Daewoo Motor America offered vehicles in the US for the 1999 via 2002 mannequin years, and there have been however three fashions provided: the Leganza midsize luxurious sedan, the Lanos subcompact and the Nubira compact. We have coated the primary two in pretty latest Junkyard Gems, and at this time we’ll look at a final-year Nubira sedan present in a Northern California wrecking yard.
The primary Daewoo-built automotive mannequin offered in the US was the 1988-1993 Pontiac LeMans. After that, Daewoo Group CEO Kim Woo-choong determined that American automotive buyers could be keen to purchase new vehicles bearing Daewoo badging.
The primary Lanoses, Nubiras and Leganzas confirmed up as 1999 fashions … proper concerning the time that Mr. Kim fled South Korea and went on the lam to be able to evade fraud and embezzlement fees (he ended up behind bars afterward). This wasn’t an incredible search for Daewoo Motor America, however the vehicles had been temptingly priced.
The 2002 Nubira SE sedan had an MSRP of simply $11,699, which quantities to one thing like $20,747 in 2024 {dollars}. That undercut the worth of the most cost effective doable 2002 Toyota Corolla sedan ($13,370) in addition to that of essentially the most inexpensive 2002 Chevy Cavalier sedan ($14,035). In truth, the Nubira did not price a complete lot greater than the price of the a lot smaller and equally South Korean Hyundai Accent sedan ($10,649).
The Nubira was accessible as a four-door sedan and as a four-door wagon.
This one has the elective four-speed automated transmission, which added $800 to the price ($1,419 in at this time’s cash). The 2002 Corolla CE’s elective automated was a three-speed, one of many final vehicles so geared up offered in North America, so here is a technique by which the Nubira truthfully out-featured the same-year Corolla.
It additionally has the $850 air con ($1,507 now), which jogged my memory that capturing junked vehicles in 105°F Central Valley warmth could be difficult.
The engine is a 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder rated at 129 horsepower.
Daewoo went bankrupt in 2000, so it took a courageous purchaser to buy a 2002 mannequin. Throughout that interval, GM ended up shopping for all of Daewoo’s car-building operations that it did not already personal (however not Daewoo Motor America).
This automotive by no means even reached 100,000 miles throughout its life (except the speedometer cable broke at 87,070), which is typical of the junked Daewoos I’ve documented (although IÂ have discovered a Lanos that made it previous the 200,000-mile mark).
The top of Daewoo-badged vehicles right here did not imply People could be disadvantaged of Daewoo equipment. The subsequent-generation Lanos grew to become the Chevrolet Aveo, the upgraded Nubira appeared right here because the Suzuki Reno and the revised Leganza confirmed up because the Suzuki Verona.
Some suspension of disbelief required.
Even extra suspension of disbelief required.
Severe hallucinogens required.
