Service History Opinion on Prospective New Car (Jimny)
Discussion
Guys, QQ re a car we are looking at. Missus really wants a Jimny SZ5; we've just got a puppy and she wants something that will work better for us in this regard.
Putting aside the fact that these Jimnys are a ridiculous price for what they are (offset - I hope - by good value retention), we have seen one we like the look of and everything stacks up except the service history.
They should be serviced every 12 months or 12,500 miles. It had a service after ~500 miles (running-in one I suppose) but then wasn't serviced again until 2 years later @ 16k, then the third was another 16k miles and 18 months after. As such the first two "proper" services were off-schedule on both time and miles. It has had a total of 4 services when it should really have had 6.
Covid maybe played a bit of a factor here but I've walked away as it bothered me. However, looking back over the SH on my own car - one that has been faultless for me over 7 years and 60k miles - that went 3.5 years and 22k before its first service! So maybe I am being harsh.
It is a really simple car and surely not that much to do (even more annoying it wasn't done I suppose) but my question is should I rule it back in or am I right to disregard it?
Opinions please.
Putting aside the fact that these Jimnys are a ridiculous price for what they are (offset - I hope - by good value retention), we have seen one we like the look of and everything stacks up except the service history.
They should be serviced every 12 months or 12,500 miles. It had a service after ~500 miles (running-in one I suppose) but then wasn't serviced again until 2 years later @ 16k, then the third was another 16k miles and 18 months after. As such the first two "proper" services were off-schedule on both time and miles. It has had a total of 4 services when it should really have had 6.
Covid maybe played a bit of a factor here but I've walked away as it bothered me. However, looking back over the SH on my own car - one that has been faultless for me over 7 years and 60k miles - that went 3.5 years and 22k before its first service! So maybe I am being harsh.
It is a really simple car and surely not that much to do (even more annoying it wasn't done I suppose) but my question is should I rule it back in or am I right to disregard it?
Opinions please.
Sounds fine to me these Suzuki are so well made /
Reliable there is no red flag from that history .
Bear in mind these things are so awful to Drive they generally don’t rack up many miles as you’d have to be Mental to want to do more then a few thousand miles a year in one ( good fun for local stuff and playing in the mud though!)
Reliable there is no red flag from that history .
Bear in mind these things are so awful to Drive they generally don’t rack up many miles as you’d have to be Mental to want to do more then a few thousand miles a year in one ( good fun for local stuff and playing in the mud though!)
I'll probably be shot PH for saying this but I feel religiously sticking to service schedules is a bit overrated. It's really just one part of the used car lottery.
You could have a car that has low miles, serviced annually but ran on crap fuel and driven on short stop, start journeys. Another one, cherished by someone but missed the first service due to covid.
I'd want to see some history, of course, but condition and being well priced is probably higher up for me.
You could have a car that has low miles, serviced annually but ran on crap fuel and driven on short stop, start journeys. Another one, cherished by someone but missed the first service due to covid.
I'd want to see some history, of course, but condition and being well priced is probably higher up for me.
911Spanker said:
Don't understand people not properly servicing their cars, particularly when new.
Then expect all the money come resale. Sod that.
Walk away and find another one.
Then expect all the money come resale. Sod that.
Walk away and find another one.
ScoobyChris said:
I think if they are asking top dollar, it needs to have a full service history. If the missing services don’t bother you, you need to haggle on the price to reflect the lost value.
Chris
Completely agree with these comments. Chris
I'd keep looking for one with full history. You could try haggling but in my experience these days dealers do not haggle an inch, even when you have reasonable things to haggle against.
It's a Suzuki Jimny with a decent, reliable engine with hardly anything that'll go wrong even if the service is done half as frequently as manufacturer schedule; it's not a Ferrari or an Aston that'll fall apart or seize up if you miss an oil change. I've had plenty of cars that have gone beyond the recommended interval for a few services, it's not unusual if you have a busy life. Nothing bad has ever happened.
Thanks for the replies all.
This made me laugh!:
In terms of pricing, I don't think a well-priced Jimny exists tbh! They are all over their original RRP despite having 20-60k miles and being 4-6 years old
. However, this one is not too bad price-wise, relatively speaking.
This made me laugh!:
rallycross said:
Bear in mind these things are so awful to Drive they generally don’t rack up many miles as you’d have to be Mental to want to do more then a few thousand miles a year in one
Bit of a mix of opinions (which I appreciate) with a leaning towards 'don't overthink it' I would say...In terms of pricing, I don't think a well-priced Jimny exists tbh! They are all over their original RRP despite having 20-60k miles and being 4-6 years old
. However, this one is not too bad price-wise, relatively speaking.My first service was also late due to lockdown covid restrictions. It fell very much under the remit of acceptable delays as far as Suzuki and the dealers were concerned and I was told not to worry, just to get it serviced when lockdowns were lifted and backlogs allowed.
