Here is my current car containing an mp3car system. It is a white, 1996 Suzuki Swift 5 door hatch, purchased secondhand in March of 2001. I have always been a fan of Swifts, especially the later models with the rounded body shape and more agressive front and rear bumpers. Also from other peoples reports they had proved to be a very smooth running and reliable motor vehicle.

It has not yet missed a beat since I bought it, with general servicing and maintenance done by myself. With a smaller engine size of 1.3Ltr's and a 5 speed manual transmission is has proved to be great on fuel too, getting on average 320-340km to a 30Ltr tank of premium unleaded fuel.

Fuel economy had become a bigger issue when buying a car this time around with the crazy state of world fuel prices - and I don't think that will change anytime soon. Thus I didn't feel it would be worth running a V8 monster or anything similar!

Another advantage with the Swift is the basic engine design has not changed greatly right through the series to the point that the engine is still carburetted, without an ECU, which makes it great for getting spare parts and keeps things simple from a D.I.Y. servicing point of view.

The car itself is basically stock, with most modifications being for visual appeal only. They include the following -

• Set of 15"X6.5" Lenso Concept Five alloy five spoke rims with Firestone 195/50 R15 low profile tyres. The wheels were already on the car when purchased
• High brightness halogen driving, parking & number plate lights which give off a 'white' light
• Fog lights fitted in front bumper 'air slots'. The slots have also been recessed back into the bumper so fog lights don't stick out too much
• Removal of all exterior badging/decals
• Chequer plate panel added to backing of rear number plate area and under front car mats
• Chrome metal gearshift knob
• Suzuki shoulder pads on rear seat belts

My wish list in the future is pretty limited, I think any real performance upgrades would be lost on such a car and just be a waste of money. Possibly a new 2" exhaust and extractors might be added but that would be more for looks and sound rather than get-up-n-go. The power to weight ratio isn't too bad anyway with the car coming in just under 900Kg and mechanically it runs great, so I don't want to upset things.