Suzuki Grand Vitara (2005 and earlier)

gone2sea

Lee,

Congratulations on getting your GV. My wife is also 5' and she had the same comment. So those rear headrests did go -- into a small folding crate kept in the cargo area. We hold the crate in place with two short bungee cords hooked into the openings where the rear shoulder belts extend from on each side of the car. Sometimes we use the two headrests to hold small packages in place inside the crate.

walt_embree

Lee,
Suzuki makes a set of wing-shaped cross bars that fit 99 and 2000 GV's. The bars are in the 99 brochure. For 2000, Suzuki went to a Yakama tubular cross bar setup, which is probably a little more main-stream, but looks and sounds (yes, sound) awful. The Yakama system appears to be able to carry more stuff, but you need to check out both the 99 and 00 bars and decide for yourself.

As far as other toys, go for the front bug deflector/shield as soon as you can... rocks will eat the front portion of your hood in no time. Also, if you like tunes, invest in the Clarion CDC-635 6-pack CD changer. Plugs right into the back of the Suzuki (by Clarion) radio, which acts as the CD changer control unit. Went four-wheeling the other day, went through all 6 cd's during the day, and nary a skip. Do not buy from any other source than Great Lakes Audio/Video. (www.glav.com). Current price is $185, and is the cheapest price I have been able to find anywhere.

In addition, check post # 106 above for some important front end checks you should do...
Good luck! Enjoy

walt

lurkerlee

Several questions:
gone2sea - I was wondering if you guys got the door step thingies? So far, I haven't had any trouble getting into the vehicle... but then I've been wearing jeans since I bought it. Wearing work clothes tomorrow could be interesting .

walt_embree - I'm not sure what that post 106 means. I'll forward it to my kid brother to interpret . Is it something I (meaning really my brother) should do, or the dealer?

I saw the roof rack things in the 2000 toys catalog. Not too bad looking. I'm hoping I can just get new towers for my Saris system so it will work with the existing one.

Do I need the shield thing if I'm not off roading? The furthest off road I'll probably get is when I have to park in the middle of a muddy field at a dog show, or go up my neighborhood's barely plowed streets.

So many toys, so little money .

Oh! I just discovered that the headlights turn themselves on! Would you believe the salesman never told me that. And here I thought that the cruise control (my first ever) was a wonderful invention!

Thanks again everyone.

Lee

gone2sea

Lee,

Thingies, eh? My wife uses the word "thingies" all the time. We don't have the side steps and didn't have them on our previous SUV either. She does not have a problem getting into the GV when wearing a skirt or dress.

As for the front shield, I don't go off-road that much but recommend the front shield for the added protection it offers. On last SUV, shield took hit from a rock kicked up by truck in front of me on the highway. Better the shield than engine oil pan just behind it. I think GV has a similar layout and feel the shield is worthwhile.

Also think the OEM foglights are best available on any SUV. Places extra light precisely where you need it -- right shoulder and lane markings on left side of vehicle. We get fog here a lot and they are invaluable. But note if you want to use them you have to manually turn the headlights on via the stalk control. The automatic DRL sensor only works with the standard headlights and parking lights. Actually this is good since it KEEPS me in the habit of turning lights on at night instead of relying on auto sensor. By the way, tell your insurance company about Daylight Running Lamps --I got 10% reduction by having DRL feature.

My GV was purchased with front shield plate, fog lights, four mud flaps, armrest, rear window deflector, and trailer hitch included. Feel free to email me directly at gone[email protected] if you have ??? about the other options.

