2000 Daewoo Nubira SE from North America - Comments

Front brakes at 31,000

Chrome peeling on interior door handles

Parking brake.

This is the best car value that I've ever owned... and I've owned over 40 vehicles. This is my commuter car and lately I've been putting 500 - 600 miles weekly on it. I paid $3500 for it two years and 27,000 miles ago and I'm pretty sure I can get about $3000 for it today. Not bad.

This is a GREAT car! I drive at least 500 miles a week for work and some weeks over 600. Virtually all of the roads are 2-lane secondary highways through hills and dales with very few straight or flat sections of any note. I was getting right at 30mpg and when gas went through the roof I adjusted my driving style (slower acceleration and more even application of the throttle... and lots of coasting in neutral) and now I get around 36 mpg!

The car now has almost 51,000 miles on it and runs like a new one. What I like about the car is the 4-wheel disc brakes, ride, handling, seating position, quality of construction... and with 130+ HP and the manual tranny it is surprisingly quick. What I am not particularly enamored of is the looks, questions of "what is that?", and the thought that there are only small number of places to get service (however a former dealer (still a Dodge dealer) still does service about 50 miles from me) and parts are available on-line through Daewoo's web site and other places. Not that I've needed any service other than routine maintenance. If I keep this job with all the freakin' driving... then I'm going to get the timing belt replaced soon. If you look on eBay there are usually several for sale that don't run because the timing belt broke and the valve train is all jacked up. Of course a good portion of OHC cars have the same issue with timing belts.

I have 2 other more expensive and newer cars, but I almost like the Daewoo better. I'm thinking about test driving Suzuki Forenza (the next generation Nubira)

Considering that they are a ball of garbage, you should do the lottery as soon as possible, your luck must be up. Do that timing belt asap, that's if it has not already snapped at this stage. These Daewoos make renaults look reliable.

I think the primary problem that people have with Daewoo is during that one-year period when the warranties were in limbo (or at least the dealers made it seem that way), the problems they had with the car totally soured them on the brand.

IN actuality, the problems that Daewoo have are normal for cars with the amount of miles they have. In fact, if you look at the British "what car" site and the reliability index that they have up (which is from an independent extended-warranty company, who would have no reason to say a car is more reliable than it really is), the Daewoo was the third-most reliable car brand in the U.S. and better than Toyota and Honda, not to mention all, but one American maker.

In Britain, the 2000 Nubira has a reliability index of 67, whereas the average is 112 (with lower being better). Many OHC engines have the timing belt/valve damage problem, and getting it replaced at 50k miles is a $400 job, even including the belt, tensioner, rollers, and water pump. An ounce of prevention goes a long way if you don't have a warranty.

Moreover, on Edmund's it has an 8.7 user rating, on MSN a 7.9 rating (on 85 reviews) and a 5/5 reliability score based on non-biased sources, with the engine being the only thing that provides problems in the normal range for its class (the others better than).

I have a 2000 Nubira, and find its fit and finish quite nice, and can't complain about anything. It's not a ball of garbage, it's just that some people were sadly screwed during the initial bankruptcy period.

Parts are easy to find, new tires show the suspension and handling to be quite good, it has adequate power, decent gas mileage, and is the roomiest compact around (reviews DO agree).

Sure, the power windows do fail quickly, and you probably need an alignment every year or so (which is $60..oh no), but it's still more reliable than comparable Cavaliers and Neons, and even than 2000-era Kias and Hyundais. Anyways, facts win.

As a previous daewoo nubira car owner I have to entirely agree with you. Unfortunately my daewoo car was crushed in a bad car wreck with a truck. You never realise the importance of safety features until after you have used them. The daewoo had dual air bags, ABS, emergency fuel cut off switch on detection of collision.

These days I am back to driving a chevrolet, but I miss may daewoo.

Rest in peace nubira!

The poster before last must be a Daewoo dealer. The suspension wears at every 20,000, requires new wishbones-fact.The metal in the bodywork is the thinnest and flimsiest possible. The handling, even from new is appaling-they wallow and buck on all, but the smoothest roads. The road wheels are so weak they dent going over leaves in the street. They are guzzling on fuel, the door handles may well come off in your hand at every shut from and including the first, as will the interior self destruct around you. They are worthless second hand in our country, because everyone know how poor they are-fact.And dont get me started on a car that breaks its timing belt at 20-30 thousand miles as a matter of routine.

