Comments: 1-15, 16-29
I'm a little bothered by all the negative comments about this car- from reading the posts I'm wondering if all of these people bought the same car I did.
Like many other people (who don't seem to realize that this is to be expected with a pressurized, closed fuel system) I have had the "Check (engine) " lamp illuminate because I failed to screw the gas cap on tightly enough. So I could say, "OO my engine light came on after just 100 miles! Inexcusable!" but that is a non-issue.
Seats are starting to wear badly. See above, however- I have over 60,000 miles on it and if I scoot back and forth in my pants as many times as I scoot across the seat, my pants wouldn't last a month. Again, a non-issue. I expect things like seat fabric and tires to wear out.
Passenger seat mysteriously ratchets itself to the reclined position over the course of a few days. The less-than-Cadillac-plush suspension settings jounce loose objects up and down slightly, and the no-pressure design of the seat mechanism frees itself in no-gravity situations. If the seat is already leaning back slightly it will lean farther. If it's not (like my driver's seat) then it holds its position. Odd, but hardly worth a frowny-face.
Had the same "dropped idle" situation that I've read about here: when coming to a stop (with the clutch pedal pressed) the idle will sometimes drop to about 400 rpm, almost killing the engine, then it always ramps itself back up and acts normal for the rest of the week. Keeping the compression high by using the engine to brake solved the problem. My Triumph will do the same exact thing if I don't leave the clutch out. So I adapted and in 20 seconds my problem was solved.
Other than that, no problems. Yeah, I'm on my fourth set of tires, but the way I drive I'm surprised I got that much out of them. Also, I've chewed through a set of rotors. BUT- at 58,000 miles! When I backed up I could feel the pads grinding but I figured that was rust being scraped off, alas it wasn't. That doesn't mean the rotors were bad, it just means I wore the brakes out by stomping on them regularly and didn't hear the wear indicator squeaking at me. It was totally my fault. The car is too sound-proofed (to those frequencies) to hear the wear indicator. Which is a good thing. Just check the brakes manually. Problem solved.
Porsche was consulted for the chassis, ItalDesign for the aesthetics, Mercedes for the engine and transmission. It's a fine car, but like any machine, things can and will go wrong.
I'm a BMW Master Tech and recently started working on Porsches, and want to assure you that every make and model of vehicle ever made breaks. I have picky, spoiled BMW customers who want BMW to cover scratches in the paint (from their own buckles and zippers) under warranty, and justify it by saying "they should make tougher paint." A Porsche guy hit a curb going about 40 and thought Porsche should buy him another rim because "it bent too easy." Those guys equate "this car cost me X amount of money" to "it shouldn't break" and that just makes no sense.
The space shuttle broke, too, so is it a lemon? Is every space shuttle a hunk of crap? You know better than that- it's better engineered than anything any of us will ever own, and it still breaks. But like the fellows said on this forum (and here I'm paraphrasing) "antenna broke too easy when I hit a tree branch sticking out in the road" and "My rear spring broke!! I didn't think that happened in 2000!"
What about "2000" makes a spring less susceptible to failure? Nothing. If $3,000,000 hand-built GP cars can break, your $8,000 Daewoo surely can. I read a pile of reviews of this very car, and about 5% of the complaints were legitimate, in my opinion. It's hard to read a dozen people complain about things like "my brakes wore out!" or "I had an oil leak!" and not say that things like that must be expected. Not in every car, but in more than you'd think. As a technician, how can I own one of these supposed "lemons" and be happy, knowing what I know about cars? My Nissan pickup broke ten times more often than this Lanos. Literally.
Daewoo supplies governments around the world with devastatingly effective weapon systems. They work as well as the cars, and Daewoo's reputation among less-demanding military organizations is solid. Hard to think of the South African Army being less-picky than most U.S. car customers, but they are! I have more trouble out of my cat than I do with my car. I won't be buying another one, since they were sold to GM, and Suzuki took their remaining cars. I think they went bankrupt because they spent a huge amount of money developing these cars, then used dismal marketing to try to sell them, not because they didn't make good cars. Gotta be more aggressive if you want to survive in this market.
