1991 Daihatsu Mira L200 review from North America

Not much has gone wrong with the car.

Brake Shoes were worn out and had to be replaced.

No Day-time running lights, had to install some to pass Alberta inspection.

Tires on all 4 wheels were worn out, kind of normal I guess. The tires however are 10" x 3.5" and are expensive and hard to find.

Drivers seat needs to be re-upholstered.

A semi truck kicked up a rock that broke the right park lamp.

This car likely has the best fuel economy of any car in Canada right now. A full tank in this car can run me under $14.00 Canadian on regular fuel. The car seems to get over 55mpg so a small tank that lasts a really long time.

The car has excellent performance for such a small engine. The car can cruise at highway speeds of 110km with a maximum speed of 130km You sit so low to the ground that 100km feels like 150km!

The handling of the car at high speeds leaves something to be desired, you really do need to keep both hands on the wheel, as the thin small tires like to be carried away by any heaves or dips in the road. The power steering the car has is not necessary and makes the steering incredibly touchy.

This car is great to drive through snowy conditions, while other cars are getting stuck and spinning out the Mira is putting them to shame. The 3.5" wide tires are perfect for cutting through snow.

This is an excellent city car, the vast area of Calgary is no problem to drive around in for the great fuel millage, the small size makes traffic easy to navigate in, changing lanes and merging and parking.

The interior has 4 seats, but only the 2 front ones are actually usable. There are no seat belts equipped in the back seats, and leg room is non existent. The back seats fold down however to provide cavernous cargo space for such a tiny car.

The instrument panel is well laid out, and the lighting system is fantastic.

The seats are really comfortable, and there is plenty of headroom. The peddles on the drivers side however are really small and it takes a lot of getting used to especially if you have big feet, you will accidentally be stepping on the gas and brake at the same time.

A weird note though, only a sun visor was included on the drivers side, so passengers can expect to be annoyed by sun glare.

I also find that due to the car being low to the ground, you have problems with the glare of headlights and daytime running lamps from other vehicles in your mirrors.

The biggest problem with the car is parts. Daihatsu does not exist in Canada anymore so replacement parts are expensive require lots of time to ship in and can be hard to find, and the most basic parts can kind of cancel out the great fuel economy.