CD Article: Chevrolet Optra, 2004-2007

[CD_Editor]

Used Vehicle Review:


After Daewoo went bankrupt in 2002, GM took over the reins and Korean-built Daewoos re-emerged in Canada as Chevrolets.  The compact Chevy Optra came as a sedan, hatchback or wagon, but reliability data is almost impossible to find.

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[Honda Owner]

I worked for a GM service department when the Optra was introduced. I can add a few things about the Optra.

Very few came back and the (now defunct) dealer I worked for sold tons of them. The other Deawoo stuff was awful (especially the Epica) but the Optra is generally a pretty good car. It doesn't drive particularly well, being noisy and having poor road dynamics but it should hold together fairly well.

The Optra is a better car than the Aveo, which should be avoided like the plague. They are rife with engine, transmission and PCM failures.

A major factor in all the captive imports is that GM does not require its stores to certify mechanics on how to fix, or even more importantly, diagnose problems. This leads to "part swapping" until the actual problem is found and means the cars can be out of service for a very long time.

[Scaerio]

My sister and her husband have 2005 Optra wagon.  They have had no trouble to date.

[Cortina]

I still can't get over that you can't ever change the slush box oil. Daewoo never really made bad cars per say. Just cheap. Parts on these cars can be high.

[Thinking Out Loud]

I leased a new 2000 Daewoo Lanos S - were are talking the $199 special - 5 speed, no air, manual everything.   My Father In Law bought it off lease for $4,000 in 2004 and still has it with 250,000 kms, original clutch too.

Quote:

"In fact, Chevrolet's idea was that the Korean-designed Optra might attract the kind of import-car shopper who tended to pass over homegrown cars like its own Cavalier and Cobalt."

Chevy's only problem was that at one point it had the Aveo, Cavalier (in it's final sales year), Cobalt, Optra and Malibu all priced under $20,000.  Like a bunch of starving pirrahnas in a 1 litre tank with a leak.

The Optra saw the same about the same amout of advertising as the 'B' side of a record (for those of us dinosaurs) and certainly never pointed out it was Korean-built, if that was a perceived positive.

The Epica was a mistake (the best of all things mediocre like a unique 5 cyl engine with the fuel economy of a 6 and the power of a weak 4) , and the Aveo certainly filled the role the Swift-based microcars used to do.

[Honda Owner]

The Epica had an underpowered inline 6 that was actually designed by Porsche. It was not a 5 cylinder. It was also a reliability nightmare. The body was so weak that the windshield often developed stress cracks.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Thanks H.O., I stand corrected!   

I knew there was something innovative (being a straight six), but I was channeling Audi in the 5-cyl thinking.

Chevy had enough product in this price range....Saturn, on the other hand, had almost none. 

The Optra Wagon is a 'coulda been a conten-dah' against the Focus wagon if they hadn't burdoned it with a motor more in line with the Aveo in output.

Where's Malcom Bricklin when you need him....

[Honda Owner]

The motor for the Optra was an antique assembled complete by Holden Australia and dropped in the Optra. It was rough, crude and not particularly economical. For years, Daewoo didn't design anything. They bought parts and assembled them.

[alienc]

The engine it used was based on a design from the Late 70's

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Family_II_engine#L34

I usually watch the Top Gear programme and they use exactly the same car other than it is called a Lacetti for the Celebrity track times.

Given the power output of the motor used in NA, I notice that in Europe they used even smaller engines.  No wonder they always complain about it being a slow piece of s***.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Optra#Europe

[j.hicks]

I AM TRYING TO FIND A SERVICE MANUAL ONLINE FOR A 2007 CHEV OPTRA 5 /NOT A HAPPY CAMPER ABOUT THIS SENERIO ..............THNX      CHP