Real Road Test: 1995 Daewoo Espero! Mint 21k mile example
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2021
- (Replaces a broken video that I need to re-edit) The Daewoo Espero took the running gear of a Mk2 Vauxhall Cavalier/Opel Ascona, and clothed it in a discarded Bertone-designed styling proposal for the Citroen Xantia. But is it any good?
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Who looks at a car in that condition and thinks "Yeah, I'll scrap that" Glad it was saved
Sadly, a staggering number of people think that when a car is old, it is per definition unreliable, uncomfortable and not worth of keeping.
Happens so often and I'll never understand it, like even if you aren't into cars surely you would recognise that a older car in good condition is worth something?
Honestly the cars I've seen getting scrapped it's very sad had summer job years ago in mg rover/JLR specialist and I saw quite a few mint cars been brought in for scrap just some on top of my head a 38k mile Rover 620Ti, a 54k mile Rover R8 416GSi with ac. And a 60k miler Rover 800 vitesse Turbo. It was heartbreaking
Ignorant fools?
Usually its simply ignorance, if I had a penny for everytime a car that is worth, very considerably, more than scrap value is sent over the scales I'd be rich. Most of these cars would be on the market for an hour max if sold at scrap value.
Imagine scrapping a car as clean as this and then being able to sleep at night.
I am guessing the relatives were wealthy, and only put a low monetary value on the car, not an emotional one?
@@MattBrownbill Yeah, you got a point
It's a very sad and wasteful mentality in wealthy countries, scrapping a perfectly good car in great condition just because it's old and not very valuable...
@@MetalTrabant that is the issue in the UK, most cars get scrapped just because they are old, not because there are huge issues
@@lucasbarton1773 In Hungary we mostly use cars until they don't collapse under us from all the rust...
I've seen cars in quite unbelievable conditions, rusted through everywhere, but they still ran. We don't waste cars :)
Of course, our MOT is not so strict in reality, and can even be bought in some places...
This shows once again that no bad cars were made, but that there were many bad motoring journalists who wrote everything that wasn't Mercedes, BMW or Porsche into the ground.
I had a proton personna 1.6 briefly and agree, I didn't think it was as bad as car mags had rated it! Okay it was an average car but Mitsubishi underneath, comfy, performed well, and i sold for more than i paid for it! Nuff said
you should thank them as it keeps these cars cheap
@@Deadguy1988 Too right they always ragged on Lexus ES300's / Toyota Windom, the James may purchase. The best car I have ever owned.
Yes I used to read my Dad's cast-off Top Gear magazines in the mid-90s and I remember their utter contempt for Daewoo, Hyundai and other 'budget' brands. I thought it was a pretty car for 1995 when everything had gone ridiculously bubble-shaped; still a fan of the styling to be fair.
I care very little about what some motoring journalist's opinion is of a car. Most of those tossers wouldn't reconise good engineering or value for money, even when it was staring them straight in the face. I had a Daewoo Nubura. Boring mundane but utterly reliable. It did what it was designed to do, provide basic competent A to B transportation at an affordable price.It was these attributes which enabled Daewoo to become a respected maker of cars
Love the Espero! :)
I wouldnt expect you here :)
@@nikonordman7624 why?
Hey shinyodd! I bought a espero as my first car! almost 60k miles on it and it brings a smile to my face everytime i drive it! :)
@@Ciaran3681 good luck
@@Ciaran3681 you'll need it
My uncle had one of these for over 10 years he used it as a taxi was on nearly 400,000 miles when he sold it 😂
If he is a taxi driver, 400,000 miles was probably one trip for a passenger to his local train station!!! Seriously, though, that is impressive with all the wear and tear that it would have been subjected to.
@@thomasgray5406 he serviced it every few thousand miles he was always working on it in the weekends. He only sold it as he moved away and retired, when he sold it he took the seat covers off he had and apart from a few dings to the bodywork it was still immaculate.
I never liked it always thought it was ugly preferred his London cab he had before it. 🤣😂
I'd never spotted the similarity to the Xantia before, but now you've said it, I can't unsee it!
I bought a espero as my first car. Brings a smile to my face everytime i drive it!
