Faults:

Spare parts for this vehicle are rather expensive. Replacing the clutch system or overhauling the transmission system requires the removal of the engine, where the labour cost is very expensive.

It is rather cramped for a tall person, and basically can only fit 4 huge people. Fitting 5 people would be a little hard on the engine.

After 10 years of age, wear and tear will cost a lot to get the following replaced: drive shaft boots, oil filter seal, all seals, gasket, engine mountings, bushes, etc.

The exhaust system seems to get rusted all the time. I had replaced it with a brand new exhaust system, but after 4 years it started to rust again. I have noticed many Kelisas in Malaysia have no tailpipes due to the rust that rots the tailpipe.

The clutch cable requires replacement often as it dries out rather quickly and could break the clutch housing bracket.

The original head unit does not last long.

Head lights turned yellowish and blurry after a few years under the sun. A pair of original head lights are expensive.

3rd brake light housing will melt over time due to the heat of the light bulb that melts the housing.

No steering adjustment.

General Comments:

It is a wonderful car.

Handling:

Handling is quite good; it is far better than its successor the Perodua Viva. The engine power is great for 1 person (95% of the time I am driving myself (85kg) only). I have absolutely no problem squeezing around the traffic. Cornering at high speed is not recommended as it feels like it is going to roll over.

Space:

The driver's side is still considered spacious for a 1.8M tall guy like me. But, it would require a shorter person to sit behind the driver's side when I'm driving. Even though it is a small car, I have actually helped my friends to move house several times; with the rear seats being placed down, there is lots of space. I even fitted in a dissembled PC desk, a full size mountain bicycle with tires removed, a 5 foot tall ladder, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Fuel economy:

This car saves fuel a lot. For the past 6 years, my average FC is 15.9km/l. My driving behaviour would be shifting gears around 2-2.5K RPM, 30% of the time with the air conditioner on, service on time with Shell Helix hx5 10w30, using Shell Fuelsave ron95, tyre pressure at 200 PSI, K&N drop in filter, changed spark plugs every 25k km. My routine is actually 80% heavy slow moving traffic. When you drive carefully, be nice to the pedals, this car can really save you a lot in terms of gas.

Maintenance:

I have not really had much major maintenance since I owned this Kelisa. For the years, I only had the engine oil changed, brake fluid changed, gear box oil changed, and all these aren't costly at a Perodua service center. My alternator, air con compressors, radiator, suspension, and a lot of parts are still running fine and never show me any problems.

But, as for today (11 years old), more and more wear and tear items are required to be replaced, such as rubber bushings, drive shaft boots, and oil seals are starting to crack and require replacement. All these are very, very costly if it is fixed in a Perodua service center. If you're on a budget, it could be fixed at a cheaper price at other workshops, but the quality of the part replacements are questionable and reliability is unsure. Except for the head unit, most electronic parts are working fine, I seldom experience a burnt light bulb, or any electronic parts failure. The past 6 years of ownership, I only ever replaced 1 front head light once, and 1 reverse light bulb once.

Experience:

The Kelisa gives me an amazing driving experience. Every time I hit the long highway, it just makes me feels like going on and on at 80km/h, and I just wish the road would never end. It never fails to put a smile on my face when I'm driving this car. Fuel economy is fantastic. I have never actually broke down before in the middle of the road, as most of the parts of this vehicle are reliable Daihatsu parts. Driving around in the city is simply magical.

Faults:

Only got this car the other day, but thought I'd start the ball rolling.

Nothing so far, bit of water on drivers side foot well, but think it's spillage from when it was valeted. Will keep an eye on that for now.

Other than that, nothing yet (fingers crossed, touching wood etc), I will review as I go...

General Comments:

I used to have a Nippa, and thought when I went to try the Kelisa, if it drove like the Nippa, I wouldn't bother, but alas, it's nothing like its older brother (Nippa).

Compares in drive and ride to a Ford Ka, although I already prefer the feel of the clutch and engine to the Ford Ka. It's a 1 litre, 3 cylinder twin-cam engine with a massive 55bhp! ;-)

Its lively engine is great fun, and makes quite a nice noise too. Gears are quite long, which isn't a bad thing, well, 4th and 5th gear are quite long.

Handles amazingly, can really throw it around and minimal body roll etc., makes it great for the little twisty roads. On the motorway it's still not too bad. Cruises at 70mph fine, and this morning speed went up to 85mph absolutely fine, was very good. Bit of road noise at that speed, but it's not intrusive, just turn up the radio a bit.

Boot is a nice size, seats are nice and comfortable, dash nicely laid out and looks really modern, has a rev counter (a must for me!) and everything shuts as it should.

All in all very impressed... will update reviews as I go with updates and what happens to the car.

It has 25k on the clock, manufacturer's warranty is just out so not going to bother getting the book stamped (as by the time I'm finished with it, it'll probably be going down the scrappy!). I will do all servicing myself and update the history book as I go.