Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car... it runs as smoothly as the day we got it...

General Comments:

The Suzuki Baleno is a great car and I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the market for a used car.

The car is reliable with relatively cheap service costs and running costs.

The car has all the trimmings including power windows, power mirrors, air con, remote central locking, alloy wheels, power steering, CD player and the list goes on.

The car has a very nippy engine and is perfect for highway cruising.

The cars steering is responsive and is a great drive on mountain roads.

The cars interior is not to everyones liking, in the fact that it is a tad too small for tall people and the Grey plastics are not as good as newer models, but that is to be expected with a 2000 model car.

The car is super reliable and we have never had any troubles with the car...

I would tthoroughly recommend it to anyone.

Faults:

Belts (excluding cambelt) done at 110,000.

Clutch at 120,000

Gearbox at 121,000.

Drivers seat is cheap and moves around. Rear boot carpet is held down by velcro.

Suzuki went overboard on the window seals, meaning the windows crawl up and down due to high friction.

General Comments:

This was a great car when first purchased. It was modern and had a full set of features for the price. The dealer replaced the cambelt and other belts before the purchase making me think I was set for trouble free motoring. Oh how wrong I was.

I have always owned Mitsi's and Toyota's and didn't think a car could ever be this bad. While it was good on GAS this seemed to be its only benefit as I witnessed the sudden implosion of the vehicle.

To have a Clutch and Gearbox go in a matter of km's within each other left my wallet hurting. Suzuki parts are also VERY expensive NZ. Which if I had known at the time would not have bothered buying this vehicle.

The belts which were replaced by the dealer had to be replaced 15,000km's later because of noise.

My outlook on brands such as Suzuki is they are only good for 100,000 km's suiting fleet vehicles. Do not buy one of these vehicles if it is anywhere near 100,000 km's.

Though manufacturers such as Toyota and Nissan are more expensive, there is a reason for this - you can't go wrong.

General Comments:

I have contributed to this site before with cars that I own.

However, a recent one week rental prompted me to add this review.

I have not driven such an appalling car for at least 20 years.

Where do I start?

Slow as a wet weekend.

No legroom.

Every panel in the car rattled. Sounded like a bag of marbles let loose in a biscuit tin.

Drank petrol at an alarming rate!!

Steering felt like I was attempting to lassoo a merecat with a long rubber band.

Ride was like two unattached pairs of wheels sloppily articulated somewhere in the middle.

I hasten to add that I have no axe to grind -I have owned a Vitara and a Swift along with countless Suzuki bikes, including the magnificent GT750.

Next time I hire, I will insist on a Corolla.

Faults:

Small oil leak on distributor seal- a cheap fix.

At 90000 km the right side drive shaft boot failed, requiring replacement of the shaft.

Plastic hinge on center console lid failed.

Trims on door pillars coming away at top (exterior) - fixed once, but now needs doing again.

One blown door speaker- replaced with better pair.

General Comments:

After my old Alfa fell apart at the same time I took on my mortgage, I wanted an economical Japanese car with some extras. Mine is white with alloys, tints alarm etc. Have since added extra bits such as performance air filter. Car is uncovered when outside, yet still looks new after a wash and polish. Has been utterly reliable and is able to beat many more fancied cars on the road. Beats the Korean cars on every count.