Good morning, and welcome back to Shitbox Showdown! Time to start your week off right with another round of weird cheap old cars. So let’s finish up with Friday’s lost causes and then we’ll dive in: 
Looks like a clear win for the SM. Several commenters made the case that Citroen’s famous hydraulic system isn’t that hard to work on; you just need to understand it. I suppose that’s true; the secret to a good coq au vin is simply following the recipe. But that doesn’t make it any easier.
Today’s choices have more in common than it may seem at first glance: both are all-wheel-drive, both have four-cylinder engines, both have little fixed quarter windows between the door pillar and widnshield, and both are up for sale because they are too small for their intended purpose. Also, they’re both a little left-of-center, which puts them right in our wheelhouse.
2009 Suzuki SX4 – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, part-time AWD
Location: Lacey, WA
Odometer reading: 185,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep
Suzuki doesn’t sell cars in the U.S. anymore, and that’s a shame. Suzuki motorcycles already had a hold in the U.S. in the mid-80s when the Samurai hit our shores and created a legend. Since then, Suzuki has been known for tiny, tough 4x4s like David’s beloved Chevy Tracker. Suzuki’s tiny hatchbacks have also gained a following thanks to the success of the Geo Metro. So what could be better than a Suzuki hatchback with four-wheel-drive?
The SX4 came to America in the 2007 model year, available with all-wheel-drive and either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual. This 2009 model has another trick up its sleeve: You can select FWD, AWD, or traditional 4WD with the center diff locked. Obviously, even full-on 4WD won’t give it the off-road ability of the Samurai/Tracker/Sidekick/Vitara, but it’s probably a big help in snow.
This SX4 is in good shape. It has new tires, and has also had the catalytic converter and O2 sensors replaced, so there should be no problems with a smog test. The main reason the seller is letting the vehicle goes is its size; apparently it “won’t baby.” The seller also complains that the car is slow, but come on; it’s an automatic AWD economy car. What were you expecting, a Ferrari?
1992 Toyota Previa AWD – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, AWD
Location: Snoqualmie, WA
Odometer reading: 233,000 miles
Runs/drives? Sure does
When the minivan craze hit, and every automaker who wasn’t Chrysler was sent scrambling, they all used different strategies to get their own piece of the action. Toyota chose to import a version of its weird cab-over TownAce/MasterAce van and called it, rather unimaginatively, the “Toyota Van.” It sold well, but the market moved on and demanded bigger vans. Enter the Previa. Still weird, with an inline four lying almost on its side under the floor, and a rounded spaceship style that wasn’t like anything else on the road.
This Previa is even better, with all-wheel-drive for better traction in foul weather. It also appears to be shod with oversize tires on what might be Jeep Cherokee wheels. They look cool, but I worry they’ll rub. The seller says the tires are new, at any rate. It also has a new battery and fresh spark plugs, which are a big deal on this van because they’re not easy to get to.
This van is in good shape, but it does have a lot of miles on it. But I don’t think I’ve seen a Previa under 200,000 miles since maybe 2003; these things rack up the miles. Like the SX4 above, this seller says they’re selling it because it’s too small, not for a kid, but for their dog. (Which begs the question: what kind of dog is too big for a minivan?)
If you want something all-wheel-drive, you can take the easy obvious route and get yet another Subaru, or you can be bold and choose something a little cooler. Like one of these. Which one will it be?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I have had only really bad experiences with Suzuki. many friends went that route then quickly sent them off to another life or probably the junk heap in many cases, something about blown head gaskets and costly repair prices. Anyway, I am kind of impressed this one has nearly 200K on the clock. but in the end which would you trust more, a toyota with 200K or a Suzuki with 200K.
This is only complicated because the Suzuki is 17 years younger. Previa AWD is such an outlandish and therefore cool ride.
