1988 Daihatsu Charade CX review from Australia and New Zealand

While driving there is a stink of fuel if I top it up at the bowser, but maybe it just needs a new fuel cap.

The rev counter plays up, and only works half the time.

The locks on the front doors don't work. The key turns, but the lock buttons don't go up or down.

The windscreen wiper water jets are blocked up, and the motor that pushes the water through is seized up with rust.

The driver's seat belt is fraying (on a small area).

These cars look good for their age, IMHO they won't look out of place on the roads in 20 year's time and seem to hold their value well.

Respectable performance for a non-turbo 1-litre automatic. Don't expect to go 0-100 Km/h in less than 10 seconds and you won't be disappointed.

Has very good economy (about 5 litres per 100Km's). Is cheap to maintain in almost every respect and parts are thankfully easy and fairly cheap to get too.

Comfortable inside for 4 adult passengers (leg room is a little limited in the back seat though). Still very good for a small car.

These cars don't seem to rust, ours is 15 years old as of writing and there is no considerable rust anywhere. I have hardly seen a badly rusted Daihatsu of any model anywhere (they seem to use better steel).

One gripe I have is that the back seat doesn't fold right down flat. You have to contend with the seat sticking up at an angle if you want to put something big in the back of the car.