The Kizashi Spotting Thread!

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KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:58 am

Last night I saw the first Kizashi in the wild in almost two years (I’m not counting KuroNekko’s because that was a meet-up lol). A dark blue model of lower trim, I thought it might have been the same one I found at the nearby Target almost exactly three years ago (I posted a picture of my Kizashi parked next to it), but the plates don’t match. I think the Target one was a higher trim, too. But this spot, a pair of freeway onramp turn lanes, was where I saw a silver one a couple years ago. I was in the lane on the right and the car a couple cars behind me decides to go in the empty lane to the left. I decided to see what it was and was taken off guard. Did not expect a Kizashi, as it’s been a while. It took off real fast, too. Like “not good for the JATCO” fast, assuming it was a CVT. I was behind it on the freeway for a little while, and it was weird because in a way it was like being behind my Kizashi on the road.

The low beams look like they aren’t halogen, but that’s just the camera. The light they cast was definitely halogen yellow-ish, and not in a wide beam.

So my Kizashi spotting counter has been reset to zero days lol. I wonder how long it will be before I see another.
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Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:58 am

Encountered a Jimny the other night. Couldn’t take a picture, unfortunately, as it was in motion and it all happened fast. Saw this little rolling cube with LED headlights in a dark stretch of road, and wasn’t sure of what I was seeing. Then it rounded the corner under a street lamp, and I was able to identify it by the highlighter yellow paint. Had it been a different color, I might not have figured out what it was. Honestly thought I’d never see one.
Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

KlutzNinja wrote: Fri Sep 23, 2022 11:20 pm Encountered a Jimny the other night. Couldn’t take a picture, unfortunately, as it was in motion and it all happened fast. Saw this little rolling cube with LED headlights in a dark stretch of road, and wasn’t sure of what I was seeing. Then it rounded the corner under a street lamp, and I was able to identify it by the highlighter yellow paint. Had it been a different color, I might not have figured out what it was. Honestly thought I’d never see one.
Likely from Mexico. Nice spotting!
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:58 am

KlutzNinja wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 5:24 pm So my Kizashi spotting counter has been reset to zero days lol. I wonder how long it will be before I see another.
Welp, to answer this, last Friday (July 7, 2023) I encountered another Kizashi. Just under a mile from the last one, coincidentally also while I was sitting in a left turn lane (like the previous two Suzuki sightings). It was at night and I was on the way home, waiting for the light to turn green, watching the cars on the perpendicular street drive by, wondering if anything interesting might appear. Suddenly a dark gray Kizashi putters through the intersection, and I instantly knew what it was without even thinking. It was like an instinctual identification. I didn't get the best look, but it seemed to be a non-Sport trim.

The driver didn't have their exterior lighting on, save for the default DRLs. Apparently there are dunderhead Kizashi owners, too. :facepalm:
Last edited by KlutzNinja on Fri Jul 14, 2023 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
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KuroNekko
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Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

I was in Japan last week for the first time in about 4.5 years. I wasn't there too long but happened across what appeared to be a government vehicle junkyard under an elevated freeway. Given I know about Kizashis being used as police fleet vehicles, I looked carefully and spotted two Kizashis parked side by side among many other models covered in dust. I snapped a few photos and will post them soon.
I didn't see any Kizashis on the road during my 8 days in Japan so perhaps they are aging out of duty use in Japan, at least in the larger cities. That being said, I did see a Suzuki Swift as a marked police vehicle but didn't get a chance to photograph it.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:58 am

Well, sh*t.
Exactly two weeks after my last sighting, I saw another Kizashi, this time parked directly in front of my workplace (there's a bank down there, so the driver probably was there to use an ATM). I leave pretty late, so again it's dark, and as I'm pulling out of the parking structure, I see a car parked with its lights on to the left of where the structure driveway is. Except one headlight bulb is out, but the DRLs and foglights are on. That's all I could really see, but the way the lights were arranged felt really Kizashi-like, so to answer my burning curiosity I went around the block and approached the car from behind. Sure enough, it was a Kizashi. Either dark gray or silver, but most likely the former. The rear driver's side had the yellow spare wheel/tire installed, so probably not a 2013 model, and the actual wheel in the front was not of the Sport variant, so not the model of the same color I saw for sale a year later at the same place I got my Kizashi at (SLS Sport AWD). Kind of funny that one headlight was out, as the Kizashi is notorious for. In hindsight, the DRLs were likely on their high-beam mode, as the DRLs normally don't work with the lowbeams on otherwise. The car looked to be in pretty rough shape overall. I'm guessing it's the same car from last time (which was a mile away), which suggests the owner is a local. I almost thought of parking and approaching the owner to talk about his car, but thought better of it lol. If they really are a local, I might be seeing this Kizashi more often, in which case I'll stop updating my sightings.
Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
SamirD
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Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2013 4:07 pm
Location: HSV and SFO
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I spotted my first Kizashi in the Bay Area yesterday at Costco. It was one of the myriad of cars filling up gas and suddenly I was like, that's a nice front--wait that's a Kizashi! It had the SLS sport wheels and front bumper and all the trim. It had paint peeling on the roof as well as some folded metal on the lower passenger side like they caught part of something like a concrete planter. It felt good to see the car, but sad at the same time.

