ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: FrEaKâ„¢ on April 17, 2007, 06:44:19 PM
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Hey,
I was thinking about getting a samurai as my first car(I'm 16 "N" test is coming soon). Would this be a good choice? I'd be going offroading sometimes with it, and in the future was hoping to lift it and put some 32's or 31's on it... I was just wondering if with the stock motor it could handle this? what can that 60hp engine do???
just some general questions I'll probly have more later, thanks
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Welcome
I ran th 1300 for a couple years then worked good with 31 x 10.50 x 16" .
I put some lower gears in the t-case to help with the tire change.
Then I wanted more power. Then I went to the 1600 W / EFI .
Remember its an addiction. Once your start you can't stop.
We have some great parts suppliers listed on the homepage.
........once again Welcome Ross
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I am a sami owner and fan... and in your situation, have you considered a sidekick or tracker?
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I am a sami owner and fan... and in your situation, have you considered a sidekick or tracker?
Ross, thanks for the welcoming and info :D
I havn't really looked at them, particularly because 1. I'm not crazy about the look of them (tracker ain't that bad but would be considered "chick" around here unless I got some new tires and a lift right away.), and 2. the prices seem somewhat high around my area... my budget is around 3k, depending on if I get my new job (had to quit the old one cause of time conflicts :\)... anyways, I was sorta looking at this.
http://www.buysell.com/root/detail/British%20Columbia/1990_Prior_Import_SUVs/3334/57631508/1988_SUZUKI_SAMURAI_lockers_frnt_rear.aspx
but there is not alot of info and I havn't bothered to call yet as I'm really not 100% on what car to buy...
I forgot to mention/worded my first "statement" wrong, I do quite often go off-roading, usually quite light, but I recently found a nice section near me that my friends cousin took us out to on his jeep, fun as hell ;D.... but I want to remember that this car will be used for road travel too, though I don't expect any long trips with it, it will be on the road often.
PS> No offence to people with stock trackers... I was just saying.
PSS(:|)> Did I mention I was a noob offroader and was wondering whether auto or manual would be better for me (I am learning stick pretty much as I write this)
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If I were you, I'd try for a track/kick. Initially the track/kick is easier and cheaper to get 31's under it. A spring spacer lift kit with some crown vic rear shocks, and a 2 or 3" body lift make it easy for 31's. That being said I think the Sammy has the better potentional for off-roading. I started with a SJ410 on 235's and a 2 shackle lift; then went to a hardtop Sammy. I now drive a Escudo (track/kick) and when the parts get here I will be on 32's.
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welcome, you do know were all sick right? this is an addiction, for 3k i would also recomend a track/kick for a few reasons 1 more stable on road (ive rolled my sami twice) 2 fuel injection wich you would end up doing to your sami later on anyway, 3 poss auto trans much easier for beginer off road-er ,4 you can always sell it later and get into a sami with more money to start rather than the other way around,, as i said bfore welcome hope to see ya out wheelin soon if you have any q's feel free to write, later
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welcome, you do know were all sick right? this is an addiction, for 3k i would also recomend a track/kick for a few reasons 1 more stable on road (ive rolled my sami twice) 2 fuel injection wich you would end up doing to your sami later on anyway, 3 poss auto trans much easier for beginer off road-er ,4 you can always sell it later and get into a sami with more money to start rather than the other way around,, as i said bfore welcome hope to see ya out wheelin soon if you have any q's feel free to write, later
If I bought a kick howmuch would a couple of bumpers, winch, lift(just generally...), tires run me?
and would an '89 be a good choice?
EDIT: And would a samurai be a "BAD" choice or just that a tracker/kick would be a better choice? because I really like samurai's (I did drive one :P)
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Hey,
I was thinking about getting a samurai as my first car(I'm 16 "N" test is coming soon). Would this be a good choice?
I say go for it. One thing is for certain. The Samurai will always be in demand, and will retain value for years to come. This is because the Samurai has obtained cult status, something the Sidekicker will probably never do (sorry Kickers!).
It's an easy trucklet to learn on, and an even easier truck to repair and modify. The Samurai crowd is tight knit, and will bend over backwards to help a fellow fan out with suggestions, even repairs! It's also very high on the cool factor. Get a 1994 or 1995 and it's a 2 seater, meaning you get to carry only one passenger, so you'll never be the one hauling a boat load of loser, no-car-owing friends around on your dime. And with the top off in the summer, hot blondes with big titties will like to occupy the front seat with you (at least that was my personal experience).
