- GREAT gas mileage
- Good kick to the engine, for a low-end sub-compact
- CHEAP (paid $8800 CDN in 1996, as a 1-year old Budget rental car)
- Good resale value (looking at nearly 75% of purchase cost)
- Comfortable to drive for long periods of time (i.e. > 2 hours at a time)
- Nice design, much sleeker than 1994 model
- Roomy trunk, and lots of cargo room for a hatchback if you put the back seats down
- Great visibility, barely any blind spots

- No A/C (argh.)
- It's very low-end. :)
- Stereo & speakers suck big time - had them replaced quickly
- Back seat is a tight fit

I've had this car since I graduated high school in 1996. It's taken me through thick and thin, and it's still in good shape, not much wear and tear, 92000 km.

I've got the auto transmission, bare-bones base model, with no other extras whatsoever. Barely any need for servicing.

No noticeable rust, barely any road damage, only had to change tires 1.5 times (once the front tires, then this year all 4).

The 1995 model's design is much better than previous years (it looks 10x better than the 94 model, the trunk is totally redesigned and the lines of the car are a lot sleeker).

I'd recommend this car to anyone looking for a cheap first car with first-rate gas mileage. Extremely cheap to maintain - for example, I replaced all 4 tires recently for all-season radials, for $250.00 CDN. It's a steal for the value/cost.

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Engine, build quality, steering and handling (a budget Bimmer!), economy.

Thin metal: if I hadn't washed and waxed it every week it would have disintegrated in a pile of rust. (Whaddya want for 11G's?)
Noisy on the highway but sweet engine sounds compensate. Brakes suck...needs 4-wheel discs to handle the power.

Purchased new in 1993 for $11,000 CDN. Now has 304,000km on the original engine (never had the head off!), second clutch, had the tranny replaced at 200,000 because it slipped out of 4th (minor annoyance) but otherwise worked OK. Original CV boots and suspension. Drives like new. Engine excellent. Build quality bulletproof. Not a rattle anywhere. By far the best vehicle for the money ever built!
Change oil, put gas in, go forever.

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Great gas mileage. Very affordable in every way, from payments to insurance. Tight turning radius is a magor plus, (36 feet I believe). I drive 30 miles to work and love driving this pocket rocket through traffic jams. I recently rolled 93,000 miles and, knock on wood, she still runs like new, no repairs needed.

CRUISE CONTROL. Who forgot this feature?

I bought this car used for 4500. I highly recommend this car to anyone. Nothing compares if you are a value minded person like myself, although I still haven't forgotten the fact a Viper is still in my future!

The 1.3L 16v DOHC engine is very very powerfull. Mine has almost 200,000KM on it and it is still in PERFECT condition. it pumps out 100HP@6750RPM!! also has 93lbs of tourque... very impressive for a car that weighs 1700lbs! also come stock with 4 wheel DISK brakes!

like the civic, it likes to rust under the fenders...but regular rustproofing can prevent this.

This is by far the sweetest 3 door hatchback on the market...my GTI came with a stock bodykit, sweet 14" rims, racing bucket seats, A/C,Power everything, moonroof, and foglights! You can check out my car @ Http://www.geocities.com/swiftgti94
I have also done the 1/4 mile in 15.9 secs.
This is the fastest time I have seen for a stock hatckback.
lighter, faster, cheaper, very rare, very FUN!!!!
What else can u ask for??????
if you are also in the Ottawa area and have a Swift GTi please contact me
SwiftGTI94@home.com
--
Dale

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Honda Civic(smokes it), looks better, lighter, faster, cheaper!

reliablility and fuel economy

road noise

This car is the perfect cross town commuter. I have used mine to commute 50 km to work and back and it has been very reliable. It is far more powerful with the four cylinder than its Chevy cousin the sprint. Both made by suzuki, but the swift came with a few extras like a passenger side mirror, floor mats and rear wiper for less money. The swift also comes with dual air bags.

