1992 Suzuki Vitara JLX from Iceland - Comments

The water pump started leaking at 200000, replaced easily.

Rear right power window ripped a wire.

Heater motor is worn after 11 years of use.

Axle boot ripped at 195000.

It's super-reliable, always starts immediately, it even has the original battery. (as a sign of little cranking needed)

After 200000km the engine still has full 9.5:1 compression and doesn't burn oil at all.

The 1.6L engine moves the car forward, but lacks low-end torque.

Road noise is extremely low due to excellent suspension and good ground clearance.

Handling is ok, but a little under steered, the front end is much heavier than the back end, so it switches ends easily on slippery roads, but connecting the front wheel drive fixes that problem completely.

Driving in heavy side winds is hell, the door rubbers don't stand much against side winds, and due to the large flat side surface, the wind pushes the car a lot.

With four wheel drive, a transfer case and such, the car is still lighter than many front-wheel driven cars (1160kg from the factory)

Fuel economy is ok when cruising, goes low as 10 liters per 100km.

The 55L gas tank is fine in the city, but a little small for road trips.

There's little rust except in the wheelbases and below the doors. The bottom has no rust at all, pretty good for being driven in the salt drenched streets of Reykjavik every winter.

The front seats are comfortable, and sitting at this level is nice, rather than sitting on the ground.

The back seats lack legroom so they get a bit tiring during long trips.

Cargo space is rather small, but with the back seats folded away there's way enough room.

It's a good reliable car, but it hasn't got the space needed for a 5-person family.

I have Suzuki Vitara 92' 1.6 16V. I have it for almost a year now and (knock knock on the wood) there weren't any problems at all.. Really no problems: I changed oil and filters once and that's it. Fuel ecconomy is also great. It spends about 8 litres of fuel per 100km at summer (with lockers unlocked) combined (city + country) and once it spent 7,2 l/100km when I did 600km in one piece. It is fun to drive, engine runs smooth. But it is not a car to race with, because there is not enough engine power to do this. Anyway, this car is not meant for very high speeds and sport driving...