This article was first published on broom.no.
Hyundai and Kia are two well-known car brands in Norway. Some of us also have a relationship with SsangYong, which has now changed its name to KGM.
But do you remember Daewoo? Also those from South Korea and with a rather rich history.
The import of Daewoo into Norway started in 1994. The heyday was around 2000, when there were a few thousand Daewoo examples on Norwegian roads. Among other things, the sedan Leganza was relatively common as a taxi. And the Matiz small car distinguished itself by being Norway’s cheapest car.
One of the last
Then it went downhill. A look at the used market now shows that you are not exactly following the herd if you go for a Daewoo. There is only one copy for sale.
It is a car that must be one of the very last to be sold in this country, if not the last. We are talking about a 2004 model, which is the same year that the Daewoo name disappeared. The brand was acquired by the American General Motors, who changed the name of the cars to Chevrolet.
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The example for sale at Birger N. Haug’s Outlet store in Gardermoen is a Kalos 1.2 SE. Asking price: NOK 39,900.
Cheap used car that “nobody” has heard of
Do you remember this? A number of Daewoo Leganzas were sold in Norway for a period, a good number of them as taxis. But now it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a copy.
Sold under many names
We are talking compact small car about the size of the Volkswagen Polo. The car is just under four meters long and has a luggage compartment of 330 litres. Considering its age, it is relatively well equipped.
The Kalos was, in its day, a real world car. It was sold under a number of different brands: Among them Suzuki, Pontiac, Holden and precisely Chevrolet. It was available as a three- and five-door hatchback, as well as a sedan.
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This was definitely the hook on the door
For NOK 39,900 you can become the owner of something as rare as a Daewoo Kalos. Photo: Birger N. Haug / Outlet Gardermoen
Click here to see the ad on the car
What about parts?
Under the bonnet we find a thrifty 1.2-litre petrol engine with 72 horsepower. Services are taken at 17,000, 51,000 and 60,000 kilometres. The car appears to have had three female owners, the last for over 15 years. Now it has recently been EU-approved and should have good summer and winter wheels.
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Service history and low mileage attract attention. The big uncertainty factor here is share access. This should be checked before any purchase. Also remember that this can be a difficult car to resell. If you are one of those who change cars often, you should probably look around for something else.
That’s why we don’t see the Daewoo name on any cars anymore
