Just call me “Buster” (from the Mythbusters that is)
I had my Rio for just over a year, almost a year and a half before it met its demise… with me still in it! Not only can I tell you about features of the car, but you’ll also get a first-hand account of how well it doesn’t hold up in a semi-high speed collision.
Features (or lack thereof)
Manual steering
Manual doors/windows
Manual transmission (Stick shift)
Manual… just about everything
No stereo, but comes with 4 speakers
I did kind of like this car, despite what others might think. Although it looked small and felt small while you were in it, there was plenty of room to do what you needed. I’m not a small person - 6ַ” - but I still managed to have plenty more head room in this car than I have in some other mid-sized sedans that cost twice as much.
Pickup was no issue for me; my car was a manual transmission. It had the pickup I needed when I needed it. The clutch was rather forgiving as well and would rarely *complain* if you slacked off a bit on a green light or stop sign. I only stalled 4 times and two were my own fault - my hands were a bit faster then my feet.
The AC on the car was a bit on the weak side. When it was 100 or more (common in Phoenix), the AC really started to struggle at times. The temperature coming out of the vents was right on target, but the cold air rarely made it throughout the cabin at that temperature. If you were lucky, 80 degrees was about the coolest it would get on a really hot day.
I only needed warrantee work done on it once and that was simple wiring issue in the radio antenna. It may have needed another trip back to the dealer later in its life for a rare problem with stalling out while idling with the AC set on high (the other 2 of the 4 times I stalled). I’ll never really know what caused that however.
The body was anything but impact resistant. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could get a more impact resistant body by installing high powered magnets underneath a tinfoil coating and leaving it parked in a Wal Mart for 48 hours.
“What about safety features?” This is where I give the car its lowest score.
The only features that come standard on the car are airbags and seatbelts. My car had only those two and only half of them worked.
To fill you in a bit on the situation: I was driving at highway speeds, slowing down for rush hour traffic merging in heavily, when the car in front of me slams on his brakes for a car that cut him off. Every one of the 5 cars behind me also slam on their brakes. Mine is the only one without anti-lock brakes… without room to either side of me to swerve, I slam into the pickup in front of me at about 30 mph. 2 seconds later, I get hit from the rear. That’s 2 separate impacts.
How did it fare on each? The collision from behind left only minor dents on each car since we were both bumper level with each other. The collision in the front, left his rear bumper in my air filter… not good. In fact, I had a perfect imprint of his license plate holder imbedded in my now-shortened hood.
Luckily my safety belt held me in and fairly secure, unfortunately the airbag did absolutely nothing. I’m even wondering if they placed an airbag in the car or just figured it was one of those things no one would ever notice.
The car was a total loss, on top of significant engine damage, frame damage instantly totaled the car. Had my car not under-ridden the pickup by a good 2 feet, things might have worked differently though.
Out of all the cars involved, mine was the only one to not drive away. Fortunately I was at least able to walk away.
The car is a good car, not much more than that. The price tag is cheap and the quality is fairly cheap as well, but you get what you pay for. The warrantee was the sole purpose for me buying this car, as I had no desire to be left high and dry with thousands of dollars in car maintenance bills a year. I also don’t pretend to be a mechanic and had no desire to take a crash course (pardon the pun). The limited work I had done was done quickly, without hassle, so I can’t complain.
This isn’t a Volvo, so if you don’t mind sacrificing safety for the attractive price tag, then it’s a worthwhile investment. It’s great for commuting and can even take some long road trips well. The mileage is also a worthy reason for investing in this car; at 36-38 mpg, some of the only other cars that can beat it would be the hybrids.
Amount Paid (US$): 7500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
