I'm interested in getting a 2009 suzuki vitara 2.0 2wd. Any owners willing to share more info abt this car?
How's the fuel consumption?
Parts and maintenance expensive?
How's the handling and driving experience?

This SUV looks decent for 2nd hand pricetag below 40k. But need to know more on the fc and maintenance cost b4 jumping into it. Hope to hear more from owners.

This model known as a really bad fuel consumption.. 2WD? Are you sure? Suzuki Grand Vitara right?
Maintenance can be expensive due to low demand parts.. even for Suzuki Alto parts is expensive, so i dont think Suzuki Vitara csn be any cheaper..

Suzuki no longer operates in Malaysia. Parts are hard to get. Better get a new Great Wall than a questionable maintenance Vitara.

parts still ok, still available here via the same sc's managed by proton

what do u expect from this suv actually?

it's a ladder frame suv..so expect some rough handling (compared to newer generations of suv).

handling..never drive one but i guess more or less like old fortuner..sturdy but bouncy on highway.

how about nissan x-trail?

if we are throwing out ideas..... mitsu airtrek..... economical... nah not really, cheap to maintain??... erm sort of...

powerful? yes.

Thank you for all the replies. True, even my mechanic is fully against the idea of getting this. Same comment ie parts are expensive n not easily available.

parts will be expensive as it's cbu?

Actually I'm thinking to get a used suv with the budget of rm40k +-. Not many options available since prefer decent fc n reasonable charges for parts n maintenance. After striking out the suzuki vitara, the only option left in my list currently is Santa Fe 2.2 yr 09. Any comment on this Santa Fe?

Suzuki SX4 hatchback, its like crossover. Many parts shared with Swift so should be cheap to maintain.

hmmm another 2 other options~~

- murano if you can afford the roadtax....
- rush - fairly decent.. nothing really special either

X trail is good. You can get one cheaper than your budget and spend the rest attending to issues. Parts are widely available as because of long development of this SUV, there are plenty of non-original parts that are cheaper. FC is typical for an SUV of that era, if FC is a big concern then don't get one. Full tank gets about 450 km. Ride very comfy unlike modern suv.

Vitara is good for off road, tough and utilitarian, but as others have commented, ladder frame not the most comfortable. Also means it is higher than a unibody despite similar ground clearance. Interior not very nice, very basic and soundproofing not very good, coupled with an un-aerodynamic body, can get noisy on highway. Parts are pricy because no locally made or non-oem parts. All from Japan, which is bad for price but good for quality.

Suzuki being phased out here so getting parts will get harder and harder. I wouldn't get one unless you really wanna go offroading, even then there are better options.

Thanks for the suggestion. Will try to read more abt this model

Thanks for the suggestion.
Murano - this is consider luxury suv, on par with harrier. Worry the parts, maintenance, fc will be high. Any idea?

Rush - high fc and my mechanic totally against this. He suggest crv instead

Thanks for the reply. If possible I'll prefer suv with good fc as i need to travel alot. Initially did consider this model but the outlook n interior looks very out dated imho. So still trying to search for better option which is bang for bucks (if there's any haha)

For vitara, i think I'll strike out that option. Now maybe will consider hyundai santa fe. Any info yo share on this model? Mechanics said parts expensive n not wise. Owners @ santa fe grp claims the opposite.

dont know what you define as 'high'. 5k a year

murano's maintenance is definitely higher, parts and running costs are more expensive. its ina different class altogether. i guess you can just skip this

rush is just smaller vehicle than the crv, still bigger than the sx4 tho (that thing is a crossover, aka a slightly jacked up hatchback)

someone else mentioned the xtrail? actually that's a very good car but i would suggest the Nissan Dualis which is basically the same car, but its a prettier Japanese variant. Since mechanical parts are shared, its not a problem, only the trim and exterior bits are different (not an issue, cause there is insurance in event you actually need new panels)

Ya wo. nissan dualis is nicer. It is same as xtrail in terns of parts n engine? But not many used units available. I'll check more on this. Thanks for the suggestion

mechanical bits are the same. (both cars are very closely related) if you really want to find out more, join a fb group and ask about their differences in detail (im suspect even the little things like the drive shafts and most of the electronics are the same, best to ask owners 1st)

If u travel a lot, look for diesel.

Ok. Thank you for the suggestion. Appreciate it.

livina xgear

Ok bro. Btw i rber reading your posting b4 in Triton forum @ autoworld few years back. How's your triton?

Actually I'm also considering santa fe 2.2 yr 09. Any comment?

If possible would prefer to aim for suv 1st. If can't find the right option, then will consider others. Thank you bro for your suggestion.

Sold due to lesser business.

Tyt Rush in Malaysia is running on Avanza ladder frame platform, which is very very uncomfortable. If it's the Japanese imported Tty Rush or Nautica, then I agree with you that the Terious is a better car.

I thoguth the TS just want something like HR-V, which is built from a sedan/hatch platform, light weight with low FC and cheap maintenance. In this respect, the SX4 is just it. HR-V of course is best suited based on TS requirement, but in the next 5 years it still won't drop to RM40k yet. Maybe after 7-8 years

So, SX 4

ahh yes im referring to the nautica and such, all in all decent things.... tho the nautica does drink that bit more petrol cause.... 4wd