DAEWOO consumer reviews

William, Lancashire on the Daewoo Kalos

I puchased this car in 2003 and it has not let me down in any way. At my age I do not drive high mileage. This year I have fitted 2 new tyres and drive belts 21,000mls. Can any one tell me how to get hold of a repair manual cheap, purely for reading?

Greg, Leicestershire on the Daewoo Matiz

I’ve had two of these Daewoo’s and both have been great little cars. The first one was new in 1998 and ran for the two years I had it, without even a bulb being changed - perfect. The second and my current car is a 2001 model bought in 2005. Bad points first: the 800cc engine is a little underpowered when the car is loaded and hilly or fast roads can be a chore after a while. The later cars are fitted with a bigger 1.0 litre engine. Genuine parts are expensive, but then aren’t they all? Fuel consumption is not fantastic for such a small car at 42mpg urban and 49mpg on a steady run and there is no diesel option - petrol only. The Matiz is also not rated to have tow bar fitted which is a real nuisance - the Austin Metro did okay with one. Good points...well where do I start? Agile around town and with small wheels and power steering it is a breeze to park anywhere. The styling is cheeky and attractive with big headlamps. Interior space is well designed for a car of this size with good leg room even in the back. Rear 60/40 seats fold to make a neat little ’van’ if required. My personal experience of reliability have been good but other reports suggest there are weaknesses in the coolant system which can lead to leaks in the manifold and heater matrix and dealers’ get a poor rating also. Overall a cracking little car and I’d have another tomorrow.

Sarah, England on the Daewoo Tacuma

Bought secondhand and very pleased with vehicle. Plenty of boot room and passengers and driver have lots of leg room. Sits 3 passengers comfortably in back. Automatic car that drives well, however it has a very high petrol consumption, especially on short journeys. There is an engine management light continually on which has not been able to be solved yet and when braking there is a loud noise and the brakes feel like they are chugging to a stop. Again this problem does not seem to be able to be fixed, however neither problem affect the driving and it passes its MOT fine. Overall I am very happy with the reliability and interior size of the car. The down side is the high petrol consumption.

Matthew, Devon on the Daewoo Matiz

This is very good for a first car.

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