Well said, logical comments.
Everything was well said except one thing I noticed was wrong.
"Porsche was consulted for the chassis, ItalDesign for the aesthetics, Mercedes for the engine and transmission. It's a fine car, but like any machine, things can and will go wrong."
The engine is made by HOLDEN, AKA GM AU.
The auto trany is a 4t40e also found in cavaliers and sunfires - also made by GM.
GM - Chevy, now using the existing factories they purchased from Daewoo to manufacture the New Chevy Aveo/swift, AKA Daewoo lanos with new skin.
I own a 2000 Daewoo Lanos SE hatch, best $4,000 spent. The car had only 30k miles on it when I bought it and I have drivin it 20k miles with only one small problem, thermostat housing blew apart on me, took a while to get the part, but now it is fixed and running like it should. Unlike most of the people that bought this car, I am turning it into a show car. I have 16" ADR Revers rapped with 205/30/16 kumho's full custom interior, a body kit custom made and will go on in spring of 2004, too many small engine mods to list, but the one I'm most proud of is a 100% custom turbo kit pushing 8psi with a RRFPR piggy back fuel management system.
It may not be faster then a BMW or anything that is in that class, but you sure can feel the difference with an added 75HP, and the sound of a turbo lanos is just unbelievable.
Eek! Seems I've overblown the development hype. I guess the fact that Mercedes, Porsche and ItalDesign were "consulted" may be too lofty if GM was going to bust everything out, eh? If I "consulted" the fellow who built the Sears Tower, but went ahead with my home's construction by myself it wouldn't exactly turn out that great. Heh. Good to know, however, that the transmission is what it is- that means getting the part from Daewoo is unnecessary. I do wonder just how much input the Germans had in reality, then. No mistaking the styling, at least.
Working at my dealership, the guys there told me if I bought a new car I had to have a Beemer or a Porsche, so I grabbed 6 BMW roundels from parts and took them with me to the Daewoo dealer. One on each (aftermarket) wheel and one on the hood and rear hatch, plus 4 hood-mounted fog lamps and people stare like you wouldn't believe! I even bolted the spark plug cover off of a BMW K1200LT over the Lanos' plugs (after removing the giant black engine cover) so when I pop the hood <bingo!> there's a BMW engine in there. Hehehe.
Anyway, people ask, "What kind of BMW is that?" to which I reply, honestly:
"Oh- BMW doesn't sell this car in the U.S." Which they don't. They don't sell it at ALL, and that includes the U.S. Aren't I a stinker? If someone tells me how to post a photo I'll send one over- the thing looks fabulous.
I have a question for any Daewoo Lanos owners. I have a 2001 Daewoo Lanos and I am looking for a turbo and euro tail lights for my car, but I cannot find them any where. Does anyone know anywhere I can look to find these two things and possibly other parts for my car? If so you could email me at nh27@direcway.com This would really help me out. Thanks A lot.
I've entered a comment on here before, and I'm guessing it is one of the ones you are responding too.
I understand that cars break down, and that every make of car has its own problems.
I have had to bring my car (drive, tow, push) to the dealer over TEN times in the past TWO years.
It is frustrating, inconvenient, and expensive. My car breaks, breaks, breaks. If you want to take it off my hands and pay the remaining $6,000 I owe, than I will stop complaining about my CRAPPY car which only works some of the time. This was a car that was supposed to save me money. In addition to the car payment, I regularly spend at least $600 every six months to get it fixed when it is broken.
So. I'm glad yours works, and that you are brilliant and that you accept the wear and tear. Doesn't sound like your car has been near the hassle of mine, but I still warn everyone I cannot to buy a Daewoo... If it was just wear and tear, I wouldn't be so bitter. But it isn't. Not at all. There is a saying in my household... but it has profanity in it so I'm not gonna repeat it.
I thought I added this to another Daewoo Lanos review, but I will add it here too.
