anyone know about Suzuki samurais?

[elvis christ 451]

I saw one at the gas station the other day, and after the snow we had this winter, I figured it wouldn't be bad to have a 4x4 of some sort.

I grew up in a Toyota family, and haven't ever owned a domestic car, minus the 62 falcon my grandad gave me, which we still have. now I'm into Nissans and Hondas, rice boy cars, so the Japanese aspect of the Suzuki appeals to me.

Anyway, I see them pretty cheap on Craig's list, granted they're damn near 30 years old, from people who look like they know what's going on with them. Looks like there's a decent aftermarket.

[Sdustin 578]

I've known people that loved them beyond all other small 4x4s.

[VR762Shooter 838]

I got one for free as my first car. Only 34k on an 89 that I got in 2001. It was a fun little beater. I will say unless you plan on doing an engine swap away from the 1.3 it has almost no balls. I couldnt get it to do more than 50, guy I sold it to got it up to 55 with some carb updates. If you can get it for cheap and like to tinker its a fun little thing. If you grab one post up some pics as it comes along, I sometimes think back and wish I had just held onto it

[Ronin38 2,117]

I've heard they can be nearly bullet-proof if built right, but I'd rather get a Jeep, myself. I do know that since Jeeps became popular with the mall-cruisers, though, that the prices are ridiculous even for an old beater.

[Arik 565]

They are UNDER POWERED but you gotta remember they were built back in the 80s to early 90s. They are small and basic, most are stick. They got a rap when consumer reports did a segment that showed the Samurai was easily flipped over. In reality you have to really try to get one to flip. Anyway they are fairly simple cars and often people replace the engines with VW deisel or Geo Tracker 2.0ltr. Parts are still available online and are easy to convert using Toyota parts.

 

Check out this place. They do conversions to 6 and 8 cyls and sell cars as well as parts

 

http://www.suzukiconversion.com/

[VR762Shooter 838]

When I got mine people always said about the flipping potential. I don't know how many times I intentionally tried to flip it and couldn't do it. Then again when your car has a max speed of 50 you will have a hard time I suppose

[Arik 565]

The original problem with flipping it was overblown.  I think the test was done by going very fast around the turn while hitting a curb on the outside corner....or some nonesense like that

[mixednuttz 123]

While the 1.3 is not going to set your hair on fire with it's power, it's damn near indestructible. I got rid of one years ago and would buy another. Great little wheeler. Like a golf cart with four wheel drive.

[siminov 164]

Used to have a 91 Suzuki sidekick. Buddies used to call it my "Barbie jeep" but it went anywhere in the woods. Can't remember what it had for a motor but it was enough and had no problems gettin over 50. Tough little vehicle, got no complaints about it.

[Spacehog 2,218]

We used one on the sod farm up in Tennessee, and ragged the heck out of that little car. Always ran and always got us from point A to point B. I loved the thing for a off road fun vehicle.

[elvis christ 451]

A diesel swap would be awesome.

[Billybobf 50]

Cheap? wtf I want one cheap!!!! $1500 for one a guy says he wouldn't drive on the highway, next up is $2500 stock, then up to $3,$3500,$4,$5

Where you finding a cheap samurai? I missed out on a stock one with a removable hard top for $1200 was gone after 1 hour. Guy was kinda upset he sold it so cheap.

I have a built 87 4runner but even it's big for some of the local trails that were built for quads

[DLT 1,646]

My bro has one. Nice little ranch rider, but rough as shit to ride.

[Long Shot 1,287]

A group of guys I work with started sort of a club of samurai fan boys. They are a real kick if modified right. Seems the posibilties are pretty much endless if you like to work on that kind of stuff. Seems like they spend half their free time at wrecking yards, craigslist trading and the shop working on em and the other half out in the woods breaking em, rinse and repeat.

 

One of the guys put an Isuzu PU diesel in his with all Toyota running gear and he claims the stupid thing gets around 35 MPG now and it has enough power to do ok in deep snow/mud with dual T-cases and 35s on it.

 

There are some outstanding off-road areas around here and I see a lot of samurais out there. All modified. From what I understand they are tribly under powered and the the factory running gear is not super tough.

 

Personally I prefer Toyota. I got a '91 land cruiser I plan to make my off-road mauler/hunting rig in the near future. I hope to fit a sprinter van Mercedes diesel in it, never seen it done before but it should be a good fit. just got to be in right place at the right time to find one that don't break the bank.

