Good morning! On today’s exciting episode, we’re looking at a pair of cars that are similar in size, shape, and purpose, but were designed and built on opposite sides of the world. Which one accomplishes its mission better? That’s what we’re here to find out.
I figured that yesterday’s Oldsmobile battle would end up being a blowout for that Eighty-Eight. It is an awfully nice car, at least on screen. In-person, it might be a different story, of course; as anyone who’s ever tried online dating knows, sometimes the photos aren’t really representative of reality.
The other thing that gives me a little pause about that car is that it’s for sale by a dealer who doesn’t seem to want anything to do with it. It’s like they’re just trying to get it off their lot in a hurry, and they probably don’t know a thing about it. The Ciera is a little scruffier, but it’s for sale by owner, so someone can at least answer some questions. You may not like the answers, but at least you have a chance at getting them.
I imagine today’s vote will probably be closer, because the cars are a lot more evenly-matched. We’ve got one car from a Japanese maker that has since abandoned the US market, and another that was designed by one dead GM brand and sold by another. But they’re both manuals, both hatchbacks, and both low-mileage. Let’s check them out.
2002 Suzuki Aerio SX – $2,300
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Sachse, TX
Odometer reading: 82,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Suzuki stopped selling cars in the US in 2012, ending a twenty-seven-year run of providing us with brilliant little SUVs and quirky small cars. The Aerio, sold here from 2002-2007, was available as either a four-door sedan or a five-door hatchback. The sedan is seriously awkward, but the hatchback has aged pretty well.
US-market Aerios got a bigger engine than the rest of the world, a 2.0 liter four-cylinder as opposed to the little 1.3 to 1.8 liter engines the rest of the world received. It came with either a five-speed manual, or all-wheel-drive, but not both. This one has the five-speed, and the seller says it runs and drives well; they just got a newer car and don’t drive this one much anymore.
It only has 82,000 miles on it, but it looks a bit tired. It’s no one thing, just an overall feeling of wear and tear. The Aerio’s interior, by the way, is an acquired taste: the dashboard is weird. A long skinny digital instrument panel is crammed into that thin slot above the steering column, and I remember having trouble reading it when I test-drove an Aerio back in 2002. I must not have been the only one who didn’t like it; Suzuki redesigned the dash to a more conventional look in 2005.
Outside, the yellow paint is chalky and has some minor damage here and there. And I keep thinking it has flat tires, looking at the photos, but I think it’s just because they’re so low-profile. Those aren’t the original wheels, by the way.
2008 Saturn Astra XR – $2,999
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Zion, IL
Odometer reading: 99,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Of all the divisions of General Motors ruined by GM’s overreach and subsequent bankruptcy, I think Saturn might be the saddest story. After replacing the aging S-series with the Chevy-based, weird-for-weird’s-sake Ion, Saturn went from “A Different Kind Of Company” to just another outlet for GM’s badge-engineering farm. After the Ion failed to impress pretty much everyone, Saturn turned to the ol’ captive-import trick, and brought over the Opel Astra hatchback and added a Saturn badge to it.
The Astra also had a larger engine in the US than it typically did in Europe, a twin-cam 1.8 liter four with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. This one has the manual, and it’s just shy of rolling 100,000 miles on its odometer. It’s being sold by a dealership, so we don’t get much in the way of useful information about its condition, but those places generally don’t sell anything that doesn’t at least start when you turn the key and move under its own power.
It’s in pretty nice shape, it looks like, with only a little wear inside. It does have an aftermarket touch-screen stereo, which I’m not fond of personally, but they seem to be popular. I also see one of those stick-into-the-vent air fresheners, which could either be stinking up the joint, or covering up something else that is.
Outside, it looks all right, but I think that rear bumper cover may have been replaced. It’s just a half a shade darker than the rest of the car. I thought it might be a trick of the light, but it’s like that in every photo. I mean, it’s a three-thousand-dollar used car, so you can’t expect perfection, but it would be nice to know what happened.
Being the orphans that they are, both of these cars are at a little bit of a disadvantage when it comes to keeping them on the road. It will be a lot harder to find some parts for them than it would a Nissan Versa or something more common like that. But who wants a Versa anyway? Both of these are way more interesting. So which one will it be – the quirky Japanese hatchback, or the badge-engineered German one?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
“It’s being sold by a dealership, so we don’t get much in the way of useful information about its condition, but those places generally don’t sell anything that doesn’t at least start when you turn the key and move under its own power.”