My wife and I purchased a used 2 yr old 2000 Nubira five 1/2 years ago. We have had an average experience with it. I chalk it up too bad karma, but my wife still likes the car a lot. The car has been hit while sitting unattended in parking lots three times. The timing belt broke after 59,000 (just under warranty) and Daewoo needed to replace most of the engine when it went. (For the previous writer: Most timing belts are supposed to be checked every 15,000 miles, Daewoo guaratees theirs for 60,000 miles)

Just the other day she developed a hole in a radiator hose. (The car has almost 80,000 miles on it.)

The biggest problem with the Daewoo is the cost of repairs. They made it very difficult for repair places to access things in the engine compartment. Thus leading to havin gto remove several other items to get to the item that needs replacement.

We took the car from Minneapolis, MN to Little Rock, AR last summer and got 32-37 mpg, depending how fast I was driving. I got 37 when I was going 60-65. I got 32 when I was going 70-75.

The car itself isn't great, but it is a good solid car with great acceleration, above average mileage and isn't nearly as bad as most of the postings make it out to be.

Timing belts checked every 15K. Ha Ha, I'm a full time mechanic pal, and you only check em that early on poor cars that have a name for breaking em, ie ford 1.8 diesels and daewoos. Any daewoo owner who gets to sit into a toyota will see the difference in quality, and when most toyotas do eventually break their belts if neglected - at the 90-100k mark, they are a non interference engine and you can simply time them up and fit a new belt- no damage. And the same goes for when as toyota overheats- let it cool and drive on. When a big D overheats, it warps its head and dies. Quality they aint.

Hmmm...Mr. Mechanic, the previous poster did not say CHANGE timing belts every 15k, but to CHECK every 15k. Not checking a timing belt until 90 or 100k is idiocy on any brand of car, and Daewoo's 60k timing belt interval is not unusual. In any case, it's a $300 or so job and will give you another 50 or 60k as long as you do it as PREVENTATIVE maintenance. If that's the only common recurring problem, then that's great. Furthermore, most DOHC engines are interference engines, so it's not really a sloppy or crappy design. Moreover, the D-Tec engine is pretty much a Holden E-Tec engine that's in a gajillion GM cars.

I've sat in many a Toyota and don't find the Daewoo lacking. Moreover, though it does have some body roll, I drove through Sequoia and Yosemite national parks in my Woo last weekend and took all the curves at speeds higher than advertised without a problem. My tires have worn evenly and the suspension is all original. It gets great mileage, had good pickup and is enjoyable to drive. It has tons of room for a car its size (and a good size trunk). I like mine a lot and have gotten only complements. Anyways, I'm not a shill (since Daewoo dealerships went under...5 years ago!), I just like my Nubira.

Good that you like it. Sadly, if you are an average motorist on a budget, when your car breaks down, it is a bill that you can do without-especially if money is tight. Many people will be tempted to buy a nubirubish because they are cheap to purchase initially. however, they are dear to run for any period of time. I used to worry so much every time my wife would head out in our old nubira, because of the poor handling, that I crushed it flat with my excavator and bought her a Volvo. I would not sell it on as I would not like to be responsible for someone else having an accident in it. They are a poor car.

They are not a poor car. Crushing a car with a digger I think says more about you than it does about a car.

The nubira and daewoo cars in general have a decidely average history in safety records - they were however one of the first mainstream car company to install twin airbags as standard 1997 onwards - note many other car manufacturers followed suit there onwards.

Volvo were a good company but I really think build quality has slipped since ford stepped in...

I have a 2001 Daewoo Nubira that I purchased in August of 2005. It had about 45000 miles on it and got it for $5000. Since that time, I have had to do the regular maintenance things. My timing belt busted, causing me to replace the head, which cost me about $2800. Also, about a week and a half before that, I had to replace my front two tires because they were wearing down the inside edge of both tires. Some pin was missing in the front axle and I also needed need struts. That cost me about $1000.0 Just recently, my engine was overheating and I guess it overheated too many times, causing the head gaskets to break. That cost another $1600.

I have spent more money on this car fixing it than I did to buy it. I hate this car.

It gets very crummy gas mileage, I don't know where everyone is getting 30 mpg from. I get on avg in the city about 20 if I'm lucky.

I cannot wait to get out of college and get into something with a nice warranty and something I can depend on. Every time I drive, I am waiting for something else to break.