[VR762Shooter 838]

The original problem with flipping it was overblown.  I think the test was done by going very fast around the turn while hitting a curb on the outside corner....or some nonesense like that

 

Yeah I tried flipping it in snow and on dirt roads and couldn't, as hard as I tried (I was 18 with my first FREE car and just wanted to have some fun with it)

[Maxwelhse 1,285]

Samuari's are MONSTER off road rigs if you want to build them... but... you're silly if you don't buy a Jeep instead... TJs are getting VERY affordable and YJs are approaching free.

 

A $3500 TJ will go anywhere an $8k Samurai will go... Plus, if you break something, you have about 20 years of Jeep and XJ junkyard interchangeability going for you and practically NO junkyard support for the Samurai in comparison, stock vs. stock.

 

I'm very bias since I'm a TJ owner ('99 Sahara, 4.0, AX-15, A/C Cruise, truck... nice little rig).

 

If I someday grew board with my Jeep (meaning after I made it literally a hill climb buggy) I might consider a Samurai to run into trees in the woods for the fuck of it.... I take that back... I'd buy another AMC Eagle. I think that's where the REAL value in off roading is (it's an XJ wagon, basically).

Edited April 5, 2014 by Maxwelhse

[storm6490 2,768]

I've never driven one but there has to be a logical explanation for the huge population of these little samurai trucks around here in the mountains of Montana.

 

My guess is that they are perfect for the logging roads and trails that most SUV and pickups can't run on.

[Maxwelhse 1,285]

The explanation is that they are a VERY sort wheel base vehicle, very narrow, have a solid motor (though under powered) and do have some nice aftermarket support (shorter and narrower than a Jeep... their aftermarket support is shit though in comparison).

 

My TJ has an 8' wheel base... I think Samurai's are closer to 7'. I think they're also about 8" narrower than a TJ. That means something if you're trying to get through ATV trails like you find here in the midwest... For rock crawling Montana style I'm not sure what the advantage is. I'd actually like a longer wheel base for crawling as long as the tires were past the bumpers on both ends.

 

Now... That said, my TJ has vastly superior suspension technology (4 link coils. vs leafs), a GOOD soft top (Samurai softops are total shit with loads of snaps and BS), close to 100hp advantage over a Samurai, and if you're over 6' tall are insanely uncomfortable (I couldn't drive a CJ-5 either).

 

Soooo... Yeah.. I'm turning this into a TJ vs. Samurai thread because I think if you follow money and logic you'll land on TJ every time. It's the Fox Mustang of 4x4s... It does everything pretty damn well and is just as affordable.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Maxwelhse

[HB of CJ 1,263]

I had a '86 Suzuki Suicide. Hardtop. Loved it. 5 speed. Hi low. Had a dinky 4 banger that worked OK most of the time. 25-30 mpg. That little Jeep had dents on all four ends and both sides and could go almost anywhere except situations requiring big power. Had a carb. Tried to find a Asian retro breaker point battery coil ignition for it. Never could, but was told they exist for making the little Jeep nearly EMP resistant.

 

Now drive a 2001 Suzuki Viagra 2 door removable hard top. 20-28 mpg. Much better hiway car, but not soss good in hard off road situations. Still not enough big power. Great on ice, on hiway use. I have pushed snow with the front bumper. More civilized than the Suicide and much softer riding. I am again looking for another older Suzuki Suicide baby Jeep. Very popular out here in SW OR for woods running. HB of CJ (old coot)

 

Had an old friend, (now dead) who swapped in a 1984 VW Rabbit Diesel. ( I think...had the bigger head bolts and big water pump) 52hp 4 banger diesel. Made his own adaptors. Actually worked much much better off road. No flooding and much more low end torque. He claimed he got 35 mpg. I believed 30. I drove it many times....much nicer off road. More low end torque. Drew crowds for sure. Many modern tiny dinky mills would fit oh so nice in the Suicide.

Edited April 7, 2014 by HB of CJ

[Maxwelhse 1,285]

HB.. Suzuki's aren't JEEPs.. The rest of your comments I enjoyed!