Howard
'99 JLX+, Auto, 5500 miles

walt_embree

Lee, I agree with Howard. The shield is best suited for hiway protection from rocks and other road debris. Just follow one gravel truck more than about 35 feet down the road, and you'll see what we mean.

walt

walt_embree

Lee,
Opps! Sorry. Howard and I are talking about 2 different shields. The one I'm talking about is the bug deflector shield that mounts on the front of the hood and wraps around the the front of the fenders as well. I have a '91 Ford F-350 and a '91 Suziki Sidekick, plus the 2000 GV, all 3 vehicles suffer rock and debris abuse along the front of the hood. It seems even more abuse than the front facing grill and lower moldings. Must have something to do with the wind vortex and all that rot. Bottom line, though, this simple plastic deflector will save lots of paint-chip grief.

walt

stockdog

My husband and I are
looking at the G.Vitara as
a second vehicle.We have a
dodge ram 2500 4wd. I read
a review on edmunds that
kind of slammed it.I felt
it was an unfair artical,
it compaired it to the crv
and the xtera. You have
apples and oranges. The
XTERA is much bigger more
like a mid size suv and
the crv is basically a
wagon with good road
traction, not a true 4wd.
CRV only has a 4 cylinder,
ad I don't know about you
but driving on a high way
on a hot day with the ac
cranked and a struggeling
motor does not fit in my
world.Then it pits it
against the xtera, yeah
thats bigger and better
but by the time you add
all the options to it your
looking at close to 30
grand. thats a ten
thousand
dollar difference.You
can't compare the two.We
took the G.Vitara jlx 4wd
for a test drive and
really liked it The 6
cylinder was peppy and it
has ever thing but the
kitchen sink for under 20
grand.Did any one else
read this and think it was
an unfair comparison? Can
anyone tell me aything
really bad about this
vehicle, other than it has
a tiny cargo space and it
is on the small side.Good
review are welcome too.
thank you.

gone2sea

Stockdog,

Last summer I went through the exercise of testing the CRV, Xterra, and Grand Vitara. Purchased the Grand Vitara as a replacement to a 1995 Jimmy. It corners better than either the CRV or the Jimmy, gives me complete control of the 4WD like the Jimmy, and climbs hills at any speed over 35 mph without downshifting. Mileage is around 22 miles per gallon in mixed highway, rush hour, and city driving at 5850 miles.

Vehicle has handled all road conditions without any problem and it is possible to load a fair amount of cargo with some planning. Removing the cargo area cover does help and the cover is not that difficult to remove or replace. But I admit the cargo area is smaller than the Jimmy, CRV, or Xterra, all of which are about the same.

For me the Xterra looked the best but the 4WD design is awful because you cannot shift out of 4WD without backing up 10 feet and you cannot shift into 4WD high over 25 miles per hour. In a heavy rain storm or on a highway where part of the road as been dried by the sun and other parts are full of snow, I want to shift back and forth between 2WD and 4WD and the only vehicle in this group that can competently do that is the GV.

Problem Edmunds and everyone else has is that there are many small variations on the theme being played out in the mini-SUV market and it is impossible to group them together. The Santa Fe will confuse this further when it blends a six cylinder like the Grand Vitara with the part-time All Wheel Drive system of the CRV.

As far as I am concerned, there is no wrong vehicle in this category. I had an 1990 All Wheel Drive Honda Civic wagon before I got the Jimmy and it ran for 105,000 miles without any parts being replaced. The CRV is based on the same drive train design and it sits on the Civic frame. But the CRV is too big for the suspension and tires (205 should have been 225) and it is very easy to kick the rear around. Normally FWD can pull the rear of the car back in line but here the mass is much more than the Civic and getting things in line was not easy until the AWD kicked in.

Other problem I had was the CRV was 22 feet long when the rear door was opened to load cargo and finding a parking spot in New York City or a local mall that would easily handle that was out of the question. The Grand Vitara is only 18 feet long with the rear door open and the height of the door is such that it easily clears the hood of the car parked behind you.

All in all, I recommend taking a close look at the Grand Vitara. If you are comfortable with the seats and other features, don't let the cargo area be the only turn-off. I got a trailer hitch and have already towed a single axle trailer with no problem. And when I really need space, I will rent a van or Explorer, accept the lower mileage and drivability during the rental, and then happily return to my GV.