I was fascinated by these as a kid. Over 20 years later they've aged incredibly well in my view
Like that mom next door, who still cooks amazing and knows, how to wear a 21st century stuff, to look idealy-lined between hot and settle.
...yet, she wouldn't ask much, even tho she needs abit of care.
Bu moshinaga qarab minib yursa! Yuraveradi metali juda qalin hozirgi moshinalar 5 yilda qarib qolyabdi bu qarimaydi
Me too! I went to a Daewoo showroom in New Zealand when I was 5 with my parents, and it left an impression. I wanted it!
It seems like such a decent car, for very little money when new. It absolutely blows my mind that anyone would consider scrapping this lovely car.
Always remember these being the big prize on family fortunes in the 90s 😂
Celebrity Squares too I think 😀
Those old game shows can be found on TV channel Challenge. Usually the car prize was either a Daewoo, Suzuki Vitara or a Kia of some type.
Providing you got all the top answers
Please bring back velour seats.they're like a hug from your granny :-)
Much better equipped than my MK2 Cavalier, still looks nice even today. Never considered one of these (when secondhand) due to snooty car magazine reviews. I think I missed out.
You mean the same magazines that would ahve praised the Passat for exactly the same features that were all better on this car?
@@rimmersbryggeri You can't blame the magazines for praising the VAG, since it had a reputation in sleazy marketing since Hilter march ;)
...altho, they *were* lowdown, cheeky baaste'e'ds!
Remindes me more of a Mrk III Cavalier or Opel Vectra A wich is from the same timeperiode!
The 16V 1.5 1997 model hauled our family for years. My parents struggled to make the ends meet in the 90s and needed something cheap and reliable. Sadly the engine was too small for our long trips and struggled up mountain passes. I always loved the styling, it didn’t look like a cheap car from the outside.
I sadly never got to drive it myself since it was crashed before I got my license, nobody was hurt thankfully.
Some of my earliest memories are of the test drive on a very grey day when it was compared to a much more basic used Corolla.
Edit: We used that ski hatch a lot being Norwegians haha
My dad bought the 1.5 in 1997 too after his used W123 Merc 230 Estate literally fell apart on a busy intersection...after dad retired 5 years later, it basically was my first car for about 10 years...sadly it had no A/C but a leaky sunroof installed by the dealer we bought it from...haha! The huge space always came good when hauling stuff around, as long as there were no hilly sections on the motorway 😃. Had to sell it for 150 Euros in 2010 to a backstreet dealer as the vehicle inspection failure brought out too many faults which were too costly to fix...but I was mourning 😞
Used to have them on the rental fleet where I worked back in the mid 90’s. We used to fight for the keys on a hot day because they were the only ones with AC as standard .
I know someone here in Australia who bought one of these new as a one off for their fleet in 1996, the clincher that got the deal over the line was the standard CD player and aircon, as well as the Holden engine, it was on fleet for about 4 years(replaced with a Magna) and was quite oddball, compared to the Commodore, Falcon,Magna and Camry stablemates. It was OK for reliability but needed silly little repairs. They bought a Nubira in 1998, but it did not last long and was traded on another Magna.
My Grandfather had one of these brand new, after 2 years there was quite noticeable rust in the roof and A and B pillars, To be fair to Deawoo they took the car back and replaced it with a brand new Laganza
What a marvellous example…So glad it was spared a visit to the crusher!
I was working at a car supermarket when these were in their hay day and despite the "What a Daewoo cheap and nasty" syndrome the supermarket sold a lot of them. The thing they most importantly for me as a mechanic shared with the Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 was they were sooo easy to work on
I remember having at look at one of these in a Daewoo showroom in the 90s, with refreshingly relaxed sales assistants, whose 'pressure selling' involved nothing more than " Welcome. Do have a look at the cars and if there's anything you'd like to know, just ask."
A nicely done review of the Espero - that'll be the Hubnut.
I guess that comes from a person who is paid simply on a salary and not pressured for commision!
A couple of years ago we asked a machinery rep to quote us for a new piece of Dutch agricultural equipment. When we asked "why should we buy one of your machines?" he looked at us across the table, said "because they are the best", and sat back in his chair! Sales pitch done.
