Reasonable value
Fuel pump stopped working.
Replaced muffler and battery.
Ignition switch stuck.
Starter motor failure.
This car has been fairly reliable.
However parts are expensive.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 23rd May, 2011
Avoid this one
Crack in radiator assembly at 133,000 Kilometres.
Heater hose blew at 134,000 Kilometres.
Engine failed at 135,000 Kilometres. Still uncertain of the cause of this.
Pipe separated from centre muffler welds completely between two mount points where the exhaust does tend to flex.
Engine was leaking way too much oil for a car with only 130,000 Kilometres on it.
Handbrake warning light switch began to fail at 134,000 Kilometres.
Numerous pieces of trim cracked and peeled in the warmer months.
Factory fitted speakers blew when the bass level was increased only moderately on the factory fitted head unit.
Bonnet latch broke and would only close to the half way (safety catch) mark.
Purchased the car as basic transport for the next six months or so. The car only managed to last one month before failing completely. Although some were general maintenance faults, the failure of the engine at 135,000 Kilometres was unforeseen, as up until that point, there didn't appear to be anything wrong with it, oil pressure was fine and the car ran relatively well. I didn't get time to diagnose the fault (other than rule out a timing belt, spark and fuel issue) as the car was collected from the side of the road and immediately taken for scrap.
Some of my biggest gripes with the car consisted of its construction and design of the mechanical components. An unnecessary overuse of hoses in the cooling system increases the number of potential failure points, some of which are multiple hoses joined together with cheap joining pieces. Several of these hoses are attached to fittings which are recessed into the head on the back of the engine, making it near impossible to access them without removing a number of components first including the intake manifold, throttle body and fuel rail. Under-bonnet layout is atrocious.
The 1.6L engine paired up to the 5-speed manual transmission is adequate for basic transport, although it does lack response in the lower end of the rev range, which can make overtaking and merging a bit difficult. I wouldn't want to know what it's like paired with the automatic.
The cabin feels fairly cheap overall, but then again it's a cheap car. Trim pieces are only clipped in and did come loose on this car. The quality of the seats admittedly wasn't too bad, but there are better out there. Rattles and squeaks were common, particularly from the back seat, which tends to move slightly. The door trim is only glued on and did peel away with heat. Several trim pieces also cracked in the heat, particularly the door handles.
Fuel consumption is about on par with what I hoped coming from a larger V6, but nowhere near as good as you would expect from a 1.6L Manual. The consumption is about on par with a previous family car, a 1991 Mitsubishi Magna, although the Magna was automatic, had an extra litre of displacement and was 100,000 kilometres older.
Overall I can't recommend this car. In the short span I owned it, I always made sure the fluid levels were correct, ensured it didn't leak and made sure parts were repaired or replaced when necessary. However the car still didn't last longer than a month, failing suddenly and without warning. The number of other components to fail within the span of 2000 Kilometres/1 Month is also unacceptable. It simply did not excel in the crucial area of reliability and failed to live up to expectations in other areas such as practicality, ease/cost of servicing and fuel economy.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 24th February, 2011
18th Jul 2016, 15:30
The description of the engine failure is vague. Did it lock up? Spark and timing belt were eliminated, but what was the behavior? Did it simply lose fuel pressure or a coil and a good car was thrown away for scrap? The radiator problem and the heater hose failure are two things that could have destroyed the engine if allowed to continue, but there is no information about how the engine "failed." I can't use this review to make a decision about the car. It might have been a decent car.