Still have the Kizashi on my list..

[Pyramid1]

Yeah there are a number of reasons why manuals are going extinct..

Autos providing comparable or better performance/MPG's these days

Base model "affordable" cars now mostly coming with auto standard. (kids aren't forced to learn to drive a stick)

Urban area highways, freeways and even toll roads are becoming more congested with traffic.

The last one I can sympathize with, there are times when my left knee is pretty sore by the time I get through a huge jam...but still I would rather row my own than let a computer do the shifting for me. Driving an automatic just feels too much like being along for the ride..

[bootymac]

Yup, manuals will be reserved for "fun" cars that emphasize driver experience. Automatics are more convenient. CVTs are (supposedly) more efficient. DCTs have better performance.

[smsmart]

...but still I would rather row my own than let a computer do the shifting for me. Driving an automatic just feels too much like being along for the ride..

Man, then you'd love living in Europe! Pretty much everyone over there drives a manual--automatics are more the exception than the rule. Funny how that is.

But the last point you brought up about traffic is pretty much the main reason why I decided to get the Kiz with CVT...at the time I did a lot of commuting on the freeway during rush hour, so I didn't want to have to deal with constantly changing gears in bumper to bumper traffic. But now when I think about it, I kinda wish I had gotten the manual instead. First, because of my fears that the CVT is gonna crap out, and second, because my new job is now only five minutes away from home

[SamirD]

About that http://www.oemsuzukiparts.com/ site. It's actually a former Suzuki dealer in Texas that sells Suzuki parts online. They are still active in selling other brands.
It's the parts department for these guys: http://www.southwestautogroup.com/
Not sure if the site closure is temporary or if they halted all Suzuki parts sales permanently. However, I do recall that they did have a no refunds, no returns policy because of the Suzuki pull-out.

I spoke to them through their southwestautogroup.com site and bought my all-weather floor mats from them as well as a few other parts. They just don't try to sell Suzuki like they used to. They have a few things leftover in inventory and drop-ship the rest from the main US distributor like a lot of other places do.

[SamirD]

...but some of the more specific parts to the Kiz such as body/interior panels, suspension parts, EPS unit, lighting and other electronics may not be as easy to get since there are fewer Kizashi's...and so parts suppliers may not feel the need to keep those parts in stock.

Luckily, this is a world car, so there will have to be parts in Japan, even for the rest of the world where the car has been pulled out of the market. There should be enough global demand for parts that they'll still keep making some.

It may be like finding parts for other rare cars in a few years, but by that time most of us will have gotten our value out of it too.

[SamirD]

We got lucky and found a Kizashi about an hour away that we now call our own. But knowing how well this car is built, I would have flown to see the one in Ohio and drove it back if I needed to.

Driving to get a car isn't so bad if you like driving. But if you don't, my friend's wife owns a auto transport company: mycartransport.com. Anna is really nice too. Tell her Samir referred you.

Now you can just fly up there to check out the car and then fly back and have it delivered--problem solved!

[Woodie]

Autos providing comparable or better performance/MPG's these days

That is just simply not true. There's no way that adding weight, complexity, and disconnecting the engine from the transmission to reconnect by sloshing fluid around is not wasteful. The manufacturers have tuned the transmission to the EPA test, so if you drive exactly like that, you can equal a manual. The other 99% of the time, you're nowhere close.

Base model "affordable" cars now mostly coming with auto standard. (kids aren't forced to learn to drive a stick)

Urban area highways, freeways and even toll roads are becoming more congested with traffic.

I don't get this, I've never had this problem. Maybe because I'm in stop and go traffic EVERY day, and I NEVER drive less than 100 miles per day, sometimes 250.

[murcod]

Luckily, this is a world car, so there will have to be parts in Japan, even for the rest of the world where the car has been pulled out of the market. There should be enough global demand for parts that they'll still keep making some.

Are LHD Kizashi's still made/ sold new somewhere in the world? Those specific LHD parts might be hard/ expensive to source in the future?

That would include common crash repair parts like the head lights, steering components.

[KuroNekko]

Luckily, this is a world car, so there will have to be parts in Japan, even for the rest of the world where the car has been pulled out of the market. There should be enough global demand for parts that they'll still keep making some.

Are LHD Kizashi's still made/ sold new somewhere in the world? Those specific LHD parts might be hard/ expensive to source in the future?

That would include common crash repair parts like the head lights, steering components.

I'm sure they are given that 2/3 of the world drives on the right. Major countries include US, Canada, Germany (and the rest of Europe other than the UK), Russia, and China.

Pretty much, former British colonies like India and Australia drive on the left. Japan modeled themselves after the British driving system so they are on the left as well.

[murcod]

Luckily, this is a world car, so there will have to be parts in Japan, even for the rest of the world where the car has been pulled out of the market. There should be enough global demand for parts that they'll still keep making some.

Are LHD Kizashi's still made/ sold new somewhere in the world? Those specific LHD parts might be hard/ expensive to source in the future?

That would include common crash repair parts like the head lights, steering components.

I'm sure they are given that 2/3 of the world drives on the right. Major countries include US, Canada, Germany (and the rest of Europe other than the UK), Russia, and China.

Pretty much, former British colonies like India and Australia drive on the left. Japan modeled themselves after the British driving system so they are on the left as well.

My point is are there any LHD Kizashi's still being produced? The number of countries LHD vs RHD is irrelevant if Kizashi's aren't sold in them!