Considering buying a Kizashi, Specific concerns

ochy38 · Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:20 pm

Hi all,

I've been a huge fan of the kizashi since I first heard about it years ago, just havent been in the market. Now that I am, I ran across one, a 2010 Kizashi S AWD, that looks to be a great deal, with one caveat- It was issued a lemon/buyback title. I know.. bad. The numbers might make this work, though

I got a history report, and contacted the dealer that did the warranty work. He didnt have a whole lot on it.. said as far as records, they replaced a seat bolster that had bulged, then the next thing was a transmission issue. Owner came in with an issue (service guy wasn't sure exactly what), they didn't find anything wrong, didn't do anything. This was in 2012, car had 12kmi on it. 2012 is when the buyback/lemon title was issued and the car went to auction.

The current owner is the second owner, I'd be the third. The car now has 35,000 Miles on it. Low miles concerns me a little, but the lady apparently has health issues so she hasn't been driving it.

My question, I guess, what's everyone's thoughts? I've read of various CVT issues, but not sure what exactly to look for. I'm going Saturday to check it out. What specifically should I look for?

golftango · Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:37 pm

Is this one heck of a deal that can't be passed up? Because there are plenty of low mileage clean title ones to be found. Heck, I paid $9500 for a 2013 with 16K miles.

ochy38 · Thu Dec 31, 2015 7:19 pm

It is, half that price with twice the miles....

WESHOOT2 · Thu Dec 31, 2015 7:47 pm

Might suggest to alleviate service concerns you simply purchase an extended warranty.

FWIW, I've had pretty good luck with my pair of Ks.....

Thu Dec 31, 2015 7:54 pm

I believe there were some issues with the CVT in the early model years. Given that it has a lemon title, I'd pass.

Thu Dec 31, 2015 8:24 pm

I'd stay away from anything tagged a lemon. Not easy to get that recognition, so if it has it be wary.

golftango · Thu Dec 31, 2015 9:33 pm

ochy38 wrote:It is, half that price with twice the miles....

$4K?! I'd say go for it. I mean, if the CVT crapps the bed, you can grab another from the pick-n-pull. Only downside, no more warranty with a branded title.

ochy38 · Thu Dec 31, 2015 9:53 pm

Happy to hear all your thoughts.

If the car was having transmission issues at 12k that weren't fixed..wouldn't one assume that it would have crapped out before 33k? Or at least be much more noticeable now?

I think it's at least worth looking at and test driving. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have been working on all my own stuff for 10+ years.. I just don't have much experience driving CVT's. I had a civic at work for a couple weeks with one so I get the idea.. but what should I look for? Would problems typically show up hot or cold? Full throttle or decel? Gear selector in a particular position? Pulling a particular fuse or something wouldn't mask any issues on a test drive, would it?

Fri Jan 01, 2016 5:36 pm

I agree whole-heartedly with NYTQ.

Run away unless you have an extremely competent Suzuki service center close by to effectively deal with the underlying transmission issue you'll likely experience.

SamirD · Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:07 am

If you're looking for a super-reliable daily driver, this deal may not be the best.

However, if you're looking for a steal, this is probably it. Any transmission issues should have shown their head either with dtc codes or driveability issues by now. You can also sniff the fluid to see if there's anything odd there. Otherwise, even if you have to throw another $4k into the car later on down the road, it's still not bad for $8k for such a car.