2005 Chevrolet Optra LT (5-door) from United Arab Emirates - Comments

I bought a 2005 model Optra LT (5door) in Dubai/UAE (elsewhere known as Optra5). Its exactly one year since I purchased it and I drove it only 18000 Km. One day the car broke down while starting the engine! (still under the 3 year warranty contract) This took one month of investigation and repairing by the local GM service center, ending up with complete engine re-assembling! (I mean it, as they have changed the water pump, Cylinder head & full set of 4 Pistons & Rings, 4 valves, plus Timing Belt and the time belt tightening wheel). I wrote a complain letter against the company, they explained (only verbally) that this was all because of a known problem in designing the water pump. In reply to my follow ups, after 1.5 months, they offered me 4 choices; 1) One year extension of engine warranty. 2) Replacement of the whole engine with a brand new engine. 3) Trading in the car with any other model (at the price of: original price – 20% + 10% as trade assistance) 4) Buying back the car without selling me another GM car for 35% less than the original price! (Without bothering about their fault) I am still struggling to get my rights.

Please note that this car is actually a Daewoo and has just received a few touches of design in some non-mechanical items such as exteriors and dashboard, before being introduced as a Chevrolet.

Don't think it is 100% Chevrolet, in fact it is called Daewoo Lacetti/Nubira.

This car (Lacetti/Nubira) was designed & made in Kunsan, South Korea by Daewoo's R&D department (now known as GM Daewoo Auto Technology (GMDAT)!), a company formed in 2002 out of the remnants of the bankrupt Daewoo company.

Well..itz either that the user is brand-sensitive or brand crazy.. or sumone has forced him/her to buy the car.. whatever it is, the user has absolutely no idea of wot exactly his/her car is and has exaggerated things.. Chevrolet Optra is a complete re-make of the Nubira/Lacetti from Daewoo (not to mention tat Daewoo has been taken over by Chevrolet and Daewoo's plant in Korea is now transformed into a quality GM manufacturing plant)..But pls note that, itz not just the interior/exterior looks tat they've modified, but also the engine and a few other mechanical parts including the suspensions... the engine is actually manufactured by Holden from Australia... Optra is one of the popular cars in UAE.. but thre will always b one piece out of every 100 which is defective and unfortunately, the author's car has turned out to be 'that one'!! I've used an optra (whch I had rented wid 32000 kms on the odometer) for 5 months and drove it for arnd 24000 kms!! I'm a really rough driver and inspite of such heavy and rash usage, the car was still in an excellent condition with the best comfort one can ever get frm a mid-range car wid excellent handling, performance and mileage.. I had evn skipped a service scheduled at 40000 kms and still, the car continued to perform excellent.. being a korean built car, the parts are very much cheap.. the buyin cost is way lower tan itz japanese competitors and tis car is just worth every penny.. and tis fact is evident frm reviews of tis very same car frm all over the world...nywayz, one thing i'd agree with user is about the dealer's response... the after sales service of the dealers here in uae for chevrolet is sad, whch makes up for the unpopularity of chevy cars...

This is completely true! There is always a probability that a car will turn bad (a friend of mine bought a brand new Land Rover Discovery and about a month later the engine broke down).

I also know a few people that own the Optra, and they claim it is a fairly good and reliable car.

I purchased an OptraXL and have had it a year now. I have had the brake lights go out, cruise switch broke, the stereo replaced twice, the heater knob replaced, the belt and pulley broke off the motor after a tune up, and now the electrical/all lights go off three times while driving--problem still exists. and a certain cylanoid clams up for some reason or the other if it gets cold.

Other that that I really like the car, rides good hugs the corners well, comfortable, lots of room. very nice car.

And many speeding tickets later. oh no!!

My Boyfriend has a 2005 chevy optra. He loves how the car handles, its safe, cheap on gas, and quick to accelerate.

However, he has had numerous problems with the engine, steering column, interior lights, and the list goes on and on. Thank goodness its still under warranty, as the amount of repairs have been ridiculous!

Overall, a nice car though.

To the posters of 27 Nov '06 and 21 Nov '07, the Optra must be quite a car if you still like it despite having all the problems and issues you've had.

Either that or you are on GM Chevy's payola.

I own a 2005 chev optra with 119,000 kms on it. I've never had any serious problems with it since I bought it. All I've done to it was a new radiator due to leaking transmission cooler, brakes front and rear, and struts on rear. Never any engine or electrical problems.

Hi.

I am looking for a good car in mid range. I could get Optra 1.8 mint colour. I am not in a position to decide which is best one. Here in UAE toyota is best selling car. I am confused. Any optra users can answer me.