Planning to buy a Suzuki APV..

[the_champ]

hi,

may mga recent owners ba ng suzuki apv dito? pashare naman ng deals na nakuha nyo. gusto ko sana yung manual transmission 8 seater na may airbag/abs (meron kaya nito?)..
bank financing din gusto ko.

meron pa ba ngayon nung free pms up to 20k? aling dealer po pinakaok?

salamat.

[thahood]

I am selling my 2009 suzuki apv type 2 automatic transmission for 600k. Casa maintained. Except for some minor dents/scratches, it is in excellent condition.

[Macky]

I've owned an A/T Suzuki APV with 123,000kms for 6 years now. AFAIK, merong M/T na may ABS at Air Bags.

May nakita akong kumuha lately ng APV TypeII with the ff. freebies:
Free LTO,
3M tint, matting,
Seat cover,
P40,000 cash discount
Free-maintenance for 2yrs or 20,000kms, which ever comes first OR Free back-up sensor.

Meron ding nakakuha ng upgraded APV with the ff. freebies:
4 LCD
Back up sensor and camera sensor
Free tint
Free LTO Reg for 3 years
Free CTM
Free insurance all in w/ AOG
Free car alarm (beside the key less entry)
Free roof rack
Free rain visor
Free seat cover
Free matting

From experience, ok maintenance cost ng APV from bnew up to 3yrs of ownership. Hindi sya talaga nasisira BUT once may nasira, expect to shell out a lot of $$$ for repairs. Mahirap din ang parts and usually, again from experience, maraming nanamantalang talyer at auto supplies sa APV parts. Kalimitan mas mahal pa sa labas kesa sa casa. Of course, labor is a different story. It is an open secret that Suzuki has one of the worst after-sale services in the Philippines. Napagaan lang ang APV ownership experience ko since I know some people inside Suzuki . Pero kung hindi ka resourcesul, di ka matyagang maghanap ng parts at medyo baguhan ka sa car maintenance, I won't recommend getting one. Syempre budget is one of the main concerns when buying a car. This is the primary reason why we decided to get the APV.... it is the cheapest 8-seater van with generous seating and luggage capacity na may A/T at the time we were looking. Pero ngayon kasi may Avanza at Grand Livina na. Yun nga lang medyo maliit ang Avanza but with a much better engine compared to the APV. The best option, for me right now, is the Grand Livina. The ride is much much better than the APV plus the engine is definitely better than the Avanza's. I've driven one at speeds north of 200km/h and the car still acts and feels solid and stable. A/C can cool the interior even w/o the 2nd row a/c that the APV has. Iba pa rin talaga ang A/C ng Nissan. Lamang lang ng APV is the better OEM sound setup plus the 3rd row's ease of access.

Ex-OFW nga pala kami and I also have a Suzuki Esteem that has the same engine as the APV but still works with a distributor. May problema naman ako sa kanya ngayon sa idling. Nalibot ko buong Banawe for a surplus throttle body and dalawa lang ang nakita ko, parehas pang palyado.

You can visit Clus Suzuki Philippines' website (Your Free Suzuki Email Address and Webspace - Great for Suzuki Drivers!) as I've posted my maintenance cost there from 0km to 100,00kms. Nandun din mga usual na sira ng APV including, but not limited to, ball bearings (which I think is a design flaw as the APV utilizes 1 bearing instead of the usual 2 bearings na kabilaan sa ibang AUVs), a/c (more on expenssive kasi ang cleaning nya since baklas buong dash), rear door balancer (madaling bumigay specially if you work in an office na mandatory syang binubuksan para ma-check ng mga security guards), "tok" sound sa suspension, dampers (P9,000/pc), clock (costs P3,000 sa casa), cheap driver side matting (madaling mabutas), O2 sensor (seems to conk out at around 50,000 to 70,000kms) and the "tagtag" factor.

