2002 Daewoo Lanos S 1.6 from North America

Summary:

A must have for commuters!

Faults:

Passenger seat slowly reclines.

Squeaky seatbelt. WD-40 corrected this problem easily.

Reverse gear grinds if foot not on break.

Standard Hankook tires have very poor traction on snow, ice, and rain. Replace with better tires as soon as possible.

General Comments:

I love this car. I have more room in the drivers seat than my Pontiac Bonneville.

The five-speed manual and its light weight makes it faster 0-60 mph than many V6 equipped vehicles.

It has a full seat bottom that extends to the knees not end mid-thigh.

Gas mileage observed is 32 city and 42 highway is much higher than estimates on window sticker.

This car purrs at 80 mph.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th June, 2003

2002 Daewoo Lanos 1.6 from North America

Summary:

Runs well, but pretty much a "throw away" car if anything goes wrong.

Faults:

My brakes recently went out.

My seats fall back without being rolled.

My windows go down without being rolled.

My entire dashboard squeaks constantly.

General Comments:

This car gets good gas mileage, and has held up well as far as major parts are concerned.

However, from what I've been told, if certain parts do go out I'm in trouble because you can't find them at this time.

It took me a month to find brake pads.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 20th December, 2002

9th Apr 2004, 19:09

Your comments on 2002 Daewoo Lanos shock, me seeing that my grandparents just bought me one as a graduation gift. Thanks for the information, but I must say that I hope my new car will hold up better than yours, since I'm freshman in college and can't afford an another anytime soon.

24th Jun 2004, 20:54

The Lanos is not a bad car the gas sensor might read wrong (had to replace that once),the dashboard rattles lightly, nothing serious, had to replace brake pads, brakes to squeal when just warming up. The only major problem there is now is one of the belts squeals when the a/c is on and there acceleration, supposedly it's normal (IT'S EMBARRASSING! I try not to use the a/c when in city or accelerating hard). Every car is going to have problems just take care, keep up with maintenance, try to care of little problems soon and you won't have to worry about paying out the ying-yang.

8th Sep 2013, 14:05

What did you expect?! This is a fridge or microwave, and as you exactly describe something you would throw away when it expires. It's not a Ferrari.

2002 Daewoo Lanos S 1.5 SOHC from North America

Summary:

Stands out from the Civic Bandwagon

Faults:

Air leak in the driver's window fixed.

Blower motor changed due to squeaking.

Rear Tail light changed due to leakage.

General Comments:

The car is a well-built, and under rated car on the road.

Acceleration is surprisingly peppy from the 86 hp engine.

The fuel economy varies from 7-12 liters per 100 kilometers.

The car so far has been reliable, except for a little fit-and-finish problems, which were fixed under warranty.

Further updates to come.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th November, 2002

2002 Daewoo Lanos Sport 1.6L DOHC I4 from North America

Summary:

Leather seats at 13,000? Wow!

Faults:

-Nothing yet, except some minor wear and tear issues.

General Comments:

-This car is a terrific value! I don't know why so many people put down the car and the maker, including many automobile guides. I was hesitant at first about buying from Daewoo, but then I was instantly lured in by their terrific products.

-It could be that I just got lucky and got a good one, who knows!

-For a mere 13,000, you get a terrific sound system, air conditioning, and even standard red leather sport seats!

-Hopefully you'll get lucky like I did and you won't get a lemon. Get these great cars while they're still on sale in the US!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st October, 2002

17th Mar 2016, 18:41

If you paid $13K for your Lanos Sport (near sticker price) then it was a great deal -- for the seller. By late 2002 Daewoo had all but vanished from the US market, and leftover 2002 models were selling for a fraction of their MSRP.

Anyway, 13 years later now -- if you are still around -- how did your experience turn out?

2002 Daewoo Lanos Sport 1.6 DOHC E-TECH from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Value for money with good performance

Faults:

Front left headlight which is meant to be sealed has very bad condensation (water) in it.

Drivers seat has broken threads which look unsightly.

General Comments:

The Daewoo Lanos Sport has better than average power. I was surprised at the willingness of the engine to rev.

Anything under 3000RPM and the car is mediocre, but once it gets in the 3000-5500 rev range it really takes off.

Some people may find it a little noisy, but I actually like being able to hear the engine.

Fuel economy is not great for a car of this size. I average 10km/Litre, but tend to thrash it a little bit.

I did some serious research and test drove a LOT of cars in the price range and found the Lanos Sport to be the best value. I paid $16,990 AUD drive away which included power steering, windows, central locking, CD player, air conditioning etc.

The three years warranty and scheduled servicing was the deal clincher, although that is no longer being offered.

I have read a lot of bad reviews about this car, and don't believe that they are warranted. My girlfriend also has one and has done 50,000km's in hers.

All the problems I have had with the car (minor ones so far) are being rectified this week without any question from the dealer.

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

Review Date: 4th September, 2002

26th Jan 2006, 20:46

Great review. Be interested to know how the car is going if you still have it with some more kilometres on the clock.