Faults:

No failures or problems at all.

General Comments:

The car has been the most trouble free car I have ever owned. After losing the engine in my Century due to the intake manifold gasket destroying the engine, I needed a car quick. This Verona was a lemon buyback, but I cannot understand why. The car has performed flawlessly and I was able to buy it for 40% of the new car price, approximately $9,000 and still carries the full Suzuki warranty to back it up. Apparently the first owner had a stalling problem that took three times for the dealer to fix and then the owner still complained about the problem. It has never done that for me.

Rides as smooth as the Buick Century, quick off the line, maybe not as quick to pass on the highway (but I rarely drive over 5mph under the speed limit). Made several trips in and out of Florida this year already.

One possible improvement, I use to get 29MPG on trips in the Buick and it had the 3.1L V6. This engine although still a small 6, so far has only given 28MPG on the trips and has not been quite as good in the city. Use to get 21MPG and now get 20MPG for the around town driving.

Faults:

A Check Engine light due to a faulty sensor did not keep me from using the car during the 2 weeks it took to get the part in.

Recent excessive white smoke occasionally during initial start-up.

General Comments:

I bought my 2004 Verona from Driving 2000 in Huntsville, AL as well and it was a fantastic experience with them and the car. They even delivered the car to me in Atlanta.

The CHECK ENGINE light came on at 1200 miles, but it was a mere sensor and did not affect the driveability. The dealer ordered the part and was able to fix it within a couple of weeks. I drove the car during the wait with no problems.

Recently I have noticed excessive white smoke when I first start it, but this doesn't happen all the time.

It's quick, and smooth. The transmission is unique and though it seems to operate differently than other cars, it performs exactly the way it is designed to.

I had worse luck with my $40K Mercedes a few years back so buying a name doesn't always mean buying quality.

Compare the Verona to others in its class (Maxima, Camry, etc.) and you'll find the Verona 6 cylinder is not an option, but standard and runs about $8K less than its competitors equipped with like options. I even compared it to the Sonata and Optima and believe I got a better buy.

Once upon a time this would have been called a mid-size, but these days it's a full size and considering the 6 banger under the hood, the size/weight of the car and the thrust that it offers, I am not at all disappointed with its mileage. After all, it's not a commuter econo-box.

Faults:

Car stalled about three times in the first few weeks when trying to drive away to soon after starting it cold. Called dealer and they had a service update to replace the computer in the car, no stalling or shaky idle on cold start up any more. Dealer scheduled a time when they could work on it as soon as I arrived, 1 hour later the car was done. ZERO other problems at all with lots of highway driving.

General Comments:

A good value for the money. Due to a special sale the car was under $15,000 delivered. At that price it was comparable to a fully equipped and slightly used Mercury Sable, but with a better warranty. Given that I am on the highway a lot, the car simply is smooth riding. It does not quite have the get up and go as the dual overhead cam Mercury Sable engine from a dead stop, but it is a much smoother engine for normal highway driving. The ride is soft, but controlled. Given that I need a comfortable ride for constant daily long trips, I have to say this was the most comfortable car in the $15K range new. After many miles, the only minor complaint is the MPG, only getting 28 on the highway average. I set the cruise near 69 and go. It needs noted that this is 1 MPG better than the 27 MPG the Sable use to get.