thinking about getting a 2012 kia rio ex 4 cyl auto transmission around 100,000 miles i live in northern new york but the car is from new jersey...no salt like here so body is solid. i can pick it up for around 2500, maybe 2000. any troubling things i should be worried about. the guy i am going to get it from is a mechanic that i trust pretty well so i know he will tell me everything he finds wrong with it before selling it to me. he bought it on an online auction.
he bought it on an online auction.
And that’s all the reason for you to run away from this deal.
A ~$2000 high mileage, auction Kia, is just asking for trouble.
That isn't much money in this market. It's 10 years old and has relatively low miles. Kias tend to have issues around 100,000 miles, though. I would check the transmission, and would possibly change the fluid, depending on how it looks, if nothing else, at least the filter.
The next biggest thing is a compression test. Kias have pretty much always had problems with their piston rings and they tend to burn oil as they age. The new ones are usually oil burners from the get-go. I'm not sure how they can have such poor quality, it's not like piston engines are a new thing. They've been around for over 100 years, so piston rings should be practically perfected, and cheap to make, by now.
Kia/Hyundai cars are generally known to be good for only the first 100k miles so I wouldn't be surprised if this car is already at the point which it will start creating problems. Now here's the thing; if $2k isn't important for you and you just want to have a beater car and you can dump it anytime it starts causing trouble then you can give it a shot. But if you want to buy it for a daily driver then definitely stay away from it.
I would pass on it, unless you want to be back buying another car (after buying the Kia Rio). See below: stay away from Hyundai Motor Group products, especially at that mileage
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/why-all-the-hyundai-hate/
I understand that $2000 is nothing in this market but realize that the Rio is the cheapest Kia model. Adding that to a 10 years old age Kia and 100k miles, is just a recipe for disaster.
I've had two cars based on the Kia Rio so I'm quite familiar with them.
The Kia Rio was overall a decent car, but unlike the rest of the world, in the US they had a GDi engine - making it a gamble.
What to check:
- Use the dipstick to check ATF condition, verify that the transmission was serviced and shifts smooth.
- Check the steering, play and banging are common.
- Dry/Wet compression and cylinder liner boroscoping are a must on a Hyundai-Kia Gamma engine.
If all of these check out, a mechanic gives you the green light, and you don't drive much, It can be a good deal.
People are paying 5 times that for older accident damage Honda Fits, so in today's market $2k isn't that big of a gamble.
