Kizashi Club

Hey everyone this is my first post. I've been reading up on the kizashi for a while now and finally test drove one today. I have a few questions though.

The car I test drove was a 2011 SE AWD, its never been titled it has been used by the dealership as a demo car. When driving the car I noticed when you are in traffic the CVT transmission seems to not let the motor rev enough it "bogs" the motor at about 23 mph to about 1200 rpm when accelerating. Is this normal? I have read about the CVT transmission and about just having to get used to how they drive.

Also is there anyway of knowing if the car has had the transmission computer upgraded? I have read of a reflash to make them run better.

Lastly, the car is 24k msrp. But they have it on sale for 19,295$. And they even told me today that they still have more room to play on the price. What can I expect to get them down to being that its a 2011 and has 6000 miles on a "new" car.

Thank you for the help and sorry about the long post.
Cody

Those are 6000 HARD miles, get the price LOW

Yes, the CVT works quite differently than a traditional transmission. The idea behind a CVT is to use variable speeds in the transmission to allow the engine to operate at either peak power or peak efficiency. It should go into "power" mode when you mash the gas, though. Did you floor it, or just a gentle press?

I was just city driving gently when I noticed this. Accelerating from a stop to highway speeds it felt fine. Just city driving was kind of weird.

You say they are hard miles, do you think that is so,etching to stay away from or it will be alright. The car is still in perfect condition. No paint chips on the front end or award noises. Is there anything I should look for?

Thanks for the help!

Demo cars tend to be driven kind of hard, but as long as it wasn't a press car it is probably OK. I don't think there would have been any 2011s that were press cars so I don't know if I would worry about it too much.

I wouldn't be too worried about the way the car was driven, but the price is rather high.
For comparison's sake, this was my deal:

In August of 2012, I bought a 2011 Kizashi Sport GTS with a 6 speed manual for $15,000. It had an almost even 7500 miles.

Yes, it's a manual which are far less popular than autos, but the car is a GTS. It has power seats, moonroof, the Rockford Fosgate sound system in addition to the Sport body style. Nothing wrong with it, no accidents. Not even a dent. It even came with aftermarket HIDs.

I would say 19,200 is rather high for a SE, even with AWD. Remember that Suzuki left the US, and the result is that Suzuki vehicles now even have lower resale value in addition to being one of the most unpopular brands.

Not saying the car is bad (obviously not as I own one and love it), but you should really try to talk the price down. Post-ASMC bankruptcy, a Kizashi with 6000 miles should not cost that high. Remember, I got my deal months before Suzuki announced their bankruptcy in the US.
Just my opinion.

I agree with all the above. The CVT is fine once you get used to it. I find that its fine in slow traffic, just a little weird in that lower acceleration area, but beyond that it curves up the power really well - almost turbo-like. Highway passing is a breeze.

And you can do much better on the price - I'm thinking 15k max.

I think my dealer is selling new Kizashi AWD for $18800.
Always negotitate a demo as a used car.

Note model number "SE" - the OP is talking Australian dollars, not USD

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I will try to talk him down a lot, if he wants to sell it he will work with me. But I did just find another lot with 2012 SE AWD for 18k and it has barely any miles. I'll probably check into that.

Thanks again and I'm real glad to read all of the happy people with this car!

Cody

~tc~ wrote:Note model number "SE" - the OP is talking Australian dollars, not USD

I'm in central Indiana