Used 1998 Suzuki Sidekick JX 4dr SUV 4WD Consumer Reviews
Fun little SUV
I originally bought my Sidekick to save some gas... But I have been driving it so much that I have not saved a dime yet.....! It is a fun, little nimble beast. It has a choppy ride on the road but, the 1.6 is peppy with the 5spd. Not a lot of critter comforts but the utility side is amazing. I fish a lot and the 4x4 , good ground clearance and it's small size allow me and my little boat to go places no one else can go. Stay away from the interstate with this guy, it's like riding a motorcycle out there. A great little car, manly enough to be seen in and is well made and tough... No repairs yet but I don't think it will be a problem thus far..... Don't be scared of the sidekick!
Reliable but costly to repair
I bought my Suzuki when it was 2 years old and it had just under 25000 miles on it. I now have 120,000 miles on it after about 6 1/2 years of driving. I have had few problems with it. This vehicle is very bad for rust and doesn't hold up well in places where salt is used on roads in the winter!!! They have NO resale value and Dealer parts are ridiculously expensive! You think that you are driving a Rolls when you buy parts. I am not kidding!!! They need to stop being so outrageously greedy when selling replacement parts. I went to the dealer once for a repair and told them I would never come back. I didn't. I shopped for after market parts where ever I could find them.
- 1998 Suzuki SidekickMSRP: $8,495684 mi away
- Sport JS 4dr SUVMSRP: $9,9951,667 mi away
- 1998 Suzuki SidekickMSRP: $5,9951,768 mi away
Good Value with proper maintenance
Overall, my 1998 Suzuki Sidekick did well for its intended purpose. I did experience a spark plug blowing out of the cyclinder, but that only cost $187 to fix. Also, the clutch went at 92,000 miles, but that's not too bad. The truck never really left me stranded. Its 4x4 performance in serious offroad driving was surprisingly good!
the smallest truck one could own.
I bought this Sidekick JX 4-door, 4x4, 5-speed about a week ago from a private party to replace my Grand Vitara. The latter is great in all aspects except the gas economy. So, I got this Sidekick for better gas mileage. Comparing with the Grand Vitara I am surprised to find that the Sidekick is not so much less in acceleration, and climbing grade. But what troubles me is that the Sidekick does not seem willing to get beyond 65 MPH speed. The RPM gets to 3,000 at 55 MPH, 3,100 at 60 MPH and 3,500 and growling in loud protest at 65 MPH. I haven't yet dare to try but wonder if it can get to 70 RPM. I hope someone could share with me his experience and insight on this over the Internet.