Try to find one!
Photography Courtesy maschinesbau
Is it a sports coupe? A convertible? A utility vehicle? It’s all three.
This 1996 Suzuki X-90 offers its owners a unique and distinctive style with endless possibilities. For maschinenbau, one of our regular forum users, this compact bundle of choices gave him the perfect opportunity to take a break from track activities and open the door to off-roading.
Bought with only 125k miles and already rocking new struts and shocks, the X-90 also had something every project car owner dreams of: working a/c.
Nonetheless, maschinesbau had big plans for this small but mighty vehicle including a lift, tires, some sliders and a bumper or two. His main goal: “Take it where no Miata-shaped car should ever go.”
A month after purchase, tags for the Suzuki were secured and it became our user’s official daily. At the same time, it got a new front bumper and a thorough washing. Upon closer inspection on a high-idle issue, though, maschinenbau found not only an incorrectly routed throttle cable but also a PCV valve that crumbled to dust in his hands.
Thankfully a temporary replacement was on hand, and an order for the new one was placed. Fluids, filters, timing belt kit, water pump, clutch cable and accessory belts were also purchased.
Upon delivery, the shop was brimming with projects and parts as the long-awaited maintenance began. Once complete, the Suzuki was light and snappy on its wheels, ready for lift kit installation and new tires. Since then, this all-terrain spitfire has taken part in the Georgia Gambler 500.
[Off-roading the unexpected in the Gambler 500]
“The little Suzuki was UNSTOPPABLE all weekend long,” boasts maschinesbau. “The trails were very rough and rocky, but I had no clearance or scraping problems. The low range was perfect for powering through mud holes and up rocky banks. And the ride was pretty smooth. My confidence in this car is unbridled. I would take it anywhere.”
View more of this build thread here.
Try to find one!
Markhogue said:Try to find one!
I thought they all had big Red Bull cans on the back.
That is a vehicle that I never ever understood. Ever.
In reply to Duke :
I still don't understand it either, but I'm having fun.
In reply to maschinenbau :
Fair enough. That's the point, after all.
maschinenbau said:In reply to Duke :
I still don't understand it either, but I'm having fun.
Me when I'm trying to describe why I like cars so much.
I know where there’s one locally–and, no, not parked for good, either.
I've actually been thinking about them recently, and how one would be a near ideal car for me - I rarely have passengers or cargo, it has four wheel drive so it would be good in the winter, and I live in the city where traffic is tight and parking is at a premium so its small size would be an advantage.
In reply to stuart in mn :
I think a Tracker or Sidekick would be more reasonable; same thing with a back seat and cargo area, without being any bigger. But we are not reasonable people, we are GRM people.
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