But on that note, I will caution you. The Samurai has an extremely short wheel base (SWB), and a relatively high center of gravity (COG). What does this mean? It has the propensity to spin out on slick roads or at high speeds and can roll more easily than a car would. And since you are a learner and young, this means you don't have the experience yet to help you regulate speed in bad conditions. The faster you go, the more the SWB and COG works against you. Trust me, even with many years driving experience, I spun a stock sammy out on wet leaves while doing ~35-40 mph and when it went off the road at 15-20 mph, it rolled and on the top it went. VERY valuable learning experience for me.
Now, if you are reserved, have a level head and are not prone to normal teenage risk-taking, these concerns shouldn't be much of an issue. If you have a heavy foot, drive home from keg parties or go fast to impress the girls, then this might not be for you.
Otherwise, like I said. Go for it. You only live one. Unless you are revived using CPR or AFD, then you get to live twice. ;D
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whats the top speed of a samurai???? just for info... (dont plan to try it)
and, friends are gay and say I should get a 5 speed. Bad idea?
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[/quote]
This is because the Samurai has obtained cult status, something the Sidekicker will probably never do (sorry Kickers!).
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I am going to have to disagree... Track/kicks are on their way....
Track/kicks would be great to wheel. More up to date... comfortable!!! ect,ect,ect...
Do a solid axle on a kick and put it against a sami.... hhhmmm.... the only thing the sami would have on it would be cool points... And cool points don't help get you over the obsticle any more...
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Do you wheel with older drivers? if so ask questions and watch how they drive.
I have about 5 neighborhood boys 15 to 16 years old that I take wheeling 2 own sami's
I own 3 sami's 1 have had since 1988 with 350,000 miles on it.
So I would say take it easy and ask questions and have fun.
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This is because the Samurai has obtained cult status, something the Sidekicker will probably never do (sorry Kickers!).
[/quote]
I am going to have to disagree... Track/kicks are on their way....
Track/kicks would be great to wheel. More up to date... comfortable!!! ect,ect,ect...
Do a solid axle on a kick and put it against a sami.... hhhmmm.... the only thing the sami would have on it would be cool points... And cool points don't help get you over the obsticle any more...
[/quote]Its not the vehicle its the! driver 80% diver 20% vehicle.
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Not sure how accurate those stas are... But that is pretty much what I stated... However, take into consideration some of the differences in the vehicles!!!
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I have . I've owned a sidekick traded it for a 2006 Grand vitara for the ride. but for the fist car a sami is inexpensive and easy to work on.
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A fellow 06 GV owner?!!!!
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whats the top speed of a samurai???? just for info... (dont plan to try it)
and, friends are gay and say I should get a 5 speed. Bad idea?
repeating question :D
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uphill or downhill????????????????
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I have a stock 86 tin-top with not so correct vacuum lines (yet). I can normally hold 70 on the flat but maybe 65 on a mild incline. I know it could be better. Downhill- probably 80+. I haven't taken it all the way up because the engines really turning.
I like the sammy because the parts are cheap and everything is pretty simple. If you plan on doing alot of off roading, you better have a good job for buying parts. Make sure you take the auto shop class and get some experienced help when you can. Also, learn to weld so you can do your own mods or repairs. Off- roading is expensive. If you plan on a daily driver you may find yourself bumming a ride when things break.
Get what you like but know it's limits. Best bet is to find one that has a lot of mods already and buy it for cheaper than doing all the mods. You can still do mods but this will save you. You're a student which means that summer is coming up so you can pretty much buy one from anyone here or on ebay or craigslist and actually have the time to go and get it. Just keep doing your homework.
I bought my samurai because I thought they were cool since I first test drove a new 88 back when I was 22. I wanted it but it was impractical for a family at the time.
Good luck!
-Adam
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whats the top speed of a samurai???? just for info... (dont plan to try it)
and, friends are gay and say I should get a 5 speed. Bad idea?
repeating question :D
I don't think the Samurai was ever sold in the US with an auto.
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whats the top speed of a samurai???? just for info... (dont plan to try it)
and, friends are gay and say I should get a 5 speed. Bad idea?
I had my perfectly stock 1994 EFI Samurai up to 100 mph on I-684. Once. I would not, and never did, do that again.
I don't suggest to try it either.
As for the Tranny, all Sammy's are stick. That being said, when you grow with it and possible get into ROCKCRAWLING, you'll prolly want to swap in an auto.
