ozwald Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Greetings Dudes and Dudettes, I've just come back from holiday which included a week stay at the Nurburgring. Joined by a few friends for their first visit to the Eifel region and to give them some idea of why it is that I keep going back as often as I can afford, we got together and rented a Swift Sport from Rent4Ring. Well it was an absolute riot, brilliant little car and so much fun! Thoroughly recommended to anyone considering this if they want to experience the 'Ring but not risk their own car! Anyway, one of my mates who currently drives a Fiat Panda 100hp loved driving the Swift so much he has now decided he wants one. Having never brought a used car before he's a bit flummoxed by it all so I've offered my assistance in helping him obtain a Swift. So here's my first point of call, have any of you had any experience with the Swift Sport or can offer any useful advice or pointers? He'll be looking for a 05 model year car with budget between £5k -£7k, most likely travelling to the UK to buy as there don't appear to be any on the Island that aren't ridiculously overpriced when compared to UK cars, but that's a Jersey trait anyway. I've created an account on the UK Swift Owners club and have started sifting through the info on there but figured it was worth a post here as well! Cheers all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 NeilP's missus has one mate. He loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 My mate has one and gets nothing but stick about having a chick car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cragus Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 My bro and yes Neilp's missus have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 My partner got one from new,58 plate. The only reliability issue she has had, is that the emissions light kept coming on,and she had the occasional time when it would start on 2nd attempt,not first. Took it into the dealership and they replaced the cat,which is part of the manifold,so was a big job. Luckily was still within warranty,so didnt cost anything. Maybe it was the short ish trips she kept doing, the dealership hadnt come across the issue before,so maybe just a one off. When the car was new,the brakes never felt great,but the dealership bled the brakes a few times,and they were alot better,even better now she has Greenstuff pads in there. The other issue she had was the wheels corroding from the back of the spokes and bubbling up the spokes. These were replaced under warranty too,so maybe keep an eye out for that. Other than that,she had a couple of squeaky trim issues,but thats it. The car has been really good and reliable. One thing i will say,is that its not great on a long run,its abit busy and noisy as its only a 5 speed box. (The mk2 has a 6 speed box) Its a great little car though, i drive it from time to time on my own,and its great to throw around the roundabouts of MK,and it has enough power to make things fun. Any questions,just ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 My windows stopped working, my driver seat got replaced for squeaking, ESP fooked up on it. Had it since 6 months old and 4k on clock. Now 25k on clock and it's starting to show some flaws. Most stuff was fixed under warranty but ESP went after warranty and I haven bothered fixing it as I think I may sell it. As for the driving experience, what a car! So much fun! The handling is out of this world in standard format. Only problem now is you can't get the Goodyear gsd3's in the correct size and it's the only decent tyre available. Aside all the little flaws it is a tremendous little car for the money and very quick and rev happy. Would I buy another? probably yes. If your mate could spare a few K extra I'd recommend a cooper s jcw as its a similar drive, better build but alot quicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sasha@lazytrips Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 My brother-in-law owns one and we've driven around Europe in it. My personal opinion is that there are far better small cars out there. Seating position is a bit like a bus driver, no steering feel, pants handling... in fact didn't like much about it at all. Just my personal 2c. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Went for Toyo T1R's as replacements for the GSD's,and they seem pretty good,similar price too. Would be nice to lower the seat 50mm or so,but its all part of the car. I think every car has niggles and the odd issue. Its a great little car,and Evo gave it great reviews after 6 months of owning one,which is a good sign. I did find brake discs hard to come by, the only ones i could get were original Suzuki ones,though you can get a variety of pads. Id also check the rear beam too,as its very clearly stated that it should not be used to jack the car up,as you can on most cars with a rear beam. So check this for damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozwald Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Thanks guys, plenty of stuff for me to look into. I'll mention the Mini to him Neil and see what he thinks. I'd like to presume that prices for parts if they do need replacing will be cheapish with it being a Suzuki... or this completely wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 My ESP fault is looking a bit expensive to be honest from what I've heard. Don't know how anybody can say it doesn't handle. With the gsd3's on it it's like a go kart. Reminds me of my old c2vts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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