The Suzuki Cultus first went on sale in the United States as a 1985 model, with Chevrolet Sprint badges. The second-generation Cultus became the Geo Metro (1990-1997) and Chevrolet Metro (1998-2001), and Suzuki sold the same car with Swift badges through its own American dealerships during that period. Today’s Junkyard Gem is one of the later Swifts, found in a Denver self-service car graveyard recently.
This was a very cheap car, with an MSRP of just $9,099 (about $16,955 in 2024 dollars).
That was cheaper than its near-identical twin, the $9,185 Chevy Metro. Both cars were built by Cami Automotive in Canada; by 2000, the Swift was available only as a three-door hatchback while the Metro was also built as a sedan.
The U.S.-market Swift was never sold with the three-cylinder 1.0-liter engine that went into so many Metros, instead getting a 1.3-liter four-cylinder. This one was rated at 79 horsepower.
The base transmission in the 2000 Swift was a five-speed manual, but the original owner of this car sprang for the $650 automatic ($1,211 after inflation).
For a disposable econobox, this car got respectably close to the 150,000-mile mark during its life. Was “SUGA MOMA” the name of the car?
Here’s a bit of 2000s history: an early Obama-Biden 2008 campaign bumper sticker on the rear glass.
This car looked to have been in not-too-terrible condition at the end, except for the rust.
When you see rust like this on the door sills, you can assume that the suspension mounting points and other important chassis areas have been bitten hard by the Rust Monster.
The key in the hatch suggests that this was a dealership trade-in that nobody wanted to buy. A Subaru dealership now resides at the old Shortline Suzuki location.
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More front-seat legroom than a Rolls-Royce!
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Back in Japan, Rob Lowe proclaimed this car to be “hip conscious.”