stockdog

Thanks Gone2sea, we are pretty set on the G.Vitara. We have the Ram pickup if we really need to haul any thing. The most the G.V will be hauling is three or four mid sized dogs, so the crv had attracted us at first. But when we took a good look at it the G.V was the way to go,the dogs will just have to deal with it,heck they are crammed into the back of an 86 Grand Prix for short trips at the moment. The Xtera was just way out of our price range so we did not spend too much time researching it. I just felt that many of the reviews I have read have said things like the G.V is a stiff ride on the highway compared to the Honda and the Honda had better gas mileage ect... yeah but can the Honda REALLY go off road?And they are comparing a 4 to a 6 cylinder The Xtera is bigger has more cargo bla bla bla... yeah poor gas mileage and it cost 10 grand more with all the options!Thanks again for taking the time to give me the info, I hope I get more imput from others.

echiu1

After reading lots of good and bad things about the GV, i still bought one yesterday- the Limited. basically, i really think that i have no choice at my budget for a comfortable SUV. with +/-$22000, i did test drive RAV4, CRV, Xtera, Amigo. R4-no power at all, CRV-noise ride, not enough power also, Xtera-4X4 model just out of my budget, and i don't like the ride is too truck-like on the road, bad gas mileage, Amigo-is good, but personally don't like the interior and bad gas mileage. most important is, all above SUV's comfort when driving can't compare with the GV Limited with Leather seats. for $23000 out the door, there are no other SUV can give u the same power, comfort, and all those lovely options like e.g. deck w/ CD changer, fog light, leather seats, tined windows, keyless entry, arm rest, beautiful 16" alloy wheels... after i test drive with the limited, i just love the quiet and smooth V6 engine, the high vision (is why i didn't test drive the Forester), the well support seats, and all other options. yes, the V6 is not as powerful as the Amigo and Xtera but its smoother and more quiet. and think about the price and gas mileage too. also, it powerful enough to pass a lot small SUV and even sedens easily. Honestly, i can't think of any other CAR can give me the same thing with this price.
by the way, there are still something to complain about. 1)who is this stupid idea that only have black and white color for the limited? 2)for an engine that provide only 155hp should have a better mileage. 3)rear seats rooms truly small.
hope suzuki can improve them later. will follow up if i got problems on the lovely new car.

fisher7

The stock tires are not a good choice for the vehicle.They are to wide and the tread is not open enoufe.This makes it handle poorly in the snow and the rain. I put on a set of Finnish Nokian snow tires which really help in the snow and handle better in all other conditions than the stock tires. I think I will run them year round. The tire dealer tells me that they wear well. Time will tell.they are not as wide as the stock tires.

gone2sea

Sorry to hear about the problems you are having with your Grand Vitara. These days I don't really know who builds them better but still like to think that anything built in Japan will be better made overall. That comes from having many problems with Dodge, GMC, and Ford and no problems with Honda. Germany might have better quality than Japan but I can't afford the X5 or ML320, etc. I took a real close look at CRV but could not justify it because it was not well mannered in tight cornering and behaved worse than my Jimmy in heavy rain evasive driving.

The GV takes corners on the hills around here at 40 miles per hour and never tries to steer off the road. That is 10 miles an hour faster than the Jimmy or the Honda would. And it has the 4WD flexibility of the Jimmy, something the Honda AWD system does not offer.

Only thing I don't like are the tires, which made a lot of noise at 26 psi. Solution -- inflate to 32 psi. Dealer supported 32 psi and put it in writing that using it will not void 40,000 mile free tire replacement warranty included with purchase for the tires. Replacement is prorated after that. I can live with low noise until then.

akashino

Sorry to hear about your problems. Personally, my dealer has been awesome in sales, service and attention to detail. I had only one problem and that was with a vibration - fixed. Cold starts? No problem so far, but I (Like gone3sea) think the OEM tire's suck.

If anybody is in in Toronto, see Augustine, General Sales Manager or Anil, Service Manager at Trento Motors on Steeles Avenue.

akashino

James,

You will kill the Hakka's if you drive them from the spring on. The compound is not designed for temps higher than 9 Celsius (Got this from my tire dealer). All snows will get destroyed if driven over the summer so it's a complete waste of $$$'s.

I bought Toyo GP-4's and they stick, but won't waste the money driving them any later than I have to.

I agree the Bridgestones SUCK. I'm switch to the Toyo Transpath in the spring. More aggressive tread and should wear better. I have 13,000 km's and wore the tread on the OEM's down 30%.


