2003 Daewoo Matiz review from Australia and New Zealand

Immobilizer failed, requiring car to be towed to an auto electrician so it could be disconnected.

Grommet around radio antenna failed, allowing rainwater to enter the roof space where it destroyed the interior light switch.

Flimsy driver's seat adjuster cable broke preventing fore - aft seat movement.

Windscreen wiper linkage broke.

Speedometer began oscillating wildly while emitting a banshee like howl.

Crap brakes and suspension, and a high centre of gravity make for very poor road holding. A very unpleasant car to drive.

Tiny engine provides just enough power for level roads and fair weather. Operating the air conditioner, climbing hills, carrying a passenger or even driving into a stiff headwind seriously reduces performance.

The car is cheap to run, but not as cheap as you would expect with such a small engine. It's only slightly better than our new Mazda 2, which has an engine almost twice as big.

Load carrying capacity is good for such a small vehicle.

While we have not had any really major mechanical problems (yet), the overall build quality of this car is so bad I feel sure it's only a matter of time before something goes seriously wrong with it. We have had it serviced and maintained regularly by the dealer, who has done his best, but the endless minor problems have left me decidedly underwhelmed, especially since the car has only done 81,000 km. The car is currently for sale, and I'll be glad to see the back of it.