Which Friendly Little Suzuki Could Warm Your Cold Heart? 1997 Alto Works vs 1999 Vitara

It’s easy to be cynical about cars these days. Prices are high, styling is by and large atrocious, and everything feels way too serious. Add in all this self-driving folderol and the headaches that go along with a car being connected to the internet, and the modern automotive landscape can make you want to give it all up and just walk everywhere. But luckily, I have a one-word cure for your gearhead blues: Suzuki.

Yesterday was all about Nissan. We looked at cars from two different eras, and considering Nissan’s reputation in recent years, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the older Stanza won. The Versa may have done better if it had a manual, but the CVT’s reputation sealed its fate.

Ordinarily, I would choose the Stanza as well, but I remembered, too late to mention it, that the Stanza has automatic seat belts. I can grudgingly tolerate them, but my wife hates them, so the old beige box could never find a home in our garage. I rented a first-generation Versa back when they were new, and it was fine. I’m sure it still is.

Suzuki stopped selling cars in the US in 2012, after two and a half decades. It all started with the Samurai and the badge-engineered Chevy Sprint, both of which defined the term “cheap and cheerful.” The company still sells motorcycles, ATVs, and boat engines here, but we are denied the latest iterations of fun little vehicles like the Swift and the Jimny. We have to get our Suzuki fix on the used market. Fortunately, lots of cool little Suzukis have aged into import eligibility and have found their way to the US. Today, we’re going to take a look at one such import, and one small SUV that was sold here new.

1997 Suzuki Alto Works – $7,500

Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 658 cc DOHC inline 3, three-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Durham, NC

Odometer reading: 130,000 kilometers

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Japanese kei vehicles are a hot topic these days; these pint-sized cars seem to have taken American car culture by storm. The vast majority of kei cars aren’t all that interesting, though; most are just boring little hatchbacks. Enthusiasts tend to favor the spicier variants. After all, it costs the same to import a regular Suzuki Alto as it does this turbocharged Works model, so why not go for the fun version?

I didn’t realize this until I started looking into them, but the majority of kei cars are automatics. You’d think small cars would benefit from a manual transmission, but I guess traffic is bad enough in Japan to make the automatic more desirable. Kei engines are limited to 660 cubic centimeters, and a “gentleman’s agreement” between automakers limits horsepower to 64, but this Alto, like many others, pushes right up to those limits. I would imagine that just about anything modern could outrun this thing, but it sure looks fast, and I bet it feels fast, since it’s so small. It just had a bunch of maintenance work done, including the timing belt, so it should be good to go.

The interior is in good shape, and it includes these racy-looking seats. It is of course right-hand-drive, which presents all sorts of challenges in a left-hand-drive country, but kei cars are pretty narrow. There’s a chance you could just lean across to reach drive-thru windows.

It has been repainted, and it looks like it used to be white. I’m not sure if I consider the red an improvement, but it is nice and shiny. The wheels have some scuffs on them, but that’s all I see. I do love the double rear spoiler, though I don’t know how much good it does on a car with a top speed of 85 MPH.

1999 Suzuki Vitara JX – $4,995

Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, 4WD

Location: Kent, WA

Odometer reading: 166,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Suzuki first built a small 4×4 way back in 1970, and first sold one in America in 1986. The Jimny, sold here as the Samurai, was a big hit – despite Consumer Reports‘ best efforts – and in 1989 it was followed up with a larger and more sophisticated model, the Sidekick. The Sidekick was also sold through Chevy/Geo dealers as the Tracker. For the second generation, Suzuki dropped the Sidekick name in favor of Vitara, the name used in the rest of the world. By the time this one was built, most Vitaras were four-door wagons. This two-door convertible is uncommon.

The old Samurai and Sidekick were not known for an excess of power. This second generation does a bit better, with a 2.0-liter four that makes 127 horsepower and 134 pound-feet of torque. This one has an automatic transmission, which wouldn’t be my first choice, but sometimes you have to take what you can get. It’s being sold by a dealer, so we don’t get any history. As always, you’d be wise to do a careful inspection, or bring along someone who can.

The Vitara is a lot nicer and more car-like than earlier Suzuki 4x4s. It has power windows and air conditioning and all that good stuff, which makes it a little more pleasant to live with if you drive it daily. It also has cool seat fabric, though it does sort of give Extended Stay sofa vibes.

I don’t think it’s actually green on the bottom; I think that’s just a weird tone in the photos. It’s probably silver. This would have originally come with a soft top, but it wears an aftermarket cap that sort of looks like a tiny truck topper. Whether or not it still includes the soft top, I don’t know. It also looks like it might have had a tow bar on the front bumper too; these were popular as tow-behind vehicles for RVs, because of the manual transfer case. Put it in neutral, and you can flat-tow it easily.

These are both a little expensive for what they are, but that’s just how the market is these days. Sure, they’d be more engaging with manual transmissions, but if you can’t have fun with an automatic, you aren’t trying hard enough. And these two both look like fun to me. Which one looks like more fun to you?