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Tracker1989-2004
This compact SUV proved itself to be a fine ecnomical vehicle, good for making its way along any type of surface. Platform: CAMI (Suzuki)
Hey guys,
New member here, and I just got a 2000 Tracker with 120,000 miles on it a couple of days ago. It's a one-owner that belonged to a friend's mother. She can no longer drive and they just gave it to me instead of messing with the hassle of selling it (I DID offer to buy it, but they insisted). It pays to be nice to people!
As you can see the paint is shot and the plastics have faded quite a bit from sitting in the sun. And the rear sill plate (in the cargo area) needs to be replaced. But it doesn't have a leak anywhere, the interior is pretty much spotless and it pulls like a very small train. Steering is nice and tight and the engine purrs along nicely and shifts smoothly. No mechanical issues at all other than the rear passenger side window not functioning. Every time I drive it I like it more. For a nearly 22 year old car this thing has nothing to apologize for at all.
Got another friend who fiddles with cars for fun who has volunteered to paint it for me. It'll be a metallic gunmetal grey once it gets its makeover. I'll get some paint fo the plastics, too and take care of those while he's respraying the body panels. I'm determined to do right by this little guy. Of course the repainting will have to wait until he has the time and probably won't happen until the world reopens...but it's something to look forward to.
Welcome to the club.
There is always little periodic maintenance to be done on a 20 year old Tracker. I have a two door and a four door Tracker. Get familiar with your local junkyards. A lot of little things (pieces/parts) cannot be found anywhere else. Paint is not going to be one of the high priority items...for now. Look at your CV axle boots for cracks in the rubber. Change your fuel filter! EASY fix. And you won’t believe the dirt and grit that will come out of the inlet side of the filter if you pour it out. Trade up on the front door speakers. Nothing crazy. Some tri-axial Pioneers will do fine. BIG return on small investment.
Have fun! Trackes really are a lot of fun to buzz around town in. Not much for road trips though.
😎👍
Welcome to the club.
There is always little periodic maintenance to be done on a 20 year old Tracker. I have a two door and a four door Tracker. Get familiar with your local junkyards. A lot of little things (pieces/parts) cannot be found anywhere else. Paint is not going to be one of the high priority items...for now. Look at your CV axle boots for cracks in the rubber. Change your fuel filter! EASY fix. And you won’t believe the dirt and grit that will come out of the inlet side of the filter if you pour it out. Trade up on the front door speakers. Nothing crazy. Some tri-axial Pioneers will do fine. BIG return on small investment.
Have fun! Trackes really are a lot of fun to buzz around town in. Not much for road trips though.
😎👍
I'll have to check on the axle boots - hadn't thought of those. I was planning on a new fuel filter already, but you've probably accelerated that project a bit! Thanks for the advice.
OH! And in case you haven’t noticed, everything on the outside says CHEVY. Everything on the inside of the paint, is Suzuki. Don’t forget to shop Suzuki parts if you can’t find Chevy parts. 😁
2.0L or 2.5L engine?
So, this morning about 5:00 AM I was awoken by a screaming pain in my left calf. Unbelievable charley horse. Quivered like somebody was holding a live wire to it. So, I figured, I'm awake now...might as well install the Camshaft Position Sensor before the air temperature reaches 530 degrees, as it does in KY. Took me longer to gather up the 10mm socket and extension than it did to actually remove the old sensor and install the new one. It's in a fairly inaccessible spot for people like me who were blessed with Oompa Loompa sized arms. Had to just about crawl into the engine bay, but it was overall very simple.
After I got it installed I made a trial run with it. Over the past few weeks/months every single time I drive to my nearest Lowe's (about a 20 minute drive), when I come out the Tracker would refuse to start. So, I got my long-suffering wife to follow me to Lowe's bright and early (which she was less than thrilled about) just in case it didn't want to start. Got to the parking lot and shut it down. Tried again immediately to restart and it fired right up. Shut it back down and decided to wait about 10 minutes or so to emulate shopping time, and then started it right back up again. I'm aware my testing methods are limited, but I'm fairly comfortable saying that the sensor has cured the "No Hot Starts" issue.
$25 fix. Not a bad way to start the morning.
But, as the universe does, it kicked me squarely in the nuts immediately after. My riding mower crapped out, so I've got a buddy (same guy who gave me the Tracker, btw!) to help me trailer the damn thing to a repair shop.
OH! And in case you haven’t noticed, everything on the outside says CHEVY. Everything on the inside of the paint, is Suzuki. Don’t forget to shop Suzuki parts if you can’t find Chevy parts. 😁
2.0L or 2.5L engine?
Yup. I caught that. I've got some Suzuki interior trim pieces already picked out and bookmarked.
Another one of my kids acquired their driver's license last week, so since then the Tracker has become my daily driver (kid got the nicer car, of course). 50 miles a day, and so far it's holding up just fine. It's all interstate miles for the most part. But, fingers are crossed that the old boy will be up to the task for a while to come. I really don't want to buy another vehicle right now.
Ready to go to work?
