CD Article: Chevrolet Optra, 2004-2007

[CD_Editor]

Used Vehicle Review:


After Daewoo went bankrupt in 2002, GM took over the reins and Korean-built Daewoos re-emerged in Canada as Chevrolets.  The compact Chevy Optra came as a sedan, hatchback or wagon, but reliability data is almost impossible to find.

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[Honda Owner]

I worked for a GM service department when the Optra was introduced. I can add a few things about the Optra.

Very few came back and the (now defunct) dealer I worked for sold tons of them. The other Deawoo stuff was awful (especially the Epica) but the Optra is generally a pretty good car. It doesn't drive particularly well, being noisy and having poor road dynamics but it should hold together fairly well.

The Optra is a better car than the Aveo, which should be avoided like the plague. They are rife with engine, transmission and PCM failures.

A major factor in all the captive imports is that GM does not require its stores to certify mechanics on how to fix, or even more importantly, diagnose problems. This leads to "part swapping" until the actual problem is found and means the cars can be out of service for a very long time.

[Scaerio]

My sister and her husband have 2005 Optra wagon.  They have had no trouble to date.

[Cortina]

I still can't get over that you can't ever change the slush box oil. Daewoo never really made bad cars per say. Just cheap. Parts on these cars can be high.

[Thinking Out Loud]

I leased a new 2000 Daewoo Lanos S - were are talking the $199 special - 5 speed, no air, manual everything.   My Father In Law bought it off lease for $4,000 in 2004 and still has it with 250,000 kms, original clutch too.

Quote:

"In fact, Chevrolet's idea was that the Korean-designed Optra might attract the kind of import-car shopper who tended to pass over homegrown cars like its own Cavalier and Cobalt."

Chevy's only problem was that at one point it had the Aveo, Cavalier (in it's final sales year), Cobalt, Optra and Malibu all priced under $20,000.  Like a bunch of starving pirrahnas in a 1 litre tank with a leak.

The Optra saw the same about the same amout of advertising as the 'B' side of a record (for those of us dinosaurs) and certainly never pointed out it was Korean-built, if that was a perceived positive.

The Epica was a mistake (the best of all things mediocre like a unique 5 cyl engine with the fuel economy of a 6 and the power of a weak 4) , and the Aveo certainly filled the role the Swift-based microcars used to do.

[Honda Owner]

The Epica had an underpowered inline 6 that was actually designed by Porsche. It was not a 5 cylinder. It was also a reliability nightmare. The body was so weak that the windshield often developed stress cracks.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Thanks H.O., I stand corrected!   

I knew there was something innovative (being a straight six), but I was channeling Audi in the 5-cyl thinking.

Chevy had enough product in this price range....Saturn, on the other hand, had almost none. 

The Optra Wagon is a 'coulda been a conten-dah' against the Focus wagon if they hadn't burdoned it with a motor more in line with the Aveo in output.

Where's Malcom Bricklin when you need him....

[Honda Owner]

The motor for the Optra was an antique assembled complete by Holden Australia and dropped in the Optra. It was rough, crude and not particularly economical. For years, Daewoo didn't design anything. They bought parts and assembled them.

[alienc]

I can't think of a more appropriate time and place to begin a good piece of science literature... snow on the ground... my faithful dog at my feet, bathed in the warmth of the yule time log in the fireplace.

I am looking forward to visiting this forum regularly.

[j.hicks]

I AM TRYING TO FIND A SERVICE MANUAL ONLINE FOR A 2007 CHEV OPTRA 5 /NOT A HAPPY CAMPER ABOUT THIS SENERIO ..............THNX      CHP

[Mike]

Hello Chris,

I am interested in purchasing a used 2004 Optra and was wondering when you would update this used vehicle review and repost it?

[chrischasescars]

Hello Chris,

I am interested in purchasing a used 2004 Optra and was wondering when you would update this used vehicle review and repost it?

Dear Mike, I think you should definitely buy a used 2004 Optra.

And then push it off a cliff. 

[Gamefreak]

An underpowered compact car with mid-size fuel economy is all I remember about the Optra.

[wing]

Perhaps this article will enlighten?

http://www.autos.ca/car-test-drives/test-drive-2004-chevrolet-optra-ls-sedan

[Dexer]

My mother owns a 2005 Optra (the hatchback) which she bought on my advice after we both test drove a number of small to midsize vehicles (My Father having died many years ago, this duty falls to me). I still drive this car on occasion (my mother recently had some cataract surgery so I've driven the car a dozen times this month).

In the seven years that she has owned that car, the only problem of any significance was the air conditioner. After a number of mysterious failures which were always fixed under warranty, the compressor itself failed. However, the dealer was extremely fair and, even though the compressor failed out-of-warranty, they replaced it because they suspected that the undiagnosed compressor issue was the cause of previous problems.

There were three minor problems fixed under warranty: an issue with the speed sensitive steering (discovered by a warning light but it never affected the actual steering), a malfunctioning dashboard light, a broken plastic hinge on the cover under the hatchback.

There have been no issues at all with the engine. No issues at all with the transmission. No issues at all with anything in the driveline or suspension (brakes, bearings, etc).

I like the "old" Holden engine and that was a big selling point. I like things built by Holden. The block is old but the heads and other systems are more modern. This is not supposed to be a car that appeals to enthusiasts. It was my opinion that the Holden built engine seemed pretty bulletproof and that has been borne out.

Fuel mileage in town is not particularly good. However, my mother likes to visit family about 500 miles away and I've calculated the highway mileage at a respectable 42 mpg give or take.

The body has held up perfectly. I can't find a speck of rust on the car and the paint is as shiny as it was in 2005.

The car is exactly what I expected it to be: solid, dependable, low maintenance transportation that would probably bore the heck of a young car enthusiast. Nothing high performance or cutting-edge. No bragging rights to anything. Just a car that starts everyday and gets the job done (I had to drive my mother for an appointment at her eye doctor last month on a day when it was -30C and she forgot to plug the car in...it started in two cranks and it still has it's original 2005 Delco battery).