[ Alto Works HA12S ] My First Car in Japan

Now that a few of the major initial modifications are finished on my HA11S Alto Works, I’d like to throwback to my 1998 HA12S Alto Works I bought 4 years ago, new to me in November 2014.

I wasn’t initially looking to buy a car, as I only planned to stay in Japan for only one year. Within a few months of living here, though, I completely changed my mind. (Perhaps I’ll discuss that at a later time.) I wanted to stay here long-term, if not permanently, so buying a motorized form of transportation in my small city would be absolutely necessary. After I decided on picking up a car in Japan, I had to narrow down my choices, but most importantly, it had to fit my budget. The biggest choice I made was that it had to be a JDM car that was not sold in the United States market; I didn’t want a car that I could buy easily stateside.

With all the JDM options out there, I salivated at the vast possibilities: Evos, GT-Rs, STIs, etc. Why not a B22 for that matter? I’m sure that’s probably what you’re thinking, too, if you’ve never bothered to check the prices online. Sure, you CAN buy one of those things, but can you really AFFORD one? (Okay maybe my better-off readers can…) That was my problem. I realized they were far out of my budget.

Keeping in mind additional fees, shaken mandatory maintenance, and insurance, I was only willing to plop down about $5,000 USD out of my pocket.

Narrowing down my options further, I opted to pick up a JDM-market yellow-plate kei car, which was significantly cheaper in taxes, insurance, and maintenance. That still leaves a large tuner market of choices: Autozam (Mazda) AZ-1, Honda Beat, and Suzuki Cappuccino… the ABCs of RWD kei cars. Again, the realization of high used prices kept those cars out of my $5K range, as most good condition vehicles started around $6-7K. There are $5K cars available, but definitely not in the condition I wanted. Let’s be real here; the ABCs are awesome as a second or weekend car, but not really practical as my only daily driver. (At the time, I was only considering ONE car. Oh, how times have changed...)

That still left me with a huge assortment of FWD-based sporty kei cars, such as Daihatsu Miras, Mitsubishi Minicas, and Suzuki Altos. I sorted through Carsensor and Goo-net online and stopped by a number of local car dealers in search of my car. I avoided Yahoo! Auctions, as I felt communicating online with my limited Japanese ability would be difficult. In order of rough importance, my criteria were now:

Under $5K price range

1. A manual transmission with power preferably close to the maximum limit of 63 HP

2. Good condition: little to no rust, minimal aftermarket modifications, preferably 150,000 or less kilometers on the odometer

3. Full 2-year shaken mandatory inspection certification as part of the cost

4. A practical, sporty body style, which precludes big, tall Wagon R-style boxes

Sure, there were other considerations, but anything else like LSDs, wheels, ABS, etc would be cherry on top. After a few weeks of serious (soul) searching, I came across an HA12S Suzuki Alto Works with about 130,000 kms On the odo. The dealer, Meteor Co., was asking for 230,000￥ and it was located in Aichi Prefecture, a three or so hour train ride away. That following weekend, I took the trip over without contacting the seller.

Arriving at the lot, I could see quite a variety of cars: most were in fair to good condition, some sporty, some pedestrian. I saw the Alto sitting by the front of the lot. Looking around, I built up my courage and asked for help. The dealer (the owner, I discovered later) was willing to open the car for me to visually inspect and run it at idle, but since I seemed a bit of a newbie, he wasn’t really willing to let me drive it. (This is actually quite common, as I later learned.)

Looking around the outside of the car, it looked to be in very good condition. High kilometers notwithstanding, the body was actually really good with no discernible damage to the bodywork that I could find. Of course, given the car was 16 years old at the time, there were a few dings and scratches, but more importantly, it had no rust or noticeable repair work. However, the clear coat was thoroughly gone, actually making the car look a bit matte. The engine bay was a bit dirty, though no different than any other car used for 16 years. No discernible major leaks, the fluids looked fair, and everything was stock.

