I am sold on kia for durability. My brother bought one new, drove it by switching betwen pressing the gas and brake petal to the floor. Got a check engine light at 199 thousand miles. They couldnt figure it out and it kept going on after they cleared it. He got lke 35 mpg in how he drove it, no problems otherwise. Traded the rio sedan for the spectrum(SP?) and does the same with no problems. Man, that car can haul ass too.
Yeah, may want to change the tranny fluid after you fix it with some synchromesh. I find that fluid helps all trannys shift better. I changed mines twice in my sidekick and man, its like butter.