Arn

xsohaib

Just like echiu1 I also read a lot of good and bad things about the GV, considered only the good ones and went to my local dealer, traded in my Honda Civic 1992 DX 4-dr m/t and got me a Grand Vitara Limited in white color. At first my dad(being the one paying for the GV) suggested that I buy it in black color, since most of the suv's look good in Black, but I liked a white one better. I live in alaska and we had 18 inches of snow one time and thats when I decided to buy a SUV, never before have I bought an SUV, I always loved cars but now after driving the GV I feel that SUV's are great. I got mine at $1000 off of the MSRP. I would have bought a honda of some kind but my local honda dealer "Continental Honda/Acura" was giving me only $500 for my trade in then after analyzing the Subaru Legacy GT( I hate the look of the forester), camry, CR-V, 4Runner(dull interior), and an Integra type-R, I finally went to my local Suzuki dealer, who gave me $1500 for my trade, and with an additional $2000 down my dad leased me a GV lmtd for only $324.04 for 24 months. The dealer"continental mazda suzuki volvo" were very nice and inspite of a $2000 mark up on the GV lmtd in just 45 min I got the price I wanted, i.e $1000 off of the MSRP.


Sohaib

xsohaib

Can any one tell me of any performance mods for the GV, i.e headers exhaust etc.



Sohaib

dougf340

bought the wife a 1999 gv we love it. great suv for the money. had the famous a/c condensation leak,water dripping on the passengers side floorboards.dealership replaced the drain tube and added a resistor on the a/c unit. also hepa-filter under glove glove had to be replaced , it was soaked with water from the a/c condensation.
the bridgestone tires do SUCK.... THANKS to others in here, i corrected vibration problem by inflating all tires to 41 p.s.i.

dougf340

it's cold up here in Boston, next week im taking off the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 687 and burning them in my fireplace, that's all there good for, maybe someone from Suzuki will wake up and relized just how bad these tires really are.

kax

Does anyone know the Part # and dealer's cost for the following [JLX+ GV] accessories:

1) Arm rest
2) Rear Spoiler
3) Fog lamp set
4) Splash guards (front & rear)
5) Skid plate
6) Full front mask
7) DeLuxe front mats
8) Rear cargo tray
9) Convenience net

Also, I'm interested in [personal] opinions
on the "Planet Gold" color...

kax

Is there also a tire problem with the stock tires included in the +PACKAGE [16"]?

lurkerlee

The only price I can help with is the net that hangs on the inside of the back door. I called about that today and it's something like $130... didn't look that expensive in the book! Apparently it includes other pieces of trim (maybe to attach it?).

I hope someone can provide the other costs, and/or a web site that lists the prices for the toys so I can plan ahead.

As for Planet Gold, that's the color of my GV. When I first test drove the vehicle, as soon as we got out of it I told the salesman "nice car but I gotta tell you that color's not for me". It being the next to the last day of the millenium, the manager asked if I could be color blind if they lowered the cost . I ended up taking it because of the other things they threw in, such as the extended warranty and taxes. I'll tell you, the color has grown on me. For one thing, it's different. It seems like every other SUV in the hospital parking lot is black or red or silver, and mine is unique. Plus it changes depending on the time of day and type of lighting. Sometimes it's gold, sometimes it's almost pale green and at night it's more of a creamy color. It's a different enough color that people comment on it, and I'm happy with it.

Lee

purduealum

hi gang

a local dealer, bell suzuki in newton, nj is offering the above. is this a good price? can i assume the same vehicle in a 5spd is $1000 less? if so, that seems to be an incredible deal no? please respond.

tom

gone2sea

Is it a demo or is it on the lot with only a few miles on it. My 1999 auto JLX+ had 11 miles on it when I purchased it in September so it was not a demo. It stickered for $19,999 and I paid $19K before negotiating accessories and trade-in. If this is the case, then this is a good deal. I got mine at Jack Trebour Ford Suzuki in Randolph.

