The Fun Suzuki Carry

The first time I paid much attention to a Suzuki Carry was when I was quite young, and a butcher who had a small shop close to where I lived used one for transporting his pies to the local supermarket. The van always seemed to start in the mornings, whatever the weather, even when temperatures dropped to below freezing. Seeing that van week in week out performing so well for a number of years made me look at them with some admiration.

The Rascal/Supercarry range was introduced back in April 1986, as a joint venture between General Motors and Suzuki. British-built, and available in both Van and Pickup derivatives, the vehicle strengths were its small size and maximum payload weight; 550kg for the Van and 575kg for the Pickup. When the Bedford name ceased to exist in June 1990, General Motors` vehicles were rebadged as Vauxhalls. U.K. production ceased in July 1993 and was resumed in Japan. Go to Australia and you`ll see them, Asia, and in many parts of Europe, where for a while, in Spain, Suzuki had a tie-in with Santana Motor S.A.


In India production continues with the Maruti Omni, of which there are two family versions available in 5 seater and 8 seater. There are also a number of variants and some are used for cargo, even ambulances.

Older vehicles are fitted with a small but busy 970cc Suzuki engine of four-cylinder overhead camshaft design, mounted longitudinally and inclined to the left, with the transmission mounted at the rear of the engine. All models are rear-wheel-drive, and have either a four or five-speed manual transmission.

Throughout the range, the suspension layout is coil- over-damper struts at the front, and leaf springs with dampers at the rear.

There is a range of optional equipment, including tailgate wash/wipe, front fog lights, nudge bars and heated rear window.

The newer model is the 1.3 version which has been in production since 1999. Again its strength is in its size and shape. It`s easy to park and nippy enough across town. The engine is a 77bhp 1.3 engine which is ample for carrying light loads.

What`s so good about the rascal van or the now called Suzuki Carry? Well here are several selling points.

Firstly, at a time when fuel seems to be continually increasing then the small engine with superb fuel economy is a key point. You can easily get 45 to 50 mpg out of it if you drive sensibly, remembering you`re not driving a racing car. Actually you`ll remember that you`re not in a Formula 1 car as you will rarely have to retire with engine failure because as stated you'll have that ultra reliable Suzuki engine.

And, talking about costs, auto repairs and auto accessories never come cheap, but the parts for these vans fortunately do not cost the earth.

Another great point is the fact that this van is so easy to drive and maneuver. How often do you drive in traffic or look for somewhere to park in a big clumsy van and wish that you had something easier to handle? Well that is just the case with this little star.

And last but not least is the point that you can join the elite sooty club driving round in the modern day Dr Whos tardis. Yes you'll find it hard to believe just how much you can actually get in the back of one of these vans. Whether it`s just as a general run around vehicle, or used for carrying flowers for delivery, you will find the Suzuki Carry ideal.

One of the best places to buy a Suzuki Carry if you are contemplating getting one is through eBay. The recession did cause prices to drop, but, as no more Suzuki vans are produced in the UK real enthusiats are having to pay more now for vans in decent condition, or of course for spares. Check the bodywork out. Suzuki`s don`t suffer any more than other makes, but because they are often used for work purposes, delivering and so on, they can very easily get scraped, or dented, leading to rust problems.

In these days of serious financial difficulties most of us are interested in saving money, but take care not to buy something that you are going to have to spend a lot of money on to make it roadworthy. But, if you do buy wisely you could end up with a vehicle which will give you years of happy, and low-cost motoring.