Suzuki Alto 7

The Alto VII (2009–2014) is the cheapest car Suzuki ever sold — a tiny city runabout single-mindedly built for a low price and low running costs. Set expectations accordingly: this is a simple get-in, start, drive city car, no comfort or quality marvel. If you want a cheap, frugal second car or learner's car, you get honest simplicity here.

The engine: There's only the K10B (1.0 three-cylinder NA, 50 kW) — port injection, low-maintenance timing chain, deliberately no turbo or direct injection. With regular oil changes these easily top 200,000 km, and the chain is a lifetime part. The weak spot is less the mechanicals than rust: the steel oil-pan panel tends to rust through at the front from road salt and stone chips (sev3) — that's the key spot to put on a lift and inspect. Plus a leaking water-pump seal, a little oil consumption through carboned piston rings, and chain wear only after years of neglected oil. Note that in Europe there was no AGS automated manual — just the manual or the simple 4-speed torque-converter automatic.

Whole car: This is where the real catch lies, and it's rust and wear. Besides the oil pan, the underbody and subframe rust early (€300–1200) and so does the exhaust (€150–500). The rear drum brakes tend to seize (€80–200), front pads are gone from as early as 30,000 km (€80–250), and wheel bearings fail early (€150–350). The interior is cheap hard plastic — not a fault, just the class. So the brakes are the recurring cost, not the engine.

Test drive: Get firmly underneath — check the oil-pan panel, subframe, underbody and exhaust for rust-through; that decides buy or no-buy. Test the brakes for seizing and remaining pad, listen for wheel-bearing hum, check the oil level. On the torque-converter auto, watch for clean shifts.

Market 2026: Alto VIIs go for around €2,500–4,500 today. Insider pick: a rust-free example from the south or with garage history and a fresh exhaust — on the Alto it's not the engine that decides, but how much road salt the bodywork has already seen.