1989 Pontiac LeMans

Summary:

We call it the humbling car

Faults:

Head light switch.

Rotors turned.

Air intake clogs regularly with unknown gunk.

Muffler ready to fall off.

Seat belt brackets broken.

Interior light bulb had to be removed, would not turn off.

Edge of the seat has begun to wear.

General Comments:

For the $650 I paid for this car 2 years ago, it was well worth it.

It was originally bought to be driven while my other car was being repaired, and so was driven little over the first year and a half, but as gas prices have gone up, I realized this car gets better mileage, at 30mpg than my regular car, so I've taken to mostly driving it instead.

The car is cheap, and lots of little things break, such as the gas and temp gauges, which did not work when I bought the car, and the headlight switch died so I could not turn headlights on one night ($20 fix) but the engine is solid, if it is a little loud and smokes a little bit.

It is great to get from point A to point B, and has held up surprisingly well under my 50 miles a day commute.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 31st July, 2008

1989 Pontiac LeMans LE Sedan 1.6/ 4 cylinder.

Summary:

GM/Daewoo POS on wheels

Faults:

Oil leak around 50,000 miles that never got repaired.

Locked-up calipers at 78,000 miles.

Had car aligned three times, and replaced the water pump. Replacement of almost all bolt-on engine components required removal/replacement of timing belt (very annoying and costly!)

General Comments:

This car felt as cheap as a car gets from its quality-- everything felt cheap as could be, brake problems (especially from locked up calipers on front brakes, alignment issues, and the issue with replacment of the timing belt-- My car even had a passenger-front side mirror that did not come standard with this car!!! How crazy was that??

The seats were comfortable, though for medium-range drives, and the engine with automatic transmission felt very weak for this automatic, with hardly any power for passing at highway speeds...

This was my first car I purchased and it felt cheap and required so much maintenance...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 6th September, 2005

1989 Pontiac LeMans SE 4-Door Sedan 2.1-liter

Summary:

One of the best first cars

Faults:

The brakes.

The air-conditioning.

The starter, of course.

The glove-box opened and didn't close.

The sun-visors were on their last string.

There were probably more problems before I purchased the vehicle.

General Comments:

This car was a very great car!

I had heard from many people that the Pontiac Le Mans (actually the Daewoo Nexia) was a good first car.

The replacement parts were rare and very hard to find.

The seats are stiff and the cloth is yellowing.

The car feels quite cheap... especially the dashboard.

For anybody who needs a reliable car for under $1,500 this is it!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th April, 2004

13th Apr 2004, 10:29

I bought a 1989 LeMans in 1989, new. Even for the $6,500 I paid at the time it was a good little cheap car. It's certainly not a luxo-rama car and had its share of little problems (radio quit working, etc). But it served me well as transport without costing too much. When I sold it in 1996 it was running like a top, though the clutch was starting to go. You get what you pay for, but in this case, that's a compliment. It was good, basic transportation.

30th Aug 2004, 19:01

Pontiac Le mans, the one that you people are calling a Deawoo Nexia or something, is not an American car neither is a cheap Deawoo. These car are also known as Vaxhullah or something like that in England. But the truth is that this car is a German beauty originally called Opel Kadett. So, I had this car back home and let me tell you that it had approx. 430.000 kilometers original with original engine and it was still running like it was new! I am serious! And guess why... because it is a Deawoo?...commoooon guys! It never dies if you replace the timing belt and change the oil. Excellent car!