had a Vitara for many years, cant comment on the price of parts because after 200,000 ks i pretty much hadnt changed anything on it - including tyres and brake pads! The second battery lasted 8 years!
And I drove that thing everywhere off road - Snowy mountains, fraser island, daintree rainforest, gulf of carpentaria, kakadu, cape leveque .... and countless beaches as well
I own a grand Vitara now, even though there are much nicer 4WDs in their class for city driving