RIDE IS GREAT, CAR HAS BEEN SO RELIABLE,TRAVELS GREAT IN BAD WHEATHER,COST OF MAINTENACE, MINAMAL.IT IS THE ENERGIZER RABBIT OF THE CAR INDUSTRY, IT JUST KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING.

NOT ENOUGH DEALERS AROUND.THEY OPEN AND CLOSE IN A MINUTE

FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS A GREAT TRAVELLING CAR, GOOD ON GAS,LIITLE REPAIR, THIS CAR IS FO THEM. MY CAR HAS 325000KM. ON IT NOW AND KEEPS GOING AND GOING.

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Took this thing from Idaho to San Francisco for 1 week, and it only cost me thirty bucks in fuel!

No air. But roll down the windows, and drive as fast as you can without getting a speeding ticket, and it ain't so bad.

I think it's a great value, especially for those who are economically challenged. It's been definately worth the money I paid for it, and would also highly recommend it for those who inquire about it.
The stereo speakers DO suck. But, hey...they're not what gets me from point A to point B. Besides, those are easy to replace.

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-The little engine that could :p Twin Cam 16V DOHC. Zippy as hell and mine still gets 40 MPG!!!
-Huge hatch back area with rear seats folded down. No other hatch back I've owned could fit as much!
-Great styling, comes with body kit and slick paint job. (if I had a nickle for everytime I've been asked what kinda car it is I'd be rich!)
-Almost everything on this car is upgradeable, there are many companies that make hop-up parts for this car like Calmini in California.

-Resemblance to it's anemic econobox cousin, the Geo Metro.
-Stock stereo speakers, oh they are torture on the ears!

You Just can't go wrong!
I bought the car new in 95 it had only 5000 miles on it. It currently has over 80'000 miles on it and still drives like new. So far I've had to replace the tires once and replaced the cluth too. But I drive that car so hard because it's the type of car that just begs to be driven that way. One word of advice, if you own or purchase a Swift GTi with the DOHC 16V engine, when you go to replace the clutch don't get the factory clutch!!! For half the price of the factory clutch you can get a racing quality clutch from a company called Center Force. I have the Dual Friction Center Force clutch and it never fails.
Other than that this car is a real gem. When my spedo hit 75'000 miles I had the head pulled and the mechanic said he could see no wear and tear on the engine!!! Perhaps the due in part to the DURALUBE that I add to the engine oil every 30'000 miles but I've heard of other people putting over 200'000 miles on these engines and still running strong.
Sometimes I think Suzuki really didn't really what they had when they priced these cars. Nothing else on the market had fully independant dual wishbone suspension, 16v DOHC engine, 4 wheel disk breaks, for around 10'000 bucks and at the same time so cheap to operate and run.

So far this is the most realible, funnest to drive, least expensive car I've ever owned.

Oh one last thing if you own this car or any of it's cousins you can get the air filter much cheaper by going with the "Purolator" brand. Most stores have to special order it for you but it's $9.95 compared to $24.95 for the stock air filter. Works just as well.

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92 Honda civic. My Honda was very dependable like my Swift GTi, but was nowhere are fun to drive and way more expensive in every sense. Swift looks way nice too, not just "another" Honda *YAWN*
-1995 VW Golf GTi. It belongs to my roomate but I drive it too because he seems to find every conceivable reason why he needs to borrow my car and he lets me drive his instead. The Golf GTi is a descent car but it's like driving a Maytag regrigerator on wheels. Funniest thing is that he paid twice what I payed for my Swift GTi and it's need constant repair since he's bought it hehe. Well he doesn't think it's funny but I do. No where are fast as the Swift.

-Compact
-GOOOOD looking
-Gas mileage

-stock speakers
-sometimes hard to ger to reverse
-cheap interior plastic

I bought Suzuki in 1998, since than i have no problems at all with "SUZY",
i youst love that car and i think that i bought right car...

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