2005 aveo sedan and 2008 rio sedan. Similar mileage and equipment, priced the same. Any reason to choose one over the other? Just looking for bare bones transportation without too much drama.
Neither is a great choice. I’d suggest getting a Consumer Reports New Car Preview at the local bookstore and listing your choices by reliability. The small cost of the magazine will be returned many times over.
The '05 Aveo was actually made by Daewoo. I’ve never been impressed with Daewoo. I’d get the Kia given those two choices.
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Actually, in order to check CR’s reliability rating for 2005 & 2008 models, it would be necessary to look at CR’s buying guides published no later than…probably…2010/2011. It might be possible to obtain them from the reference room at the local library.
I agree.
Both cars are bottom-line, entry level models with less than stellar long-term reliability. Both cars are due for timing belt service every 60,000 miles, and both will result in complete engine destruction if the timing belt breaks.
I would pick the car with the most verifiable service history.
Having talked to owners of both, the Kia Rio is a significantly better car than the Aveo. The Aveo is a leftover design of Deawoo and it has numerous design shortcomings.
Having said that, both are lower rated than the Yaris (Toyota) and the Honda Fit, two very good econoboxes.
Parts and service for the Aveo may be hard to find; GM dealers re not very interested in servicing these losers.
If money is tight, go for the Kia Rio! There’s a few down the street here that always seem to run. I have not seen an Aveo for some time.
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Assuming both cars truly do have identical mileage and were similarly maintained . . .
Get the Kia Rio
It’s 3 years newer than the Aveo, and thus might have a few safety features, which the other is lacking
As was mentioned, the Aveo wasn’t really GM’s own product. It was made by somebody else, and essentially rebadged. That’s usually done do fill a gap in their lineup, and there’s not a lot of thought that goes into it
AFAIK, the Rio was actually manufactured by Kia. It was their baby, right from the start
Good points VDC.
My philosophy is that the data from the past years to the extent that CR goes back is probably a good indicator of how reliable slightly older ones are, recognizing that every individual car ages differently over the years depending on its use and care (or lack thereof). My feeling is that if the make/model has had a poor reliability record these most recent years, older ones probably did too. If it was excellent, older ones probably were too.
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+1
Many people consider the Aveo to have been an example of a disposable car. When it comes time for major repairs, it is more fiscally desirable to get rid of them, rather than attempt to keep them running.
That is true–more or less–but it shares the engine, the platform, and many other components with the Hyundai Accent, and that is a good thing.
Is the Hyundai Accent the “corporate twin” of the Kia Rio?
Yup!
Beginning with the 2005 model year, those two cars have been essentially the same underneath their different skins. Yes, the suspensions have slightly different valving on the struts, and the bodies, dashboards, and seats look different, but mechanically they are essentially twins.
I think that the best comparison would be to…let’s say…a full-sized Buick and a full-sized Pontiac of the '90s. They may look different to the casual buyer in the showroom, but beneath the skin they are about as close to identical as they can be.