purduealum

hi gang

its official. the above 1999 gv jlx auto is new and can be had for $17000. since the auto is a $1000 option, i can get a 5spd for $16000. oh this is so tempting. i am currently driving a 97 soob outback sport (great car) but i want to step up to an suv. outside of the kia sportage, i dont think there is anything in this price range. would i be stupid to pass this up? do i need an extended warranty? i hesitate to act on this because it is a suzuki not a soob.

tom

gone2sea

If you can get the auto or get the 5 spd for $1K less, I would go for it. My GV has proven very capable in all weather, inc. eight inches of snow, and it has better footing when cornering at any speed than the GMC Jimmy it replaced. It does not lose traction when you first apply gas in slippery conditions. Instead, it just goes where aimed and feels comfortable and safe at 60 mph or any speed, even in the 30+ mph winds and ten degree weather we have in NJ today. Lastly, parking anywhere is a breeze.

kax

I'm interested in hearing from GV owners how do they rate [easy...difficult] regular maintenance tasks (i.e. oil change, spark plug replacement, brake jobs, etc)?

Also, does anyone know if in other (than the US)countries is there a sunroof available?

longmama

This site and the comments are very helpful. After my disappointment in the C-RV's interior and pickup, I am considering a GV Limited. One general question: Any opinions about installing an after-market sunroof? The only small SUV that offers one as an option is the RAV4, but I'm not interested in that make/model.

Re: sunroof - it seems the auto dealers have no qualms about cutting up a brand new car. My trusted auto mechanics and other "regular people" are much more cautious.

Again, I appreciate the knowledgeable submissions here . . .

torek

The 2001 Forester has a sunroof option, according to the news from the Detroit auto show. Of course the Forester is not a "true SUV" (but then neither is the RAV4, eh? :-) ). (The GV, by contrast, is a "true SUV", so the Forester might also be off the mark for you.)

miche015

I'm not sure if it is the type of fluid they use or some problem with the fluid mechanism but I drove to Vermont last week in a snowstorm and extreme cold in my Grand Vitara and the fluid froze and would not work. This was very dangerous. Had to keep pulling over and using snow to clean the windshield. Finally found a store with deicer fluid and even then it only worked for 15 minutes. My friend was in a Subaru Outback and had NO PROBLEMS. Anyone else experience this?

danl1

Found this while surfing. I personally think the GV is styled better than this concept vehicle but it looks like Suzuki is moving to bigger and better vehicles. You can still see hints of the GV styling though.

http://autoshow2000.carpoint.msn.com/autoshow2000/article_30.asp

Ford is joining the mini-ute market too with the Escape

http://autoshow2000.carpoint.msn.com/autoshow2000/article_44.asp

stockdog

I was hoping to hear more about putting a sun roof in the GV. Any one have one? any problems?Thank you

u2powers

I had one installed on my 96 sport sidekick.
The manufacturer was WEBASCO which some auto manufacturers use as OEM for factory installed
sunroofs. I am very satisfied and have had no problems in three yrs

dougf340

Had same problem as Miche015 with washer fluid freezing up. The fluid was frozen in the tank under the hood. Bought 1 gallon of Prestone brand yellow anti-freeze washer fluid and that solved the problem.

stockdog

I was really only
interested in sun roof in
the GV, I had heard of
someone getting a sun roof
in their GV and the washer
hoses that go to the back
window had been
severed during installation. Just wondering if
anyone else has had
anything like this or
leaks etc....

dougf340

just got rid of those useless Bridgestone tires today, bought 4 Yokohama Geolanders,the difference is like day and night

cu_soun

Re: Resp # 39 in Nov/99 Shifting Lever posted by edisonlascano --- it was suggested that it needed to be used frequently to solve the problem of hard shifting into 4H from 2H. Do you find any success as I have been experiencing the same problem? It was fine sometimes back...but now I can only shift into 4H when the vehicle is stopped. But once it's been shifted, it can be shift in and out no problem for a little while. Once the vehicle has traveled over a 100 yrd. or so, the problem continues. Any one has any suggestion?

