Seems like these things have a pretty decent following.

Lots of aftermarket support.

I've seen some pretty knarly ones around town.They look pretty capable.

Since Jeeps of any vintage seem to be considered collectable and priced accordingly by sellers,I was thinking one of these Samurai's might make a decent,low buck offroad project.

Any experiences?

Best years?

Common problems to look for?

Best setups?

Weaknesses?

Ect....?

My stepfather had one about 10 years ago.....We took it off-road, not a good idea. It almost rolled three times! We also almost rolled it turning on dry pavement. They were recalled at one point because of the problem. I think since then they adjusted the wheel base on them. I wouldn't buy one personally.
My next SUV will be a Nissan Xterra.

-John

First my brother got one, then my father, and then me because we liked my brothers so much.  I take mine off roading all the time, although it is still pretty much stock.  My brother has a spring over kit and 33s on his and it performs pretty well off road.(He also has gears.)  The after market parts are incredible with gears, lockers, spring overs, coil spring suspensions....  The only down side is it's lack of power.  I put a Weber carb and a header on mine and got quite an improvement.  They are easy to work on and much more difficult to flip than people say.  If you drive like an idiot it can be done though.  I don't think it's any easier than a Willy's Jeep.

www.izook.com  check this out for aftermarket info and other fun things

Thanks AR15,I'll check out that sight.

They look like the sorta rig I'd be able to work on myself.Simple and basic.Plus I see em around here all day for $1500 and under.

Has your family seen pretty good reliability?

I figure one plus would be that the Japaneese have pretty well mastered the bullet proof four banger.

I've read about the Weber carb,one question...

Says there for "off road use only".

Do you have emissions checks in your state?

I'm guessing if you do,your weber equipped rig can pass.....eh?

Thanks again.[:)]

I had one back in 1988, put a 3" national spring lift and 30" tires, etc..
It was a great off road toy.
with good ground clearance, good angles of approach and departure, and small size, it would go anywhere.
I tried to tear it up, jumping and driving thru rivers but it refused to break.
It was a fun off road toy, but worthless on the interstate.
WFO, it would go about 60mph.
I've been thinking about getting another one and towing it to the trails with my truck.

Hmmm, I bought this 2 weeks ago in Seattle for $1500:

[img]http://www.ar15.com/members/albums/Boomer%2FScrambler%2Ejpg[/img]

Why would I want a Samurai? [8D]

Get a jeep, then you will understand. If it's not a jeep, it's a copy.

Funny you should ask! I just got done hosting the 3rd annual Zookin' 2K2 event up here in Mass.
I have been into sami's for 3 years now, heavily into rockcrawling.
Some Jeeps can be build cheaply in some areas of the country but most of the mods for sami's are on the cheap. they are the size of the old flatfender jeeps but lighter and turn tighter and are more reliable.. (I also own A 51 CJ3A before I get flamed too much here)
Commen mods Spring over axle lift, 4.16-1 low range tcase gears (400.00 try getting jeep gears that cheap) And then you go from there. It's a slippery slope!

The post 88.5 are a bit better with the F.I. 91-up the better for rocks as the fuel injection
works at all angles. Look out for lifts from the
last owner that where not done correctly, and rust behind the fender flares. If you want to go over 31" tires you will stress the axles to failure. But a sami with 31" tires spoa lift and 4.16 t-case can go places a Jeep that cost 3x as much can't. Becuase of the light wieght and wheelbase.
Power- commen mod is a 1.6L from a tracker/sidekick. lots nicer. shoot me an email for sites and further hookups.

You're thread should read "Can anyone here get  into Suzuki Samurai's?"  I know I cant.  

Boomer I'll give ya $1600, so you can make a quick hunsky.