I was thinking of getting a CUCV but decided it would be far better to just get an older model 87-88 Suzuki Samurai for driving out to the land, 4x4 driving around the property and other light offroading fun. This is going to be a 2nd vehicle. Any thoughts on the Samurai?
I love Samurais and can’t speak highly enough of them. They have their own set of quirks and weaknesses but they are brilliant little trucks for what they are.
The posibilities are endless on samurai’s and they are great off road. Lots of aftermarket parts… good, cheap fun!
Jeep Wrangler comes to mind.
Right now, in my opinion, the best bang for the buck is the 1990 - 2001 Jeep Cherokee.
I think the word is out on how terrific the Samurai is, and values on them reflect that. Cherokees, on the other hand, are darned near free, and with the 4.0L and the good tranny, they are just about bullet proof.
Samurais are pretty sweet rigs. I’ve seen some setup real nice that get around just fine. I’m more than satisfied with my Jeep. Beware though, just like guns it can get expensive once you been “Bit”
Supply and demand is getting killer on the Samis. And the ones that are out there are pretty rough unless your intent is to hack it up for a tube buggy.
I agree that a Cherokee (or YJ) is a lot easier to find and get ahold of these days for a base rig.
Cherokee fan myself! Bought my '00 on '02 with 30k on it. I am still driving it today with 110k. This is my first Jeep and imho, all models are not created equal, there are some Jeeps I would not own.
I own a Jeep Liberty; this model replaced the cherokee in 02.
It has been amazingly reliable, and it’s ridiculous off-road. Put this thing in 4x4 lo-range, and you can climb up the face of the hoover dam, i swear.
Many guys will put man tires and a HD 2"+ coil lift on 'em . . . makes it that much better.
I have a buddy he loves his Liberty; and I have another that is being driven into the poor house by his Liberty due to maintenance.
Found a Samy in my neighborhood for $2400.
If you’re looking for something affordable (not cheap), look for a mid, to late 90’s Jeep Cherokee XJ. I had a '98 with almost 210k miles on it, and wouldn’t have hesitated to drive it across the country. It was lifted 4" and on 32 inch tires as well. Even with stock gears, and open diffs, it was a beast, and went nearly anywhere I pointed it.
However, I’ve since sold the XJ, and bought myself a 2004 Land Rover Discovery II. There is no comparison to the old XJ… IMO the Disco is every bit as capable as the XJ, and it’s completely stock other than a set of slightly over sized A/T tires. So, if it’s in your budget, and you are willing to deal with the common rover issues, a 97’-98’ Disco I may be a viable option for you to look into.
The Discos in my area were dirt cheap last year. Too many Joe Dirt’s took out a large loan for a used “prestige” car and once they lost their job, they threw them on the market for $4000 or so.
My favorite Disco story: My wife and I were putting up a hangar and had assembled the hangar walls and were told to move it. We hooked up a variety of conveyances, including 3 full sized 4WD pickups and a tractor. and all of them got buried in the mud.
Neighbor pulls up in his Disco with street tires, hooks up to both sets of chains, and pulls the wall across a muddy, slippery, plowed field, without any effort.
I can believe that. The 4wd system and traction control is pretty remarkable to say the least. I was buried in about 2ft of snow a few weeks ago, and with my crappy street tires, the Disco clawed it’s way out with little effort.
OP, youtube some of the older camel trophy vids if you really want to see what these rigs can do in a semi stock configuration.