Daewoo Lanos 1.4

I bought my little 'Bertie' when it was just 4 months old. Smashing little car!! Never let me down not even when the temperature was -9, started first time! It coped easily with my 4 children who have now all left home, and dealt with 3 lively dogs no problem. No problems on long journey (ie over 500 miles). In all the time that i have had it, all I have had to have done was 1 new exhaust, 1 new set of brake pads,and new tyres as and when necessary over a 12 year period. Never once failed on emissions. Am sad to see Bertie go now, but have no choice as a rear ender has written him off. Now purchased another Daewoo and I hope to have the same fantastic experience with this one. All in all a great little car, very reliable and economical on petrol, tax and insurance. Highly recommended*****

Ive had mine for 7 years.Admittedly im a low user but it has only let me down once.Very reliable,always starts,even after standing idle for two weeks.

Firstly I know that there are a million and one cars out there that are far superior to the lanos. BUT .... you pay for it!

I picked this car up for £300 quid and took my mechanic friend with me at the time. He thought it was a brilliant buy given the age, milage and condition.

I've had it for a year now and not had a single problem at all.

All I've used it for is around town and the occasional long journy and its served me well.

i've changed a few parts myself to increase performance as in fairness it's not the quickest of cars.

I put an induction kit on, upgraded the spark plugs, brakes, speakers and stereo etc, pretty minor DIY stuff.... it all helps!

I found that parts are Readily availible but can be quite expencive depending on where you get them.

The clutch is a bit clunky but if you change it to the sports version its a mile better also change the oil to 5w/40 it makes the engine quieter.

The handling is a bit rolly and can be unpredictable if racing round a track, but a good set of tires helps considerably.

Prior to the modifications 0-60 was 9.5 secs and top speed was 110 ish depending on road.

As far as ride comfort goes this is a bit of a bad point, i wouldn't reccomend driving over an hour without a break.

The seats are a major cause of this, but the position of the steering wheel is not good! (in this version of the lanos its to the left and cant be adjusted up or down... a pain really)

Overall this is a great car for its age, mileage, and deffinatly COST!

A full review by S K:

Being obsessed with racing and having attended various drift races and track days, the daewoo lanos 1.4 S is about as far off any race car that you could imagine, but never-the-less suprisingly impressive for the overall cost and intended use. My main car has been a 1995 skyline but I've found it to be non economical for city runs and day to day commutes, so I decided to pick up something cheap and effective.

The reason I am reviewing this car is due to the fairly unreasonable review on this site that currently exists. I've had the car since new and has served me well over the years. Its fuel economy is quite reasonable considering the age of the car; it can usually do around 300 miles per tank and I have been driving it most days for small commutes and the occasional long distance run. Servicing has been an minor cost, even to this day and the car never fails to start up first time; absolutely reliable. The 1.4 Lanos isn't exactly speedy, but if you push the engine into its optimum power band giving it higher revs for some extra grunt rather than being economical, it couldn't be described as slow considering the weight of the car and power of engine, demonstrating enough torque, less so on inclined slopes. The gear ratios are odd; the first two shifts need to take place within a few seconds, but once again this can help when in need of extra 'pull away' speed.

The clutch and gear box are clunky at times and a smooth gear change requires a higher amount of revs and some practice. (Especially when the engine is cold). The shock absorbers haven't yet been replaced but the ride has always been slightly rough. The electronics are absolutely fine and always have been. The handling of the car is not a strong point, but I've found that adding some new premium front tires made a massive difference and I really mean massive. Power-steering comes as standard and helps; steering is generally forgiving. Top speed was measured at 110-120mph. 0-62mph varies. The car itself is visually appealing considering the age of the car and doesn't have the 'boxed and dated' look that many older cars have. Although this is obvious, it is worth mentioning that most of the weight is distributed near the front and the car is FWD.

The front bonnet appears to be quite elongated but the car looks in proportion. If you are looking to buy this car, consider getting it in black; it looks far better than the other colours in my opinion. The paint is vulnerable to scrapes and chips but this is not a major issue. The size of the car is pretty impressive inside and can fit 4 people with comfort and 5 people with a slight squeeze. There is a problem with the leg room available for those using the back seats; I am quite tall, so there is not much leg room for a person to sit behind me, although there is just enough. One final point I should make is that there is slightly insufficient side support when sitting in the front seats, which is only a problem while taking corners at adequate-high speed. The boot size is okay.

The sound system is decent (at the front), however the rear stock subwoofers (bass speakers) in the boot are terrible. I replaced these straight away using some old speakers and some basic DIY wiring. The car isn't quiet (especially not when pushed), but isn't overly loud by any means. Taking all these things into consideration, the most important factor with daewoos is cost. The price of the car is cheap for what you get, the build quality is pretty solid, if not without a few faults here and there. Maintaince costs are low, insurance group (4) is cheap and mpg is fairly reasonable. If you can over look some small hitches here and there, you will find yourself with a comfortable, reasonable and reliable car for a cheap price. In my opinion, the car performs far better than the Rover 25 and other similar older cars.

Note: I have infact used the 1.6 version of the lanos, which is slightly less economical but gives better torque/horsepower than the 1.4 S. Suit your own needs accordingly.

I would never get another Daewoo again after my experience with this Lanos 1.4. Too much output on repairs. Keeps breaking down and small/big parts needing repair. Uncomfortable seats for long journeys. Seat belts too aggressive (i.e. cutting into you and too tight). Windscreen wipers not cleaning all of windscreen. A/C non-existant!