Car of the day-Daewoo/Pontiac LeMans (1988-1993)

(photo credit:Mic V from Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom)

When one thinks of the Pontiac LeMans, people think of the GM sports coupe from the 60s and 70s that also spawned the legendary GTO.  When backwards people like myself think of the LeMans, I think of the small hatchback and sedan from the late 80s and early 90s.

This particular LeMans is (and I'm saying "is" because this car is STILL being sold new, in this itineration in Romania and Poland) actually a freshened  up Chevrolet Chevette, which in turn is a re-badged Opel Kadett.  They were made in South Korea by Daewoo Motors.

In the late 80s, GM began to rely heavily on it's foreign partners for sourcing cheap compact cars. (Chevy LUV, Chevy Spectrum, Chevy Sprint, EVERY GEO EVER)   I personally cite two reasons for this:

1. GM was too busy investing all it's money and research into SUV's, which were beginning to become a "thing"
2. GM couldn't make a good small car even if they tried (Are there any Cavalier or Sunfire owners out there that can back me up on this?)

Anyway, the LeMans arrived at showrooms in 1988.  Not sure if the car was a sales success initially, but according to various forums around the net, it's safe to say that there is a reason there are very few left.  Former owners complained of engines stalling, over-complicated brake jobs, and underpowered engines, just to name a few.  Many Pontiac loyalists were outraged of the once, respected nameplate be affiliated with this lousy excuse for a car.  All these factors plus now, waning sales led to the car being put to death (at least here in North America) in 1993.

I have two personal connections with the Korean LeMans.  The first one may be quite familiar to you, especially those who remember the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989.  I remember watching documentaries on this occurance and the one shot that always seems stick out to me is that of a red 1988-89 LeMans hatchback teetering off the side of a collapsed section of a bridge.

  (photo credit: Chuck Nackle/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

My other memory of this car was one of my old neighbors who had a white 1990 (I think) LeMans hatchback. I vaguely remember her complaining about how horrible it was.  If I remember correctly, it was this car in which I learned what the word "money pit" meant.  Now, because she worked at the same place as my mom, she would often carpool in my Mom's Camry while the LeMans was in the shop.  My neighbor liked her Camry so much, she ended up buying one for herself, ridding herself of that "lemonous LeMans."