@@660einzylinder o
I saw this when I was about 5 with my parents at the dealership. We didn't buy it but I wanted it!
As Mr Ian has stated in the video, Daewoo has expanded to countries such as Poland and Romania. Well, speaking of Romania, Daewoo was present in the country between 1994 and 2007. Daewoo Romania has made many Daewoo models such as the Cielo/Nexia, Tico, Matiz, Espero also, Nubira, Leganza and Tacuma, which were sold mostly in Romania itself and neighbouring countries. The cars were produced in the city of Craiova, after Daewoo bought the old Oltcit factory in 1994. With that I can say that all the Daewoo cars made in Romania can be considered as the Oltcit's spiritual succesors. The factory was eventually bought in 2008 by Ford Romania which has been producing cars there ever since, cars including the new Ford Puma.
Doing better than Australia now.
Are you Romanian?
Nice to see Howard from last of the summer wine make a guest appearance at 1:10 😀
Off for an illicit meet with Marina.
Your love of the humble is quite refreshing. Cheers pal.
probably the first time that ski bag has been unfurled.
I never knew about the Citroen link, but I can see a lot of Xantia and XM now.
I can remember going into a Daewoo accredited Halfords and using a computer terminal to spec an Espero and then printing off an "offer and reference" which, if I had wanted to, I could have used to ask for a build by Daewoo! Way, way ahead of the time. Great video.
That's a funny looking Fairmont, I'm sure that's what I was watching a minute ago :)
I absolutely love that interior. Velour, the simple dash design without all the horrendous modern over-styling....... Lovely!
Absolutely perfect! Despite the age of the design it's still an attractive looking car - I guess that was Bertone working their magic. So pleased this example was given a last minute reprieve. 😃
CD Autochanger was optional when I got mine. In fact when I went to collect the car (from Leicester) they had forgotten to fit it and claimed the car has failed its PDI and I'd need to come back a week later to collect it (they quickly whipped it round to the local Halfords to get one fitted). I recall gettign a call from Daewoo customer services on the way home asking how I was ejoying my new Espero, they were not impressed when I told them I was still in my old car! :)
Always liked the look of these and had forgotten all about them… must be very few left.
What a wonderful old thing! So glad it got saved
I remember a gentleman who was working as a salesman back in the nineties having one of these. It was an automatic and he put 300.000km in few years with no issues.
That has to be kept like that what a lovely old car I remember them back in the day always thought they were crap now this is a fantastic piece of motoring history
You are a man after my own heart Ian. I love to listen to you talking all things motoring. Your values are very similar to mine also. Keep up the good work. Pete Birmingham 🇬🇧
Never thought I'd like a daewoo, but having owned & loved 3 xantia's & 4 XM's, I can now see the styling influences.
"Always accompanied by four beeps" *car beeps five times*
Family Fortunes, anyone? Great review Ian. Never knew a whole lot about Daewoo until a couple of years back when I went to Poland and happened to learn about the factory out in Warsaw. Tonnes of odd looking Daewoo-badged stuff on the roads.
Hats off to the neighbours of the gentleman who passed away for keeping his pride and joy going.
I love the fact they actually added me to the car.
this is peak hubnut, excellent
My Parents had one. in 1995 they bought it brand new in green. I remember as a kid we traveled Europe in it. It was quite an attraction for locals literally everywhere we went to. I remember once in Denmark a group of people gathered around it at the car park. My dad was petrified that something happened to it, burned down or someone smashed windows or whatever. It turned out they were just very curious, started doing a photos etc. In Holland, everywhere we went people always started chatting to my dad about the car. It was a car i learned how to drive. My dad sold it to our neighbour, a Polish guy, in 2009, as he was in love in Esperos in general (they were quite popular in Poland). He took it there. Believe me or not this guy still owns it and he says it might actually be the only one Right Hand Drive example in Poland and its still, a real attraction. Great memories! Long life Espero!
