2004 Suzuki Forenza EX from North America - Comments

Nothing has gone wrong with this car so far.

This car is the best buy you can get for the money. It has loads of get up and go. It has this feature where when you are on the highway, you push a button while cruising and you average around 38 mpg. It gets about 24 mpg in the city. Compared to the Toyota Corolla this beats it ten times over.

I don't understand why no one is buying them around my house (the dealership is down the street). I would buy another Suzuki any day. It sounds great and runs great.

Did you know that it's built by GM-Daewoo in South Korea? Only time will prove if it's reliable. You can't compare it to a Corolla.

In reference to the reliablity of the forenza being questionable, I would have to disagree. Althought the forenza is manufactured by GMDAT (daewoo) it was engineered by suzuki and has a 100,000 mile warranty. I have owned many suzuki and the one thing they always are is reliable and dependable, it is one of suzuki's selling points, that and there vehicle are always just a bit odd, but in a good way. Buy a suzuki and you never have to worry about blending in to a parking lot.

I also own a new Forenza. The car has been very good. I have owned a couple Toyota's in the past and I would have to say that the experience thus far has been equal to that of the Toyota. Indeed time will tell on the reliability, but with the 100,000 mile warranty, free loaner car, and available wrap warranty to extend bumper to bumper to 100k, its very much worth taking the chance. If one can remember the corolla of the 70's, it was that funny little cranky car, it was hard to start, yet was dependable. I guess the statement I'm making is, don't prejudge a book by its cover. There are many good things about this car.

I would disagree that Suzuki has engineered these cars... these are staight off the Daewoo manufacturing plants and are basically updated Daewoos. Granted, GMDAT bought out Daewoo and have been partnered up with Suzuki for many years now which means something. I am sure this car is reliable. I have owned Suzukis for over 10 years now and they all have been great, dependable cars.

Suzuki did not design this car. Daewoo did. GM owns 10% of Suzuki and all of the automotive part of Daewoo. Suzuki needed larger cars for the US market and getting them from GM was a cheap way of doing it. Daewoo uses Holden engines. These are out of date GM designs and do not have a long life span like most Japanese engines. Make sure you have your timing belt changed ON time it is a weak area on the 2.0.

"Did you know that it's built by GM-Daewoo in South Korea? Only time will prove if it's reliable. You can't compare it to a Corolla."

When you even hint at this car being unreliable you ARE comparing it to a Corolla. Quality is ALWAYS relative. The Koreans are doing a very good job these days and they have come further in a shorter time than ALL Japanese manufacturers did. Every Japanese manufacturer started out as an also-ran until a few people who didn't have a lot to spend decided to stand the laughing-at in return for mobility. I'm thinking strongly about a Chevrolet Optra (Forenza, outside the US) and having test-driven one, I must say it is indeed impressive and if nothing else has a lot of class built in. That's something Japenese manufacturers only seem to be able to do if they charge body parts for it.

Additionally, I currently own BOTH a Daewoo (Cielo) and a Suzuki (Swift GTi). The Daewoo gets my vote every time except in the category of performance. Cielo is better built and is chock full of style and class. Swift is cheap and very low rent. Of course, that's my opinion as is usually the case when it comes to cars.

I recently purchased an '06 Forenza and I couldn't be happier with the vehicle. Granted, I only purchased the "base" model, but for a base model I have to say that it has a lot of features that I didn't find in my old "base" Pontiac (I know.. apples and oranges).. for instance.. power windows, power locks, tilt wheel and an adjustable seat that fits almost any driving style. Don't even get me started on the interior materials used for the price I paid for the car.. incredibly good. So far the car runs great (I know.. I haven't had it more than a year so far.. time will tell) and it really is a fun car to drive in a standard transmission. Will it last? Who knows... but every car is different for every driver... The 96 Pontiac Sunfire was supposed to be a lemon of a car with defects galore... I drove the thing to the ground after 11 years and 230,000 miles on it... original motor... original transmission, only changed the timing chain once.

Point is.. any car can be reliable.. it all depends on how you drive it and maintain it.

I bought my Suzuki Forenza new in 2004. It has been a great car, never given me any problems, and looks great both inside and out. I have been very happy with it.