Here's my personal APV review which I did way back when 40,000kms pa lang ang APV ko:
As a previous owner of Honda SUVs and minivans such as the 2001 MDX, 2002 2.4L CR-V, 1999 Odyssey (2nd gen) and 1996 Odyssey (1st gen), the 2005 APV isn't that bad considering that it offers the best 2nd row and 3rd row head and leg room not to mention the best 3rd row entry. A/T is also smoother than my 1999 3.5L V6 and 1996 2.2L SOHC Odysseys but Honda seem to have gotten it right in the 2nd gen CR-V. Been to Baguio (with 8 adults and 2 kids as lap passengers plus luggages) and Subic with an observed hiway mileage of 8.2 km/l. City driving is a different story though as it can be as low as 6.1 up to 6.8 kms/liter during my first 5K kms but has since improved to its current city-driving mileage of 7.5 to 7.9 kms/liter. The small 1.6L engine produces adequate power probably because of its mid-engine/rear wheel drive configuration. It also has a great view of the road though the A-pillars seems to be a little too thick for visibility. With my 3M magic tints intact, the A/C's cooling prowess seems up there with the best. Infact, I thought it rivals my MDX's 19k BTU cooling system that slightly exceeds the heating and cooling capacity found in the average STET home (an 18K BTU A/C will cool an average 1100 sq ft home). It can cool the cavernous interior of the APV that was left under the sun for a day in seconds. BUT after a stone-throwing incident that got the tints removed (I had a full windshield tint), the A/C feels average (have re-installed 3M magic tints again). Turning radius is great and you'll love its drivability and maneuverability which are a tad better than most AUVs and even SUVs. Ergonomics seems to be at par with its Jap counterparts. The nice-sounding 2-DIN stereo w/ 6 speakers, reverse warning audible, 60/40 2nd/3rd row split seats, fog lights (which adds to an already good night visibility), engine immobilizer, and large side mirrors are also a pleasant surprise in this price range.

Nuff of the good stuffs and on to my rants. My main gripe as experienced are the tires. Besides being too puny looking, it could use a better set of quality tires that will not loose its grip of the road during emergency maneuvers. I've since replaced it with a set of 225/16/50 Rota mags on Potenza wheels and have noticed a huge improvement when going on small pot holes as well as in cornering while maintaining its sporty acceleration. Theoretically, I don't think the APV is really prone to rollovers as all of the heavy parts are placed underneath (engine included). Although it is asking for too much in this price range, ABS would be a nice addition. Steering is also numb on center and the 3rd row passengers better be prepared for the bouncy ride. Started hearing some squeeks coming from the rear door at about 30k kms. Some APV owners advised that the squeeks might have come from the 'jurassic' rear suspension set up but Hino assured it was not. Hinigpitan na ng Hino lahat ng mahihigpitan sa rear door and I've personally lubricated it... humina lang pero the squeeks are still there. Not too loud for the driver and front passenger but anoying just the same for the 2nd/3rd row occupants. - Update: Nilagyan ko na ng grasa and I think it took care of this annoying squeek - Lastly, the driver seat is also tiring (my buns literally was hurting after 2 hours of driving and so was my back) and it lacks a foot rest leaving your left leg restless on long drives. - Update: Anyone notice cracks on the A/T glass (or plastic?) indicator? -

The engine being under the drivers seat is a non-issue as Suzuki have done a good job of isolating the engine heat and noise . It also houses its radiator under the hood for better ventillation which should give us peace of mind against overheating while the elevated in-take should be enough for driving through floods around the Metro during the rainy season. And if this is not enough, Suzuki Philippines has thrown in a 3-year warranty and a 2-year free maintenance.

BTW, we got our unit for PHP 715K (w/ PHP 4K discount for ePass, free 3M magic tints - full windshield, rust proofing and free 3yr. LTO registration) and am beginning to be a Suzuki believer (too bad the Swift only has 3 doors).

Here are some stuffs we have replaced and added.

Replaced:
- rear door balancer (under warranty)
- stereo CD skipping (under warranty)
- puny mag wheels and tires (replaced with 225/16/50)
- brake pads on my 30K kms PMS. A/T daw kasi.... will try to change my driving habits na din. - Update: change brake pads ulit along with brake shoes sa rear on my 45K kms PMS -
- Right fog light bulb (2X). If this persists, I might have its wiring checked na din. - Update: it has been 11K kms since it got busted -
- Rear right brake light bulb (3X). - Update: got busted again before my 40K PMS -
- Antennae (due to an incident involving a low ceiling while on reverse).

