Hi,
I'm new to the forum. I have read as much as I could here and felt it was time to join.
I bought a 2011 GTS cvt awd at the end of September 2015.. I wanted to replace my 2002 2 door ford explorer that was starting to rot away from rust. and the repairs were starting to get expensive. I wanted to downsize to a car again but wanted to make sure I had a AWD as I live in Pennsylvania and have to drive in bad weather. Now to my Question.
DID I MAKE A MISTAKE in buying the car.. I have not had issues yet and hope not to for a long time.. I don't drive like a bat out of hell as I treat my cars well. I just feel that by reading this forum I may not be able to get repairs or parts. Even though I read up and talked to my dealer here. which isn't far from me that they can get parts per the deal when Suzuki pulled out.
Please make me feel better on my decision. I love the car. it is the nicest one I have ever owned and plan to for some time to come. I expect to hear many things both good and bad but hopefully some good.
thanks for listening
have I made a mistake
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kconklin33
- Posts: 166
- Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2013 2:58 am
Any normal maintenance should not be an issue. Everything that I can think of that you would come as a necessity can all be done relatively cheap and quite easy to have access too. A great place to look for oem parts would be rockauto.com . Things that inherently come as a car owner such as brakes, oil, fluids, front end parts, shocks, struts, are all readily available. I wouldn't be to concerned other than that. Personally I've been able to do all maintenance including all that I have listed and no issues obtaining parts or working on the car.
In fact I am probably the only owner on this forum that has even gotten access to an entire other engine which is now in my car and even that wasn't hard to get a hold of. Don't let that scare you though as far as I know I'm the only who's had an issue of that caliber and I believe to be fault of an auto body shop that messed up the cooling system after replacing damaged parts from a deer accident.
In fact I am probably the only owner on this forum that has even gotten access to an entire other engine which is now in my car and even that wasn't hard to get a hold of. Don't let that scare you though as far as I know I'm the only who's had an issue of that caliber and I believe to be fault of an auto body shop that messed up the cooling system after replacing damaged parts from a deer accident.
I bought mine about a year ago and have still yet to have any issues. From what I understand, Suzuki makes a solid product (this is my first Suzi). To be honest, the only thing you might have problems with could be the cvt. Uncontrolled forces like car accidents and deer are likely the next big thing as it seems insurance companies are quick to total Kizashis with medium damage.
The Kizashi is the best car I've owned so far (lol, my 2nd) and the only thing I find myself wanting from it is more horses under the hood.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
The Kizashi is the best car I've owned so far (lol, my 2nd) and the only thing I find myself wanting from it is more horses under the hood.
Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
2012 Platinum Silver Kizashi GTS, 6SP
First, welcome.
Second, you should be fine. I'll start by saying that you're probably in the very best state as a Suzuki owner. There are many Suzukis in PA and many of our Kizashi forum members hail from PA. I believe the reason why is due to the better network of Suzuki dealers there when Suzuki was in business. Ronzuki often recommends a Suzuki dealer in PA for service.
About the car itself: It's quite solid. For a first generation car from a smaller maker, it's actually remarkable how well Suzuki designed and built the car. There are no major flaws or problems with the car. Sure, there are minor issues, but nothing quite that bad compared to most first-gen cars. I would say that your CVT is the weakest link but if you maintain it and keep operating temperatures from getting high, it should be fine. Most CVT issues seem to arise from it getting overheated.
I think the best thing to do is just enjoy the car and take good care of it. The Kizashi is well-built and running on older engine technology. While this equates to relatively lower power and less fuel efficiency, it's running on proven, reliable technology. Regular maintenance should keep the car going for a long time.
While there are many appealing cars out there, you also have to think of the value regarding the Kizashi. It's a good car with nice features and impressive safety ratings for a very good value. You probably paid a lot less than a rival car yet have AWD and love driving it. I often think about other cars I could be driving but the Kizashi reminds me that I couldn't get something this satisfying for the value. It serves me too well to get rid of.
To conclude, I think you're fine as long as you don't have a catastrophic powertrain failure (which the warranty covers against well) or get into a bad accident. The risk of a powertrain failure is low and safe driving can reduce the risk of accidents. Otherwise, I see no reason to be wary of owning the car. I've had mine since late Summer of 2012 and have absolutely no regrets.