[HB of CJ 1,263]

Of course they are not Jeeps. I call them Jeeps because that is what everybody out here in SW OR called them....just to piss off the real Jeep owners. Twice the off road vehicle for about one third to one quarter the money. Smaller, narrower and a tighter turning circle than the old....and real.....1956 or so real Jeeps. Jeepers Creepers....what did you expect here....actual real accuracy? HB of CJ (old coot)

 

OH....and here is the final killer. You can buy out here a perfectly good condition older Suzuki Suicide for around $2500 to $3000. And guess what...you will spend about ZERO extra bucks getting it off road ready. It comes that way. About the only down side is that you need to learn how to cuss in Japanese. And...if you wanna spend lots of bucks, the after market depth on this dinky "JEEP" is amazing. So there!

[Maxwelhse 1,285]

It DOES piss off real Jeep owners (like me, I confess it.. I'd also drive a Sammy if I could fit and thought it a good idea) to call them Jeeps... I do love your humor, and no, I shouldn't have expected anything less of HB.

 

No final kicker involved... a 4 cyl TJ is the same price range and would CRUSH Samurai on a stock vs. stock basis.

 

In terms of spending money on a rig, you DO know what Jeep means?

 

Just Empty Every Pocket...

 

Just like how HD means 'Hundred Dollars (for any service) and Boat means Bust Out Another Thousand.

 

All toys cost, I just think a TJ is the best investment. A solid and running Jeep is damn near always worth $3k and they don't go down from there... Sammy's do.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Maxwelhse

[mancat 2,368]

I used to wheel with a lot of Sammies when I was in a Bronco II club, and believe me they will go anywhere, most even stock.

 

The big downside was already mentioned.. If you plan on doing anything offroad that requires larger tires, you'll either need a larger engine or axle regearing. Some of the Sammies I wheeled with were running super-deep gears into the 5.xx area, just to run 30s or 31s with the stock engine, but with a vehicle of that size, even a bit more tire will you a shitload of ground clearance and ability because the departure/clearance angles on the Samurai are nonexistant.

 

You can lift them a good 4" almost immediately by doing a spring-over conversion kit, which also gives you more under-axle clearance. Most will probably have worn-out springs by now and could use a new spring pack and new bushings, so plan on going there any way.

 

I would love to have one, as they were ideal for the type of wheeling I used to do a lot of - low-speed wheeling with lots of tight narrow trails, lots of hill climbs and water crossings, and trees everywhere. It was tough to get through a lot of trails without banging the shit out of your vehicle. The Samurai excelled at this simply because of its size and maneuverability.

 

Unfortunately they also command a price premium here in the PNW because of that.. A used Samurai in good condition is often times as expensive as a comparable Wrangler/CJ. People here know they're awesome for our terrain.

 

Wheeling in wide-open spaces, sometimes at high-speeds, the Samurai is probably not the best choice, and you might be better off going with a Jeep, or any number of cheaper 1980s/1990s SUVs or small trucks.

[patriot 7,197]

They look like they could fill the same niche as a Deere Gator or a Polaris Ranger, and for much less $$, Swap in a bigger engine, do the suspension and put decent tires on it and go. Keep a bucket of paint and a brush in the back in case you get a scrape or two.

[mancat 2,368]

yes they can, while still being street legal and 25+ MPG on the highway - unless there's any hills

[HB of CJ 1,263]

Yep pretty much all the Suzukis 4X4 bady SUVS are not high speed road cars. My 2001 Suzuki 2 door Vitara 4 banger will go 65 mph real easy. It does NOT like going over 70 mph. Barely fast enough to keep up with Interstate traffic. The high speed highway handling of my '01 is best described as "twitchy" Extremely quick and precise steering input. Touchy is another good word. Wheelbase is too short. NOT a long distance car. HB

[U.S. Pratorean 1,234]

I have an 88.5 4x4 that has had just about everything replaced on it except the motor. The entire vehicle, inside and out has been coated with Armourthane. A polyurea coat like rhino lining but better IMHO. I use it to go back and forth to the ranch and it is great. It is also the exact same size as my Arctic cat HDX. With no wind it will top out at 75-80 mph. If there is a head wind I'm lucky to get it to 55mph. Only weighs 2000 LBS and goes anywhere. Excellent little vehicle.

Edited April 7, 2014 by JAG

[Billybobf 50]

Maybe 2k before 300 lbs of armadillo liner. Lol

[liberty -r- death 1,445]

I had one for a couple of years about 23 years ago. 65mph with no wind was fastest it went but it was stout as hell for 4 wheel n. Never came close to flipping it, but then again I did not drive it like a sports car. At the time it was a great rig for dating.

[U.S. Pratorean 1,234]

Maybe 2k before 300 lbs of armadillo liner. Lol

Yeah, realistically about 2500.