My son is growing up and will be driving one of these days soon, so its time for us to start thinking about wheels for him. Personally, I drive a YJ that I've been building up little by little for the past 2 years now.He is not as tall as I am and the cab in the Jeep seems a bit big for him. Also there is the cost factor, so I was thinking that a good first vehicle for him could be a Suzuki. It's something less expensive that he and I can learn about and learn to build. Do any of you have advice on this? What a used one might cost, what to look for or watch out for etc?

82-85 3" narrower(roll easier, so they say) , 86-89 wider, 1.3L carbed, 90-95 1.3L EFI....... probility your better choice, if at all possible.....
other than that there all good......... i paid 300$ can. for my 88 back in sept........ but needed a bit of work...... and now, 700$ later, its asume.......
l8r

Alot of our customers are guys on a tight budget. That is perhaps the main reason folks get into Samurais to begin with instead of Jeeps or TLCs. they're very easy to work on and easy to modify. Suzukis are also very reliable!

For less than the cost of a stock used Wrangler, you could get him a Samurai and build it into a really fun toy.

A good samurai can easily be picked up for 1200 or less. Since it's your son, I'd recommend a rollcage, as its only a few hundred to get a custom one done, and we're all morons as teenagers. Zuks are great vehicles though, and despite a lack of excessive HP, they wheel like champs and take quite a bit of abuse. Good luck.

Yes! I agree 100% a cage is a must, with door bars would be nice(metal doors are thin, with some T-bone action). I disagree about the teenager thing though. Some are very trust worthy when it come to driving. I'd get him 31's max though with a stock SPOA and longer shocks and brake lines.

Cool! thanks for the quick responses. I have about a year to research this so I'm going slowly. When I got my Jeep it was on impulse and fortunately I made a good choice, but this time I want to collect info first. Thanks for the advice, keep it coming :D

the main thing you'll have to overcome is all the people who try to change your mind.
"they're too small" "they're too dangerous" "they roll over when parallel parking" blah blah blah:rolleyes:
don't listen to the naysayers!
that being said, i totally agree with the others about the roll cage recomendations *BUT* i would offer the same agreement if a Jeep or any other similar vehicle was being considered, (not just because it's a Samurai!)
these vehicles are much more designed with fun off road capabilities in mind, which can put you into situations where everything isn't "parking lot safe"
my 1991 Samurai was the very first vehicle with more than two wheels i ever bought. I took my class 5 driving test in it, as a matter of fact.
in the 11 years since i've had it, i have not even had so much as bulb or fuse burn out. anything done to it was out of me just feeling guilty and changing something, neglecting maintenance or uuhhm......"pilot error"
:D

Thanks for the encouragement, Uzi. What kind of lifts are available for a sammi? I have heard of using stock YJ springs on em. How much lift will that give? what size tires are reasonable etc..?

The first link anyone building a zuk should visit - Chris went through his whole build step by step and discusses what he liked and didn't like about various different setups: http://www.azrockcrawler.com/_images/howtobuildit/howto.html

READ IT! :D :D :D

Originally posted by Victor
Thanks for the encouragement, Uzi. What kind of lifts are available for a sammi? I have heard of using stock YJ springs on em. How much lift will that give? what size tires are reasonable etc..?

For the Sami, there are virtually unlimited modification possibilities, from mild to wild. There are 4-hour-easy-to-install bolt-on kits readily available from the major Zuk vendors as well as the mini-monster truck set-ups that you see here on POR. Go to www.izook.com for a good introduction to the possibilities.

While you can get wild, I would suggest that as a first vehicle, you leave the little Sami just that. Little. A first-time driver doesn´t need a SPOA or anything to have fun. Put a cage in it, bolt on some agressive treaded 29" tires and some under-belly protection for the t-case and let him go at it. As he progresses in his off-road prowess, he´ll naturally want to improve the truck´s performance. But he´ll be a better driver on and off-road by passing thru this mild stage. As a teenager, he´s still got lot´s of time to progress to lockers, gears and 38" Boggers.

just my 0.02

:beer: :beer:

I agree stick with 31's max, mild lift, and put a cage in it. Maybe all teenage boys are crazy drivers, but I bet most on here were including me.

Originally posted by Bill4rest
Yes! I agree 100% a cage is a must, with door bars would be nice(metal doors are thin, with some T-bone action). I disagree about the teenager thing though. Some are very trust worthy when it come to driving. I'd get him 31's max though with a stock SPOA and longer shocks and brake lines.

hell, I was a responsible driver (well, kinda) when I was a teenager, and even I made dumb mistakes. It comes with the territory of being a new driver. Your reflexes aren't there yet, so you make some silly decisions.

Originally posted by billj


For the Sami, there are virtually unlimited modification possibilities, from mild to wild. There are 4-hour-easy-to-install bolt-on kits readily available from the major Zuk vendors as well as the mini-monster truck set-ups that you see here on POR. Go to www.izook.com for a good introduction to the possibilities.

