Faults:

Water pump (did not fail, but was leaking). Alternator.

General Comments:

While some may not think this car is a strong performer, I certainly do. I have hit 120 miles per hour at just over 5,000 rpm. Impressive. Highway acceleration is decent. Off the line it'll smoke other cars in its class, even some V6's. It does not sound like an I-4 engine if you ask me. It has the rumble of a V6 at lower RPMS, then starts to pitch up in tone. STRONG engine, lots of torque. This car will press you back in your seat when you punch it. The folks who say it lacks performance obviously don't have the guts to rev 'her high and let off the clutch! It's a four cylinder engine, and if you know anything about cars you know you have to keep the smaller engines "wound up" to get power out of them. Fuel economy is excellent. I get around 30 miles per gallon at 80 miles per hour on the highway. It does not burn oil, though my Paseo seems to choose what days it will impress you with its performance. I'm getting a K&N air filter for it, that should help. All I can say is... I beat the pants off my friends Chevrolet pickup truck that has a V6 engine. SO there you have it. Great little car.

Faults:

I basically drove the car maintenance free for the first couple of years that I had it.

Other than getting new brakes and routine oil changes nothing went wrong with the car.

Now that I am pushing 260,000 km. I have had a new exhaust pipe put in and brake cable was replaced. I also replaced the timing belt a few years ago.

General Comments:

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this car.. I wish Toyota still produced them.

This car is now 14 years old and runs great! It is very low maintenance--and has never broken down on me or left me stranded.

Even my paint job still looks decent despite a few small rust spots on the hood.

There are very few cars produced in 1992 that I see on the road today that look better or as good as my Paseo does.

Faults:

Got car in February, 2003.

The trunk and gas door release handles rusted and stopped working about a week after I got it. I just popped off the door jam cover and pulled up the cables themselves. Looks very utilitarian now.

Water pump and radiator went after 3 months.

Starter went that June, but it's very light so I just push started it for 3 months, great for exercise.

Replaced PS strut assembly couple of months ago.

Alternator went in this spring.

Just passed 300,000 km and I finally killed the engine after running it with next to no oil for the last 6 months.

General Comments:

I love this car with all my heart.

Even though it is 13 years old, it looks a lot better than a lot of the other imports that I see driving around. I don't mean that it has less rust (which it does) but that it looks more modern than a lot of other small cars. It certainly looks better than the Toyota Echos you see out and about now. I love to wave at other Paseo drivers too because when you are in this car, you are happy.

It only left me stranded twice in the two years I owned it.

It is extremely comfortable, even for myself who it 6'3" and 180 lbs. I regularly do 3-4 hour trips with this car and only have to get out to stretch if it's after work.

You can't fit much in the back, let alone a human being, but I didn't buy it for my friends, I bought it for myself.

My mom drives a Mazda Protege and took my car for a test drive. She was blown away at the great pickup it has and the smoothness of driving it. The suspension is stiff, without being rigid. You stick to the road all the time and little bumps are barely noticeable. Now I get angry at people who slow down for pot holes while I want to tear right into them. I can usually do turns at twice the recommended speed of them.

It is a great commuter car, perfect for the student on the go. And even though my engine just went kaput (I blew a piston), I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting a first car.