Second, you should be fine. I'll start by saying that you're probably in the very best state as a Suzuki owner. There are many Suzukis in PA and many of our Kizashi forum members hail from PA. I believe the reason why is due to the better network of Suzuki dealers there when Suzuki was in business. Ronzuki often recommends a Suzuki dealer in PA for service.
About the car itself: It's quite solid. For a first generation car from a smaller maker, it's actually remarkable how well Suzuki designed and built the car. There are no major flaws or problems with the car. Sure, there are minor issues, but nothing quite that bad compared to most first-gen cars. I would say that your CVT is the weakest link but if you maintain it and keep operating temperatures from getting high, it should be fine. Most CVT issues seem to arise from it getting overheated.
I think the best thing to do is just enjoy the car and take good care of it. The Kizashi is well-built and running on older engine technology. While this equates to relatively lower power and less fuel efficiency, it's running on proven, reliable technology. Regular maintenance should keep the car going for a long time.
While there are many appealing cars out there, you also have to think of the value regarding the Kizashi. It's a good car with nice features and impressive safety ratings for a very good value. You probably paid a lot less than a rival car yet have AWD and love driving it. I often think about other cars I could be driving but the Kizashi reminds me that I couldn't get something this satisfying for the value. It serves me too well to get rid of.
To conclude, I think you're fine as long as you don't have a catastrophic powertrain failure (which the warranty covers against well) or get into a bad accident. The risk of a powertrain failure is low and safe driving can reduce the risk of accidents. Otherwise, I see no reason to be wary of owning the car. I've had mine since late Summer of 2012 and have absolutely no regrets.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
As all have said, don't worry! I have an awd se, going in 100k miles. Not one glitch. I live in PA as well, so I have the pleasure of driving on bad roads during the winter. Maintainance is super easy, inexpensive. Do your regular maintenance, wash it, watch for deer, it should last a long time.
2011 SE AWD PLATINUM SILVER W/RRM INTAKE AND CUSTOM CAT BACK
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pakizzie2015
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2015 8:52 pm
Thank you for all your kind responses.. I liked the car from the moment I first saw it. it is the black pearl and in perfect condition. who ever owned it took very good care of it.. As I said I looked at this forum back and forth and all the reviews on other sites of owners and professionals that gave it good reviews. some as most have said hate the CVT.. However I have noticed many cars are going that direction. I do drive a stick in a car that I drive in the summer months mostly. that car gets parked for the winter as it has never seen salt. the CVT sort of reminds me of stick in a way. although I don't use the paddles. you mentioned about keeping the CVT cool. isn't there fluid running from radiator to the cvt to keep it cool like in a regular automatic.. the temp reading on the dash seems to be in the normal range. and the fan does come on if needed I have heard it. To be honest I have been very nervous driving it for fear of something going wrong. but after reading your posts I will start to enjoy it. oh and yes, the DEER. they are everywhere at this time of year and I drive as very carefully in areas I know they are.. HIGH BEAMS all the way if I have to.
Rockauto, eBay, Amazon are great resources for OE parts like oil filters, air and cabin filters, etc.
FYI, wear items for our Kizashi like the brake pads are shared across other makes/models. For instance our brake pads can be found on Hondas and Nissans. PCV can be found in Mazdas and Toyotas. Our serpentine belt, Mitsubishi.
FYI, wear items for our Kizashi like the brake pads are shared across other makes/models. For instance our brake pads can be found on Hondas and Nissans. PCV can be found in Mazdas and Toyotas. Our serpentine belt, Mitsubishi.
2019 Kia Optima EX Premium
Instagram: golftango
Instagram: golftango
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pakizzie2015
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2015 8:52 pm
Thank you golftango for that information.. I was at the dealership when they were putting on the new rotors and pads the day I got it.. Hopefully the way I drive they will last. I don't put many miles on it . as I work from my home. and mostly hwy driving. very little stop and go.. I just want to get past the nerves on this car. there really isn't a sure fire way other to just enjoy it.. I plan on driving it next summer to the jersey shore . a 3 hour drive. I guess time will tell on its reliability. thank fully the powertrain is covered up to 7 years 100.000 miles.