Suzuki sx4 hatchback: pro , cons?

[pandus13]

Hi Bitogers,

I know SUzuki is no longer in the US automobiles market,

but would these would make for a good commuter around Georgia/Tennessee roads?

It would be probably the AT/CVT trans (bad left knee)

Please relay your experiences, even from the 3rd degree cousin of a cousin of your friend.

Parts support, oil, trans fluid, reliability as used cars, AWD quirks, etc....

Much appreciated.

 

[IndyIan]

My wife's boss had one for a few years. No problems that I heard of atleast, the AWD worked well.
http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki-sx4-forum/ would be a good place to do some reading too. We had an 03 4 cyl tracker which may have the same engine as the SX4 depending on the year. It ran well enough for nearly 300k km with some 2500lb towing too, so I guess its tough enough.
I find though that the "odd-ball" cars don't really get under priced enough compensate for their potential hassles. I've never bought one though, so maybe you can negotiate them way down under asking. Start very low anyways, especially if its been there a while.
My choice for a cheap wagon 4-5 years ago was the Focus and its been pretty decent. Almost everything is 1999 KISS tech, which I think helps.

 

[Jim K]

My daughter has the sedan version and I`m pretty sure a good chunk of miles, so far it`s been pretty flawless.

 

[JTK]

A co-worker of mine had one for a few years. He got it super cheap brand-new and used it as his commuter car. His was a 6spd manual with heated leather seats. I don't think he put more than 40-50K miles on it total, but zero issues.

 

[Drew99GT]

You can find them cheap on the market today. I thought about getting one but read an article about how parts would likely be very hard to come by in the coming years, so if you planned on keeping it for a while, it might not be worth it.

 

[ThirdeYe]

One of my co workers has one, bought with very low mileage and has had it for quite a while and hasnt had any issues. Shes always talking about how much she loves it.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I had an aerio sx and that was pretty good for the money. Predated the Honda fit and was MUCH faster with the big 2.4? engine. The sx 4 has a smaller 2.0L engine I think.
Haunt my old stomping ground - the Suzuki Aerio sx forum - if it still exists.

IIRC the SX is a FIAT chassis. The one I dove back in the day Handles great. Big problem was they cheapened the interior with HARD FLAT seats.

Maybe you could fix this at an upholsterer for 40 bucks.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
I thought about getting one but read an article about how parts would likely be very hard to come by in the coming years, so if you planned on keeping it for a while, it might not be worth it.

Drew,
can you tell me more?

(i saw some common complaints on the sx4 US forum, some parts seem to be expensive or not available in North America)
I'm trying to see is this is a no-go.

Thank you

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
I had an aerio sx and that was pretty good for the money. Predated the Honda fit and was MUCH faster with the big 2.4? engine. The sx 4 has a smaller 2.0L engine I think.
Haunt my old stomping ground - the Suzuki Aerio sx forum - if it still exists.

IIRC the SX is a FIAT chassis. The one I dove back in the day Handles great. Big problem was they cheapened the interior with HARD FLAT seats.

Maybe you could fix this at an upholsterer for 40 bucks.

ARCO,
how was the Aerio SX against your Fit? the overall driving experience?
Also, back in the day, did anybody on the aerio forums changed the seats with anything else? (kind of like seats of the suzuki/chevy optra/Daewoo wagons which looked exactly the same as the hyundai's elantra of the early 2000....)

 

[Lolvoguy]

Parts availability has been the main downside of Suzuki since they started selling cars in Canada in the 80's.

Since then there's little to no support from the big manufacturers (Akebono, Raybestos etc). Basically ALL your parts have to come from the dealer. This was my experience as a service writer in the mid 2000's (back when they were still making them and exporting them new to N. America).

After that I came to realize why they never were as popular as Honda, Toyota etc. Not because the cars aren't as good, rather there's no parts or aftermarket support.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
I had an aerio sx and that was pretty good for the money. Predated the Honda fit and was MUCH faster with the big 2.4? engine. The sx 4 has a smaller 2.0L engine I think.
Haunt my old stomping ground - the Suzuki Aerio sx forum - if it still exists.

IIRC the SX is a FIAT chassis. The one I dove back in the day Handles great. Big problem was they cheapened the interior with HARD FLAT seats.

Maybe you could fix this at an upholsterer for 40 bucks.

ARCO,
how was the Aerio SX against your Fit? the overall driving experience?
Also, back in the day, did anybody on the aerio forums changed the seats with anything else? (kind of like seats of the suzuki/chevy optra/Daewoo wagons which looked exactly the same as the hyundai's elantra of the early 2000....)


The Sx MUCH better than fit another class of car. fit is a overpriced cheap car.

The AerioSx had Very nice seats. don't know about the newer car aftermarket. They are not GM or Daewoo.

 

[pandus13]

Thank you ARCO,
I see you took pride in the little wagon.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

That wasn't MY car. Just a web photo.