Love anything to do with technology, IT Tech and cars. Always on the lookout for new opportunites an...
Love anything to do with technology, IT Tech and cars. Always on the lookout for new opportunites and experiences. Ideas or Suggestions? E-mail me...
Member since:17.03.2006
Reviews:47
Members who trust:1
After recently returning my friend's Mazda RX7, I was in need of a car to move around with, and I got a Kia Pride at next to nothing (US $100).
I figured what the heck.
The car is a four door hatchback and mine came with a 1300cc engine, no power steering, automatic and air conditioning.
Perfect for a fixer-upper quick-money-bringer.
In terms of looks, you can't do much worse (if at all). This car is square - even Scion doesn't have a car this square and boxy, and this car was probably the inspiration for Nissan's cube.
Inside, this car is a bad 80's flashback - grey interior, square, straight-edged dashboard, flimsy-looking gear shifter, everything is very basic.
But she had it where it counted - under the hood. At 1300cc fuel injected, this little car isn't much to move around with (by comparison, the MazdaRX7 also has a 1300cc engine) but the gas consumption was excellent, that is, until you turned on the air conditioning. While the A/C did not burn as much gas as some other cars, the power of the car itself was extremely low, with poor acceleration and lower top speed (with the A/C on, that is).
Driving and handling this car is not the best experience, but it is workable - if you plan on keeping this car, my immediate recommendation is to replace the rims and tyres with 14" rims and some 205.55R14 tyres - they are slightly bigger and wider than the original set of rims and tyres, which would allow for much better handling. The car handles and corners pretty well, (although I thought the brakes could use some improvement - stopping was a little too long for my liking) but because of its small size, it doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence. Visibility is very good, and is very easy to navigate in some big parking lots. Ground clearance is not as much as I thought, so be careful around speedbumps.
If you are looking for a spacious car, look elsewhere. True, this car has 4 doors and a trunk, but it looks like a stationwagon that shrunk in the wash. Four people can sit somewhat comfortably in this car, but not for a long drive. Trunk space was extremely limited, in spite of the car's design - one gym bag, and we had little room for anything else. The car itself is comfortable, as long as you do not plan on going very far, because then the people sitting in the backseat start to complain about the lack of legroom (always a complaint from ANYone sitting in the backseat of ANY car) and the poorly cushioned seats were not very helpful.
Air conditioning was mediocre at best, but I found that when serviced properly, it was actually very effective, keeping the car cool (and this is a tropical country) and the windows clear in the rain.
Also, this car comes from Kia and this model is no longer manufactured - whether as that style or as another car under the same name. Translation - discontinued model means no more OEM parts from Kia, which means that you would have to go looking for substitute sub-standard replacement parts. However, I must give credit to my local Kia dealer - even though they no longer supported the car, she did make it a point to help me locate substitute parts and OEM parts as far as possible.
In terms of safety, there are no airbags, no ABS, no immobiliser, no factory-installed alarm, nothing. Therefore, there is no security aside from the door locks.
Long story short: this is a great TEMP car - something to drive while you shop around for something better - it is great on gas, easy to park, easy to handle, but parts are a trifle hard to come by.
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Wow, it does look like a Nissan from the picture. x
dazmufc 30.06.2006 21:31
I like your review but sadly not the car. -DAZ-
zlatiko 30.06.2006 17:47
good review but you still wouldn't get me driving one, for a small car i think the 205 is hard to beat, also economical on petrol but a lot more stable on the road and parts are very easy to get hold of.
cheers ; )
Jun 30th, 2006
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