I belive most of suzuki is still japanese,
When I was looking for a car a few years back I tried a korean excel, when engaged in gear it had so much slop in the gearstick you could littereally move it from first to fifth gear without disengaging anything.
Joe, I think most Korean cars have improved considerably since then. I drive a Korean car I bought new at the end of 2004, and I've been very happy with it. I had the Bowden cable that controls the driver's seat-slide latch replaced on warranty - a $10 part at retail pricing. Otherwise, no problems and the lightest, smoothest clutch and gearshift I've ever experienced (and I've driven quite a few cars over a lot of years). Incidentally, the second-best clutch and gearshift I've found was on a first-model twin-cam Corolla, way back when the twin-cam was their premium sports model.
