Kizashi Club

I finally had the chance to go to the dealership today.

Debating between a GTS (with navi) vs. GTS (without navi) vs. SE. All AWD CVT

1. Salesperson informed me that all GTS (even without navi) comes with bluetooth handsfree phone connection. Is that true? I thought I have read somewhere it is an option.
2. Does both SE and GTS have ipod integration?
3. What pricing (relative to invoice) are people getting for recent purchases of 2011 models?
4. How user friendly is the navigation (worth using or should I just stick with my TomTom) and how useful is the rearview camera?
5. Is paint chip still a big / common issue?
6. Any other input for a prospective buyer?

Thank you,

ipaqxman wrote:I finally had the chance to go to the dealership today.

2. Does both SE and GTS have ipod integration?
5. Is paint chip still a big / common issue?
6. Any other input for a prospective buyer?

Thank you,

I'll speak to these three, as a '10 owner. I'm not sure how the stereo may have changed since then.

2. The '10 SE has ipod integration. If your song collection is large, then it is a PITA to browse through all your artists, for instance. You have to turn and turn that nob to get to what you want. Make sure you dl the manual to see if your ipod is supported.
5. I never had paint chip issues with my '10. Paint is fantastic, IMO, and is easily the best I've had on any vehicle. In fact, I would say it is fairly resistant to chips - not soft at all. I have the platinum silver color.
6. This is a fantastic car that has not caught on. It is a steal for the $$$, and is a pleasure to drive. It handles extremely well, brakes well, and acceleration is.... ok Mileage is likewise ok, but not great (trip computer lies by 5-10%). All in all though, I think it is a fantastic vehicle. I think it is very well engineered. I would say it's a mix of teutonic handling and Japanese QC.

You however need to be ok with the skimpy dealer network. My dealer closed about 6 months after I bought the car (sucks), but nothing has gone wrong with it thus far.

Good luck!
Bob

thx for the reply.

As for pricing,

for the 2011 SLS AWD CVT, which "supposedly" invoices at $27093, or $27553 (with XM radio, which I dun need or want, but is on the car I am looking at unfortunately).

prospective deal at $27000 - $1000 (manufacturer incentive) = $26000

50-60 miles on the car according to dealer (is that normal for a new car?)

Is this a fair price?

Just looking for some input before purchase. Thanks,

Is below invoice a fair price?

You were in the slow class weren't you?

Mine had 60 something miles on it also, which seemed like a lot to me also.

Generally, the 0% financing is a better deal than the $1000 cash back

invoice price in quotation marks.

Reading the forum I am seeing purchasing prices couple thousands below "invoice prices" for their trim and option, that's why I am asking.

Check to see if XM tuner is really included - there is a standard XM button but without an installed XM tuner you won't have XM. As to the miles, 50-60 could easily be new since people will test drive the vehicle before purchasing it or the dealer may have used it himself. More than 200 miles or so and I would consider it kind of a dedicated test drive vehicle (which should be eligible for a $500 or so discount).

My opinion would be to get a very lightly used 10 instead of a brand new 11.

I picked up my 10 SLS 2WD with 7.5 K miles for around $17,500.

Heck here is one with only 4.5k miles for $20K.

http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/suzuki ... stance=any

The 2011 - I believe - got some drivetrain refinements that improve performance.

The GTS has the very nice Rockford Fosgate sound system. The nav head unit, however, is Kenwood. It's not very pretty to look at but it does the job pretty well. The backup camera is useful. The iPod connection with the nav is wired through the glovebox.

The Kizashi is a sharp looking car, but the GTS with the 18" wheels, lowered suspension, and the extra trim is stunning.

Only you can decide on AWD depending on your situation.

I have a 2011 SLS, 500 under invoice, no paint chip issues.

Thank you for everyone's feedbacks.

I was initially looking for a GTS Sport AWD CVT. However the only local ones I can find, have navigation systems on them, which I do not want. Like Firefly mentioned, the Kenwood unit seems a little out of place to me and I also read about possible audio degradation, and also the lack of bluetooth buttons on steering wheel when nav is installed? Though the backup camera would be very useful to me. So now I am looking at some SLS AWD CVT models WITHOUT navi, even though the leather doesn't intrigue me, the passenger power seat is not needed (I drive alone), and let alone the extra 1~2K.

Hi,

Just took delivery of my Kizashi. Just a few questions if anybody can help me out:

1) This is sort of stupid but. Do the side mirrors fold in? I would assume they do but they seem kind of rigid and I did not want to force it.
2) The manual recommends unplugging the Ipod from USB port after engine stops. From what it looks like, after the engine stops, the Ipod is no longer being charged (that the USB power shuts off), so I do not see a problem leaving it plugged in after the engine stops. Do people leave the USB device plugged in? It would be a slight nuisance to have to plug/unplug each drive.
3) According to the manual, I am missing the floor lock and screw thingie for securing my front seat floor matts; instead, there are just two holes. Am I supposed to find the locks and put those on myself? Again, kind of a stupid question.

Thanks,