Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone drove a Swami full time?  As in your only vehicle.  Thinking of downsizing to a mildly built Samurai.  My wife has a Lexus, so I would have grown-up transportation when needed.

Rob

I bought my Sami in 2000 and it was my only transportation till 2007 I used it for wheeling, errands, and pizza delivery. It is again my only vehicle and I think it is ok for one or two people for everyday use.

Mines a DD and I put 20,000 on it since I got it in September...

Fast and 25mpg with the 1.6 16v too. Not the smoothest ride but not as bad as others I've been in.

Thanks guys.  I have a 2011 GV right now.  My kids all have cars and rarely go anywhere with us these days.  Heck, even my wife and I rarely go anywhere togeather these days.  I put maybe 6-8k on my vehicle a year.  Most of the time I walk as I live about 3/4 of a mile from my office.

I'm actually thinking of a nice tintop with A/C.  A/C is a must here in Nebraska during the summer.  Hi temps and hi humidity are killer on the body, and at 45, I'm not really getting any younger.

I would plan on at least 31" tires with a SPOA lift.  New gears for either the difs or T-case.  At least 1 locker.  But what ever I get has to look nice and drive nice too.  I live in one of those stuffy (expensive) neighborhoods.  Last year I had a new Land Rover LR4 instead of my GV.  I have changed some things up finacially to make get through the next few years with kids all going off to college.  That is why I'm looking to downsize further to make sure funds are there for kids educations.

I still need a 4wd to get me to the local lakes for mountian biking, snowshoeing, trail running, adventure races and hunting.  I think a $6-7k Sami might fit the bill better than an old Jeep which will get poor mileage.  I also like having something different than everyone else.

Rob

Mine is a daily driver in a local kinda setting. 10 miles or less daily with no highway. I built is a multipurpose kinda ride that allows me to drive it daily if I want, down the highway |removethispart|@ 65 or anyplace off road I want to stick it.

Maybe a little more extreme than you want with 34's / 6:5:1 / 5:13's and a 1.6 8V. But the point is that yes they can be  fine a s a DD depending what you want in return. 

Thank you for the reply.

I have so many questions right now, I just need to sit down with a Samurai owner and pick their brain.  Let's just say I'm a bit of a prepper, so I'm trying to figure out if an older sam with a Carb is EMP resistant.  Do older Samurais have points in the distributor or do they run some type of electronic ignition?

I'm starting to think I may want to go straight to 33s with my plans.  I have watched a couple of videos on YouTube for the Crusader.  I really like the look minus the exocage.  Wide tires, big fenders and a good lift along with new bumpers are exactly what I want.

Rob

Rob,

If you are going to want to run larger tires like 33's and up then I would look for a Sammi that has a late model FI engine like the 1.6 8V or the 16V. They will have the additional power you would want to turn the tires both on and off the road.

Lifts and steering will be important. A RUF (rear springs up front) or YJ lifts will ride very nice. SPOA (spring over axle) may be stiffer depending on the spring choices used.

Think about what goodies you want for your ride.

There are alot of Samurai's out there and you can get 1 in about any desription you choose.
Once you decide what you want and how you want it to look / ride / handle the rest is easy if your willing to do some work to make it happen.

Here is my project Sammi..... 

                                                                                      Tux...

I didn't plan on a Sami for our daily driver but that's how it turned out. We take it every where. My wife loves driving it. Winter or summer it's what we use. Now for long range touring, it's the Jetta TDI hands down. PK

Still looking for the right one.  There just aren't many in my area to pick from.

I don't drive that far that often, but would like to have something I could drive anywhere if needed.

Rob