2004 Chevrolet Optra Base review from North America
"Don't buy any car that was a Daewoo re-branded for any other company"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Head gasket cracked at around 80000km.
Rear door on drivers side lock fell into the space between the door and the panel.
The hood release cable was stretched, so I couldn't get the hood opened after about a week of having it.
The engine block had to be replaced due to a hole the size of my fist at approximately 95000kms.
The brakes feel like sometimes they don't want to work, almost causing an accident. Then the next day they stop on a dime no problem.
The engine shakes really bad while idling at a red light.
The automatic transmission seems like it's having problems shifting in wet weather (rain or snow), and it accelerates poorly due to this.
The headlights (low-beams) don't seem to last very long at all.
Also the lights seem to have a problem now where the right one will work one day and not the next, and I checked the bulb and it is fine, it was changed only two months ago. The left one burnt out and it was changed, and then the right one stopped working. It was dark out so I decided to check the next day. When I got out to the car, and started the car and turned the lights on, the right one was working. It worked for one day and then stopped working again.
The key hole on the drivers door comes undone inside, and falls into the door, and you have to take apart the whole door to reattach it.
Also the windows fog up so bad in the winter, that I have to either let the car run with the defrost on for like an hour before I can drive, wasting a lot of gas, or I have to scrape them inside and leave the heat off with the front windows all the way open, or they just refreeze. I can have the defrost on, bringing air from outside with the heat all the way hot and the refreezing slows down, but as soon as I try to just recirculate the inside air, they freeze in like five seconds.
The heated mirrors are junk, and don't make it any better when they are on.
General comments?
The car is very comfortable to drive, but if one day I am wearing jeans and a sweater, and the next day I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt, I have to adjust all the mirrors or adjust the seat every time.
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| Counter the 'Hype:' I'd go for another Optra! |
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| I definitely do not recommend the Chevy Optra |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 2004 |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | DOHC Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 74000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 104300 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 22nd April, 2009 |