Faults:

30000 KM. Had to replace tires.

50000 KM. Had to replace spark plugs (one was defective) and had to do front / rear pads and rotors.

Due too bad fuel economy, I had to have an evap and PCV service done as well (which fixed the bad fuel economy I was noticing).

There have been countless engine problems with my 2007 Optra 5 Lt. I have had to tow my car to the dealership over 5 times in 3 years.

The engine has cut out while driving with little to no warning 3 times.

The gas pedal (throttle body system) has gone dead on me while driving on the highway with little warning once (entire throttle body needed replacing through warranty).

The battery, computer, wiring harness in engine, and windshield washer motors have needed replacing (warranty as well).

My car lighter and housing have been replaced 5 times because it keeps failing (electrical problem?).

General Comments:

The Optra 5 I own is the Lt Model with sunroof and auto transmission, and it has about 53700KM. It has not only many of bad things about its design, but also many good things.

The LT model I own was well equipped with an 8 speaker sound system, which works very well to this day.

It also is surprisingly roomy on the interior, and it has a very comfortable ride when maintained properly.

Apart from the engine problems I stated earlier, I have been very happy with the day to day driving of my Optra 5.

If I was to do it over, I would not have wasted my money on such a lemon of a vehicle, so if you are considering this car, DON'T DO IT.

Having good features is what sold this car, but what good are features with such a junk engine and electrical systems. I would expect this behavior from a car that has been in an accident or not maintained, but my car is over maintained and accident free.

Faults:

The car was great for $2000. It was a rust bucket with a good engine. I dropped her into 4th on the hwy and it blew the clutch to pieces. Drove her 30 more clicks to a better location and lost all drive train function. Towed it to a garage, found out it would cost some $800 to repair and decided to go car shopping.

General Comments:

The 2007 LS sold me on its simplicity and price. I couldn't seem to find a decently simple car for under $18000 (CAD) without taxes in the other dealerships. The GM dealership was off-loading some 2006's for $14000. I made a few phone calls with well placed connections and found a 2007 Optra 2007 for a little more with 2.4% financing. With the GM perqs, I got a great deal on the car, low monthly payments (less than $300) and drove off the lot that day.

Performance wise: it's like my old Corolla. I like the Corolla for its simple manual drive. Nothing too powerful or glitzy, just functional and well built. I'm not sure about the quality of the Optra yet, but am tired of hearing about the Japanese quality. I've owned a Chevy Sprint, Eagle Vista, Corolla and now an Optra. The Sprint outlasted the others by 130,000 kms. I think a well maintained GM will get good kms. So, I'm taking a chance. But really what choice do I have? The domestics are cheaper.

The acceleration is stronger than my 1.5 liter Corolla, but lags a bit in lower rpms. Once I realized this, I would keep the rpms high during acceleration and had no problem blowing people off the line. The car is quiet when it's popped out of gear and coasting (something I enjoy). The suspension is stiffer than the other cars I've owned. The interior is nothing special, but the fabric on the seats is cool. The aux/in will come in handy for road trips where the laptop plays movies for the kids. The space is much larger than the Aveo (better for fam on a budget). The hatchback trunk is larger too, by quite a bit. I can fold down both seats for a cargo area, but haven't done it yet. The seats are multi-adjustable, which is a first for me in lower priced cars. I LOVE the sound system. Not sure what they did, but 94.5 out of Vancouver sounds truly spacious, huge and textured. It might be the tweeters in the doors at chest level. The pick up is good in any gear, so I actually feel comfortable riding at 2000 rpm in 4th. The clutch it very deep, in the sense of having to push it far down, like a school bus, to disengage. It was annoying at first, but then my foot adjusted somehow and now I don't notice it. The stick requires more movement than I prefer, but is comfortable to the hand and engages well in higher rpm gear changing. The look is perfect: unassuming, but sporty and small; my favourite image. Rims rock too. The all disc brakes are exceedingly smooth. The windshield wipers make no noise.

All in all, I think it's the best buy for the littlest money for a car of its type and year, though I didn't conduct an exhaustive search.

I'm not sure about the fuel economy yet, but hope that my method of driving will return at least 40 mpg in the city, while it's rated just under 30. The hwy is much higher at 40, and it's hard to drive efficiently to get higher hwy miles than the rated miles.

Time will tell me how I like this car, but first impressions leave me feeling happy I threw just under $15000 GM's way.