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I am going to have to disagree... Track/kicks are on their way....
We have different opinions, but mine's more correct. LOL :P If you look at the aftermarket support alone, the Sammy rules, and prolly always will. Even Jeeper's find the Sammy attactive, but usually have no feeling for the Sidekick. Many consider building a Sammy for what it is, most do not think the same for the Kickers. The fact that the Samurai is rarer than the Sidekick will aid in it iconic statuer.
Track/kicks would be great to wheel. More up to date... comfortable!!! ect,ect,ect...
Sammy is more fun out of the box IMHO.
Do a solid axle on a kick and put it against a sami.... hhhmmm....
And the average Joe would prolly still find the Samurai cooler.
the only thing the sami would have on it would be cool points... And cool points don't help get you over the obsticle any more...
But cooler makes you an icon, like Jimmy Dean or Steve McQueen. You just made my point.
Rock on! ;D
p.s. I hope you're taking this ribbing in fun. In fact, let's make this a poll.
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i bought my tin top sammi as my first ride... love it, 5 speed, spoa, 31s, weber carb, thourly header, tons of other stuff, i am glad i bought it... did all the work myself, didnt spend a ton of money... i was offered double what i payed+ put into it
than a few weeks ago i bought my second ride... another sammi. 88.5 model, full size axles toy drivshafts, rear rad, lockers, and iam building a double t-case set up for it .... just as a bush truck
i would defentaly buy another sammi for my first ride if i had to do it again, cheaper on gas, turns people heads... really stands out at school, everyother kid drives some riced out droped out junk, so a nice lifted sammi just plan old sticks out LOL
and if subs and loud bass are your kind of thing to... i built a custom box, and amp rack type thing for mine, huge comp amp that puts out over 2000watts rms LOL... makes the tin top rattel pretty good hehe
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I just got my first sammy a while back, i like it a lot. Even stock it seems to do really well off road, little bit of ground clearance problems but thats nothing a SPOA and some toyota axles cant solve ;D
I would say go with a sammy and as everyone before me said, There are tons and tons of parts for them and they are all quite cheap.
I really have nothing against track/kicks, im just turned off by IFS. Soilds axles just seem, smipler, stronger, and a hell of a lot easyer to modify.
About having an automatic tranny in a sammy, if you have low enough gears, it pretty much is an automatic, you dont have to do to much work to get it going, and its very hard to stall.
Go for the manual, give it a week tops and you will be pro at it.
Amilla
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The trackers are cheaper around here i picked up a 95 with the 1.6 16valve in it with no rust but i did have to replace the top but no big deal i knocked the guy down from $1500 to $1300 so it gave me alittle leway for the top. also the tracker would be much better for the road the. i had a samarai and it had 30s on it and it might do 65 down hill. my tracker with 30s and a 2in bodylift will do 85+mph no problem. If i were you i would try to find a tracker with the 16v and throw on 2in coil spacers from a tj, crown vic shocks and a strut mount flip and some 30s or 31s and have a nice road worthy yet offroad worthy vehicle.
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Case for the Sami
A Sami is a great first vehicle if you're a "tinkerer" and like to fix / modify things yourself (with a vehicle this old, you'll almost always be fixing or modifying something). It's easier than the Tracker / Sidekick (Trackick) to work on. It's also severely underpowered for freeway use, and you're NOT going to win any races EVER in it. It's cargo space is SEVERELY limited. If you're happy driving slow, knowing you're going to kick everyone's ass off road - this is the vehicle for you.
With your budget, what I'd spend my $$$ on:
* If you're more interested in looks than function, get a lift and 31 / 32" tires. You'll loose about 5 MPG, fry your clutch quicker, increase your chance of breaking things on your drive line, and go 50 MPH uphill on the freeway. But, you'll look really cool in your lifted / big tire / I look like I'm in a mini CJ-5 look.
* If you're more interested in off road function, and making people go "Holy *&^, did that little thing just do that?" and still having a prayer at doing 65 MPH comfortably on the freeway - lock your front and rear diffs, and get some aggressive 235/75/15 Mudd Terrain (MT) tires (which are 2" bigger than stock, don't require a lift to clear them, won't totally suck your remaining HP or add significant stress to the drive line). Also, do the Rears Up Front (RUF) conversion that allows you to use the much larger rear springs (from a doner vehicle) in the front of your vehicle - much better ride / articulation for cheap.