True, but a more accurate statement might be “Dealers will sell ANYTHING that starts when you turn the key and runs under its own power.”
Aerio all the way. Weird & practical… It definitely has aged well, you could sell this nowadays with a few styling tweaks and no one would be surprised.
I drove an automatic Astra as a dealer loaner once, it it was pretty fun. Torquey, cornered and rode well for a compact, and generally had a fun feel. The only sour note was the terrible cup holder location that was awkward to reach.
I wanted one of this Astras so much back then…. Not so much now.
I’ll take the Saturn since it looks like a better car all around, and has a better dash
This particular Astra likely has the sport package, based on the wheels. Picking the sport package basically means that you got those five-spoke wheels, sport suspension, and GM’s Stabilitrak traction/stability control combo (the base model just had standard traction control). Mine has this package too, it turns the car into a pretty decent imitation of a go-kart: all of the control, none of the power.
I’m a big Suzuki fan and I like the Aerio, but the Astra is a solid hatchback and this one seems to be in better shape, so I’m going with the Astra.
I know the prevailing wisdom is that you’d rather buy a car from a private seller than a dealer. Personally I got absolutely screwed by a private seller so for me it’s a pick your poison sort of situation.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Aerio, in that it’s hard to believe something so awkward-looking inside and out ever made it to market. This Aerio, though, just looks tired and sad.
I had an Astra TwinTop – the hardtop cabrio – as a rental for a week in Spain. Once I got past the surprisingly GM-feeling plastic, I found a fun little convertible with surprisingly good road manners. This hatch won’t be quite as fun, but I’d add an Astra (Ad Astra?) to my fleet.
I love those little Suzukis. Other car is nice too so coin flip. Suzuki
The last time I saw one of those Suzuki Aerio’s it was a red factory faux carbon fiber editions with a bunch of religious ramblings taped up in the rear window.
I am choosing the conventional dash/guages.
Lower price and not being in the rust belt settles it in the Aerio’s favor – but both of these cars are models I was actively searching for about two years ago. I like Opels and Suzukis so I’ll take either, really.
My experience with Suzuki is that they thrive on abuse, and if I bought either of these that is what they would experience, so… Suzuki it is.
Aerio for me. I like the colour and style better. And these have a quirky digital dash that I also like.
Better room, comfort, handling and features make the rebadged Opel a win for me. Over a million were sold worldwide so I’m sure it’ll be less than a headache to keep it going. But I’d make sure to start saving for a new timing belt as I’m sure it won’t have any sticker nor service records to show for it
I went with the Astra, despite Lake County using twice the road salt necessary, and the damp lakeshore springs and summers, because of the tow hitch on the Suzuki. I can’t imagine those 82k miles have been gentle. That might be my cynicism talking, though.
This is a day where “porque no los dos?” would be an appropriate answer. I drove a number of Astras as rentals in Europe and they always did fine for me, including one trip where I had a diesel Astra and I was planning to do a lot of driving so I purchased the fuel option. I ran a lot of miles and turned the car in with a lot more gas on the original tank than I was expecting.
However, count me as a Suzuki fanboi. Although I’ve never owned one personally I know a number of people who have and gotten to drive their cars and they have been unfailingly reliable and excellent cars. Therefore, the cute yellow Suzuki gets my vote today.
A bit more room and comfort in the Opel, seems well worth the $600 premium.
Every time I see an Aerio, I think of this huge woman my parents used to go to church with. She weighed at least 300lbs, probably more. She drove one, and I always wondered how the hell she fit in it. My grandma used to weigh 350lbs, and had trouble fitting in her Grand Marquis.
I remember seeing a used Astra in a VW showroom years ago and genuinely liked it. It was that same shade of red as well. So I’m going with that one today.
I bought a used Suzuki SX4 which must have belonged to someone like that, judging by the shape of the front seat and what appeared to be several years of encrusted milkshake spills up front.
I might get past the dashboard and the dirt, but I don’t think I’d ever get past those seats in the Aerio. They look ghastly. The Astra always had a punchy Mazda-3HB vibe to it, and it still looks good. Parts would probably be easier to find as well. I’ll take my chances on the mismatched bumper.