[Ronin]

Hey guys,

Looking to buy a Vitara and wondering what most people's experiences have been regarding how many KMs they can get outve their engines before they need a rebuild kit put through them.

Most of the cars I've been looking at have 300k to 330k which is obviously quite alot for a petrol. Want to know how much love I can expect from them before I need to give a whole bunch of love back.

Cheers in advance guys

[ZUZUKI]

The J20A came out in the SE420 - circa 1996.
Plenty are still going strong at the km you mention, but plenty have died earlier deaths as well.
Suzuki owners can be tight arses. These engines like to be serviced at least once in a while.
The valve train is less tolerant of skipped services / sludgy oil / stretched timing chains than a G series engine.
The SX4 J20 has narrow bearings & is gaining a reputation for being a bit fragile in the bottom end.
The J24 in JB/JT Grand Viraras & Kizashi is known for cracking heads.
A good one in an early Vitara / Grand Vitara is a good thing, plenty of power, especially in a SWB, but unless you can pull the rocker cover off for a look see, how to know if it has been half well looked after?
Overall, not one of Suzuki's better family of motors.
Rgs, Michael