I've been looking for a while at Samurais to use to go over a large piece of heavily wooded property I own.  But as I'm sure most of you know, there are damn few stock Samis out there.

But I'm concerned about buying one that has been modded.  My experience is that people who modify their vehicles come in two flavors; those who know what they're doing and those who really don't have a clue...with very little in between.

Since I'll be out there all alone, reliability is a huge factor for me.  But on the other hand, it would be great to get a boatload of needed modifications on the front end, IF they were installed correctly and with some sort of plan so that each mod compliments others.

Your opinions are requested.  Thanks.

So very true about some of the add ons you see on some of the riggs , as a mechanic / fabricator some of the things I see makes you wonder how they stay together and not even wont to drive them.

One advantage of buying a modified rig is it is usually cheaper then getting a stock one and modifying it on your own.  The down side, as kreator said, is you never know how the modifications were done.

If your worried I would ask the person for a full run down of all 'non stock' modifications on the vehicle along with a brief description of how it was done.  If they can provide that info it will tell you how much was store bought and how much was done in the garage.  It also gives you a list of things to check out for quality.  I did that when I sold my SJ-410, it was interesting to try and remember just what all was on it.

And that's the problem.  Some of the mods are obvious, but when you're talking about a vehicle that's around 25 years old and has probably been used extensively off-road, there may be multiple modifications to the frame, suspension and drivetrain that aren't readily apparent.  It's really sort of scary.

My one big advantage is that I really don't care much about the streetibility of the vehicle.   At most, it just needs to be legal and able to get to some of the offroad parks near me (less than 100 miles).  If I had to, I could trailer it.  I don't need one to be a daily driver.  But I don't want to get 20 miles out in the boonies all by myself and this thing break the frame.  And I don't want some gremlin that nobody can figure out.  I don't mind spending a few bucks to get it right, but I want to know what I need to spend and exactly what's wrong with it.  When you don't even know what's lurking under the car, that's tough to do.

One advantage of buying a modified rig is it is usually cheaper then getting a stock one and modifying it on your own.  The down side, as kreator said, is you never know how the modifications were done.

If your worried I would ask the person for a full run down of all 'non stock' modifications on the vehicle along with a brief description of how it was done.  If they can provide that info it will tell you how much was store bought and how much was done in the garage.  It also gives you a list of things to check out for quality.  I did that when I sold my SJ-410, it was interesting to try and remember just what all was on it.

That's certainly a good idea and one that I'll follow, but even then, that person can only tell you what THEY have done to it and possibly a few things the person before them did.  When you're talking about a 25 year old vehicle, there may have been a half-dozen previous owners or even more.  No way in the world to know what all of them have done, or the skill levels they had when they did them.  Some of the things I've seen are just incredible.  It makes you wonder what was in these people's head when they did this stuff.

For your needs would a 4x4 ATV suffice?  I have a 15 year old Honda ATV that is fantastic in the woods.  Much better and more capable than a truck would be.  Also they can be bought for around $2000.

If I were in your place I would take the time to research the different mods that can be done to a Samurai. By doing this you will be able to recognize most of them and identify those folks who are trying to sell you "snake oil".

Likewise I see quite a few good stock or slightly modified Samurai's that might fit your needs. Biggest thing is to not get in a hurry. 

Biggest thing is to not get in a hurry. 

Wise words...I looked for a long time before I bought mine (it was stock). It takes quite a bit of learning/research to begin to know what you're looking for.

Exactly, take your time.  Look at several of them.


Most of the Samurais I see out there are either in relatively good shape, "stockers" or ghetto fabbed beaters that never see the road.  There doesn't seem to be many in between anymore.  

If you can find a clean & mild build with 2" OME springs and some sort of t-case reduction, that would be great.

if you have the pockets and the time i'd say buy a stock samurai and o things yourself. i bought my samurai already lifted and the guy before me didnt have a clue! i had some things that i didnt know how they were holding together. i've spent more time and money fixing horribly fabricated things on mine than if i would have bought a stock one and done it myself.

Speaking of stock Samurais...a guy flagged me down on the road this afternoon on my way home from work and said that he had a black 87 tin top like mine (mine's 86) that he just put up for sale. As soon as he started talking about it I knew where he lived because I had seen it. I followed him home and took a look. It looks pretty good! it's stock, appears to be rust free in reasonably good condition. Oily motor and worn front seats, but had the back seat. Unfortunately, has a sunroof -- but appears to be decent installation. Has been towed behind this guys motor home since 1996. He's asking $2000
Not too bad of a price for Oregon 
So, there are still some stock rigs out there to be had.