My son has had a Daewoo Matiz from new in December 2000. It has now done 52000 miles with not a single problem. The only costs have been fuel and 2 tyres although it is now due a service.
However he is about to start a new job entailing a round trip of over 100 miles a day. We think that the Matiz, with its tiny engine, will not be able to cope long term with this mileage but he is keen to keep it. Does anyone have any thoughts on how long a Matiz can go on as faultlessly as it has done so far?
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Well its done 52,000 in 40 months, that's 15,600 miles per annum. A high mileage in any car, but especially a tiny one. So if its been OK so far, what's the problem?
If your son can stand the daily trip, then keep running it. It will be far more expensive to change (even to a diesel) than keeping it. Also, to run car for 100 miles a day is likely to keep it in good condition.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Also see the thread -
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=23...9
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Not sure if the same applies to the Matiz, but I remember a few years ago peering under the bonnet of other Daewoo's at a motor show. The engines all looked remarkably similar to Vauxhall engines. If this is still the case, then they *should* be fairly bullet proof.
Just remember to have the cambelt changed when, or before it's actually due.
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That makes sense, especially as the early Daewoos were re-engineered from Vauxhalls - I've mistaken the Nexia for a MK2 Astra on more than one occasion. I think one of the larger Daewoos borrowed liberally from the Cavalier too.
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I think one of the larger Daewoos borrowed liberally from the Cavalier too.
Yep; I parked my Cav mk3 next to a Daewoo Espero once, virtually the same engine, door handles & all sorts of trim bits identical. I get the Feeling that when GM stopped making the Cav Mk3 they just sold the remaining parts to Daewoo to make what they could ;-)
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What about the...Nexia I think it is looking almost identical, and I mean identical to the Astras of the B Reg (ish) to H Reg era?
Adam
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The Daewoos that came to the UK in the 1990s were based on first generation Cavalier and similar models; the Nexia and its earlier variants were Astra based.
Daewoo's auto side was assisted in its setup by General Motors in the early 1970s - early Daewoo models were based on Opels and also from GM's Japanese partner Suzuki.
GM used the Korean plant to build Pontiac LeMans in the late 1980s/early 1990s but, in 1992, disillusioned Daewoo handed over £170m or so to GM to end the partnership.
Ironically it was GM who eventually rescued Daewoo from its financial woes and the firm has since launched a number of new cars such as the Kalos and Lanos.
The Daewoo models are particularly popular in Australia.
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>>The Daewoo models are particularly popular in Australia.
So why did they stop selling them last month then ?
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I thought that the 3 cylinder engine in the Matiz was developed by Mercedes?
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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You may well be right, but might also be confusing Daewoo's brief ownership of Ssangyong and its 3.2-litre engine, built under licence from M-B, used in the Musso; Daewoo built its own version, the Korando, of the Musso.
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Probably because I was thinking of Kia...:-)
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In the aussie branch of my family if it aint a Holden it aint a car, yes yes I know I told them it could be a toyota, or a mazda, or a anykoreanorjapmobile with a Holden badge on it, but there you go.
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>>The Daewoo models are particularly popular in Australia. So why did they stop selling them last month then ?
Because they found that they would no longer run on Fosters ;o)
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Espero was a rebodied Mk 2 Cavalier.
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Hmm - "Espero" means I wait or I am waiting in Spanish!
Roger in Spain
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About the Matiz... I'm in a similar situation as your son. I've currently got a '99 T Matiz SE (the basic one) and have put 20k miles on it over the past year-and-a-half (it's now got 41k on it). It's running perfectly and I'm doing at least 60 miles per day, a lot of that on the motorway and fast roads.
I thought about it a lot and I've decided that I'm going to change it for something a bit bigger with more power - I'm looking at either a Skoda Fabia or a post-'98 Mazda 323 to replace it (I don't enjoy joining motorways, the only snag with a 0.796cc engine). It's my first car, and to be honest, I'll be sorry to see it go, it's never let me down, and in the past year-and-a-half has only needed a new rear washer motor and new badges - the originals got nicked (Why would anyone want to nick a Daewoo badge?).
I'm pretty sure that it will keep going and going as long as it gets serviced regularly. A belting car.
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Another advantage of the Matiz is the cheap insurance. My son who is 24 pays less than £250 per annum. Perhaps he should keep it after all!
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Cheap insurance?
Fully comp insurance for my VW Bora 1.6 SE was just under £194 last year - a little more than for my previous 1.6 Jetta TX, which was in Group 10 and not six as in the case of the Bora.
I've just had the DirectLine renewal notice and it's gone down to £176...:-)
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