While you can get wild, I would suggest that as a first vehicle, you leave the little Sami just that. Little. A first-time driver doesn´t need a SPOA or anything to have fun. Put a cage in it, bolt on some agressive treaded 29" tires and some under-belly protection for the t-case and let him go at it. As he progresses in his off-road prowess, he´ll naturally want to improve the truck´s performance. But he´ll be a better driver on and off-road by passing thru this mild stage. As a teenager, he´s still got lot´s of time to progress to lockers, gears and 38" Boggers.

just my 0.02

:beer: :beer:




this is great advice, Victor.:)
start slow and easy, and try to make your modifications in "think to the future" mode.
ie- it's better to maybe get a heavy duty transfer case skidplate/mount combo BEFORE finding out that the stock mounts bend after you have purchased lower gears, which you had to get because the 33" tires you bought made daily driving nearly impossible....etc. etc.

there are some items that are desirable almost from the get go, no matter what skill level you are.

-transfer case protection/mounts
-rocker armour
-roll cage
-beefier bumpers
-fuel injection(....:D )
-power steering
-webbing and fastex buckle door straps
-starter relay kit*

*i discovered that keeping a close eye on the main engine ground connection took care of my "click" click" but no-start problem, but most people just get the "starter relay fix-it kit" from various sources. (check for this on izook)
if you get a soft top, poke around under the dashboard above the fuse box,driver's side (and above the computer on the passenger side if you get a later model) and gob dielectric grease on any wires and connections you can reach. mega check for corroded wires/connections especially the headlight/turnsignal coupler. Sammies are notorious for leaking when it rains, and all the water dumps down onto the fuse box and then your feet.
(or your wife's/girlfriend's if you make a quick left hand turn:D )
I could actually hear the water slosh from one side of the windshield frame to the other, before my G/F would shriek. heh heh.:angel:


mega edit:rasta: D'OH! i just noticed yer on 'o them Cali-uforia-n types that never get rain. never mind me.:flipoff2:

I also came from building YJ's. I got one when I graduated high scholl but sold it when I got married and had a kid. I wanted to get back into four wheeling but was on a tight budget. I found a soft top samurai for 650.00 and thats how it all started. You got some awesome advice above. I can only think of a couple of things, check out all the tech articles on www.izook.com and www.off-road.com/suzuki Unless you can find a low mileage one with FI I would recomend just searching for one that had a straight body and frame. When I was looking they all had worn out 1.3's anyway. Then just find yourself a totaled Tracker/kick and yank the motor buy a 1.6 install kit and you have a low milage motor that will last a long time if taken care of. I agree with not going with to high a lift at first, unless he's already experienced alot of off-road driving with you. The x-fers are really stout and the tranny's aren't bad either. Parts are much cheaper then Jeeps and seems they are easier to repair. Anyway you can always post questions here and also on the off-road bbs.

Well, the biggest problem your going to run into, victor, is the simple fact that reguardless of what is done to your sons sammy, it well be a spankfest like you've never had!:D These little machines continue to blow my mind every time they are taken out to the hills. As far as build up goes, you name it, these boys are serious, slap on a set of 27x9.50 SSR's and leave it bone stock, to the 38" boggers with 4 feet of flex, I agree with Dr. Evil, Chris's web sight is not only kick ass with the photos, but very informative and well thought out. Good Luck!:beer:

I think a mild sami would make an ideal teen car from a parents perspective

1) cool (this matters when your 16)
2) reliable
3) easy on gas
4) gutless (go ahead floor it, theres nothing there!)
5) cheap to insure
6) cheap to buy
7)cheap to fix
8) won't stain your driveway
9)easy to park

and finally.......











5...oops supposed to be 10) no room for f*cking :eek: :eek:

5. is the sucky est part :(

dont listen to these cyberwheelin clowns. DONT WASTE CASH, go strait for spoa 33,s ,4to1. longtravel shockmounts and breaklines.
going to 31 with no 4to1 is a waste of money...................this is one bad machine that wont break... youll be spending money to fix it up and not to fix it.......................I Just went to 5.12 gears a shackle reverse new locker longtravel shockmounts and am unstopable

all this from a guy with a 3" body lift on his truck :rainbow:

ya, suzuki's are cool. suzuki with the heat has rolled his on its side at least 30 different times over a 2 year span (no joke). I love rolling him back over its fun. Ok not really fun, gets old after the first 20.

RE #5, I made it work in a Corvette back then. Teenagers arent picky. :evil:

Just makes you get creative and try new positions:flipoff2: :D :flipoff2:

Originally posted by scwafish
I think a mild sami would make an ideal teen car from a parents perspective

1) cool (this matters when your 16)
2) reliable
3) easy on gas
4) gutless (go ahead floor it, theres nothing there!)
5) cheap to insure
6) cheap to buy
7)cheap to fix
8) won't stain your driveway
9)easy to park

and finally.......











5...oops supposed to be 10) no room for f*cking :eek: :eek:



:D :D :D I would have to disagree- I bought my first zuk in '88 and 2 of my kids were probably created in the passenger seat- It folds waaay back. :eek: :eek: My brother bought it from me and he still wheels it!! Stout little machines with lotsa heart!!!