Was just going to watch part 2 of the fairmont import but at least another vid to watch 👍
I was lucky as I watched that first as it's now classed as a private video 🤷♂️......maybe it was a HubNut oops moment, I'll not spoil it for you though 👍
This channel often makes me feel old. I remember when these were brand new, a friend having one on an extended test drive over a weekend. At the time, I couldn't see past it being a quirky looking Vauxhall Cavalier. But actually, 26 years later, I think the design has aged very well. This one being super clean, and in white, no doubt helps.
I had one as a loan car after an accident, a new demonstrator in green.
It felt brilliant to drive then, particularly when the garage swapped the Espero for a golden Proton in GL flavour. Mmmmm.
Amen to the return of our Polo mk2 estate...
They've aged really well. That sound takes me back to my MK2 Cav Gli. :)
Very impressive car actually! I have the feeling that at the time Daewoo first came to Britain with there way of selling was not liked by other motor manufacturer's. I had a friend and her husband traded in his 1.6 Montego for one of tease and was extremely happy with it back in the day.
I’d love to own one of these. I was 16 when these hit the UK market and always loved our Mk2 cavalier as a child. Here was a beautiful 😍 design. So clean cut and I always loved the way the tail lights illuminated. I’d love to drive one!❤
I bought 2000 Daewoo Lanos when it was 16 years old. It was a garage queen. So nice to drive, minimal issues, no mechanical issues. I drove it 80.000km in 4 years. Been to Russia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Autobahn (there is nothing else). I even went to FSO factory where it was made.
Then it was T-boned 200m from my home by another Korean Car - Ssangyong Rexton. Suv on snow on bald summer tires who run stop sign with driver having 4 year old in his lap.
Every day is a school day I too never knew the Citroen link, now I cannot unsee it. Excellent review as always Sir.
I remember going with me dad to a Daewoo showroom as a young-ish teenager somewhere in Kent and sitting in an Espero and loving it. For its time... Was definitely ahead of its time in the tech front. Fantastic example that, great vis as always. I'm forever scouring eBay for one - do they ever come up... I've not seen one, apart from perhap scrappers.
Fantastic looking car and such a great condition. I retired from the UK to Southern Italy and down here they don't throw much away. It's great to see 30 plus year old Astras and Novas, badged as Opel, first generation Pandas. Second hand cars here are seriously more expensive than they are in the UK which may be the reason for not throwing them into the scrap heap. Great video, thanks.
I have a 1967 Daewoo entrenching tool
It starts every time and has never let me down, ultra reliable
Thank you so much for road testing this masterpiece! I've always wanted you to road test this. One of my all time favourite cars :)
I remember there were a couple of Espero taxis near me when i was a kid. Rode in one of them and back then, the standout thing was how soft the ride was.
one very key way of seeing it's indeed a design proposal for the xantia, is seeing the panels "cut", see how the rear bumper, doors and front bumper are cut in the exact same way as the final design on the xantia.
Made great minicabs back the the mid 90s, decent price plus the free servicing package a no brainer, reliable as well! A shame they've all but disappeared, saw one recently in Grantham and that was a good one,
Toyota Carina's also used to be everywhere as minicab's now they are a really rare sight now. Today's minicab's are either people carriers or Toyota Prius's, Peugeot estate cars or the odd Audi or Lexus as luxury travel taxis
This is by far the best looking J-car.
Since watching Hubnut for about a Year Now.
I must confess to paying more attention to Wipers and Triangles of Doom.
Than I ever did before, it had just not entered my Zone of Interest. Other than "Damn it,
I need New Blades..!"
Thx Hubnut, you have Created a Perversion..!!
Even playing 'Spot the Triangle of Doom' with my Son whilst waiting for his Mum, in a Carpark..!!
Cheers All, kim in Oz. 😎
You're absolutely correct: that's a beautiful, elegant car. Always liked the glorious rear design and lights.
Always liked the look of these, I can remember that these always used to be the prize on Family Fortunes back in the 90s!
Never noticed the Xantia connection . Great video
My mate worked for Daewoo/Halfords as a mechanic from the launch until about 2000 when he jumped ship to Peugeot. They gave all the staff the opportunity to get brand new Daewoo on lease I think so they could promote the brand. He took a gold Nexia and he quite liked it.
