Selling an old Chevrolet Optra

A Canadian Chevy built by Daewoo

Chevrolet put the Optra name on three different compacts in different parts of the world. This one is the first-generation Daewoo Lacetti, code J200, which GM Korea began building in 2002. GM Canada sold it as the Optra for the 2004 through 2007 model years, then stopped importing it.

Canadian buyers got LS and LT trims. The sedan was offered for 2004 and 2005 only. The Optra5 hatchback ran all four years, and a wagon joined for 2005. Every car had the same 2.0-liter four, 119 hp, driving the front wheels through a five-speed stick shift or a four-speed automatic. EPA rated the 2004 automatic at 22 mpg combined, and the 2007 Optra 5 automatic matched it.

Americans bought the same car from Suzuki, badged Forenza or Reno, not from Chevrolet.

Ten complaints, mostly about lights

NHTSA's file holds just 10 complaints across the four model years, and six of them involve exterior lighting. The stories repeat. A 2005 owner said the headlights died and a burning smell filled the cabin when the lights were switched on; a dealer later replaced the wiring harness under a recall. Another 2005 driver lost every light at 11 pm on a highway, had it repaired, and then saw it happen again. A 2006 owner's factory light switch melted, and so did its replacement.

The rest are one-offs. A 2007 owner reported the car losing power on a hill and then shutting off. The file's only crash is a 2005 complaint describing a rear-seat passenger badly hurt by the seat belt.

Two recalls, both for island cars

Both campaigns in NHTSA's file name only cars located in Guam and Saipan:

• 07V482 covered 144 cars from 2005-2006. A splice pack on the instrument-panel harness could melt and knock out the low beams or daytime running lights. Dealers changed the low-beam splice.
• 07V328 covered 78 cars from 2006-2007 whose front seat belt buckles had a faulty ultrasonic weld. Dealers replaced the buckles.

Nothing in the file says how those cars reached the islands, and neither recall names cars anywhere else.

Figures reflect NHTSA's records on October 10, 2026.

Fix it, or let it go?

A melted switch or a cooked harness on a car this age is a judgment call. Price the fix on paper first, and weigh it against the value of a running Optra near you. What a junk car is worth covers what moves an offer, and for one that hasn't moved in ages, see cars that have sat for years.

Selling your Optra

1. Find the VIN, the mileage and the title.
2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Say where it sits and whether it starts, rolls and has air in the tires.
4. Leave it complete. Mention anything already taken off.
5. Pickup day: have the signed title and the keys out, plus an ID to show. After you sell has plate rules by state.

Missing the title? See junk car with no title. Other small Chevys: the Aveo, the Cavalier and the Cruze.