The biggest issue was inside the cabin: the foul stench of cigarette smoke. I used to be a smoker myself, so I don’t mean “a little smell,” I mean, the full-blown pungent odor of a moist, damp ashtray, overflowing with old cigarette butts. Peeking into the ashtray, though, I found none. Clearly the previous owner must’ve drove around with the windows rolled up, chain smoking one after another to create this lovely lingering aroma.

Speaking of windows, the rear windows were absolutely filthy. A layer of ash and oily smoke buildup covered them. I scratched at it with my fingernail and a curl of grey-brown muck rolled under my nail. The roof of the interior had dark brown plumes, contrasting sharply with the light grey felt. Yup, it probably wasn’t cleaned ever since the car was sold.

The mental image of the previous owner and his burnt, soot-filled lungs, the kind that you see in those “don’t smoke” advertisements, passed through my mind briefly. I shuddered at the thought.

This was why the car was for sale so cheaply. I stopped to consider my other options. The next cheapest Alto Works would jump up to over 300,000￥, so I had to decide if cleaning it out the best I could and dealing with the remaining smell would be worth it. Or waiting for another deal.

An hour later of mulling and poking through it, I decided I would buy it if the guy let me drive or at least ride in it. Seeing my seriousness, he actually let me drive it to get a feel for the clutch, shifter, and steering. Everything felt really good. Despite the appearance, mileage, and stink, the car drove smoothly and it was everything I had hoped for.

At some point, he realized my first language was English. (Maybe he first thought I was from China?) He then proceeded to speak to me in absolutely amazing English, which if I recall was due to him living in Australia for a few years prior. What the heck, man, why did I have to speak to you in broken Japanese this whole time? But the ice was broken and I negotiated down the car 10,000￥ to a very reasonable 220,000￥ ($2000 USD) with two years full shaken. The down payment was made and in two weeks the car would be mine.

[ Wagon R ] MC22 Review

This car was actually not what I had expected. While I knew the car would be a tall, boring, and slow, I had not expected the handling to be decently sharp (for a tall, small wheelbase kei car) and the DOHC K6A engine was actually more than adequate for scooting around town. I could drive it with a tiny bit of joy up a few mountain paths if I pushed the car aggressively and applied generous throttle on second gear. Let’s be honest here, the car is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a sporty car, but what it lacked in performance it offered in interior comforts and practicality.

Suzuki Wagon Rs are probably the most ubiquitous, common passenger kei car found in Japan. With a name plate stretching back 25 years, the Wagon R has, for a long time, been the most popular seller due to its ample interior space and great design. This 2001 Wagon R is the second generation of the car, though by some mechanical components, exterior appearance, and some interior design elements, it is largely similar to the first gen.

Interior
Being the best feature of the Wagon R, I’m going to talk about the interior first. Obviously dated and simplistic, even when it was new, the dash is plain, grey plastic all around with no soft-touch panels, though the surfaces seem quite durable. The seats are a neutral grey pattern as well, with functional, flat seats. The interior dials and gauges are made with functionality in mind… at least it has air-conditioning. Overall, the car seems like many budget-focused cars of the late 90s era and is an acceptable place to soak up many kilometers (miles, if you prefer) of travel.

With plenty of cubbies under the front dash and side pockets, as well as under both the driver’s and passenger’s seats, there are plenty of places to hide some snacks for long road trips or shopping around town.

Don’t worry; I’m getting to the best feature: the seats are amazing. Honda calls their version found in the Fit “Magic Seats,” and you’ll see how Suzuki did it first and why they are considered quite “magical.”

First off, the rear seats recline to several low degrees. That means the rear passengers can enjoy leaning back on long trips, with more than enough head and legroom for me at 182cm (about 6’).

Secondly, all the seats combine to fold nearly completely flat (obviously the driver’s seat notwithstanding), offering a very large surface area for larger objects. With the fold flat front and the reclining rear, I have slept in my car quite comfortably on several occasions. Great for camping for one.

While I’m not sure the first generation R or many other kei cars of this era offered this amazing functionality, the later models surely all incorporate these details. (Okay, in all fairness, I know the Fit has one more trick up its magic sleeve, but c’mon, this is a cheaper and older car.)

