Used Daewoo Cielo – A cheap car with a boot sans performance

Daewoo Cielo, does this name affect the neurons in your brain? Remember the darling of its time, the only modern car of its era. But the question that begs a response is, have you seen a Cielo lately? And the answer that would pop is an unequivocal NO. It was a classic case of love story turning sour. Being the only modern car of its time, there comes a lot of expectations from it as well. With the introduction of newer models in the market over the time, saw the attraction and merit of the car was left in shambles. There was some merit in this response from the buyers mainly due the poor build-quality and below par fuel economy of the car. In current market scenario a used Daewoo Cielo will cost you as little as Rs 50,000 and although the size-money ratio will depict it as a real value for money proposition, be careful before falling to the deception. The fuel economy of the car is so disastrous that we are better off not mentioning it. But for folk who are still in love with it, a well maintained second hand Daewoo Cielo gives a 6-7 Kpl in city peripherals. If you intend to convert a Used Daewoo Cielo to CNG, it might be worthwhile as you will save a considerable amount vis-à-vis a petrol car.

It’s virtually a nightmare to source original spares and the probability of not finding a buyer a couple of yeas down the line is very high. It is altogether a different matter that the value of your used Daewoo Cielo would have gone in the ravines by then. The few benefits that you will get by buying a second hand Daewoo Cielo is, it comes with lots of interior space, an adequate engine and a huge boot to boast about.

Cielo is not a very well-built car and the body-panels have this notorious tendency to become loose after few years of use. If you must still buy the car, don’t fall for the mileage or the age of the car, rather evaluate its condition. A notchy gearbox is a definite sign of abuse, look for it. Uneven wears on the tyre are a sign of damage to the suspension; it may also be attributed to a damaged chassis.

Cars of differing trim level were launched by Daewoo, the basic version was the GL, which was equipped with an AC alone and the GLX was the version which was fully loaded. The most popular of them all was the GLE model which boasted of all the essential like power windows, power steering and AC, and which can be a good used buy.

In 1995, when the car was launched it was the only fuel injected car available in those days. But the lack of fuel quality easily closed its arteries effectively reducing it mileage to a paltry 4-5 Kpl in city. So if the car you have bought is not giving you decent fuel economy, clean the injectors. It has been widely reported that even a decently maintained Daewoo Cielo turns over nothing more than 7-8Kpl. Make sure that air-condition is working, uneven cooling or heating means faulty heater resistor.

The market has abundant supply of cheap but spurious specimen of spares. Rs 500 is all you need to pay for a engine timing belt. Poor quality plastic is used and locks on the doors tend to come out. Electrical on the Daewoo Cielo are not known for trouble, but do inspect the power windows.

It is certainly too much asking to look at the Cielo with a fond look, as a car, its charm and appeal have evaporated. Go for a second hand Daewoo Cielo only if you are looking for a cheap car with a boot. As discussed earlier, the used Daewoo Cielo price would hover around the Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 mark.