Also noticed some rattling/vibration in the dash are (quite noticeable) when vehicle goes over rough road. Anyone with the same problem?

rbalk

There is a new EGroup mailing list for the Suzuki
Grand Vitara owners. You are welcome to subscribe.
Only you can do is just send an email to
[email protected] with blank
subject and message and then you are automatcilly
subscribed. You can click www.egroups.com and
see for yourself.
Good Luck and enjoy the new mailing
list.

ddssjsk9

Parts man at Chev Dealer. 1999 Tracker unhappy owner. Vibration, Vibration, Vibration. Vibration.
You would think, working for a GM dealer you might get a few answers. Not. Evidently Suzuki and
Chevrolet are very tight lipped about this one. I have made direct contact with Chevrolet technical on this matter myself three times. Was told first that they were not having complaints of this nature. Second, they had a new design engine control module to correct problem, not true. Third, yes that they were beginning to receive complaints but not enough to warrant an investigation. No fix planned at this time. Hope you have better luck getting yours fixed. If anyone out there has had a succesful repair or buy
back i would like to know

gone2sea

cu_soun:

Yesterday was the first day I needed to use the 4WD on my GV all day (in and out) as I helped with various emergencies in northern NJ. Didn't have any problem after the first two or three shifts into 4WD. It does take some force and the lever has to be almost perfectly upright. I did notice that the 4WD indicator light comes on BEFORE the system engages at times, but other than keeping the front wheels pretty straight, it shifted fine yesterday and continued to do so today.

cu_soun

gone2sea: Thanks for your response. I was afraid to be too forceful. Must be the cold weather up here in Toronto where we're in a deep freeze, but little snow. (No problem so far with cold starting as with some postings). During summer months I didn't have any problems. Strange though that it would shift back and forth after the vehicle is stopped first, but problems arise again after it gets going.

By the way, with all the awards Xterra is racking up, it's nice to know that Carguide Mag. has chosen GV as its 2000 Best Buy Award. Suzuki ran a cute ad in the papers showing GV with a bandage on its side molding with a capture, "We didn't just win the Carguide Magazine 2000 Best Buy Award. .....
WE SURVIVED IT.

(Xterra by the way was not included for the following reason;
"Once again, you have an opportunity to take part in the seventh annual Carguide Best Buys – the most realistic automotive awards program on this planet. Most of the award programs focus on the new model entries – in some cases even before the vehicles have turned a wheel! Making that kind of prediction can be a bit embarrassing.

The editors at Carguide have used their collective wisdom to identify a short list of vehicles in 12 different categories. These are vehicles which we believe represent excellent value for the money and where the "new" has worn off sufficiently to indicate their true qualities. As before, we have included last year’s winners among the candidates for each category. This will indicate which of our "Best Buys" have staying power."

gone2sea

cu_soun:

Toronto, eh? It's not much warmer here in northern NJ. We have around eight to twelve inches of the stuff on the ground and I have not had any problems as long as snow was on the ground. However, going up hill in slush gets interesting sometimes and that's when I need to doublecheck that the 4WD lever is indeed upright. I also find that sometimes it is difficult to shift once or twice when the car is first started (was this morning with temperature at 8 degrees F. But after about ten minutes, the car was relatively warm and the shifter worked fine. I still don't like the OEM tires but found that keeping them between 34 and 36psi improves traction. And I intend to keep the tires at least until winter 2001.

Howard
[email protected]

bbiesterfeldt

Would appreciate comments, advice regarding buying a used GV (not a JLX) from a local dealer. It was owned by Enterprise Rental Cars, has 22,245 miles on it, new Geolander tires, automatic, drove beautifully, went into and out of 4-WD without problems. The asking price is $14,990. Is that a good price for a 1999 with so many miles on it? Any experience, advice on buying a former used rental car? We already have a 4WD pick-up and would keep that. I would be trading a 1996 Hyundai Elantra GLS automatic wagon. Can't find any new 1999 Grand Vitara's here (Asheville, NC). The new ones are GV JLX+ and cost more than I can afford. Want a 1999 (new or used) because of price. Thank you. Barb

gone2sea

Barb,

If the GV has 4WD, it is either a JLX or a JLX+. The latter has the best ABS brakes I have ever used on a 4WD vehicle and for that alone, I think the offer is reasonable if the model is a JLX+ AND the dealer will include an extension to the base 36,000 mile 36 month warranty. That would be the negotiation item I would target. If the dealer does not offer a warranty extension, than the price is high because used car values are based on 12,000 miles/year and at 22,000 miles, you are almost done with the second year of mileage depreciation. A JLX+ was around $20K new, so I think $14K or less is more reasonable. Also, is he accepting your trade is part of the payment. If yes, check the trade value at the Edmunds site and Kelly Bluebook site.