Lockers in order from cheapest to more expensive (but still in your budget): Welded gears (free if you have friend with welder), spool ($100), lockrite ($200) per diff.
Also consider being PATIENT, and looking at craigslist for the right Samurai to come your way. I have seen some very well built Sami's go for cheap in my area ($3000 for a fully lifted sami on 31" tires, SPOA lift, locked diffs, and rebuilt engines). As a general rule of thumb, you get back about 25-50% of what you put into a custom vehicle. In other words - if you put $2000 worth of lift / tires / lockers on your vehicle, you're only going to add about $500 - $1000 to the sale price of your rig. Take advantage of someone else taking the "loss" and buy one already built for MUCH less than what you'd pay to do it yourself.
Case for the Tracker / Sidekick (Trackick)
This may be more in your budget than you think. I just purchased a Tracker with 115,000 miles on it for $1900 (asking price was $3500).
You won't be winning any drag races in this one either, but it's extra power is IMMEDIATELY noticeable. It's also a much better wheeler than a lot of people give it credit for, and a lot cheaper to do a 29-31" tire-clearance lift on (much more expensive to do a 33" + tire-clearing lift on). My kick feels MUCH more stable than either of my sami's did, and the suspension feels much better. Take a look around - MANY of the Sami mods are stealing Kick parts (disk breaks, engine / transmission, power steering) because the kick is a better running vehicle with more power.
A Trackick benifits from modern engineering (fuel injection, better suspension, air conditioning, power steering, air bags, more reliable, better MPG & more power). However, with more modern components comes greater complexity in troubleshooting. Then again - sometimes the engine "self diagnoses" - you can just plug in a code reader (free at a lot of auto parts stores) and it'll tell you what's wrong... IF it's smart enough to know. The sami is still easier to work on though, as there's less electronics, sensors etc to worry about. That said, Kicks are more "reliable" because they're newer.
Unfortunately the styling of the tracker is "out of date" compared to the Samurai - which is gaining in popularity again as people are starting to like the "square" look again. If you're more interested in spending less $$$ on gas, keeping up on the freeway, having a smoother ride, and much more cargo space - the Trackick is for you.
What I'd spend my $$$ on:
With a kick, you have more power, so you can go to bigger tires without AS much of a loss. To clear 31" tires, you can do a little trimming, and / or throw in a little dough nut looking thing on the top of your springs (cost = $200 - 300, much cheaper than sami lifts). Welded diffs are still free, spool is still $100, but the lockrite goes up to $300. I'd still stick with 29 / 30" tires and a locker - you'd be AMAIZED at how much more economical / better this setup will be than a big lift / big tires / open diffs will be... you keep your low center of gravity, and all your horse power isn't sucked up by big tires.
I've fallen in love with every samurai and ever tracker I've owned. Each one has it's own personality, but both have been great offroad, and fantastic "starter" 4x4 vehicles. You have to decide which things are most important to you in a vehicle (vanity, power, ease of maintainence). Each one just "leans" more one way or than the other.
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Wow, thanks for all the info...
I got some stuff to kind of help me through all this "learn to weld" "if you want a sound system" etc....
My brother is majorly obsessed with subs/amps/and other sound equiptment, my brothers friend loves offroading and another on of his friends is a mechanic and is a VERY good welder. Lastly my friends cousin owns 4 cars and is another offroad "feind" :P
Anyways, I'll keep an eye out on Craigslist and buysell... I can't see myself triving a track or kick(well defianetly not the tracker, maybe a kick...) its just... not the kind of thing I like, I can't really explain it I just don't like them. I am a handson kind of guy but I can't say I can weld nor know much about the engine of a vehicle; however, I do plan to do my... studying?... on these things from now until my N test and afterwards. I'm very interested in it right now. So yea, I'm a noob, I was looking around at samurai videos on youtube and came across this DvD on offroad training, I don't know who made is or how I can get it, maybe someone could help me find it?
Thanks again for all your help guys....
But I do have one more question. What year/model would be the most understandable for budget (which has now been moved up to 4500$ :D) and you know, onroad driving? Ofcoarse understanding that I live in canada it might be hard for me to find certain models of the Samurai (EX: Coily)... so help again,
THANKS
-FrEaK "A.K.A." Mike
EDIT: I found the link, anyone know where I can buy this? looks old and somewhat cheesy but I'm sure it would help me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GesUlXXN2fo