Suzuki Esteem

[daudioman24]

hey guys i just have one question for everyone in the Esteem/Baleno forum and i hope that i dont piss anyone off... but i come in here about everyday and this site is litteraly like being apart of a grass growing watchers party. it is the same handful of people that actually make any posts or threads on here. how many people are actually on here these days? like i had originally said i dont want to piss anyone off but, i just wanted to know why this site dont move at all?

[tiochristopher]

Just an observation about the Esteem/Baleno it self. Very few of these were sold,compared to other brands. In the USA at any rate they were most of the time bought by people that did not do much performance driving. They are pretty much equal to appliances. Dependable for the most part but forgettable. Just like your kitchen fridge. 12 years from their introduction into the USA, their numbers are less and less each year. Maybe that is why this part of the forum is quiet.


In Europe and other parts of the world there has been a lot of modifications done by owners. They are still built in India.

[thejerkson]

Personally the certain amount of scarcity appealed to me because it seemed to keep the cost down. Foe 3000 dollars Canadian I got my 99 esteem with 73,000 kilometers on it. I was also looking at the Mazda Protege and I could never have gotten anything comparable to that.

The scarcity has been a problem servicing it however. It is strange though how they're not very popular here. My neighbor is from Afghanistan and he told us they're very popular over there. I guess it all has to do with what people value. Economy, price, practicality or speed, looks and gadgets.

[jim_naisium]

Car that don't break down very often tend to not need fixing, even then this car was so well designed that nothing has ever stumped me on how to fix it, therefore this car gets very few postings on people needing help with repairs.

Last time I checked with the dealer the 99 Esteem Sedan that I have has had zero recalls on it, the only thing he could find was the release papers that let it leave the factory.

[Xelkos]

Well, I only happened onto this forum when doing a spec search on Google. I have since added the forum to my personal web pages and blogs, in the hope more will find it too.

I know of half a dozen Suzuki on campus, all are Esteems; more sedan, two wagons. Went to get into my wagon last week and wondered who stole all my bumper stickers, and really wondered what was up with the paint job being so dingy. Got up to the drivers side, saw automatic and a baby carrier in the back seat. Wrong wagon! What are the chances of that happening? Mine was parked two stalls away.
Guess this was the wagon I saw last term, I pulled out, and on circling the loop to exit the lot, I could of sworn I saw a Suzuki like mine pull in same stall.

No offense to the ladies, I think the female drivers don't use the internet like guys do, and if at all.
Of the owners that I have seen, my evidence of childcare goods littered throughout, most on campus are female.

There are a few I see on the road with newer Suzuki rigs, one likes to race me to the Shell station in Oregon about every other day (mixed college class schedules).

Esteems seem to be more dependable then the old Volkswagens. I've had mine for 8 months, and not had a problem yet. I have had the A/C recharged, and it really didn't help.

Added a few features like; fog lights, carpeted dash cover to kill road glare, floor mats, winter studded tires, new battery, yanked out the donut and styrofoam spacer, installed a full sized (Toyota wheel) spare with new M&S tire.
Dependability probably is the reason why there's not as much activity on this variety of the Suzuki lineup.

I've seen roughly 5 Esteem wagons, and 8 sedans, A sexy orange RX4 crossover (drool), and an RX4 red I think (the one that races me weekly). Actually surprised there's that many Suzuki on the road in this area. Closest Suzuki dealer is 150 miles away. - I'm the third owner of my Esteem, and all three owners been registered in Fruitland, Idaho.

I'd say the lack of activity seen is due to not knowing the site, computer illiteracy, and dependability of the lineup.

[jim_naisium]

I have seen a number of them here in Portland, not very many though, they seem to be a rather rare car, of all of them that I have seen only one was a GLX and none of them have been station wagons. I have seen station wagons online, I cannot say that I am impressed with them they look identical to the sedan model they just bolted on a different rear end. If they had done a better job blending the mid-section to the back I might like them better.

But anyway, I found mine at the Saturn dealer (used), have had it for roughly seven years, besides regular maintenance and a battery the only unexpected thing that happened was the oxygen sensor went out, it has been a very dependable car.

Xelkos: Check out my website: http://home.comcast.net/~lj_robins/99suzuki/ go to the BELTS section and try tightening up the AC/PS belt, that might make your AC work better. I used to live in Eastern Oregon, AC is your best friend!

[Xelkos]

Yeah, I heard the A/C is more useful then just air conditioning. It actually helps to dehumidify the windshield/side windows while the heater/defrost is on.

Thought it was funny, as I had cracked the windows down a hair, but no help. Accidentally hit the A/C button and the window fog vanished! Only realized the A/C was on when I moved the Zune mobile mount to one side and seen the A/C button was enabled. (it gets pushed over as I change the left heater button options from defrost to direct mode to warm my fingers).

http://myweb.cableone.net/land4lizar...gs/console.jpg
(hope the picture doesn't autoload)

[jim_naisium]

My Esteem is completely un-drivable without the AC going, the windows fog over in a matter of minutes, even with the heat on all the way up and the windows all the way down it wouldn't un-fog itself, a friend told me about turning the AC on, *POOF* fog is gone.