Needs some advices regarding vitara

[PamelaAsistio]

Hello tsikoteers, just wanna have some enlightenment po sa mga naka-vitara manual (95 to 98 model).
a. Whats the average fuel consumption?
b. How about the parts, madali lang po ba hanapin?

We are eyeing for vitara with the said models po, but one time na may nakakwentuhan kaming auto-shop owner and I mentioned we are planning to buy a vitara, but he said its better to get a honda civic or hatchback with the same models instead. Mas madali daw po hanapin ang parts ng honda at mas tipid sa gasolina compare to vitara na mahirap daw ang parts at malakas sa gasolina, is this true or should we consider honda as well?

Thank you

[lukscudkil]

tama po mam yun nakausap nyo. mas madali ang parts ng civic compare to vitara but you cant compare sedan to suv. if you'll be needing a vehicle with a high ground clearance get the vitara. hth

[impulzz]

konti talga nag bebenta ng parts ng vitara, compared to a civic. but depending on part... prices are almost the same

my 96 vitara a/t fuel consumption city driving on 95 octane XCS or Protech is about 6.5kms/liter used to be 7.5 before E10 became mandatory

in my 4 years of owning it i inherited the pain of repairing. so far the major repairs done are the brake system, the aircon, the 4 shocks, water pump, radiator top(cracked when i got it) as for the engine, so far so good. just regular change oil , filter and plugs, clean the throttle body.

if you or your mechanic know where to source the parts near your area, well owning a vitara has it's advantages over a sedan. and is not far from owning a sedan of the same year.

it all boils down to how the previous owner used/abused it. and how far you are willing to restore it.

[PamelaAsistio]

tama po mam yun nakausap nyo. mas madali ang parts ng civic compare to vitara but you cant compare sedan to suv. if you'll be needing a vehicle with a high ground clearance get the vitara. hth

Actually sir lukscudkil hinde naman po namin sya kinocompare over hatchback, vitara po talaga ang hanap namin lately. It just happened na nabanggit nung kausap namin it would be better to get a honda rather than vitara.

By the way sir, ilan po ba ang fuel consumption ng honda (civic / hatchback)?

konti talga nag bebenta ng parts ng vitara, compared to a civic. but depending on part... prices are almost the same

my 96 vitara a/t fuel consumption city driving on 95 octane XCS or Protech is about 6.5kms/liter used to be 7.5 before E10 became mandatory

in my 4 years of owning it i inherited the pain of repairing. so far the major repairs done are the brake system, the aircon, the 4 shocks, water pump, radiator top(cracked when i got it) as for the engine, so far so good. just regular change oil , filter and plugs, clean the throttle body.

if you or your mechanic know where to source the parts near your area, well owning a vitara has it's advantages over a sedan. and is not far from owning a sedan of the same year.

it all boils down to how the previous owner used/abused it. and how far you are willing to restore it.

Naku 6.5kms/liter, hinde man lang po umaabot ng 8 or 9kms/liter in city driving??? Ganun po ba talaga kalakas sa gas ang vitara? Matic po ba to sir...we heard na heavy fuel drinker ang AT ng vitara, kaya we crossed out that option, we are just looking for manual.

Sir, yan po bang mga nabanggit nyong mga nasira ay yan talaga ang sakit ng vitara or nataon lang po sa unit nyo? Sabi po kasi ng iba ay matibay naman daw ang vitara in general...Im still absorbing all your inputs and feedbacks sir. Eventually, it will really helps us a lot what to get.

Thank you

[shadow3616931]

I had a vitara before it was a 96 model manual its consumption was 7kpl. All I can say is it was durable, under chassis was almost maintenance free.

Down side are weak aircon, door trims get ripped easily, some noise in dashboard during road bumps, quite bouncy during offroad.

[GTi]

I suggest you get this only if you will be using it off road, crossing floods and bad terrain often. We had the 3 door Escudo 1.6A/T in Taiwan before. It gets around 8.5km/L in traffic conditions best described as those you will find in less populated provinces. Performance is adequate enough though nothing spectacular. The speedometer reads to 160km/h, which is very much reachable. Ride quality is rather bouncy though.

