Daewoo Matiz > Reviews (58)

In July 2003 after my old car gave up the ghost I wanted to get a car that would look and perform better than the last few cars I had. I could not afford a new car so I thought I would look around and not make a hasty decision.
I visited a garage in Great Yarmouth,they were a Vauxhall dealer and I looked around. Eventually a salesman came over and without being to pushy asked if he could be of assistance.
After telling him the sort of car I would like we walked around the rows of parked cars. I had told him that for me my car would have to have the following features

1) Good fuel consumption.
2) Personal comfort and driving position.
3) Reasonably speedy and quiet engine
4) Reliability.

The salesman asked me if I had seen the Daewoo Matiz, I didn't know if you drove it or ate it. Never heard of such a car. Well he said we have four or five to choose from.

I settled on test driving an S reg blue one. It was already five years old and was one of the first made. The price was £2475 (and was the most expensive car I had ever bought)

When I took it onto the road for a test drive I was surprised. It was easy to drive, the clutch pedal was very light, the gears were very smooth changing and it accelerated well. A nippy little gem.
It had power steering, but not air conditioning. It had twin air bags in the front which pleased me.

The lighting switches and other controls were easily in reach and there was plenty of room inside. Surprisingly ,I thought, it was a four door hatchback, unusual in small cars, the bootspace at the back was rather small but enough for a couple of suitcases of medium size.
It is fitted with a security device and the ignition keys have a transponder which means only genuine keys will operate the ignition.

The engine was only 800cc. That's not even a litre. So the fuel economy should be pretty good. That means it is cheap to tax (at the time of writing is £60.50 for six months).

Now, after nearly three years, I have done nearly 30,000 miles. The engine has performed marvellously, it is a fairly quiet unit. Not an Aston Martin but will cruise along at 60 - 70 happily. (I did do 88 sometime ago- very naughty).

It cost £28 to fill up in the early months I had it but now that the petrol price has increased it is about £30 and I can do near 400 miles on a full tank. Not bad. the tank holds around 36 litres thats approx. 8 gallons so that's about 50 to the gallon.

As for wear and tear , in the three years I have had this vehicle I have bought 4 tyres (£100) had three oil changes, Renewed the front and rear brakes once and the odd service. I think that's very reasonable. The bodywork is still in very good condition, I wax it occasionally and it still has a good shine. There is still no sign of rust.

UPDATE:-

I wrote this review originally in April 2004, that is nearly a year ago so I thought an update might be in order.

I have now done over 33,000 miles in the car, and purchased it well over three years ago. The bodywork is still in excellent condition, although I don't wash it as often as I should.

The engine is still as economical as when I bought it and I still get around 50 to the gallon. The interior has not faded or the cushioning split or the plastic surfaces cracked. All in all it is very near the same as the day I bought it.

In the original review I stated what little I had spent on it so I am now going to detail a little more - the first two MOT tests that I had the vehicle passed easily. In July 06 exactly three years after purchase I had to pay £461. I was a bit taken aback but this was for a cracked front spring and all brake pipes to be replaced and a new battery. That seemed a lot but I keep a log of expenditure on the car and since purchase I have spent £1053 totally on the car (excluding everyday things like oil, petrol, and car tax, ) so that means £351 per year for repairs, extras, and servicing.

I am so pleased with the car that I have decided to keep it and not part exchange it as I will only be driving for another few years.
but the truth is in 50 years of driving I have never owned a car so reliable, and cheap to run as this and I will sing the praises of Daewoo forever. I would like to point out that the Matiz is still being made today albeit under the Chevrolet name and it is now a part of GM.