For years, the Suzuki Alto was the cheapest car in the Netherlands and has brought many people from A to B affordably and reliably. The best-selling Alto was that of the second generation and 30 years ago you could also buy it second-hand for relatively next to nothing.
With almost 200,000 units, the Alto is still the best-selling Suzuki model ever in the Netherlands. Only the Swift (160,000) comes close. The Alto offered the most important things you needed in a car for relatively little money and, moreover, did not let you down quickly. The reputation of reliability in combination with the attractive price tag ensured that the Alto was a direct hit in our country.
In 1992, the range of second-hand Altos was very large. So it’s high time to take a closer look at what you could get. We picked up a four-year-old Alto, one that had only done 22,000 kilometers and still had to fetch 7,750 guilders. New at that time, the same Alto cost just over 10,000 guilders for the entry-level to 17,000 guilders for the GLX Automatic. So you could already save quite a bit of money for such a young used copy, even though the Alto was not pricey when new.
A thorough inspection revealed that ‘our’ Alto had no signs of rust anywhere. You might not expect that now on a four-year-old car with so few kilometers behind it, but in 1992 that was really something to be very keen on, especially since the first generation of the Alto sometimes wanted to fall prey to corrosion. In the second Alto, the Japanese did it better. However, it was important to be alert to another ailment: “For example, the clutch generally has a short life; a result of city trips that cause a lot of wear and tear.” The exhaust was also a bit weak, because corrosion could sometimes throw a spanner in the works.
If you were to drive a 1988 Alto like this now, you might be surprised to learn that such a car was once quite acceptable. It is a very light and small thing and you can feel it. The three-cylinder is clearly heard and especially if you drive one with an automatic transmission, the performance will not be easy. It also feels quite thin. The bar was clearly set even lower in 1992: “Behind the wheel, you definitely don’t feel like you’re in a small car. Seat height and all-round view are almost reminiscent of a small middle class car. All in all, the Alto is a handy, very compact city ​​car, which you can still comfortably sit in with four people. It is economical, reasonably comfortable and it has enough temperament.” Highly recommended, if it were up to us. The second generation; the first was perhaps better left standing because of the rust problems.
In the AutoWeek used car range we find four Altos of the second generation and one of the first. You often pay a fairly hefty price for them now, but they have become rare cars. Plus, they’re still popping up with mileage readings that can’t mean anything other than that an old lady drove them in.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl