I am an expat in Saudi Arabia and I just bought the Optra2005 1.6LS last July20. I am very thankful for you guys for all the reviews you’ve made which really encouraged me to go for this one.
that time, my choices were the optra, corolla (base), honda city, aveo, and accent. the corolla was very ’’common’’ and very expensive considering that locks, windows and mirrors are manual. my colleagues tried to persuade me to go for this saying that the resale value is high. TRUE! but the base cost itself is almost SR10, 000 higher than the optra! the hell with resale! I buying a car to use it and not to resell it! am I right?
the honda was too small, aveo is reall big in the inside but to drive a car like that in saudi arabia, you must be crazy! drivers here run their cars like camels in the desert! no signals! no rules! no consideration for the other driver! the accent was a nice choice. price and economy nearly matches the optra BUT the feel and comfort of driving an optra is incomparable to it!
i do not care even if it is daewoo under the hood. it is now under the care of GM and it makes heads turn whenever I pass by! that’s the point! you yourself feel the comfort of the drive and at the same time feel the pride in the look of others while looking at you while driving!