i've very sorry... samurai thread

[pizaba]

hey guys,

so... my cousin/co-worker/roommate/good buddy is in the market and mind set for getting a new vehicle. of course i'm pushing the subject of wrangler on him and he's receptive to the idea. he was shopping around and he can't find a stock jeep under 10k (he's not mechanically inclined...he needs something that works out the door) ... somehow, somewhere, he found a youtube vid of a Suzuki Samurai and he likes it and it fits his price tags. he likes the "older" look... like CJs or maybe alittle newer...but not much.

since i know nothing about these wannabe jeeps, i was wondering ya'lls input on it. is it easy on finding parts/upgrades/repairs? is there any serious issues with the thing? and any other thing about the samurai that will get him into a jeep. but actually... if its a good vehicle, then cool, let me hear the good things about it.

 

[SteelHeadz]

Death trap.

 

[mikep]

I would rather walk!

 

[Cabin_Guy]

umm wouldnt it make more sense to ask that on a Suzuki site?
That's like posting a question about cats on a dog site.

 

[jfrabat]

I have seen many Samis around here. They do very well in mud (they tend to float over the stuff), but they are much more tipsy than a Wrangler or CJ.

I do find it hard to beleive he has not found ANY Jeeps under 10K, though; I bought a '94 Sahara with 33's, Ox lockers, and some other doodads for a friend in Panama (I was in Miami at the time, and this was about 2 years ago) for $5k.

 

[TerryMason]

Suzukis can really tear it up on the trails. They're cheap enough that people don't mind beating them up, plus they are small enough to go about anywhere. Most of the ones I see are trail only rigs. I'm with SteelHeadz though - on the street it's probably a death trap.

You mention that he's not into turning wrenches - would this suzuki be a good choice? I don't think they've made the original suzukis in over 10 years, so there would probably be a good amount of upkeep needed.



I'd steer him to one of these jeeps:
All Craiglist - Grand Prairie, TX - wrangler | Craigslist Search

A right hand drive would be cool:
2006 postal(right hand drive) 112k -- JEEP WRANGLER

some other good ones
2003 Jeep Wrangler SUV X 4X4
1998 JEEP WRANGLER SPORT
1998 Jeep Wrangler SE 4x4

 

[xjmarc]

Swap in Toyota axles, a tracker engine and spring it over and they are decent. I wheel with several but NONE of them run the stock motor or axles and have stretched the wheelbase. Also they are all trailer queens (not that I can say anything about that cause mine hasn't seen pavement in years).

 

[TJExtreme]

My best friend died in Samurai. I don't recommend one. They look nice but, I believe they are very unsafe vehicles.

 

[pizaba]

why would i post a question about a suzuki on a suzuki sit? wouldn't the answers be flawed and one sided? i'd rather hear "man thats crap for this and that reason" instead of "man this is a great car because i have one, so everyone should have one" i want to know the real info about this car, i don't really want to know about how great it fits in someone garage.

 

[pizaba]

well, i'm sure he hasn't done some serious looking, i agree, he should be able to find one.

 

[black87yj]

my son and daughter got their first wranglers for under $2.000 and both needed very minimal work that your friend could send it to the shop for at that cost. A sammy is a cool little vehicle but wrenching and upkeep may prove more expensive in the long run as said before here, parts and upgrades are needed. you cant beat the aftermarket jeep catalog of parts out there. my 2 cents.........

 

[jfrabat]

By the way, I did not do ANY wrenching before my Jeep, and have now installed suspension, changed to an eFan, swapped cams, installed roller rockers, changed out the ignition, installed all the armor and winch, aux lights, etc etc etc... My point is a Jeep is an easy vehicle to learn how to wrench.

 

[Sine Deviance]

Stock Samurais have very little off-road potential. If your friend is interested in off-roading at all, I would steer him away from a stock Samurai. If he really wants one for off-roading he's gonna need to buy or build one that has a stronger engine, trans, axles, and suspension. A Samurai with that stuff already swapped in would easily be more expensive than any stock Wrangler, and without, there would be a lot of nutting, bolting, and $$$ involved. And it would still only be as capable as a stock Wrangler.

Samurai aftermarket upgrades are also pretty rare and expensive, and that's not even mentioning OEM replacement parts.

A Wrangler really is worth it for the extra money involved. A stock Wrangler's starting point is well ahead of any stock Samurai.

 

[tulman22]

I actually own a '90 Geo Tracker 4x4, and I love it. * Not as much as my Jeep *
It is very good on gas and can be put anywhere. It did a tour of duty in Australia with me, and found out how capable she really IS!
Yes I wrench on her allot to keep her going - out of love, as I do with the Jeep. But the gas mileage diff between the two is outrageous, but expected.
^x2 as far as the Tracker engine being better, especially the 8v.