Added:
- Dual 7" LCD monitors on head rest w/ DVD player (from the money I saved up instead of buying the "other" A/T car).
- 225/16/50 Rota mag wheels on Potenza tires.
- OEM window visors that turned out a bad buy as I park on covered parking but who knows....
- Titan back up sensors (had a little accident backing up).
- OEM Leather seats from PilHino.

I would like to remind my fellow APV owners that wheel allignment/balancing/rotation is not included in the PMS as I found out resulting to a new set of 225/16/50 mag wheels and tires. Nasanay kasi ako outside the Philippines na pag sinabing "preventive", preventive talaga at hindi selective maintenance.

BTW, the APV contains a short but positive review on last year's Nov. '06 issue of C! magazine. Didn't like the review though as they were leading readers to believe that the APV sports a good suspension, hehehe. Might be comparing the APV with other AUVs though. But I totally agree on sweet engine and A/T hook up..... Also, may decent review den ang tsikot sa APV on the Diesels, SUVs, Mini-SUVs, AUVs and Trucks section.

I could go on and on but would PM you na lang if you still have concerns.

My only advise is to use your head more, do your research and TEST DRIVE, TEST DRIVE and TEST DRIVE. Huwag maging emotional sa pagbili. Look for Conrad Tan from Suzuki Kalookan, Hector Tabon from PilHino (don't know what they are called nowadays), or Dan Montes from Suzuki Shaw if desidido ka talaga to get the APV. Or if 2nd hand, may nakita ako sa CSP website na APV for sale (Login).

Goodluck!

[the_champ]

actually, nakapagresearch na din ako about grand livina.. and my mind is circling on apv - grand livina - adventure gls.. ang reklamo naman ng mga livina owners is yung feeling nila di na solid ang ride even after 20k kms only. and marami beses nila kelangan bumalik sa casa to resolve problems. i guess lahat ng cars hindi perfect.

hay ang hirap hehe. balik jazz na lang kaya ako (which is what i really want originally).

[Macky]

actually, nakapagresearch na din ako about grand livina.. and my mind is circling on apv - grand livina - adventure gls.. ang reklamo naman ng mga livina owners is yung feeling nila di na solid ang ride even after 20k kms only. and marami beses nila kelangan bumalik sa casa to resolve problems. i guess lahat ng cars hindi perfect.

hay ang hirap hehe. balik jazz na lang kaya ako (which is what i really want originally).

Almost 90% of the time, 1st year models exhibit symptoms of build quality issues. By experience, this imperfections gets fixed (by the car manufacturer) immediately on the car's 2nd year. Also, Nissan "daw" kasi is talagang kalampagin na since the 80's pa (we have an '87 Stanza before). My APV is admittedly a 1st year model unit and may mga langitngit din coming from the rear door which was notoriously present on majority of Suzuki APV's 1st year models. Yung mga succeeding year models, wala na akong naririnig na complaints regarding sa ingay originating from the rear door. Also as mentioned in my previous post, may "tok" sound din ang APV when going over humps. Some APV owners swear that they have already identified the cause and have already applied a remedy for this. Ako, I just installed O-sulee spring cushions and the have not heard the "tok" sound since.

The interior of the Jazz is bigger than it looks. The only disadvantage I could think of is that the Jazz does not have a 3rd row plus the low center of gravity makes it susceptible to damages when going accross floods pag rainy season. Other than those, I would take the Jazz over the APV and Garand Livina any time. Yun nga lang, ibang klase din kasi ride quality ng Ford Fiesta Trend (not the Sport model, medyo stiff kasi ang ride nya for my taste). Walang lubak lubak sa Fiest Trend, hehehe.

[Macky]

Again, TEST DRIVE, TEST DRIVE. and TEST DRIVE!!!