also parts are harder to get in certain countries. it might cost a lot more in shipping than the part costs. shipping might be so expensive that it it might be cheaper to just find another vehicle like this one. you said it is not the same one your grandfather gave you. your grandfather will always be in your heart and your head so it might be cheaper and easier to just try to find another vehicle.
1 Like
… like The US. Suzuki parts are easily found in other parts of the world.
In the US, where that marque was never a big seller, and where there hasn’t been any mfr support for 9 years, Suzuki parts are not as available as in most other nations.
1 Like
What really matters is not how well the model sold in your country, but how many were sold worldwide. For example, I have a Daewoo Lanos, which sold very poorly here in the U.S. and most which were sold here do not exist anymore due to poor maintenance and low resale value. However, millions of these cars were sold elsewhere, in the developing world, and I can get just about any parts online, though some have to be sent in from overseas.
1 Like
Years ago I would sometimes need to visit 6 auto salvage yards to find the parts I needed, today I can look online before I go to the pick-a-part.
Here is another one in my area, wheels, fender, hood, suspension parts.
If you don’t look for Suzuki parts you won’t find them.
I think it was already clear that she had sourced most of the parts and was well aware of the costs and work involved. Really @ok4450 was about the only one with some concrete observations of what could be involved. It’s quite clear why some of you reacted the way you did so no need to try and cover it with inane comments. It was transparent and expected.
Like Lou Grant told Mary in Mary Tyler Moore: “Spunk, you’ve got spunk. I like that.” Some are threatened by that.
2 Likes
You can depend on me to call out political nonsense. Every time. Why you want it a part of these discussions I don’t know.
3 Likes
I will go on record as one of the people who flagged srosa’s PG rated version of an political chant .
4 Likes
Only if there is an insurance claim or body shop involved.
If the police were involved, there may be an accident report, but that wouldn’t show as a salvage/rebuilt title.
I was just wondering how you can say the hood and radiator is not damaged from hitting a cement pole? if the engine and tranny shifted broke the motor mounts and probably the tranny mounts and the drive shaft came out. your tranny can have a crack in it that you dont see. I had a rebuilt tranny put in when I was out of state to get home. a little while after I got home it started pouring out fluid. there was a crack on top of the tranny that must of opened up. do you know if there is any damage to the rear differential? there may be a lot of problems you dont see right now. I just hope you don’t spend all this money on parts and then find out it was a waste of money and time. your brother and all of your mechanics you talked to told you its not worth fixing. sometimes as much as you don’t want to believe them or think you can do something, there are times when you should just listen to them. this may be one of them. just my opinion and I wish you the best.
1 Like
The offending post was gone before I saw this thread, but I’m sure I know what that chant was. There is no place on this site for such nonsense from either side. Kudos for helping to get it removed.
To the OP: you clearly have made up your mind to fix the car. Best of luck. I hope it doesn’t turn into a money pit.
4 Likes
This seems a no-brainer. OP should take or tow the vehicle to their shop, get a professional opinion on the cost to repair the damage. At that point there’s something concrete in writing on which to make the judgement for what to do next. I had a friend who owned a Suzuki, and she really enjoyed it. So I can see how it could be a hard decision to make.
I go with, sure, fix it if you want.
Number of ifs.
If you have the space.
If you have the tool.
If you can find a donor vehicle for parts or source the parts.
Once the engine and transmission are pulled, engine mounting brackets can be inspected, if needed replacements can be welded in.
Any vehicle can be rebuilt/repaired/restored, given enough time and $$$$$.
1 Like
Well, right now per kbb a 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara Luxury trim , 2WD, with leather, premium sound, and just about every option box checked and average mileage for the year, is worth about $3400 in good condition(private party sale) and about $3600 if we go by NADA. You’re nowhere near $8k and realistically even getting more than $4k out it, even in this market would be tough. The problem is that yours isn’t in good shape, it’s been wrecked. So right now it’s worth whatever the scrap value is. Could you put it back together to a high standard of repair for the ~$3k difference? Unlikely. But if you want to put $5k into and have a vehicle that’s worth around $3k (maybe less) because you like the vehicle, then that’s your call.
Also, I’m curious, what job does your husband have that has him on the job more than 80 hours a week? That’s like the kind of hours a resident doctor puts in.
2 Likes
I’ve worked 12 hour shifts 7 days a week before under normal times when production required it. Gets old in a hurry but there is a severe shortage of people coming back to work right now so those working are being stretched. Lots of places are on reduced hours or limited services because of it.
1 Like
- Just because it’s “you’re truth doesn’t make it really true.
- If you ask a question on an open forum you get what you get. It’s the nature of these things.
- Anything is fixable with enough cash, but you knew that already, at least I hope you did.
- IMHO, on a 15 yr. old Suzuki (any model) anything more costly than regular maintenance, is a reason to send it to the scrap yard.
2 Likes
It does matter because the cost of vehicles varies tremendously with geography. A vehicle that sells for $5000 USD in the US might be worth $7000 USD in Canada and $2000 USD in the UK or $15000 USD in the Philippines. This context is important when giving car related advice.
A personal truth (in common parlance) is often subjective. We’re after objective facts that help us put together a scenario somewhat accurately and offer advice based on what is known.
Don’t take it personally, often times such things are overlooked when people get fixated on the big picture. You may have already considered the details, but we don’t know that. Details get brought up for your benefit.
5 Likes
Going to be really expensive and you will probably have to deal with restoration specialists rather than conventional mechanics.
“Really expensive” is relative. Years ago I crashed my Chrysler Lebaron, I purchased a complete 4 door car for $100. Complete front clip that I needed and I painted the replacement parts myself. Same with a Chevrolet Vega but I already had the parts cars in the driveway.
Some people dispose of damaged vehicles while others see these as an opportunity to rebuild a vehicle.
If you can pick your projects, you are likely to pick those you know are likely to have a successful conclusion. A mechanic would be loath to work on one like this unless he had nothing else to do, and would void any guarantees of success. A restoration specialist works with this sort of stuff daily, and knows that many projects are not successful.