Faults:

The Chevrolet Optra was my longest owned car (today I have my Suzuki Dzire), but I still like my Optra to drive. The problem of GM is the availability of the spare parts. Chevrolet is very easy to diagnose.

General Comments:

Spare parts are not accessible anytime.

Faults:

Fuel consumption at 12-13 litres/100km for a 2.0 ecotech. Dealer told me it was normal.

Transmission drove like a Ski-doo. High RPM. Dealer told me it was normal. Turned out to be a defect on the park & neutral switch. It gave-up in 2011, had to tow the car & replace the P&N switch, then fuel consumption went down to 8L/100 km. Claimed compensation for 3 years of over consumption. GM Canada refused, arguing that the dealer had always fulfilled the warranty.

Alternator gave up 4 times in 5 years.

Driver's belt buckle stuck in 2008. Replaced belt buckle.

Shift lock froze at -13 degrees Celsius in 2008. Replaced shift lock.

Smoke coming out of steering wheel in 2009. Engine shut down while driving. Replaced ignition switch.

Catalytic converter completely blocked in 2009. Replaced converter.

Heater fan motor gave-up in 2009. Replace fan motor.

Transmission downshifts for no reason when around 40km/h. Mechanic at dealer told me it's a "crappy transmission" and offered no fix option.

Back door handle jammed in 2010 due to rusted cable. Door couldn't close.

Electric door lock stopped working in 2012.

Windshield washer fluid pump gave-up in January 2014. Replaced pump.

Battery drains due to electric short in January 2014. They still cannot find the problem today.

I bought this car brand new, and I had more problems with it than all of my used cars put together.

General Comments:

Roomy, quiet & soft on roads.

Completely unreliable.

Worst lemon ever.

Went to 2 different dealers for service. Both poor service.

Faults:

It has had a few suspension components replaced like a rear strut, both rear stabilizer links and a front strut mount. The rear stabilizer links are hard plastic, not the sway bar! There seemed to be some confusion on here about that. You can get stabilizer links that are metal for replacements. The car travels poorly maintained country roads daily.

The only issue that stands out is the paint quality. Some of the paint on the rocker panels came off in the first year of my parent's ownership. I fixed the paint issue before I had to safety the car, because the dealership refused to repair the paint under warranty.

General Comments:

I own a 2007 Optra with 183,000 km, and have had no serious issues. The car is good on gas, and has been highly reliable so far. My parents bought the car new, and I bought it from them when they got a new car.

Some nice things about the car are that it has four wheel disc brakes, and front and rear independent suspension. The car has generous passenger room as well.

At first I wasn't sure if I cared for the gearbox, but now I am getting used to it. The clutch is forgiving and it is a good car to learn on. This is my first standard car I have owned. I will never go back to driving an automatic! Last fill up I got 7.65L/100 KM mostly highway with some city driving, which is about what the car is rated for on the highway. I actually think it is too bad GM stopped making cars like this.

I hope you found this review helpful.