1998 Suzuki Baleno GLX review from Australia and New Zealand

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.

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.