Faults:

Alternator – changed myself.

2 radiators – ditto, easy.

CV joint boots were rotten when purchased. Left side CV shaft was easy to swap.

Right side wasn’t designed to be serviceable and requires disconnecting either the strut which disturbs alignment, or lower control arm bolts which is more labor-intensive. Having done the 2nd method myself, I highly recommend taking it to a Suzuki/Japanese mini-truck specialty shop for CV shaft swap.

CV shafts I used were Autozone made-in-China house brand. They worked fine. All I had to do initially was to paint them in Rustoleum black enamel ‘coz they come unpainted and all the replacements I’ve found on junkyards were ugly-rusty.

Water pump slowly failed. That was an ordeal but I was able to swap it on the street side. It required removing WP pulley, then unbolting the AC compressor to move it aside. Then removing the water box containing the water pump. There’s one weird blind bolt under the rear bracket. When reinstalling I replaced it with a pilot-snout bolt ‘coz the original wasn’t a viable option with my experience.

Original driveshaft was out of balance. Replaced it with a junkyard shaft that was in balance, but had more wear in the slip yoke, so it vibrated when cold. Good enough improvement.

Due to my obsession with synthetic oil, the engine developed a leak between the block and lower crank girdle (not oil pan). That gap has a silicone sealant from the factory and synth oil eventually delaminates the sealant. Never a gasket was made for that joint so just stick with semi-synthetic high mileage oil. It only seeped oil when running at some RPMs on the highway so I never had problems with dripping when parked.

General Comments:

Scored this baby at an auction for $1200, although it cost me a total of $3800 over the years with all the repairs & upgrades.

I think 1989-2004 Suzuki/Cami Tracker Sidekick Vitaras are the best compact cars ever made:

Sturdy body-on-frame chassis compatible with destroyed city pavement.

Tight body, minimal road noise and rattles.

Only simple engineering throughout, easy to work on and maintain.

Besides the alternator every 100k and interior door handles, nothing ever breaks.

Lasts as long as a Toyota at 1/3 retail price.

Rails through curves like a go-kart (that torsionally rigid frame is great).

With the DOHC engine it's a pocket rocket.

23 MPG average with AT, AC, and 4x4.

1st gen. locking hubs is a bolt-on upgrade for 2nd gen. to make CV shafts last indefinitely. And the only remaining place to get parts is a self-service junkyard ;-)

Just endless praise for both generations. If you have a backyard you must begin stockpiling these.

Installed coil spring isolators from Suzuki XL-7 for even less road noise. XL-7’s are made from closed-cell foam rubber and are much cushier than stock Tracker solid-rubber ones. The rear ones are pretty easy to change, front ones only when you are also changing the struts because front coils are awkward to compress. Front coils require long-hook screw-type compressor. Harbor Freight don’t sell anything suitable.

While you are upgrading the rears also install XL-7 shock absorbers (Monroe 37269) for slightly longer extension travel and better axle articulation. You will need to bend down the parking cable bracket where it attaches to the crossmember on the right side. That’ll give it sufficient extension range to match the shox.

Maximum tire size that fits without rubbing is 215/75r15. I’ve read on forums that 225s fit but as the tire shop warned me and I’ve later found out, they don’t. 225s rub at full steering lock… in reverse, not forward motion. In addition 225s are out of range for AT gearing and shifting. It knocks out of TCC mode much more frequently which is bad for AT heat. Fuel mileage dropped to 22mpg vs. 24 with stock 205/75r15 tires. So technically 215 is the max and best size to have with the automatic trans. It puts the speedometer and odometer exactly on point and reduces the car’s tendency to break traction from stoplights on wet pavement in RWD (which is prominent with 205 tires and DOHC engines).

The acceleration was phenomenal for a 4cyl mini-truck. Right off idle there's a massive torque slam that pins you to the seat back. In the next couple of seconds over the crosswalk paint it breaks traction. During the rain season I would leave front hubs locked and take off in 4wd, then lift accelerator & shift into RWD simultaneously with the transmission's upshift. Since it has an old-school modulator cable the shifts are perfectly predictable. I installed everlasting Denso SK16 spark plugs, G-05 coolant, stock air filter, synthetic lubricants in the drivetrain, oil filter Toyota 90915-YZZF1 (taller 85mm) -only $5 at the dealer.

In the '90s I test drove a Suzuki Sidekick 1.8L DOHC wagon and its performance was surprisingly good too. 2L is a noticeable step-up though.

Overall this was the most enjoyable car to drive in the city and on the highway out of ~30 that I owned. Hence my statistically valid assertion that it's the best ever made :-)

Suspension is a little stiff, but the road noise is low. Steering, acceleration, and braking is perfectly consistent. I could inflate the tires to 35psi and get go-kart-like handling through the twisties or run them at usual 24 front, 22 back and get decent ride in the city and off-road. One caveat of this model is that short wheelbase and main rear drive makes for unstable exponentiating skids on wet pavement. The same reason how most Miatas in junkyards ended up there. So don't ever skid, or at least practice in a wide-open parking lot.

Cabin air filters used 2 different styles. Electronic controls had AC Delco foam-perimeter filter that you can buy in the parts store. Manual controls had the Denso rail-perimeter filter that you can only buy from rockauto.com. I do not recommend replacing the Denso type filter because it comes out upwards while the dirt falls down into the air case and is impossible to remove. The double filter panel is large enough to leave alone. Alternately you would need a long thin tube attachment for a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the dirt and foliage from the narrow slit.

General Comments:

Decent, cheap, reliable compact utility vehicle. Well designed for the purpose. Very economical and cheap to maintain.

Do not expect it to have towing capacity, or to go faster than the wind. It is not a giant diesel motor, nor is it a performance car. With that in mind, the car will get you anywhere safely and reliably.

I have the very very basic model. I love it. I like manual transmission; I wish they made the V6 2.5 model in 5-speed, I think I would've gone for that.

Overall, a very well balanced vehicle, with the limitations in mind.