1989 Daihatsu Charade CS review from Australia and New Zealand

One High-Tension spark lead broke.

At 221,000 kms this car was a little worse for wear when I got it. The previous owner had parked it under a tree for a year or so, but the shine came back up after a cut and polish. What is remarkable is that there is not a hint of rust anywhere on this vehicle.

The front seats were quite torn up when I got the car, so I replaced them. The rear seats and other trim (carpet, roof skin, etc) are still quite good.

This was the basic model, so is lacking in basic comforts such as a clock, tachometer, remote bootlid and petrol tank flap release, rear windscreen wiper, only has 2-speed front windscreen wipers (slow and fast), but does come with air conditioning.

The engine has not been well looked after through its life, but regardless, does not smoke. It is quite rough though, even for a 3-cylinder engine, and is due for a rebuild. It still starts first time, every time.

The drive is quite ordinary, and while it takes time to get up to any speed, once there it's quite easy to maintain that speed if you feel like being tossed around a little through the corners. The engine is a slow revver, so even on the up-shifts, you find yourself waiting for the engine to drop its revs before you slot it into the next gear. Down-shifts are a little more fun, as the engine revs up a lot faster than it revs down. However there is no "kick in the back" from the acceleration as the output is probably at best 35kW at the wheels.

Lateral support in the seats is negligible, and going around corners fast can be uncomfortable as a result. Driver information in the base model is limited to fuel, temperature, and speedo, as well as all the usual warning lights. So its up to you to tell when its time to change gears, which is not terribly difficult as you can hear every noise the engine makes.