Swift Sport 1.6

Fantastic car that really is great fun to drive.

My partner bought this car in April 2015 despite the fact that it wasn't the practical 5 door car we set out to buy. One test drive from a very trusting owner and we were hooked. It had done 42,000 miles and was immaculate apart from a broken door stay which he replaced and he got it re-MOTed too. It came with a nice and expensive set of MSW black alloys with superb Dunlop SP Wintersport 3D tyres as extras so that also sold it to me as I'm a big fan of winter tyres.

We have now done 20,000 very enjoyable miles and you'd need a crowbar to prise it from my partner; it's that good. We fitted superb Hankook Ventus V12 Eco 2 summer tyres which really grip in the wet and dry.
The car really is the business when it comes to handling and road holding. Modern turbo hot hatches may be faster but I doubt that anything is better and more fun on a tight, twisting and yumpy road than this. The engine is a peach. Keep it between 4000 - 5000 rpm through the bends and you get absolutely instant throttle response then nail it on the straights hitting the rev limiter at 7200 rpm. Boy is this satisfying. The car feels so planted with no lean and just goes where you point it. It really is that good. 37 mpg isn't too bad.

Reliable wise our car had needed a new air conditioning condenser which cost £430 but all cars of this age have this problem. It drinks no oil. The engine is Yamaha designed and built by Toyota and used in the 1980's in rallying in Corrola GT's, GTI's and the MR2. It's needed a new brake caliper and two coil springs (they break on lots of different manufacturers cars these days). Modern flat wiper blades don't work due to the very curved screen (like a Saab 95).

Would we recommend it? You bet! It is not a motorway cruiser and is noisy with firm suspension and a small boot and only two doors but BUY ONE, you won't regret it. We'll be getting another when the time comes.

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