Having only 95hp and coupled with a larger ladder frame body and 4WD, it is certainly slower, less comfortable and less fuel efficient than a similar-age 1.6L compact sedan.

[impulzz]

Naku 6.5kms/liter, hinde man lang po umaabot ng 8 or 9kms/liter in city driving??? Ganun po ba talaga kalakas sa gas ang vitara? Matic po ba to sir...we heard na heavy fuel drinker ang AT ng vitara, kaya we crossed out that option, we are just looking for manual.

Sir, yan po bang mga nabanggit nyong mga nasira ay yan talaga ang sakit ng vitara or nataon lang po sa unit nyo? Sabi po kasi ng iba ay matibay naman daw ang vitara in general...Im still absorbing all your inputs and feedbacks sir. Eventually, it will really helps us a lot what to get.

Thank you

6.5 is city driving with moderate traffic and a light foot, just don't use 93 octane cause get far worst kilometer reading. 95 octane is fine. like i said i was 7.5 on 93 octane pa before E10 came into the pic.

E10 is not actually cheaper it's more expensive to run since we get less power from it we step on the pedal to get more power.

well when i got the unit all 4 shocks were busted and the radiator top was cracked, so those were the first things replaced, then the water pump broke but was still the orginal unit, so sinabay ko na palitan yung timing belt and mga bearing and oil seals behind the timing belt.

little by little sa akin na inabot ang mga repairs , like most sellers ayaw na nila nug hassle ng repairs so they sell the car. but so far the unit i got was fresh no major accident and the engine was in good condition, had the suspension checked and everything is still original.

after 2 years the evaporator sprung a leak so i got an orignal unit from denso, it cost a bit more but hey my aircon is cold. then a few months later the old compressor died and to the mechanics surprise it was still the original unit.

kung manual kukunin mo mas matipid ng konti, but with today's traffic condition, i'm glad i have an automatic.

speed.. medyo mabagal dahil pang off road ang geariing but it will get you there naman di naman sobrang bagal din. not as fast as a sedan.
remember you're carrying 2 axels a big transfer case and a ladder frame with a 1.6 engine. if only suzuki dropped in1.8

what proved the worth of having a vitara to me was... floods. the morning of undoy, floods were already starting yet i was able to bring my wife to QC gen. hospital and go back home... flood waters i encountered were bumper high "Vitara bumper"not sedan bumper height. there were more instances of flooding before undoy and all i can say was glad to have a Vit. sedans were turning around and i just slowly went thru the flood.

matibay yes mine is now 16 years old, suspension except for the shocks are still original. since it's an off roader it will surely survive the road conditions we have in the metro. long term it will save money on repairs

buying a vitara boils down to:
1. unit condition, bring your trusted mechanic who knows the vitara... today most mechanics are not familiar with the vitara. and i've seen a few.
2. how deep your pocket is, for repairs (as with any other second hand car) actually most parts prices are almost the same with other OEM brands but most car brands since they are more popular they have so many "replacement parts " kaya yung iba sasabihin mas mura parts nila,
3. how patient you are sourcing parts for it.
4. and how much you really like the car. final say is yours.

read the gen 1 vitara thread in the suzuki sub forum. you'll learn a lot form the other guys there.

just stay away from the converted escudo(3door)

if you can't get a decent vitara a pajero will be a good option.

[myk384]

THE ULTIMATE USED CAR GUIDE: Used Car Review - Suzuki Vitara (1994-2004) - Used car review for the Vitara

[Jakespeed800]

Vitara is a good choice but make sure to look for a manual trans.i have seen owners of automatic changing their units to manual due to fuel efficiency.

[PamelaAsistio]

Vitara is a good choice but make sure to look for a manual trans.i have seen owners of automatic changing their units to manual due to fuel efficiency.

Noted that sir Jakespeed800, malakas daw po talaga sa gas ang AT. Ty

Thanks also for the replies of fellow tsikoteers...very informative.