Now before everyone starts bashing me - I love the hell out of my Jeep, but my Tracker was my first step to getting the real thing. After having the Tracker and doing everything in it, I had to have the Bad Boy!
I enjoy them both and get just as much attention in both, as most are amazed with the Tracker.

Good luck to your friend which ever way he decides.

 

[jfrabat]

Stock Samurais have very little off-road potential. If your friend is interested in off-roading at all, I would steer him away from a stock Samurai. If he really wants one for off-roading he's gonna need to buy or build one that has a stronger engine, trans, axles, and suspension. A Samurai with that stuff already swapped in would easily be more expensive than any stock Wrangler, and without, there would be a lot of nutting, bolting, and $$$ involved. And it would still only be as capable as a stock Wrangler.

Samurai aftermarket upgrades are also pretty rare and expensive, and that's not even mentioning OEM replacement parts.

A Wrangler really is worth it for the extra money involved. A stock Wrangler's starting point is well ahead of any stock Samurai.

Sorry, Sine, no disrespect, but I disagree... I have seen some Sami's wheeled, and at least in rock, they tend to do REALLY well (sometimes better than wranglers) because they are VERY light vehicles and tend to float over the muck, whereas heavier wranglers dig in more. Also, Sami's are probably the cheapest 4X4 to build up (again, since they are light, they dont need the really strong axles, transmissions, etc. as a Wrangler, and because the motor is not that big, parts dont need to be as strong) and are about as easy to work on as a Wrangler. Overall, for mud anyway, they are tough little vehicles. Now as far as driving them down the highway, that's a whole other ball game!

 

[Sine Deviance]

Sorry, Sine, no disrespect, but I disagree... I have seen some Sami's wheeled, and at least in rock, they tend to do REALLY well (sometimes better than wranglers) because they are VERY light vehicles and tend to float over the muck, whereas heavier wranglers dig in more. Also, Sami's are probably the cheapest 4X4 to build up (again, since they are light, they dont need the really strong axles, transmissions, etc. as a Wrangler, and because the motor is not that big, parts dont need to be as strong) and are about as easy to work on as a Wrangler. Overall, for mud anyway, they are tough little vehicles. Now as far as driving them down the highway, that's a whole other ball game!

No disrespect taken. It's all about opinion, I guess. A Samurai's real advantages are smaller size and lower weight. True, they can get into places a Wrangler could never fit into. But there's a lot of work and money involved to get it there in the first place. Factory Wranglers have more ground clearance, have a wider track, and a longer wheelbase. The downfalls are that they weigh more and have a longer wheelbase Based on these facts I still feel that stock Wranglers are better than stock Samurai. Now, when you start talking about "With Mods" the game changes quite a bit.

I once saw a Sami with lots of mods tackle some obstacles that a Unimog 404 couldn't get through just because of the size and weight advantages. But thats with mods. I just think that a stock Samurai won't be much good in any real off-roading situation. Mud, maybe. But mud is easy; just floor it and try to hit the hole, or take it slow and keep the wheels straight. Other forms of off-roading are more technical and require some skill and quality parts to back it up. A Samurai will easily tip on a hillclimb or on big rocks with the factory track. I've seen it happen a few times. Of course, they are tough little trucks; after rolling or flipping they will generally keep on going.

 

[xjmarc]

I seem to recall that the DOT is one of the reasons that the Sami isn't made anymore. They had a problem tipping over if you turned at any kind of speed.

 

[Wranglerman21]

I wouldnt ever step foot in an samurai ever again. Im 25 now and when i was 16 i bought one and had gotten rear ended buy a chevy taho at a stop light and pushed into a ford f150 and ended up getting pinned inside. It took the fire dept. 2 1/2 hours to get me out and after getting pins in both of my legs and a fused ankel.................I hate those cars. The taho that hit me only need a new headlight and new grill while ofcoarse my samurai was completely totalled. They are JUNK!! best of luck

 

[jps4jeep]

Sami's are great vehicles for an offroad platform to be built. they actually share a lot of the characteristics of what makes jeep so popular to mod.
-light weight
-simple suspension
-take axle mods easily
-lots of Toyota parts can easiley be swapped in
-if you can think of it type motor swaps
-Low COG if built right.

I wheel with a couple of them, some are just a simple soa on stock axles with 33's and lockers, some 4 linked front and rear, coil overs and 39" reds with turbo'ed suburu flap-jack motors

 

[mikep]

When it gets down to it compare the resale value the cost of parts and the saftey between the two. I can take a pinto weld it to a truck frame and call it a pinto. Jeep is built for off road and parts available new and used at a good price. They have a great resale value even when old and tired. How Safe? Depends on where and how you drive. Only my two bits on this.