Faults:

My SJ was 8 years old when I bought it, and I had no real problems in the two years I had it.

The battery died, which I would consider a normal expense as batteries generally only last 2-3 years.

The clutch started slipping a little, but I sold it before it was bad enough to bother doing anything about it.

General Comments:

I loved this car!! Yes it bounced a lot, yes it had a top speed of 70 mph, but it had a very short wheelbase, and a 1 litre engine. The more important aspect of this car is that it's so much fun!! You may take longer to get there than anyone else, but you'll be smiling when you arrive.

It was great for city driving, small and easy to park, and high enough to see over most of the cars in front of you in traffic. Also it was very nippy, and would accelerate away from the traffic lights really quickly.

I also did a few long trips in it, one of which involved towing a boat 200 miles, which although it slowed me down to 60mph, that's the speed limit anyway when towing in the UK! As for the bouncy ride, well you get used to it!

My opinion is that you need to accept this car for what it is, it's not a sports car, hot hatchback, or luxury saloon. It's a small and compact, economical 4x4 (which actually does very well off road, unlike many other SUV's). So don't expect high speeds, or a smooth ride, and you won't be disappointed.

The only reason I sold my SJ was to get a motorbike!!

Faults:

Multiple electric debacles. The main wiring harness looked like shredded tape and wire - the head mechanic at the stealership didn't even know how to fix the thing! Took some trial and error in my garage to get it straightened out.

Odometer never worked since day one.

Speedo never worked since day one.

General Comments:

RIDICULOUS on fuel! I bought little Moses (my SJ) for $1000 and never regretted a single dollar of it. The thing ran like crap since day one, partly because of horrible maintenance. Never knew the true mileage as the odometer was stuck at 86000. I must've driven it close to 30000km with no hassle until it finally died out on me.

The brakes needed work, the windows didn't roll down, the interior was beat to heck, and although Suzuki says it originally put out 45 horse power, mine more likely ran at close to 25 horse power. Regardless, $15 tank of fuel (less than my buddy's Yamaha Virago motorcycle) and I'd go well over 500 km's. The only reason I know this is because it took "xxx" km's to get to my destination and back, and then I'd drive a bit in town before running out of gas (happened quite frequently).

Subsequent trips to local parts store had me pick up two 25L gas cans to carry in the back. Made my car smell like fumes, but it kept me awake and never got stranded again because of lack of fuel.

I've taken this thing where no Hummer would dare go (or fit for that matter). Up trails barely wider than 4', at angles where you wonder why the tops of the trees are all of a sudden below the horizon.

Drove through many a huge urban lake (puddles a city block long and two feet deep) and although it slowed me down, Moses parted the water and kept on pushing through. It was like Thomas the Train, only from Japan with 4x4 capabilities.

Only drawback to performance was that I had to draft behind semi's to go over 100 km/h. They caught on and after that, I'd have to lie in wait at 90 km/h for the next host to draft behind.