Still on the hunt for a first car for my daughter and I'm depressed that all of the Hondas and Toyotas in our price range are either really high mileage or totally ragged out.  Somewhat expected but surprised on how bad they are ragged out.

Anyway, I am seeing KIA Rios for sale in the $3k-$4k price range with around 100k miles on them which is cheaper and fewer miles than the vehicles I've been looking at.  I know they are a cheaper car to begin with but how good or bad are they in terms of reliability?

As long as oil changed regularly they are good cars. I would have the engine totally checked out.

You need to quit worrying about mileage on a modern car. It's not 1977 and 100k is just getting broken in.

I would buy a 250k mile Honda or Toyota before a 100k mile Kia

Find you a clean, cared for looking high mileage and thus cheaper Toyota or Honda and don't sweat it. 4cyl fords also are acceptable.

Geo/chevy prizm.

My mother had a Kia Sportage a few years back ( bought new ). In the 2 years she owned it, it was in the shop over 30 times and 2 of those times it was in the shop for over a month.  She ended up suing Kia to get any kind of traction with them. She ended up getting rid of it and bought a Ford Escape.

You do realize the newest one of these is like 20 years old now. Somehow I doubt the OP wants a safety feature devoid paper mache car from the 80's

2002 is 14 year ago.  Kia rio dates back to 2001.  Also what kind of cars do you think you will find for $3-4k?  Nothing less than 10+ years old.

There's a huge difference in the Corolla generation the geo is based on that dates back towards the 80's versus a generation that was introduced in this century.
You can buy a lot of really nice cars for that kind of money. I could have bought a clean 175k 02 maxima last night for $1500.

But the key is you gotta unchain yourself from the 100k is high mileage dogma of the last century.

When you buy a car for your child you should buy something that you're confident will protect them when they crash, because they will crash.  Older Volvos or Mercedes are usually good bets.  And if it isn't completely reliable they'll have to learn how to fix it themselves.  My parents bought the car and paid the insurance.  Fixing and fueling it was my problem.

I'm not necessarily hung up on the mileage.  It's just the ones I've seen are either trashed out inside (filthy, worn out) and/or are beat up on the outside.  I have budgeted $5k to spend but would rather keep it to $4k or less, and for that much I am seeing ~'06 KIA Rios with ~100k miles and look to be pretty clean inside which is why I am asking about them.

They used to,suck bags of dicks but are pretty decent now. I would take Kia ove haundai but that's not saying much.

I bought a new '08 Kia Spectra with 18 miles on it, daily driver for 7 years before my wife took it away about a it year ago. Currently has 240K miles on it and she drives about 10 miles round trip a day.
Never broke down, replaced brakes/tires/had the timing belt 60K & 100K mile services done. ZERO issues in all the years I've had it.

We bought the wife a $1700 '03 Kia Rio wagon with 100K on it as a commuter a few years ago. Very basic car with some kind of an issue that kept it from accelerating on inclines.   Ended up selling it and consolidating vehicles, but it got her to work and back.

My mother has an '08 Kia Optima, she bought new, ZERO issues. Has about 125K on it, daily driver for her. Recommended services and oil changes.

My inlaws have a 09 Kia Forte  they bought new, ZERO issues.  

My current commuter is an '05 Hyundai Sonata, with 125K and fancy rims and tires, I bought for $2k about a year ago.   The A/C compressor pulley gave out last fall and ended up costing me $500 to have the A/C compressor replaced and charged. It's on the same belt as the power steering so it was sort of required to replace. Now I have A/C  

I've got no issues with newer Korean cars. They've treated my family pretty damn well over the last 8 years. I'd stay away from the older models, based on our experience with the Rio Wagon, but everything else has been 100% reliable.  

I'm honestly surprised you can't find a decent Honda or Toyota for under 5k.

You can.

My wife has a 2011 Kia Sorento going on 107,000 miles, bought new, zero issues, all we do is the required MX.

This.  for a new driver I WOULD NEVER put them in a small car or baby SUV like you've described.  For under $5000 you can buy a early 2000's Tahoe or Silverado with a little rust but that is mechanically sound and easy/cheap to repair.  Small cars for new drivers is never a good idea.

Neither are large vehicles for new drivers.

OP give me a city/zip code near your area and I'll look at what I can find in your price range.

Nissan

Keep looking for a Honda or Toyota.  They're out there you just need to be patient.

I had a '10 Kia Forte, that was my daily for a couple of years, put 60K miles on it, and did nothing but change tires and oil. Don't think I even had to do brakes in that time, and I treated it bad. Saw 90 mph regularly.

Held up spectacularly. Car Max gave me more than i owed on it when I sold it.

We have a Rio and it's been rock solid....great little car for the money.

I see what seems to be hundreds of KIA Souls running around my area, they have to be very popular, never seen one broke down on the side of the road and I'm on the road all day.

Rio would be my last choice.  Cheapest car on the planet. Look at Hyundai or anything but the Rio

 
Apparently you haven't spent any time looking at sub-compacts. For one, the Mitsubishi Mirage is cheaper (in price and quality) than the Rio, and the Rio being the least expensive in the Kio line is still a bigger, more solid vehicle than some of the other offerings out there like the Sonic or the Yaris....we looked at everything on the market before we bought, and we liked the Kia better than most of the competition. Great warranty, it's roomy and gets good mileage.


It's also super easy to work on...never had a vehicle in my life that's so easy to do routine service on.


And, Hyundai is pretty much the same animal as the KIA's now.

 
With a bigger vehicle comes more mass pushing you into what you hit, deflection is just as valuable as structural integrity. Think about an F1 car...lightest thing on 4 wheels, massive power, but people get out of them after tremendous crashes at speed....why? Same reason a light, small car can be as safe as a big one - crumple zones and transferring the impact around the drivers.


Small cars handle better and usually are easier to drive...I'd much prefer a new driver in a small car than big. Having a responsive, agile car makes you a better driver, faster, and that's the point isn't it?

While I understand your point, your thought process would make sense if everyone was driving the same small cars.  I just see too many Civics, Corollas and hell even Impalas that get annihilated by Dodge Rams, F-350s and Tractor Trailers.  That's why I lean towards putting my loved ones in full frame full size trucks to do combat with other big vehicles and make sure mine has more ground clearance so cars go under.  But again that's my perspective driving my choices.

OP, look into a Buick Century or something like that from a one owner, older person.

Lot of car for little money and you will probably find them in decent condition.

My kid rocks a Rio as his first car. It's a sub compact shitbox, but stone solid reliable.

Thanks for everyone's input.  My wife & I today found and made a deal to buy a '02 Nissan Pathfinder.  It has a lot of miles (180k) but is extremely clean.  I mean compared to all the other vehicles we have looked at we were shocked at how clean it is.  The exterior has minor scratches and is a little worn from age as you'd expect but the interior looks barely used. 100% stock, drove great and everything works.  Best of all it was fairly cheap, well under our max budget amount.  I think it's going to make a great first vehicle for my daughter.

I see fuel economy considerations went out the window.

Hyundai/Kia use(d) lower grade components/materials in order to sell cars at a lower price - 10 y/o is when I'd expect to start seeing the results of those decisions depending on local weather.