Bear in mind as well that Suzuki have introduced a policy similar to Toyota where a service with them will gain you a year's (extra) warranty, presumably with usual caveats. I wouldn't be too concerned, but if you are check with your local Suzuki dealer and explain the situation (assuming it's not already with them) and ask if it would cause any problems.
Mine's been great since I bought it in 2019 and yes it's a bit of a wafty wheezy boat on the road, but it is such fun to drive and at least I don't feel the pot holes as bad as some other folk.
And yes, the prices are somewhat ridiculous!
Forgot to mention the parking, an absolute breeze. We would do well in this country to adopt a kei car culture and have fun wringing the necks of smaller lighter cars.
Bear in mind as well that Suzuki have introduced a policy similar to Toyota where a service with them will gain you a year's (extra) warranty, presumably with usual caveats. I wouldn't be too concerned, but if you are check with your local Suzuki dealer and explain the situation (assuming it's not already with them) and ask if it would cause any problems.
Mine's been great since I bought it in 2019 and yes it's a bit of a wafty wheezy boat on the road, but it is such fun to drive and at least I don't feel the pot holes as bad as some other folk.
And yes, the prices are somewhat ridiculous!
Forgot to mention the parking, an absolute breeze. We would do well in this country to adopt a kei car culture and have fun wringing the necks of smaller lighter cars.
Edited by Hanslow on Thursday 14th March 23:46
Very useful reply Hanslow, thanks. I’m going to give my local dealer a call today - it’s not with them so hopefully I’ll get a pretty impartial view.
I was told about the warranty thing and that is another tick in the don’t-worry-about-it column. Again, I’ll check with the local dealer to see if this is still available if the car hasn’t been serviced to schedule.
What one do you have? Any mods?
I was told about the warranty thing and that is another tick in the don’t-worry-about-it column. Again, I’ll check with the local dealer to see if this is still available if the car hasn’t been serviced to schedule.
What one do you have? Any mods?
I have a 2019 kinetic yellow (yellow/green, baby sick, snot) coloured SZ5.
Just a few quality of life mods on mine, other than that it's standard.
Mods:
I traded my GT86 in for the Jimny, if it had not been for the Jimny I'd probably still be in the 86.
Just a few quality of life mods on mine, other than that it's standard.
Mods:
- DRLs changed to LEDs to match colour temp of headlights
- Tie down anchors along each side in the rear
- Yakima aero roof bars
- Extended the condensate pipe that comes through the cabin firewall in the engine bay through. Stupidly designed to drip onto the ladder chassis where it starts to rust early on. Bit of rubber tubing to have it pass down the side is all that's needed.
- Nakatanenga storage system
- Official Suzuki towbar
- Some cheap seat belt clips to stop the rear belts flapping around when not clipped in.
- Nondescript spare wheel cover I did have a fabric one that lasted 5 years, went brittle and fell apart when the dealer washed the car, so now have this vinyl one for a month or so.
- Wind deflectors. I got ones that slot into the window recess rather than stick on ones, these use some metal inserts to hold in place. A colleague had some that were shaped differently and didn't use the metal bits, but were still insert style and flatter.
- I've bought a 2nd hand current gen Swift wiper stalk to replace the Jimny's as it gives variable intermittent wipe on the front (but not rear
). - When I get around to it I want to 3d print a wider slot/tray at the bottom of the centre console to house my mobile phone. My old phone fit perfectly but new one is too big. Only needed for when I bother with android auto which isn't very often.
- High peak stainless exhaust Out of stock, don't need, but sounds nice!
I traded my GT86 in for the Jimny, if it had not been for the Jimny I'd probably still be in the 86.
Edited by Hanslow on Friday 15th March 10:55
WhisperingWasp said:
Super info - thanks.
One last question re range. I see some ads where the fuel gauge seems to be half-way yet the range estimate is like 60 miles or something! How many miles do you get to a tank roughly?
No one has ever had the perseverance to drive one long enough to find out the answer! Short trips are the answer in one of these. Preferably over a very muddy field towing out silly SUV’s on 20”One last question re range. I see some ads where the fuel gauge seems to be half-way yet the range estimate is like 60 miles or something! How many miles do you get to a tank roughly?
Wheels and 40 series tyres who got stuck in the car park.
rallycross said:
No one has ever had the perseverance to drive one long enough to find out the answer! Short trips are the answer in one of these. Preferably over a very muddy field towing out silly SUV’s on 20”
Wheels and 40 series tyres who got stuck in the car park.
Are you throwing stones at the one you love? Wheels and 40 series tyres who got stuck in the car park.
Sounds like regret in not being able to get one
I get about 240 miles before I fill it back up to the brim. Don't even have the light on at that point but down to 1-2 blobs out of 10 on the gauge. The tank isn't very large by modern standards and you may have spotted it's not the most aerodynamic of things.
I get about 240 miles before I fill it back up to the brim. Don't even have the light on at that point but down to 1-2 blobs out of 10 on the gauge. The tank isn't very large by modern standards and you may have spotted it's not the most aerodynamic of things.
Edited by Hanslow on Friday 15th March 23:12
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