Kia Pride (1995) – Enthusiast Wanted

It was Kia’s first achievement for the European market: the Kia Pride, which is actually a Mazda 121. Yes: you are dealing here with the model that the South Korean brand – which has become so established – introduced to our part of the world. And it did so in the most modest way, because the Pride is really not much more than a Mazda 121 with Kia badging. The brand therefore took a cautious first step by introducing a product from an already renowned manufacturer, which was already on sale elsewhere. Only shortly afterwards would Kia launch its first ‘own’ product on the European market with the Sephia. And we all know how the brand has fared since then.

But: long before Kia became commonplace – or even top seller – it sold modest city cars for the small purse. One of those city cars that found an owner in the Netherlands is the LX-VF-69. Prior to the delivery, a ‘Kia drives a class richer’ sticker was pasted on the rear window and off it went, one of the first Kias with a Dutch license plate. This Pride comes from 1995, and that is the first year in which Kia’s Pride were registered.

Although the registration history claims otherwise, this car has remained with its first owner ever since. The RDW data shows that the car changed hands in 2008, but it may have remained within the same family. The selling party states that the car comes from the first owner. And although he never drove the car much, it is therefore – despite its low mileage – not a copy that was gathering dust in the corner of a (Kia) dealer for years.

Cute hubcaps!

NAP report

This becomes apparent when you look at the NAP report that was included in the photo. It shows that a slightly higher score was noted at each annual inspection, which indicates that this car has always been in use. It could of course just be that it belonged to an old person who was no longer the sharpest in the world, because the bumpers show some parking damage. In its final years, the car may only have made very short trips to the supermarket, for example – and that would also not bode well for the state of the technology – but the fact remains that such a low mileage does not in any way indicate a product that is had the best time. You can certainly enjoy this for years to come.

Meanwhile, the asking price for the Pride is less than €2,000. For that money you buy a 65 hp and 800 kg heavy car with even some ‘luxury’: a rev counter, electrically operated side windows and a 3-speed automatic transmission are present. Our motto: take it for a good test drive and especially drive a bit on the highway to experience whether the Pride still attracts after its extremely quiet life. Is that going well? Then any student – or Kia adept – can have a lot of fun with this.

The interior shows hardly any wear and appears to be spacious enough for four adults.