Faults:

Electrical system problems- required new points, sparks plugs, alternator and battery.

Noisy engine, and low to ground.

Lost brakes once on a busy road, had to drive on gears only.

Seats had lots of wear and tear.

General Comments:

I liked this car, despite its faults as it was very reliable motor wise, and quite zippy. It also had quite good handling, and most of the time it got me where I wanted to go.

The fuel economy was OK as well.

Faults:

I broke the front engine mount because of undue force.

The car has just been fitted with a new steering rack and lower control arm.

Tappers are loose and the tapper gasket is getting replaced today.

The car blows a little bit of smoke when you really get into it.

General Comments:

My laser in particular is very nice to drive.

The interior has had a re trim in black and blue to match the blue sparkle paint.

Because the laser is a such a small car and has such wide wheels (15x7 inch) it handles like a go-cart.

Could use an extra 50 horsepower.

Faults:

Rear disc pads needed renewing.

Rear handbrake cable on one side binding and needs replacing. They are expensive at $150 each to buy new.

Thermostat needed replacing, but this is a cheap and easy job for the owner.

Rear engine mount needs replacing, also fairly easy for an owner to repair.

General Comments:

We bought this car for our 18 year old daughter when she got her licence. We wanted a small economical car with good availability of spares, both new and second hand if required. The Laser fits this bill admirably.

Being a Ghia, it has everything, EFI motor, aircon, 4-wheel discs, velour interior, full instrumentation, and a lot of other luxury items.

Lasers are very simply designed cars, which is important when they get to this age because it means they are easy to repair. This means that an owner can do it himself and save money and frustration, or if you pay a mechanic to do it, the work generally costs less because of the simplicity of the car.

As for the car itself, this one is a beauty. Even though it's 18 years old, everything works, even the A/C, and the body has no sign of rust.