Plans on buying a pre-owner Kizashi

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Swaroop Kumar
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Joined: Wed May 18, 2022 12:15 pm

Hello All,
My name is Swaroop Kumar and I am based out off Mumbai. I have always wanted to own the Kizashi and I recently came across a seller who is selling a 2012 CVT Kizashi that has run close to 49K kms. The asking price for the same is around Rs 4.5 lakhs.
I have several questions around the same but the most important questions are as follows:
1) SHOULD I ACTUALLY BUY A 2012 YEAR KIZASHI?
2) In case I finalise to buy one, will the availability of spares be an issue here in Mumbai?
3) What are the aspects that I should be looking into before buying one?

It is highly appreciated if somebody can help me with the above concerns at the earliest.
Thanks in advance.
Swaroop Kumar
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Woodie
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Welcome Swaroop Kumar !

I am in the USA so I can't give you any advice about service or parts availability. I absolutely think you should buy it, but you've come to a Kizashi fan site for advice, guess that's predictable. The only concern is the CVT transmission, it's a little bit undersized for the engine and weight of the car. Combined with Suzuki's original recommendation of no fluid changes, many Kizashis have failed transmissions at the 200K KM mark. 49k is low kilometers, if you do buy it get the CVT serviced right away and then drive it gently. Don't try to act like a race car driver, stomping on the gas pedal from every red light. I don't know how much presence Suzuki has in Mumbai but if they're not convenient, Nissan used the same model CVT in some of their cars.

Overall a great car that didn't get as much appreciation as it should have, so a bargain.
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KlutzNinja
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Woodie wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 11:20 am Welcome Swaroop Kumar !

I am in the USA so I can't give you any advice about service or parts availability. I absolutely think you should buy it, but you've come to a Kizashi fan site for advice, guess that's predictable. The only concern is the CVT transmission, it's a little bit undersized for the engine and weight of the car. Combined with Suzuki's original recommendation of no fluid changes, many Kizashis have failed transmissions at the 200K KM mark. 49k is low kilometers, if you do buy it get the CVT serviced right away and then drive it gently. Don't try to act like a race car driver, stomping on the gas pedal from every red light. I don't know how much presence Suzuki has in Mumbai but if they're not convenient, Nissan used the same model CVT in some of their cars.

Overall a great car that didn't get as much appreciation as it should have, so a bargain.
Maruti-Suzuki is the biggest/best-selling automaker in India overall, and if not, very close to the top. Whether it still offers service support for a discontinued vehicle like the Kizashi is another thing. I’d assume Mumbai would offer at least some official service centers or even local mechanics who specialize in Japanese cars or Suzukis in particular. A few other Indian members here have been able to get their cars serviced alright, I recall.

On a side note, does the Kizashi have as terrible a resale value outside of the US as it does in the US? Lol
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KuroNekko
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Maruti-Suzuki is the biggest automaker in India, I believe. However, the Kizashi is an exclusively Japanese Suzuki and not among the Suzukis made for or in India. For that reason, it's not serviced in India like other Maruti-Suzukis according to our other Indian members. I've also read that parts and service is harder to find there, much like most of the world for the Kizashi, due to its obscurity as a model that's been discontinued now for about a decade. That being said, it's a great car for the value so if the mileage is low and the condition is great, it's likely a rewarding vehicle to purchase and own.

Also, the Kizashi was a single-generation vehicle that did not change too much from 2010 to 2014 or so when it ended production and global new car sales. A 2012 Kizashi has very little mechanical changes from most other Kizashis. I think the biggest difference to look out for are Sport models, but I'm not sure if they were even offered in India. I think some newer models have a deeper CVT fluid pan but I'm not keen on the specifics. Generally speaking, the most problematic ones are the first production model year 2010 vehicles that had minor issues identified and fixed later on.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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Swaroop Kumar wrote: Wed May 18, 2022 12:21 pm It is highly appreciated if somebody can help me with the above concerns at the earliest.
Thanks in advance.
Swaroop Kumar
Hi swaroop, any update? Did you go ahead with the purchase?
If not, then I'll suggest avoid the CVT (I advised this on teambhp also i think). Look for a MT if you can.
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