2000 Daewoo Lanos from North America - Comments

In July 2000 we bought 2 cars from Daewoo, my Lanos had 11 miles on it, the engine light has been on, I believe the part just came in 8 months later, and they say it will flash on and off, wish me luck at smog time.

In Dec both headlights burned out at midnight on the freeway, they "rigged" them together but refused to lend me a rental, husband had to threaten to sue, in order for them to replace the lights, which are currently uneven.

My transmission clamps were bad, replaced 4 and now I need a front brake job.

I feel I've been ripped off and regret ever being stuck with this car. Will never recommend these cars and am planning to stick lots of little lemons on the body of this car to warn others from buying. Not so much as an apology, nothing.

Just try to find an other car in that price range that's half as well built and reliable as the LANOS, good luck!!

Maybe you should find a different car mechanic.. sounds like the one you go to doesn't know what he's doing.

I can easily find a car built much BETTER than the lanos and MUCH more reliable for less money - it's called the $500 oldsmobile at the used car lot. Or the $300 Escort from the junk yard. Or a ford taurus, honda civic or accord, chevy prism, saturn, jeep cherokee, chevy caviler, etc. Point being, almost anything is better built and more reliable. Literaly, I had a jeep cherokee I paid $100 dollars for that lasted me 80,000 miles with the only repair being a starter - which was $20 from the junkyard. My $3000 Daewoo turned into a $6000 Daewoo in 30,000 miles. This daewoo was a one-owner can with 70,000 miles and proper scheduled maintanance its who life. Now, it is a little sqaure paperweight, as I GAVE it to the junkyard with a fried motor and tranny that was soon to follow. And I am not hard on cars at all. I hope this will give some insight to people considering a daewoo purchase.

Sincerly,

Proud Jeep owner.

Congratulations on your $100 Jeep Cherokee purchase. The person you bought it from either didn't care about getting anything out of it, or was a moron. Most people are not going to be so lucky. Those $300-$500 cars you are referring to are priced that way for a reason-they require or soon will require a significant amount of repair to be reliable enough to use for transportation, meaning daily trips to work or school. You might luck out and find a car that cheap from a private seller that does not need too much work, but if you were to go to a typical used car lot and ask them what they had in the $300-$500 price range, they would probably show you a bicycle!

Both previous comments have elements of truth. Yes, if you have good mechanical aptitude and are willing to accept the annoyance factor of needing some repairs, you can successfully drive a $300 beater and save a lot of money, especially if your daily commute is relatively short to reduce wear and tear and minimizes the chance of getting stuck on the road somewhere. It goes without saying that a car like this will have to come from a private party, or out of Joe's grandma's barn. However, you may expect to spend several hundred dollars up front to fix whatever induced the previous owner to give up, and you will probably have to catch up on maintenance until you reach a point of relatively trouble-free driving. It can be done, but it certainly is not for everyone.

If you don't know anything about cars, you're better off skipping both the Daewoo and the $100 beater. You should get a car with a much higher reliability and hopefully a warranty. It seems to me people who have not had trouble with their Daewoos are the exception, not the rule.

It is never smart to be one of the first buyers of any new car, especially one with very few dealers and no indication of whether the car will be reliable, whether they will sell well and stay on the market, etc. Every time I see someone driving a new odd-brand of car I know the person doesn't know jack about cars or buying one. The same money that bought their Daewoo (or other odd brand) would have bought a good used Honda or Toyota, which would still be running, have years of life left, have resale value, and parts and service available.

My brother was a service writer at a Pontiac dealer that started handling Hyundais when they first came out. He said it was like buying a used car for a new car price, with all the problems. And when people who bought them decided they'd had enough two years later and tried to trade in their Hyundais, they owed way more than they car was even worth. I'm sure they are better now, but that didn't help those who rushed out to buy something 'different'.

You can always spot the pioneers - they're the ones with the arrows in their backs. Even on THIS SITE, the spellchecker doesn't recognize 'DAEWOO' - suggesting maybe I mean 'Dewie' or 'Dewar'. LOL