/Elantra? Both are gas sippers and pretty well made.

I had to rent a Kia Rio once after I got into an accident. Truly the worst car ever.