Since the bankruptcy of Daewoo, I think the problems have only gotten worse. I have never owned a Daewoo, and now I'm sure I won't because not only are the dealerships gone, they are still hard to find. I've probably only seen 5 or so total. But, an acquaintance of mine owns/owned a Daewoo. Her engine blew at 30K and Daewoo reluctantly took it back to replace it. The following day, the Daewoo dealership closed and all the cars were removed from the lot. She now has no idea where her car is (and neither does Daewoo, whatever office may still exist, either)... but you know she's getting the bill every month for payment. She "lost" the car about 1-2 years ago. Now, how GOOD of a manufacturer is that?
I feel sorry for all you Daewoo owners. My friend has the little hatchback model. His parents bought him it brand new about 1 year ago. He is 17 now, as am I. We are both teenagers and we both enjoy driving fast. I purchased a 1988 Honda Prelude Si for 400 bucks. He paid around 9,000 for his Daewoo. My car had 144,000 miles on it and he had about 24 on his when he got it. Right now I've got 164,000 and he has 9,000. So far I have broken my CV joint, replaced air filter/ oil. So far hes replaced starter, clutch cable, a/c controls, lower hose, headgasket, waterpump, and front tires. (NOTE me and my friend don't drive like normal people, we race and drive our cars hard) Now since Daewoo is no longer in business hes spent over 2,000 in repair work for his Daewoo. He is now selling it for 4500 localy with no luck yet. Just think about all the hassel you can save by NOT buying a Daewoo.
Whatever man, when you "race it hard" any car is going to break down on you. What do you think the car is meant to take that kind of abuse?
I own a Daewoo and I love my car. It's a cute car. I couldn't tell you if the problems I have with it were my fault or the cars fault or what- usually it takes 2 or 3 years to work the kinks out of a brand new car, so maybe if they had stayed open, the Daewoo would be a great car by now. But, when I take my car in because it sounds funny, the people who look at it say there is nothing wrong. Until a week later when it stops running, or a hose completely melts away. The bottom line is, I would never recommend a daewoo to someone else, because like you said, all cars break down. But if you aren't a MECHANIC, and don't know anything about cars, you are at the mercy of mechanics who claim to know everything about cars. And I haven't found a mechanic in my area that knows jack about it. The guy who fixed it when it wouldn't start (replaced a spark plug wire and the head- had my car for 2 1/2 weeks) couldn't even pronounce Daewoo. And this is the guy recommended in this area. I got it back exactly like it went in, except that it starts now, still jerks and jumps around when it's in 2nd, and I have to keep replacing the hoses that connect to the engine because they get clogged with hot oil and melt. I don't blame DAEWOO for anything except that there is no way to get someone who can actually FIX your car, so whatever is the cause of the problems stops. you just have to keep dropping ludicrous amounts of money into keeping it running, curing the symptoms.
I'm 18 and I've owned a Daewoo Lanos hatchback for 1 year now. I got it at 68,000 miles and it now has 73,000. Its never broken down on me. I only changed breaks, oil, and I got a performance air intake system (really boosted power) and I'm very happy with it. I think I can say that I drive it a little aggressive, but like I said its never let me down. I'm very happy with it and I'm planning to get performance exhaust too.
I've heard so many negative remarks about Daewoo's. Including the one's above. And, I have to say, I believe it's the driver, not the car. I bought my 2001 Daewoo Lanos Sport brand new 5 years ago. It had 60 miles on it when I bought it. Now, it has almost 90,000 miles on it.
The only problem I've had with it so far, are the same problems some of you have mentioned already. My thermostat housing did blow apart, but I got the part and replaced it myself within a week. It cost me $25 bucks.
And, I've heard stories about timing belt's breaking and the engines completely being destroyed. I, fortunately, got lucky with that so far. I just recently got a timing belt and replaced it at 80,000 miles before that could happen. Having the timing belt, and water pump replaced at the sametime is the only major repair I have ever had to have done to the car. It cost me $550 bucks. But, I should now be able to get another 80,000 miles out of my daewoo.
I have also experienced the hose's attached to the engine melting away. But, I replaced them with custom hose's from the auto parts store, and had that problem fixed for $12 bucks.
