2002 Suzuki Esteem review from North America

There are two minor things that have gone wrong with the car.

The dome light stopped working; the clamps which hold the heat shields onto the exhaust system rotted and broke causing them to rattle annoyingly.

This was my first Suzuki. I purchased it because of it's low mileage and low price.

I was also attracted to the car because it was a wagon and did not have a lot of "options" that you are forced to get on today's automobiles.

It does not have power windows; automatic transmission; alloy wheels; cruise control; leather seats; alarm; remote start; etc.

The car does have everything you really need: A/C; air bag; AM/FM/CD Stereo.

The 1.8 L four mated to the five speed transmission move the car along fairly well.

I have taken the car up to around 110 (according to the speedo) and still had plenty of pedal left.

The Esteem had an option for 15" wheels that weren't on my car when I purchased it; they should've been standard.

The vents in the center dash are flimsey and do not stay adjusted.

The gas gauge tends to vary greatly from the amount of fuel in the tank.

The dome light recently ceased to function properly.

The first two comments from friends upon seeing the car were that, "I owned a Suzuki in the Eighties and it was the biggest piece of junk"; and that, I "had just purchased a 'generic car', that was going to have little-to-no resale or trade-in value.