USED Suzuki Alto Hatchback (97 - 06)

My car

I have just had the car for a week, bought second hand from a dealer and in an immaculate condition. It has 11600 on the clock. It was bought as a second car to replace a 5 year old Grand Vitara.

I estimate, after 320 miles, from the still 1/4 full fuel tank, that I'm getting 60mpg. However the proof will come when I fill up for the first time.

I have done a mixture of town, country A/B roads and motorway driving in the week and the car more than held it's own in all types of traffic conditions. It is a bit slack at 50+ but judicious use of the gearbox sorts that out.

It easily carried 2 sets of golf clubs and power trollies with extra clothing and I think that it will serve well as a second car/runabout.

All in all a good little vehicle and I think your reviewers need to lighten up a bit and consider vehicles like this more positively in the light of increasing fuel bills and road taxes.

My car

I'm a proud Alto owner.

The alto is problily the best cost to value car i have ever bought. The one i have at the moment is the second one i have had from new. The only down points that i could say about the current 05 model is that the suspension is a little soft and a set of alloy wheels with bigger tyres would solve all my problems with the car.

My golf clubs fit nicely in the boot including the trolly. It is quick off the mark and a fun car to have. After driving several other small cars over the last week (polo , pugs etc ) i was glad to get back into my alto.

If they where ever to make a sports version it would take over the boy racer market.

My car

Ignore the professional reviews on the Alto - yes this car doesn't compare well to some of the rivals costing several thousand pounds more but is not only affordable to buy but has low running costs with VED costing just £40 for the year and over 50MPG. For the price you actually get more than a lot of the rivals - ABS with EBD, electric windows, cd, central locking and dual air bags. The drive isn't bad either I've covered 5500 miles since buying mine three months ago and have found it comfortable even over longer journeys - it's also fairly nippy on the low end acceleration but does seem to give up slightly once it hits 50 which can be a pain out of town.

This car has far more going for it than you would expect for the price (I paid £5800 on the road including gap insurance, servicing for £30,000 miles and a couple of other extras as well) and if anyone says "oh, the Alto depreciates fast" it costs less than £6k to buy so even if you sold it for £50 scrap you've only lost £5550 and a top of the range Astra loses £2k more than that in the 1st 12 months!

My car

I’ve had this car from new, since September 2005, in metallic black and with Suzuki alloy wheels.

So far, I have been very pleased with it. For a first car, I can't complain - for town driving, it's faultless, but for runs over 60mph, there is a fair bit of over-revving, which is understandable for a 1.1-litre car. However, price-wise, which is this car's primary attribute, it is very reasonable, and has everything you would expect from a modern car - power steering, ABS, traction control, driver and front passenger airbags and front electric windows.

I replaced the stereo and the two front speakers. Although the included entertainment package was satisfactory, I preferred a little more volume to my music.

Another few positives are from a parking perspective - it is a very easy car to drive, with a fantastic turning circle and all controls logically positioned.

This car is built very cheaply, but to be honest what can you expect for its price? The interior is basic but tidy. Having taken a full load in this car on a 200-mile stretch including long motorway use, I found it capable of handling this, but not excellent at it.

What Car's review for this vehicle is far too negative, and is trying to compare it with a vehicle that you would, understandably, pay a lot more money for. With this vehicle, you certainly get a lot for your money.