Matt Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 This turned into a wall of text, sorry (not sorry) Just testing the water here as I have been having thoughts of replacing this recently as I could do with something a bit bigger and would like something a bit tidier and more refined too but I'm not really sure what it's worth these days (probably less than I'm willing to tell myself!). I only bought it as a stop gap in September 2013 but I've ended up owning it all this time, have done way more miles in it than any other car with little drama and honestly I would hate to see it go to someone who would just run it into the ground. Solid future Festival Of The Unexceptional material, invest now! This platform started out life in 1989 so while it is a 2002 registered car I guess it's more late 80's/early 90's under the skin. They have thinned out pretty hard in the last few years it seems as there aren't that many for sale at any given time. It has the 54bhp 993cc G10 3 cylinder engine and a 5-speed manual. I bought it in 2013 from the second owner with 49k miles on it and it now has 82k miles. MOT'd until the 24th of September but I highly doubt that I will be selling it before putting another 12 months on it. Part service history with the cambelt done about 20k miles ago. Two keys.A Wet Dalveen Pass / A702 by Matt S, on FlickrA Wet Dalveen Pass / A702 by Matt S, on FlickrIMG_0380 by Matt S, on FlickrBucket Seats by Matt S, on Flickr The goodIt's stupid cheap to runI've averaged 53 MPG over 32k miles and have squeezed just over 60 MPG out of it on longer runs. Insurance is cheap, parts are cheap, tyres are cheap. Tax is £115 for 12 months. It has been very reliableIn the five years I've had it the number of major issues has been pretty low. Both front brake calipers have been replaced with reconditioned ones after the pistons corroded and just today I had the sump replaced after the ill fitting non-OEM exhaust rubbed a hole in the original. It needed a small patch to the floor on the drivers front corner for the MOT last September. The only other issue that comes to mind was a misfire caused by a dodgy HT lead ages ago. The MOT history was basically spotless until last year and in the first couple of years I had it a couple of different mechanics remarked at how tidy it was. I have a set of 'OZ For Suzuki' 7 spoke, 13 inch alloy wheels to go with the car but they need a bit of work and paint.The badThe holed sump meant that I took it off the road for 3 months while trying to find a replacement. The only one I was able to find arrived with a small hole further up one the side and after trying to find a better one for a while I gave up and repaired the second sump with chemical metal. That was fitted today. The brake pedal is a bit soft and having sat for 3 months they may want some attention as they were a bit noisy driving it to the garage this morning. They occasionally stick on after sitting overnight but free off with a clunk. I had another Swift a while ago that had sat for 5 years and it had a nice solid pedal which made me realise that this one is softer. I'm not really sure why that is on either car. It needs a a small bit of welding done on the near side inner sill as there is a small hole just behind the rear left front passenger seat mount. It won't fail MOT's because its hidden behind the carpet but because I know it's there I cannot in good conciseness pretend other wise. The offside sill has a scab at the rear. I don't think it'll go through on it's MOT next month but will need attention. It has a bit of a motley selection of tyres at the moment. I had a matching set of Goodyear's on it but they were worn out just before Christmas last year so I opted for four part worns at the time. The floor on these cars needs an eye kept on them these days as they can rust right the way along the sides. This one had some surface rust appearing along them so I rubbed it back, applied Kurust, zinc primer and a few coats of paint about six months ago. Anyone who remembers AlabamaShrimp's one will know what I mean but mine was by no means close to that point. It has been rear ended at some point in it's life so the rear lights/bumper don't quite fit right, the rear 'wall' panel is bent inwards, the boot floor is bent slightly making the spare wheel a bit of a PITA to remove and there is a small buckle on the front floor panel where it meets the rear floor panel. It is not a particularly comfortable car. A lot of road & wind noise enters the cabin, the suspension is unrefined and the sporty bucket seats are quite firm. It is a small, cheap city car so all of that is to be expected I guess but after 5 years and having been driving my dads 2010 Hyundai i10 recently I'm kind of fed up of that aspect of it now.EquipmentColour coded bumpersFront fog lightsPower steeringColour coded, electrically adjustable door mirrorsBucket seatsRoof spoilerCentral locking (not remote)Main history points201806-08-2018 - 82,000k milesSump replaced for second hand part + Shell 5w30. 09-02-2018 - 81,300 milesMobil Super 2000 & Bosch oil filter 201731-05-2017 - 76,751 milesMobil Super 2000 & Bosch oil filter 201631-10-2016 - 73,233 milesMobil Super 2000 & Bosch filter + Wynns Engine Flush used 03-08-2016 - 70,600 milesBosch spark plugs 20-07-2016 - 70, 300 milesIgnition leads, rotor arm. 18-05-2016 - 67,441 milesRear wheel cylinders & brake fluid 07-02-2016 - 67,400 milesCastrol GTX & Bosch oil filter 07-01-2016 - 67,088 milesO/S/F caliper & brake fluid replaced. 201504-12-2015 - 66,699 milesCam belt, gearbox oil, fuel filter and wheel bearing replaced 24-09-2015 - 65,774 milesN/S/F brake caliper replaced. 201410-03-2014 - 53,904Eicher brake discs & pads (front) 201300-10-2013 - 49,394Rotor arm, distributor cap, Crossland air filter, Bosch spark plugsSo what's it worth and does anyone here want it? I'm in Dumfries & Galloway, DG5. ProgRocker, Aston Martin and The Moog 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Moog Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 I can imagine that Bucketeers pants will be quivering. A 3 cylinder from a foreign country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiC Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 Aren't these things pretty unburstable? I believe the USA version is popular as an electric car conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share Posted August 7, 2018 Aren't these things pretty unburstable? I believe the USA version is popular as an electric car conversion. Mechanically, pretty much. The only real problem I know of with the G10 engine is the potential to burn one of the exhaust valves but I've only ever seen that reported in North America. Rust it the only major problem with them really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavcraft Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 You need to whack a price on it really, chief, as people won't really know what to offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 These are a decent enough buzzabout and surprisingly nippy for a 1-litre. The ride really is rather hard though, on shite Norfolk back roads at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retropnaed Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 This could be the very thing I require but to buy I would need to know the Matt retail price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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