OK, I know it looks odd but mechanically etc what are they like to own/drive?
Parents have seen one and have really taken to it. It is the 4wd auto version.
Only concern I have is its low mileage. Only 26000 in nearly 10 years - bad sign or just a local town car?
Up at £3000 too which I think is a bit pricey but suspect dealer will quote 'low mileage' as the reason.
Thanks.
Andrew
|
|
My God, you could get a 2004 Ignis for that!
|
|
|
I'd deffo have a chat to your local suzuki dealer about parts availability, some will be common to the other jeeps but these sold in quite small numbers as people didn't take to them. £3k is a lot & I hate low mijleage cars they normally start giving trouble once used regularly. Seized brakes, leaks etc.
|
|
|
|
Are you sure it's 4wd?
|
|
The X90 certainly is a car you either love or loathe. (I'm one of the latter!) Its impractical, gutless, not 4x4 (if its an auto), has a very choppy ride and £1k is too much for it - as you certainly will find it nigh on impossible to sell on. It was a PR designed model that didn't last long, being neither sporty, "fun" or image building.
|
|
Just want to point out that colino is being far too generous about this car - it's much, much worse than that.
|
Thanks for the feedback! lol
I have passed the comments on to them. It definitely IS 4x4 though and Auto. There is such a version listed and it definitely has a transfer lever.
They like it because it IS different but I have raised my concerns about it.
I'll wait and see :)
Andrew
|
Utterly impractical, but most likely reliable. Looks are a personal choice. If its low mileage then I would study the SH very carefully to make sure it has been done throughly as many people skimp on things when they dont use the car often.
Its not a car you buy for driving but its one of those cars you buy because nothing else will do.
I hope that if they pay anything near that asking price that they intend to get 10 years motoring out of it or they will loose a packet. There is I believe an owners club, which may be a good source for unusual bits should they need them.
|
Andy, can you steer your parents towards, say, a cabrio Vitara? Soft top and 2 rear seats, and *probably* easier to sell on (although it´s the lesser of two evils).
Just a thought.
|
|
Im not sure that it is the lesser to be honest - the Vitara is one of the least reliable jap cars there is so they may be better off with the Suzuki. The Vitaras of the same age of the Suzuki rust badly and tend to be riddled with little problems.
|
|
OK-I'm the idiot who was thinking of buying one. Why ?? Well, my wife needs a replacement for an ancient Nova, and she suffers from a "bad leg" so an automatic would be good. This also means she has difficulty getting into a sports car, and she will only drive "small" cars. We need a decent sized boot, and we would like a "fun" car with detatchable roof or similar. BUT, it has to live outside, and our experience with soft-tops is they get damp if left outside and not used for a week or two. Finally, we only want to spend about £3k. The X90 seems to fit all of these. The fact that it is 4x4 is, to some degree, irrelevant, and we actually like its quirky looks. If you have any other suggestions which might meet our needs, let me know.
|
Going back to Aprilia's first suggestion, I think the Ignis may well suit your needs quite well.
You can get them at 3 years old for about £3000, and being a more recent Suzuki they've really tightened their quality up over the years -- they were never bad cars as such, but they were built to a price and tended not to age especially well. That seems to have changed now though.
|
|
Incidentally TopGear voted this car the worst of all time -- although given that Clarkson has also voted the Vauxhall Vectra, Hyundai Accent and Nissan Sunny the worst car of all time at various times, none of which are bad cars (I've owned all three, ahem, well the Vectra was a Cavalier but that was a Mk1 Vectra anyway) so how much faith you put into that is up to you.
|
I think what it comes down to with JC is that he doesnt like bread and butter cars that just get from A to B because he can afford cars which are a whole lot more interesting. If I was buying a supercar, then I would take notice of him as he knows what hes talking about.
I think James May is far more objective when it comes to cheaper and older cars.
|
|
|
I have to confess that I always thought the X90 looked like a modern Citroen Bijou and I rather like the Bijou for its quirkiness. Leaving looks aside though, I think the main worry is that its full name in many markets is the Vitara X90 and as has been said, the Vitara does not have a good reputation. My neighbour had an automatic Vitara soft-top which gave her lots of trouble, started to fall apart trimwise and wasn't even comfortable for her getting in an out with a bad back. However, if the one you are considering has been well-looked after then it may well be worth taking a chance on it suiting your purposes but at less than £3K. For £3000 it is difficult to see which automatics would offer the same quirkiness or fresh air; a Shogun soft top would be older and possibly rarer; likewise a Mercedes G soft top from the 80s would be dearer as well. I am not sure if the Toyota RAV4 would havean autobox in that price range but the first generation were quite different to look at and some had convertible backs like the Land Rover Freelander. You could get a Suzuki Jimny auto of quite recent vintage for that money because there is just no demand but I am not absolutely sure whether the soft top also came with an auto in the UK as it does in France. Buy an aftermarket hardtop for the cabriolet version and you have quite a nice little runabout.
|
|
|
|
|
">Suzuki X90 - thoughts?<"
Awful thing, but it's a buyer's market. £500 with full MOT.
£3k is bonkers.
|
|
|
|
One other thought. If, despite the excessive asking price, you still like this car check under the bonnet for a sticker indicating where it was built. I'd feel happier for long-term reliability in one that said Made in Japan rather than Made in Spain like the majority of Vitaras sold in the UK. If it says anything about Made in USA then keep the chequebook in your pocket. If no stickers, take a look at the side window glass for a makers name, language or even country. It looks like a Citroen Ami 6 saloon too, I've just remembered.
|
|
|
