The only thing that went wrong with the car was fatal. The timing belt broke, and took the engine with it. I did some research, and I've seen those timing belts go at as little as 42,000 miles, so if you have one of these, change that belt right away!!!
Cheap, but I didn't pay much for it. It was a good reliable car for the money. I just wished I knew about the timing belt.
I have some friends who just purchased a 2000 Lanos hatchback. I was disappointed that they did not take me car shopping with them. I had heard questionable things about Daewoos and I have to say that I am worried about my friends being in this car from what I've read on this site. The car was spotty at best when I saw it: the paint is already dull, the interior has some broken pieces, and the radio does not work. The car has over 60,000 miles on it already, so now I am afraid that their timing belt will break if it hasn't already been replaced. Also, they left the dealer with no maintenance records and no owner's manual. These are things that I demand from dealers BEFORE I buy any car. It is my opinion that my friends got ripped off because they told me that they still owe like 3 or 4 thousand dollars on this piece.
And it is my opinion that your friends are as dumb as a bag of diapers. Anyone who finances a 2000 Lanos must have bought it at one of those buy-here, pay-here used car lots. You take your chances at those places.
No, no! It's "dumber than a bag of hammers!" Haven't you seen "Brother Where Art Thou?" But seriously, owing several thousand on a 6-year-old car with higher miles that practically nobody in this country ever heard of may not have been the best move on their part.
I wanted to tell them that so bad, but I didn't want them to feel bad about the car until it lets them down ;). I guess I'm lucky in that I've never had to be cornered into financing a car because of bad credit.
Good news! My friend who bought the Lanos has followed my advice and replaced her timing belt and done some other preventive work. The car looks much nicer now; she has cleaned it up really well and fixed many details. She has had no problems yet, so I guess time will tell. I think it will serve her well as long as she continues to do preventive work now that she understands a lot of the risks with owning this particular car.
I can't believe your friend paid so much for this. I paid 1600 for it and my mechanics called that too high saying that this car is only worth 600.
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