I haven't watched all the video yet but I had to stop and comment. It's a perfect Hubnut car, with odd but attractive looks and way too underappreciated because it isn't from a fancy brand. Great choice!
I bought 1.5 Espero in 2009 with 180.000 km and still drive it today with 500.000+. Love this car.
Love the look of that car, especially rear-end with all of those windows and taillights 😎
We didn't get those in Finland, if i remember correct they started to sell Daewoos when there was Matiz, Kalos, Tacuma, Nubira, Lacetti and Evanda-models.
thanks for explaining about the styling. these always looked like a XM'd Xantia saloon.
I woke up today thinking about buying one... I guess that i'll have to now 😅
Funny what time can do. When these were new, they were considered boring and uninspiring by many, and the User Choosers simply overlooked them in favour of a Mondeo or Vectra. 25 plus years later, and the Espero now looks stylish and interesting, especially in white. I must admit, I'd rather like one.
Don't know the last day I saw one of these cars up and running! They all disappeared from our local roads about 10-15 years ago. White was probably the best color on them and it's amazing to see one in such good condition.
Great. Idea, thanks for sharing. Lovely car too. Mid 90’s, all mid range cars like the Cavalier MK3 and Mondeo definitely had PAS by then. The Daewoo, whilst I wouldn’t have bought one back then, was certainly exceptional value. And I now appreciate that car was saved.
I always thought that the Espero was a reworked Mk2 Vauxhall Cavalier/Opel Ascona, just as the Nexia was an updated Mk2 Vauxhall Astra/Opel Kadett. I bow to your knowledge on this Ian.
Beautiful car I had A cdx In the day wish I still had it Brilliant video Ian 👍
Another clever car I didn't know existed till your review, cheers!
Very comprehensive review Ian,think that’s one of your best.Lovely car.
I worked in Belgium for a few years in the late 90's and Hertz gave me one of these at Zaventem airport in Brussels during a very hot summer and I loved the aircon compared to the usual rubbish they normally gave me.
I had one of these, also white, with velvet and a 2-liter engine. And the same vintage. A very nice car and very susceptible to various modifications to improve its operation. If I had somewhere to put it, I would have left it. A beautiful, comfortable and reliable car.
Nice review! Our family owned 92MY Espero 25 years ago and it was absolutely marvellous car. Enjoyed your video!
That's a lovely car. A pal's former mother-in-law used to own one and I always liked the style of it. Sad yet wonderful tale about the elderly chap. There's a man just around the corner from my house who used to do the warmup on the drive with his Hyundai V6 that he could no longer drive. The car's gone now, but I saw him very recently coming down from his garage area in an electric disability gizmo. Grim !
Always loved these so much!
Just sold a 9,300 mileage 1996 P Reg Daewoo Nexia GLXi Saloon Auto ! In Green ! Beautiful. The Astra Belmont I never had
Thats what i love about hut nut straight to the point proper reviews i never heard of one of these until now its pure automotive history and what a lovely example hats off to the folks that saved it and kept it in such good condition 😊👌
Seems a good car, fabulous rescue story. I had a P reg Escort, it had power steering and central locking but not much else, I certainly remember the keep fit windows in it!
Wiper action will always be welcome. Would like to see more. Don’t sensor for the haters. Wiper action rules!
I bought a 95 Auto version as a weekly driver, Lancashire to London twice a week for 18 months. Only had to fix electrics besides servicing and preventative maintenance. I put 75,000 miles on it then traded it for a Mondeo. The Daewoo was the butt of many jokes from friends but it never let me down and the auto box helped on the M6/M1 commute.
Saw the Espero for the first time exhibited in a shopping centre in Pretoria, South Africa, in the mid-90s, and was in love with it from the word go. I still think it's a beautiful car. Never considered buying one though, because Daewoo at the time wasn't known for cars but for washing machines in South Africa. Interestingly enough, my current washing machine is in fact a ... Daewoo!
Excellent video, many thanks.
Truly fascinating car and a lovely example
Vectra 1.7D without power steering was my first car..friend of mine had Espero in full..was something..nostalgic..thanks for video
Back when these were new, I thought they were the coolest - then I did not know about the Citroën connection, but I loved the Citroën look of the design. I think I have seen one or two here in Sweden - sadly, they were never common here. Great video!