In all, I've only ever spent around $700 bucks total to repair any problems with my Daewoo Lanos. I know a lot of other cars that you probably have spent a lot more than that to fix problems. And, it is possible to get parts still for Daewoo's. Everyone thinks since they went bankrupt and closed down, parts are impossible to get, which is so not true. You just have to look. The Internet being your greatest source. There is an actual GM site that you can purchase everything you could possibly think of for a Daewoo. Including completely built brand new engines, body parts, and mechanical parts.
And, for the teenagers, who wanna race them, and drive them hard. Your gonna have car problems because of that, no matter, what kind of car you have. I have tons of friends with Honda's or muscle cars, and they have blown engines, clutches burning up, transmissions breaking, and other parts that get completely destroyed. Which, is why I say, it's the driver, not the car.. You can't blame it on the fact, that, it's a Daewoo.
I recently bought a 2000 Lanos with under 60k miles on it - I am starting to have a few problems - Its hard to get it going - I have to press the gas almost all the way before releasing the clutch to get it to move and even then sometimes it just puts along even while in 2nd and 3rd gear - one mechanic said it needs a new clutch - I'm taking it for a diagnostic test in the next week to get it checked because my check engine light has also come on. Also while I am sitting in the car with it on, the engine revs and stops as if thought its going to turn off on me... any suggestions or comments would be helpful. I like the car - its small and can get me around which is what I need so I don't want to have to pout a lot of money into it, but I also don't want it to break down anytime soon. thanks for any help.
I've had most of the problems mentioned above. My car is a 2000 Lanos. All things considered, it's been the best car I've ever owned. It now has 130,000 miles on it. And it's paid for. I love it!
Wow, I never knew this page existed. I recently found a 2000 Daewoo Lanos S for $2,995 in my hometown. It was really great reading all of your comments/rants/problems with them. The newest Blue Book value is $4,000, so I'll definantly check it all out before I put any money down. Anymore suggestions on it, just leave them here.
I'm 18 and I have a 2000 daewoo lanos s. I got it for $1,000 in March 2005 because the lady was afraid the car would be unfix-able. It had 24,000 miles on it when I got it. It now has 38,000. I experienced the check engine light when I didn't tighten the gas cap all the way. I also needed to replace someone computer chip for the engine for about $70 and my muffler which rotted because the old lady never took long trips (condensation). I bought snow tires for it because the all-weathers installed on it were too small. Apparently, the mechanics rip off old ladies and put incorrect size tires on. I can't say I love this car, but for cheap reliable transportation its great. It gets me to school and work and now college. It is noisey, tyranny can "bolt" like jolt sometimes, but it depends how hard you hit the gas. It gets blown around easily on the highway and has a tendency to fish tail if you try to corner too quickly. It gets me around 26-28 miles per gallon averaging city/highway in winter time with the extra 5 minutes idling. I think its geared really low because its pretty quick from a start in my opinion. Not so much in any other type of accelerating. A good comparison would be a 2000 Honda civic lx vs. 2000 daewoo lanos. They both have a 1.6 liter engine only one is sohc and one is dohc. I have been in a 2003 hyundai accent and I can say my car is superior. That thing is a dog and its (auto) transmission sucks. If people do the required things like oil changes! Don't fear buying this car. Chevrolet has that 100,000 mile warranty on their cars and I believe that includes the aveo. Its been changed alittle, but its still very similar to a rebadged daewoo. I like the styling of my car, just wish it had power windows/locks. The SE and SX did have those options in 2000 I believe. I'm gonna buy a seat cover for my drivers seat cause I believe it will wear out soon if I don't. By the way, parts are not hard to get, I went on ebay to get a replacement right tail light cause someone smashed my tail light at night. I go to college in a city. It cost me $11.99, no one else even bid on it!!! +shipping. When I'm done with college depending on how much money I make I'll probably buy a #1Acura, #2Lexus, #3Honda #4 Subaru #5 Mazda (a ford yes, but the styling is o so nice). Best of luck for all you people looking for cheap transportation!