I liked the look of the Lacetti, and the name, and it test drove well, but since then I've had quite a few problems with it. Although it's pretty decent to drive, and a good price, I couldn't really recommend it.
There were problems with the electrics from the get go, including the air bag warning lights playing up and other silly errors. That had to be I think mostly replaced. That bit at least was done within the warranty. More of a pain was that it needed a new engine at only five years old, which was a shock to me, and to my wallet! Other stuff like the plastics inside do make it feel pretty cheap overall, which it is, cheap, but a budget car needn't mean a car that's not going to last.
The fuel usage isn't as high as stated, which was another bugbear, and the visibility generally is quite poor. Just low set windows and slanty angles make it hard to see what's what, and there's lots of blind spots too. The turning circle is big too, and just overall feels really big and hard to park. I've seen worse, like the Zafira for example but it's pretty bad. The boot looks ok to begin with but practically it's just an odd shape and not very useful. These are all things that you only work out after about 1000 miles of usage though, so you can't take it back.
Maybe I'm being too critical. it's got up sides, like the air con works well, always refreshing. There was always plenty of space inside for me and passengers (though as I said, boot space was lacking). I liked that it took a standard size stereo so I could easily replace it. A lot of cars these days it's really difficult to change the stereo. There was enough little spaces about in the front to keep glasses, drink, hat and scarf etc. No major complaints there. And a decent storage bin between the two front seats with an arm rest on top. The petrol cap you could release remotely with the key so no messing about in the car, that was handy. Little cold bin / fridge type thing in the glovebox too, neat.
It handled ok, bit too easy to rev high, but cornered well I remember. Seats comfy and good position for driving long distances. It's hardly enthuiastic about getting up to speed though and sort of has some unpredictable moments in dodgy conditions. It's noisy at speed too, which just gets annoying.