Busy Auckland retiree, Val Steer has no plans of slowing down, recently upsizing from a Suzuki Swift to a Vitara Turbo. We caught up with Val to find out about her ownership experience and what makes the Vitara Turbo her car of choice.
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hello, my name is Val and I’m 83 years young and I’ve just recently bought my new Suzuki Vitara and I’m loving life driving it.
Is this your first new car?
No, this is the fourth one I’ve had. I’ve had a 4WD in the past and other smaller cars, most recently a Suzuki Swift.
Why did you choose Suzuki over other brands?
I chose Suzuki because it’s a good brand and it’s not European. I have had European cars before but I do prefer this one and the dealer that I have bought from I have dealt with previously and the staff are super there, really lovely.
What do you love about your Suzuki?
The Vitara is more upmarket and it is super to drive.
I love the fact that it has got a lot of technical features, which I do understand as I’ve previously owned Suzuki cars before. It’s got sensors in the wing mirrors that make you aware of any traffic coming too close (Blind Cross Traffic Alert).
Why was your Suzuki Vitara Turbo the right fit?
I’ve just recently been up to Kerikeri and taken a friend with me. We had a road trip for two oldies. It performed absolutely fabulous. Great on the petrol!
It has a great take off speed-wise and I may have driven a little over the speed limit to test it out. I shouldn’t be saying that…
How has owning your Vitara Turbo made a difference in your life?
Having had Suzukis before, I think it is the size of the car which has been great for me. Just upgrading to a bigger one really has made a difference in the driving aspect of it. There are such a lot of high vehicles around and I get great vision being higher.
It’s very reliable, and great for more than one passenger obviously because of the size. It’s more comfortable and taking my friends out has been just wonderful - just getting together and having fun.
Describe the experience you had buying your car?
My daughter has got a Vitara as well. I did love hers so much and I couldn’t wait to go out and try one. I bought my car during lockdown, so it was a contactless transaction and that was really easy. And then of course I brought it home and we weren’t allowed out for a while, which was a bit silly…it sat in the garage.
I chose this colour because my daughter had told me about it. I hadn’t seen it. I looked online and got a vision of the colour, but I wasn’t too sure what it would look like until I actually went and picked it up. I absolutely love the colour. My daughter does love the colour, so I said to her one day you might own this car, so it could be yours.
What will you be doing/where will you be going when you next pick up your car keys?
Pretty much most days I go out either with a friend to take them on an appointment, go shopping, and visit someone.
I don’t believe a car should sit in a garage! I enjoy driving and I love just going out for a drive.
What's some advice you would give to someone looking to buy a car?
I would recommend to someone that they go around and have a good look at all of the brands, make sure that you buy from a reputable dealership and you have a good look around cost wise and running costs in cars.
There are such a lot of different models out there and I just favoured Suzuki.