Selling a junk or non-running Daewoo

Every Daewoo on American roads is now more than twenty years old. The EPA's fuel economy list has just three Daewoo nameplates, and none newer than the 2003 model year.

A carmaker whose parent company is gone

Daewoo was a South Korean conglomerate, headquartered in Seoul. Kim Woo-choong founded it on 22 March 1967. According to Wikipedia, it declared bankruptcy and was defunct by 1 November 1999. The name was then "progressively phased out and replaced by Chevrolet or Ravon."

The dates matter for owners. The EPA list carries Daewoo cars from 1998 through 2003, so the brand's whole US run fits inside six model years. The Leganza drops out after 2002. The Lanos and Nubira are listed through 2003.

Daewoo complaints filed with NHTSA

Our count runs to October 10, 2026, model by model, and covers what Daewoo owners sent to NHTSA. Every one is a Daewoo owner's report filed with the safety agency. Nobody has confirmed what it describes, and a count of them does not grade reliability.

The three are close together. The Nubira and Leganza sit just ten complaints apart, and the Lanos trails the Nubira by 64. Keep age in mind: a later model year has spent less time with owners who might write in, so within each model the final year or two may read lower simply because those cars came later. Each model's page breaks its count down further.

What every Daewoo shares

They all come from the same short window, 1998 to 2003. They were all sold under a name that Wikipedia says was later replaced by Chevrolet or Ravon. And none appears in the EPA list after 2003, so any Daewoo you own today is at least that old.

Selling a Daewoo whole

At this age, a Daewoo often quits for a reason whose repair bill tops the car itself. Parked since who knows when? Read about a car sitting for years covers what tends to go wrong. For age and miles in general, see selling an old or high-mileage car.

You don't strip anything first. Keep the battery, wheels and catalytic converter on your Daewoo. Then:

1. Note the model, year and rough mileage, if the odometer still reads.
2. Mention any missing or broken parts on the Daewoo, and whether the engine turns over and the tires roll with air in them.
3. Say whether you have the title. If not, read selling a junk car with no title.
4. Describe the spot: carport, side yard, storage unit, curb.

The truck comes to the car, and pickup is free anywhere in the US. Afterward, deal with the plates and paperwork.

Rather talk to someone? Call (877) 421-6008.

All three Daewoo models

These are the Daewoo nameplates the EPA has rated. Years are model years.