I made an account to comment on this because I’m a little nutty about the Previa. The spark plugs are actually super easy to replace. 4 bolts and the passenger seats come off. Peel away the carpet and undo an access panel and you’ll have 4 spark plugs staring you in the face. Also I sadly sold my Previa with only 126k on it in 2017. I still miss that car;
What a cool car the Previa was. We had this one’s mirror-image Doppelganger (RHD) as a company car, supercharged, 4WD in the same colour. It is not an eco-mobile: if the engine had been a bit quieter I always half expected to hear the fuel swirling out of the tank making a sound like a bathtub emptying.
I was all in on the Previa, but those tires are DEFINITELY rubbing! Major red flag for me.
It’s actually possible and even commonplace to change tires.
Those wheels simultaneously do and do not work on the Previa. But I’ve always loved that egg-shaped thing, and you of course get to say you have a mid engine minivan which is bonus cool points. Forget that it makes maintenance that much worse, it SOUNDS cool.
I have a soft spot for the Previa… so that gets my vote.
Suzuki. I will always choose the Suzuki.
Yesssss!
WTF happens to people’s brains when they have kids? Postpartum retardation? Do they just pile up on so much junk they need huge vehicles to go anywhere?
I have a good friend who ‘babied’ two kids in an SX4 without complaint. Hell, I grew up with two siblings and we had a VW bug for a family car and we turned out fine. I guess.
My experience? Car seats. Here in CA, kids are in them until 7. A lot of small vehicles simply do not fit car seats adequately. Counter example: Our 03 Saturn Vue could go three car seats across in the back. But anything smaller and the front seat has to be all the way forward, or it won’t fit at all in the middle, or both.
It’s definitely car seats. We had a wonderful little VW polo. Totally fine little second car, until baby #2 came along. If I were driving it my 4 year old (at the time) because of the car seat didn’t fit comfortably behind me (I’m not tall, just have long legs, like I fit in my dads driving position and he’s a good 3-4 inches taller than me, so not the cars fault), the pram didn’t fit in the boot – again not the cars fault, we stupidly bought a big pram with kid #1 – but with a rear facing car seat once our daughter was out of the capsule the front passenger seat was near useless. We all got into it one day when our Outback was being serviced and my wife and I looked at each other with a look of, this doesn’t work does it? So we swapped it for a Ford Kuga (escape) – would’ve kept the polo of kids car seats werent so huge.
I’ll second the carseat comment. We had an Outback and a Tuscon when our first kid was born and that worked fine. Second kid was born 14mo later, and the rear facing car seats didn’t work behind my drivers seat either the car seat was squeezed or the I was. We swapped the Tucson for a Kia Carnival and my wife took the Outback (she’s a lot shorter than I am). The other part of it for use is the amount of *stuff* you have to bring when you have two that young and that close together. Their stuff would all fit in the Outback, but then not much else. In the van I can bring their stuff (pack n play, diaper bag, clothes, extra clothes, shit to keep them entertained, ect) AND our stuff, including 2 golf bags some times. Its just a lot less stressful.
That said my sister had her kids not much further apart, and they did everything in 2003 Camry. That car was always packed completely full around the car seats, passenger footwell, everywhere. It’s doable, but I wouldn’t want to do it.
I’ll take the Previa and quickly source an appropriate wheel/tire set.
actually the wheel and tire combo on this one are the only reason I kind of like the big underpowered turtle
Previa, if I am forced, but neither hold much interest for me. My guess is that Previa will be still going strong for a long time to come. I think that Suzuki is one major repair from the junkyard.
Too bad they’re both a*tomatics…
If one (probably SX4) was a manual, I might say whynotboth.gif. One for daily duties and one for hauling/longer trips.
Even so, I’ll go SX4 – as a handy little more modern runabout.
While I appreciate the Previa’s minivan-from-an-alternate-reality aesthetic, I have always had a soft spot for the Suzuki SX4 since they were new. Especially the hatchback. Obligatory wish it was a manual comment.
Both are cool. I am going with the Toyota strictly because it is larger and thus more versatile.
solid logic..
I went with the Toyota because…its a Toyota.
I own a Kizashi, and would love to have an SX4 to compliment it, except it looks like the Kizashi is getting/had sludge and may be going on sale.I always wanted a Previa, but gas mileage swings it the Suzuki’s way.