bbiesterfeldt

Thank you, gone2sea. Will check re JLX, JLX+. The dealer is willing to include the remainder of the factory warranty and I can extend it for extra money. Will see if he will take $14,000. Part of that would be my Hyundai trade-in. Would I get a better deal on the GV if I didn't trade my Hyundai and sold it privately (or kept it) or would I get a better deal on the GV trading it to the dealer? Which do dealers prefer? Barb

gone2sea

Barb,

In theory you can do better selling a vehicle yourself. But you also have the hassle of doing so. Personally I always trade at dealer so I only have to insure, garage, and keep an eye on one car at a time. Look at the blue book values, factor in options you have as well as mileage adjustment and see how close dealer comes to your number. I traded in a 1995 Jimmy for the GV. It had 84,000 miles on it and the blue book value was between $8,000 and $9,000 depending on your definition of fair versus good condition. The dealer valued it at $8,500 and that was fine.

gone2sea

Barb,

I left off a comment about the extended warranty. Although internet warranties are available, I got a 100,000 mile 6 year bumper to bumper warranty (everything except brake pads and other routine items) for $1400. This will give you a number to work with when discussing the warranty. Also, are there any options on the vehicle such as foglights, center armrest, mudflaps, etc.?

lurkerlee

FWIW, when I was looking, I had two separate salesmen tell me that I might do better selling my car to CarMax. According to them, I'd get a better price there than I would as a trade in. (I definitely didn't want to sell it myself and deal with that hassle). They said that since CM deals in such large numbers of cars, I should be able to get closer to what I'd get if I sold it myself.

Turned out that CM offered me less than I eventually got as trade in, although who can tell with trade in prices.

Also FWIW, my dealer told me that they sold the extended warranties for $1200 (or something similar) but offered it to me for half. I ended up getting it thrown in for free. Supposedly you can get the extended warranty any time while the original one is still in effect but it costs more doing it after the fact. BTW, there are some who claim you're better off not getting the warranty, but after having to have my transmission replaced in my last vehicle (fortunately under the original powertrain warranty, otherwise it would have been serveral thousand dollars!) I decided it was worth getting (and of course getting it for free made it even better ).

Lee - 1000 miles already!

bouy

When does your Tracker vibrate, is it all the time or at a certain speed? My Tracker vibrates only when decelerating from 45MPH. I think it is from the overdrive since it does not happen when I shut the overdrive off. Chevy says this is normal but the noise is getting worse and worse. I get the feeling this is just part of lousy engineering that they are calling normal. It's a nice truck but it has a couple of Bugs! Soon I'm going to test drive a new Tracker to see if it makes the same noise or not.

ddssjsk9

Answer to (bouy) from ddssjsk9. How many miles do you have on your tracker? Has some vibration all the time. Vibrates worse between 34-40 mph and 55-60 mph under light throttle. Can feel some vibration when decelerating. I have around 7,000 miles on mine getting worse with each additional mile. mine is a 2.0 Automatic 4X4. I have test drove a 2000 still on the lot (new) worse than mine. It is a 2WD. Also drove a used 2WD 1999 with 26,000 miles vibration very severe at same
speeds as indicated. I know of several others in town with same condition.

beg

Does anyone know how to program the keyless remote?I traveled 180 miles to the dealer round trip to have him tell me I neeed both remotes with me,somthing he forgot to tell me when I made the appointment.I have a 1999 vitara,it has the 2.0 motor and has 21000 miles on it.Had child locks fail,front idler pulley start making a noise and had the recall on the brake switch.Thanks