Faults:

During 2002: Daewoo had all the Lanos hatchback recalled because of the way airbags forcefully (not gently) deploy -- causing the passenger more injury than safety. (Free repair)

Also, after the free repair, the car's air-conditioner director knob (the ones that control whether air is blown to the face/feet/window) did not work. We took it to a Daewoo certified repair center and had the "broken a/c control stick (??) " fixed.

General Comments:

This is a very nice car recommended by a salesman in a "mostly new cars" dealership (we almost wanted to buy a used car, but didn't).

Also, it is a good bargain at $8K. Everyone kept commenting how our Lanos SE was *extremely* good in gas mileage. This equals to low fuel consumption.

Ours came with power door locks (driver's side only -- he locks his door and the passenger side door locks too), power window (controls are located in the center console), power driver side mirror, basic radio and cassette, air-conditioning (functioning until now, even in the intense heat).

For those who wonder how it handles on the road, acceleration is satisfactory to most people. However (if you want to compare the Lanos with big sedans), acceleration requires you to push the pedal further, unlike other cars.

Very spacious, especially at the back. Legroom very generous (if the front passenger does not push his seat all the way to the back).

Faults:

Spark plug (s) constantly need to be replaced due to poor performance.

Defroster Cable has come unattached from the dial on the dashboard.

Windshield Washer Arm has a short in it to run the Washer Pump Motor.

Replaced a leaking gasket.

Cup holder is located in a very bad place near the radio.

Replaced the radio.

Had to replace a brake hose and could not find a dealership that had this $17.00 part. Ended up having a local hose and radiator company make us the brake hose for $80.00.

Has a clunking in the rear; possible bad strut (s).

General Comments:

Bucket seats are uncomfortable.

Not a very smooth ride.

Faults:

Air bag light was lit at purchase. Cause was due to original battery discharging, and then jump starting car.

My only unresolved nit is the trip odometer binds when I reset it after refueling. I haven't yet taken the car in for this minor trouble.

I also have a very slight oil leak around the drain plug. These plugs have a silicone rubber "O" ring embedded in the bolt, and I suspect that it's deformed from 3 years of never being touched prior to me giving the car its first oil change at 3152 miles. I'll be investigating this further as it's next oil change will be due very soon.

General Comments:

I bought this car on Ebay for the fire sale price of $4350. The car has almost every option available for the Lanos: Automatic, A/C, tilt wheel, power RHS mirror, power locks, fog lights, AM/FM/CD/cassette player, security system with keyfob, alloy wheels, and antilock brakes.

The 1.6L DOHC four has excellent power, making passing rock haulers on two lane highways a quick and stress free event. Fuel economy is only about average floating between 34 and 35 mpg.

I drive between 35 and 40 thousand miles a year. I bought this car to avoid driving my Saturn VUE into the ground before I can get the loan paid off. The Lanos so far is proving to be a great little basic commuter car that happened to come with a nice batch of extras.

Will it hold up over time? We'll see. For a little over $4k out the door, the risk of driving a relatively unknown car by a defunct manufacturer is worth it.