But what's even more said is that our own Kizashi is sitting needing brakes and a new battery, and after reading all the stuff on paint issues, I'm worried about that as it's been outside baking in the sun. Hey KuroNekko, how's your paint holding up? Yours from the exterior is pretty much a twin of ours.
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KuroNekko
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Location: California, USA

SamirD wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:01 pm I spotted my first Kizashi in the Bay Area yesterday at Costco. It was one of the myriad of cars filling up gas and suddenly I was like, that's a nice front--wait that's a Kizashi! It had the SLS sport wheels and front bumper and all the trim. It had paint peeling on the roof as well as some folded metal on the lower passenger side like they caught part of something like a concrete planter. It felt good to see the car, but sad at the same time.

But what's even more said is that our own Kizashi is sitting needing brakes and a new battery, and after reading all the stuff on paint issues, I'm worried about that as it's been outside baking in the sun. Hey KuroNekko, how's your paint holding up? Yours from the exterior is pretty much a twin of ours.
My paint is holding up very well. Of course, I have the chips from road debris on the front end but it's not horrible. As for sun damage, I don't see any despite my Kizashi is parked outside 100% of the time both at work and home. Only the headlights show UV damage but I polish it out every several months. I owe my paint condition to spray waxing that I do after just about every car wash since I've owned the car. When I lived in an apartment, I didn't have the option to hand wash the car so I had to resort to a DIY car wash where the brush scratched up the clear coat. I've been meaning to polish out the fine scratches but haven't had the time. That being said, spray wax that can be applied during towel drying after a wash has really kept the finish looking good with minimal extra time and effort. I know it's not as good as paste wax or the newer ceramic coating but regularly applied after car washes, it makes a huge difference, IMO. I'll post pictures after the next wash as the Kizashi is currently dirty. It's getting an oil change and tire rotation this weekend.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
SamirD
Posts: 3074
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2013 4:07 pm
Location: HSV and SFO
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KuroNekko wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 12:31 am
SamirD wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 10:01 pm I spotted my first Kizashi in the Bay Area yesterday at Costco. It was one of the myriad of cars filling up gas and suddenly I was like, that's a nice front--wait that's a Kizashi! It had the SLS sport wheels and front bumper and all the trim. It had paint peeling on the roof as well as some folded metal on the lower passenger side like they caught part of something like a concrete planter. It felt good to see the car, but sad at the same time.

But what's even more said is that our own Kizashi is sitting needing brakes and a new battery, and after reading all the stuff on paint issues, I'm worried about that as it's been outside baking in the sun. Hey KuroNekko, how's your paint holding up? Yours from the exterior is pretty much a twin of ours.
My paint is holding up very well. Of course, I have the chips from road debris on the front end but it's not horrible. As for sun damage, I don't see any despite my Kizashi is parked outside 100% of the time both at work and home. Only the headlights show UV damage but I polish it out every several months. I owe my paint condition to spray waxing that I do after just about every car wash since I've owned the car. When I lived in an apartment, I didn't have the option to hand wash the car so I had to resort to a DIY car wash where the brush scratched up the clear coat. I've been meaning to polish out the fine scratches but haven't had the time. That being said, spray wax that can be applied during towel drying after a wash has really kept the finish looking good with minimal extra time and effort. I know it's not as good as paste wax or the newer ceramic coating but regularly applied after car washes, it makes a huge difference, IMO. I'll post pictures after the next wash as the Kizashi is currently dirty. It's getting an oil change and tire rotation this weekend.
That's super great to hear! Yep, our headlights have started to yellow and craze a bit too after holding up very well when I regularly waxed them. Unfortunately I've not done the same to the car so I'm worried about the paint. But unfortunately, it's just one of a bunch of different worries (many costing many times more than the Kizashi), so the Kizashi has to wait in line for its turn.

There is a nice spray wash close by so I should do a nice spray wash and then spray wax like you have. Even if it just helps in the meantime before I can do a good detailing, it will be worth it. Thank you for sharing the tip!
Oilime3000
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2023 6:46 am

I recently spotted a Silver one in a Parking, but idk how to upload videos lol
Everytime i see a Kizashi is either white or Silver, mine is the only "not boring" color XD (Vivid Red)
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