Faults:

I have a 2006 Optra 5 (standard). It worked fine for about the first year and a half. Then I started having trouble with it starting. I would put in the clutch and turn the key, and it would make like it was going to start, but would not do the final turn over. If you take the key out and start over, it will start no problem. They have been calling this an intermittent starter issue? I have had it in numerous times the last 3 years, but they have only been able to get it to do it for them once, and it was too quick for the computer to diagnose. They have put it off from everything to the weather conditions, temp's., if I was parked outside/inside... It does not matter. It will do this on and off.

I have also had to replace the belt and my front shocks are gone too. Not to mention the recalls also that I wasn't even told about until I went in for servicing, and the guy happened to notice them on the computer.

Not only that, but I have had airbag issues and they finally replaced the computer for it?

I also am on my 3rd stereo, as there is an electrical issue they won't admit too. The lights on it burn out, from the top left down, and over to the top right. If you let it get that far, then you end up having to pull the fuse to get it to shut off.

These are just the main problems off hand I have had to deal with with this car.

Not only that, but talking to their CSR's that phone to remind you can be very frustrating. Trying to explain to a women 3 times in 10 minutes that, no, I do not need a tranny flush as I drive a standard.

Anyhow.. getting rid of this car and greatly regret trading in my 16 year old Honda for this, as I had so many fewer problems. Going back to Honda, as I will not be able to afford this car when the 5 year warranty is up this year.

Faults:

This car had very little issues, and what it did, was mostly covered under warranty.

The most annoying problem was the headlamps, which had to be replaced ever 15000Km, however this was minor.

At 50000KM, the rear brake pads had to be changed, but the front one were still okay.

At 75000KM, the rear brakes needed to be changed again, along with the calipers. The fronts needed to be done too.

At 90000KM, the back brakes needed to be done again, since they started to grind. I did all the brake work myself, but the calipers were ridiculously expensive.

The parking brake stopped working at 70000KM, and stayed like that for several thousand kilometers.

At 90000km, the front passengers side ball joint needed to be replaced, so I replaced the driver's side and passenger's at the same time.

At 85000KM, the CD player broke, displaying "ERROR 7"; I never bothered to fix this.

The only major issues this car had were related to the brakes; everything else worked fine without any need for work.

General Comments:

This car was a fun car to drive on the highway, and easy to park in town. This car was very fast for its size, and could easily do over 160 Km/h when I took it to a track once to see.

The interior was basic, but took a lot of abuse and still looked great, provided you cleaned it well now and then. The car had very good amount of cargo room, however sometimes I had to get creative, once fitting a huge water heater in it.

The paint on the car was okay, but scratched very easy. This did not bother me, because the small scratches were hard to notice, but some might be bothered by this. This car did not develop any rust in the years I owned it, despite never being undercoated, however the aluminum rims did start to pit.

This car handled very well on the road, better then most I've owned, however fuel economy was week for this size of car.

This cars safety features work well. I cannot complain, as I had the great misfortune of using them, and they saved me from serious harm, when the car flipped and went down a small embankment, everything worked as it should. Had I not had that accident, I'd still be driving this car today.

The manual gearbox in this car provided a smooth ride, however reverse was sometime difficult to shift into.

I loved this car, and it was a pleasure to drive, however if you're going to buy this car, get it in a manual and not an automatic, as I've heard of more issues with them.

Great car, despite all the negative reviews.