Exterior
The exterior of the car is… well, plain, to state it simply. There is little shape and notable lines other than the front and the rear bumpers. The hood has two minor creases and the sides have one long crease for strength and appearance, but otherwise there are no special notable design elements. Everything is done in the 90s ideal of simple, cheap, and affordable mobility. And it shows.

(The red stripe on the front bumper was painted last year, as it was originally a faded chrome color.)

Engine / Drivetrain
There are primarily two variants of the MC11/MC22 Wagon R: naturally-aspirated and turbo-charged. This NA model has the newer DOHC K6A engine with 53 HP. Other Wagon Rs of this generation may have a SOHC 51 HP F6A or Wagon RRs may have a turbo-charged, intercooled 63 HP K6A.

With only around 800 kg (1763 lbs) to push around, the car accelerates reasonably around Japanese roads, as speed limits around here typically vary 30 - 80 kph (18 - 50 mph). At those speeds, this little box can keep up decently well, but expect 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) to take around 13 seconds. Fast should be the last thing on your mind.

The 5-speed manual gearbox on this car, a relative rarity, shifts surprisingly smoothly, with reasonably short throws. It is a bit vague until you get used to the shifting feel, however. But having a manual transmission means the car will not be constantly hunting for the right gear uphill and you can always be in the right powerband. Having also driven the same car with a 4-speed automatic transmission, the auto box definitely felt weaker, but was fine for most commutes.

Driving
The drive, however, honestly surprised me quite a bit. Coming from driving a nimble Alto Works, I still found the steering feel of the Wagon R to definitely be on the above-average for kei car side of things. It was much sharper and more apt to turn in than the lazy econobox feel of the car should have. In fact, it is much better than other generations of the Wagon Rs I have driven. This is not to say you should expect a fun time driving the twisties with it, as the tall ride makes the car feel it wants to fall over in a sharp corner. To be fair, I drove it pretty hard. Most drivers probably won’t have any such aspirations.

Conclusion
At the current used price market of around 150,000￥ to 250,000￥ ($1350 to $2350 USD) with 2 years of shaken registration, the car is a relative bargain. The general reliability, functionality, and practicality make the car an easy choice for commuters.

I don’t regret buying the car (the first time), as it took me to several distant prefectures in comfort and convenience. After driving my Wagon R for 11 months, I came across a potential buyer through word-of-mouth, a guy who was happy to drive a manual transmission kei car: a character of increasing rarity. Off it went on dutiful service for 11 months before it came boomeranging back to me. What goes around, comes around.

[ Wagon R ] Third Car’s a Charm

...no, not really. No offense to the previous owner, but this Suzuki Wagon R is actually a bit dirty from months out in the elements, the car, inside and out, didn’t look a day cleaned since I sold it.

The once bright white front two Advan Rally wheels were black from brake dust and the Bridgestone Nextry front tires are worn beyond safe usage. The rears, luckily, have a fair amount of tread and are still usable. Though they are inappropriately sized, off they go onto my Alto Works.

I thought I could salvage the second set of wheels, Maruka Service 14” wheels and winter tires, and put them on the car. It turns out that they weren’t rotated at all properly, so that two are extremely, dangerously worn and two are in good shape. So if I plan on driving the car to any degree safely, I’ll need to replace at least two tires. For now, I put them on the car and will just drive on them carefully out of the rain.

Mechanically, the car seems pretty good. The previous owner did proper fluid and air filter changes with receipts to prove it. The front brake pads are pretty worn down, so those will also have to be replaced eventually.

Overall, not the worst condition car I could pick up, but arguably less of a value than I previously considered. However, the biggest issue is that the shaken is up pretty soon, so if I am going to renew it for service, a few things will need to be done. The question is now, should I fix the sensor issues and renew the shaken, potentially costing me over 150,000 yen ($1350 USD)? If I were to fix it up, it’d be unlikely for it to sell for any reasonable amount of money and I definitely don’t need a third car to tool around in. On the other hand, I could just swap parts off of it and give it to my other friend who has a similar model car… then just scrap this thing. It would be a bit of a waste, frankly, but that would be a better option than just letting it sit at my friend’s garage or paying taxes on it next April.