Not seen an Espero in years, I never realised how much GM there was under the bonnet!
I shouldn’t be all that suprised really since the Nexia was basically a mk2 Vauxhall Astra under the skin.
Strange they never used Corsa or Nova mechanicals for the Matiz, those were different.
Great review Mr Seabrook!👍
Excellent review, Ian.
I mean, I never expect anything less, AND I’m never disappointed. But you had such a genuinely happy retro experience with the Daewoo, it was a really fun watch. As always, thank you.
Always liked the look of these. Smart, crisp and clean come to mind.
An Espero was my family's car for most of my childhood, a lovely dark green model. Always liked the styling.
In the 80's they'd had a Vauxhall Nova and by the mid 90's when they bought the Daewoo they were replacing an Astra estate, so the Vauxhall aspect of it may have appealed to them at the time.
I was waiting for this day!
The fun with old, low mileage cars is that you can actually experience them how they were when new, because they are. I've owned a Volkswagen Golf II with 22,600 miles which was 16 years old when I bought it from the 88 year old first owner, and since then I know how those Volkswagens drive when new. Two years later I sold the car to a friend for 500 € and from that moment I've driven (very briefly) Citroën, Peugeot/Talbot and Renault for many years, because I wanted cars that were comfortable and refined...
In 1995, I bought a 1977 HC Viva advertised as having covered 32,000 miles for £300. It was a typo, it had covered 23,000! I couldn't get my wallet open fast enough
Great review hubnut, im glad it wasn't scrapped its a really nice car 😀
The accounts guy at one of my customers had a burgundy one of these in 1999. It must have made financial sense if an accounts guy had one. He smoked like a chimney though so that one probably smelled like a working men’s club. I loved the smooth nose front end and single bar heckblende rear styling.
Thank you very much for pointing out the Citroen design cues, Ian 👍🏻👍🏻 Never realised before, but now that you've mentioned it....the Espero's 6-light greenhouse comes across like a shrunken XM greenhouse (minus front quarter glass) stuck onto a 3-box saloon. Even the Espero rear lights with full-width reflector strip looks a bit XM-esque (but upside down) 😄
Thank you for having made a video on the Espero, a car which has also become very rare in France. I’ve the same Espero 2.0i (but mine is dark red metallic and it’s an automatic gearbox (with electronic gear management, and sport/snow modes).
I love this car but the problem is that parts for repairs are getting harder and harder to find. For the moment the technical control still passes, but I know that in a few years it will be more and more complicated. Especially since there is now a beginning of corrosion, and the french technical control is more and more severe for old vehicles…
When it was released, this Espero was not praised by the automotive press in France, it was criticized for an archaic design, very poor road holding, the only positive point they noted was its price and its equipment.
Personally in the context of normal use i find its handling very correct, it is comfortable and flexible and above all very spacious. The negative point comes from the automatic transmission which takes away a lot of power and above all increases fuel consumption a lot.
Small correction, there was still a more luxurious model than the 2.0 CD, it was the "luxury pack" CD, there was also the leather interior, and burr walnut decorations (imitation of course) on the dashboard.
"If you've carried skis in a Daewoo Espero please leave a comment". Classic. Legend.
I'm wondering how one cleans out the inside of the 'sock'. Would any moisture be able to escape?
Massive nostalgia! My dad had one in the mid-90's as our family car. Metallic green CDXi with the boot spoiler, great looking car. Had a basic spec Ford Orion before that, so the Daewoo felt like a spaceship in comparison! Very comfortable car with the velour seats, me and my sister would always fall asleep on the drive home from the seaside lol. It wasn't without its faults though, he bought from a main dealer (I believe it was actually an official press car as it was a few years old but very low mileage) but went back for warranty work many many times, there was a constant issue with the steering knocking that they were never able to solve. We ended up going through most of the newer Daewoo range (Lanos, Nubira, even a Leganza) as courtesy cars while the Daewoo was being looked at...
Still miss that car though!
One of your best reviews 😉👍