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2011 SX4 good for college kid?

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  cbmadcow 
#1 ·
Have to replace my sons totaled vehicle. Came across a 2011 SX4 AWD with 34K miles. It is a hatchback. He goes to school near Cincinnati so snow is an issue at times. Is the SX4 a good car for him? I admit I know nothing about Suzuki vehicles an figure this is the best place to ask. Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Hey, just got on here myself and saw your post and was surprised no one has said anything. I don't know a whole lot about Suzuki cars yet. I know Suzuki worked with GM in the late 80's to create some of the Geo cars like the Metro and Tracker. Friends of mine had those back then and never had any trouble with them. I was a "Buy American" kind of guy then but I had to admit they were well built and like the rest of the Japanese cars, better than American cars at the time.
But more to the point...I just got a SX4 sedan and I love it. It feels like and reminds me of the Volkswagens I've had in the past. Well built, firm and tight feeling. I searched the internet long and hard to find information about these particularly as it relates to reliability. So far everything I've read was good. There doesn't seem to be any consistent problems indicating a poor part or quality problem. I'm sure there will be things here and there and if you ask a group of owners I'm sure someone will tell a horror story or two but so far I don't see much of that on customer reviews I've searched online. As a father myself I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one of these. You will here that Suzuki is out of the market here but parts seem to be available. These were one of their best selling cars before they pulled out and are still sold around the world. And a side benefit of them no longer selling new here is you can get these for less money than a Honda Civic and so far I'm confident that these are nearly as good. They certainly are a lot roomier with the higher ground clearance and extra head room. The only complaint I've heard about the AWD is gas mileage might suffer a bit as compared to FWD.
Anyway, these are just a few of my thoughts. Hope others will chime in here as I'm sure there's some guys on here that no a lot more than I do.
 
#3 · (Edited)
My wife's SX4 is lovely. It does all we expect, fun to drive, and AWD is perfect in winter.
YOU did not mention if it was a manual or CVT....personnally I'd rather have a manual but CVT does the job with a few oddities one can live with, not trouble. Gas mileage is a bit less than other cars of same size..but I'd say this is academic. It is NOT a reason not to like the car. (but compare apples with apples..AWD takes more gas because everything keeps turning all the time even when set on 2WD only) .
Let the son give his first impression...if he likes it at first glance, he will like it all the time. ANd I do not fear the availability of parts for maintenance...aftermarket takes care of it if the SUzuki dealer is at a distance...
 
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