Soon after bringing it home, my friend told me he is going to go back to stock on his newer MH21 Wagon R, which is currently riding on coilovers. He actually donated me his lowered front suspension springs and stock struts to my MC22 Wagon R early last year. (It may not look like it, but my Wagon R is actually “lowered”.) The plan is to swap the struts over to his MH21, bringing it back to stock. Then put stock struts and springs back over to my Wagon R. Eventually, we’ll try out the coil overs on my Alto. I’m honestly not sure how that will work out, but let’s give it a shot later, shall we?

I’m really glad I didn’t end up trashing the stock struts. We found these cast off in a random bin at my friend’s garage.

Pulling the simple front struts on the Wagon R is a really easy task. There are only two bolts holding the top of the strut, two connecting it to the control arm, one screw for the ABS line, and one clip for the brake hose.

My friend was running some decent Sport-Service RSR Basic Coilovers and they also came out just as easily.

After doing this about half a dozen times, we were able to pull out his front springs quickly, going back to boring stock height on his car.

The rear shocks were part of the RSR Basic suspension set and also included height adjustable rear perches. Two bolts removed were the only two needed for each strut and the rear springs and perches were replaced easily.

We pulled those 14” Maruka Service wheels off and threw on my co-worker’s old Suzuki steel wheels, since it will be sitting around for awhile and we don’t want to damage the existing, partially usable rubber. Now my Wagon R has been raised back up, it really looks pedestrian now. Sigh. Not exactly the most exciting mode of transportation, is it?

[ Wagon R ] What’s Wrong with Me?

I love cars and if you’re reading this, I’m sure you do, too. But it’s an addiction for me, as I always want to add more to my collection the same way I collect Hot Wheels. Long story short, I bought back my last car, a 2001 Suzuki Wagon R from the friend I sold it to nearly a year ago. (Has it been a year already…?)

My Wagon R in mid-2017, shortly before I sold it.

I bought the car back for plenty of weak reasons. First, I got it for a good price, given that I’m partially buying them back for the set of Advan Rally wheels I sold with the car. Second, I figure the mechanical issue it has now (more on that later) could be fairly easily fixed. Third, I figure I could have a bit of fun working on the car. Finally, well… I’m stupid.

I’m pretty stupid for a multitude of reasons. On the day I bought it and handled the name change, I was stupid because I tried to take the toll road and the car ended up on the side of the road. Even though I knew there would be potential engine trouble from the previous owner, my mechanic and I still took the high speed road, taxing the engine and potentially causing whatever is wrong with it to overheat, shutting the engine off completely. While it probably would have been fine if I had simply waited a few minutes, the highway roadside assistance company came by to set up signs so we wouldn’t get hit on the side of the road. They asked us to contact JAF to have the car towed away.

JAF (Japan Automobile Federation), for those not familiar, is equivalent to an Automobile Association that offers towing, roadside assistance, discounts, and other services. Membership is around 4000￥ ($37 USD) a year, a huge savings if you even need to use the towing service once, as I found out that day. A mere 8 km in towing off the toll road down to the interchange exit cost me, unbelievably, 28,000￥($250 USD).

Lesson learned. Sign up for JAF (or whatever your local country’s AA service is), because you’ll be glad you have it when you need it the most.

So, I managed to drive it down a few days later without further incident on a rather long 2 hour local road drive down from Fukui City, proving the car is actually pretty operable and that I was a moron for trying to take the high-speed toll road.

You know, the three Suzukis look pretty good in front of my apartment.

Now that it’s back at home, let’s take a look to see what is wrong with the car. My assumption is that the car has some overheating issue, causing it to shut down at extended high-speed driving. We hooked up a diagnostic tool to the OBD2 port and found two errors. P0325 is related to a knock sensor and P1910 is a problem with the VVT system.

So, what’s next for this little Wagon R? Let’s take a look around the car and assess the condition before we start doing anything else...