1988 Daihatsu Charade CR review from Australia and New Zealand

Timing belt at 130,000km

Faulty Thermo fan switch at 135,000km

Faulty CO2 sensor at 138,000km.

Internal panels are coming loose. Probably from the 4 sub-woofers in the boot!

I purchased the car from the local wreckers for $2700.

I intended this vehicle to be a cheap form of transport and to keep me out of trouble, as my last car got me in a lot of trouble with the law.

The car was quite nimble for a 1300cc and seemed to hug the road quite well.

And that's all it took.

I had the bug again!

I fitted a cold air intake with pod filter. GT suspension and performance treads.

Extractors. Mandrel exhaust, which gave it the sexiest note you have ever heard!

Increased acceleration, 0-100 from 11 sec to 8 sec.

Increased top speed from 145km/h to 185km/h.

Fuel usage increased in the city from 6L/100km to 7L/100km. But Highway usage decreased from 6L/100km to 5L/100km.

The point I am trying to make is that I never thought of the charade as being a fun car to drive until I bought one.

The power and economy of a Suzuki Swift GTi, for half the price.