Suzuki Jimny Vs Hyundai coupe!

SJ

howdy. thinking about getting a new car - looking at either a mini jeep or a coupe.

My budget wouldn't be much more than €7k so I could get a 98/99 hyundai coupe or suzuki jimny. does anyone have any experience with either cars? The jimny's have small engines so tax etc should be low but aparently the insurance is whopper as u r in the 4x4 catagory - even tho it's teeeeny and could hardly be catagorised as a proper jeep!! I like the toyota rav 4 too but they are much more pricey i'd be talking about a 1995/96 for my budget which is just a bit old.. Would be interested in anyone's thoughts

the coupe looks great even the older ones - but are they reliable! so many questions!!

PowerHouseDan

This should be in Motors rather than Modified Cars.....I would go with Coupe though. but Still.

Interceptor

Neither. With 7k to spend there are lots of better cars available. The coupe is badly built rubbish, the Jimny is neither a car nor a jeep and if you can't get cheap insurance for it I can't think of a single reason to buy it. If you really must have a jeep and you have 7k to spend, consider a Daihatsu Sportrak or Suzuki Vitara - Heres one on carzone (http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=310932)

I'm sure someone will move your thread to Motors unless you plan lowering, nitrous and tints??

'c

ciarsd

Interceptor wrote:

I'm sure someone will move your thread to Motors unless you plan lowering, nitrous and tints??

'c

So tell us Interceptor, what is your understanding of modified motors and the modified motors forum?

Just interested!

SJ

oops sorry modified heads. It was my first time starting a thread and i got confused! Waaa!:eek:

Interceptor

ciarsd wrote:

So tell us Interceptor, what is your understanding of modified motors and the modified motors forum?

Just interested!

I take the definition to mean any modification to a standard car - whether aesthetic or for performance. I requested this forum over a year ago in order to be able to discuss performance modifications without the 'ooh did you tell your insurance company' brigade pointing out that modifying the ECU map was a serious offence (hey, where is Ann Elk these days...). But if someone has a 1.4 Golf and they fit Lexus lights and a set of LED washer jets they should post pics here too.

In short, Barryboys to the power of minus one.

'c

ciarsd

Interceptor wrote:

I take the definition to mean any modification to a standard car - whether aesthetic or for performance. I requested this forum over a year ago in order to be able to discuss performance modifications without the 'ooh did you tell your insurance company' brigade pointing out that modifying the ECU map was a serious offence (hey, where is Ann Elk these days...). But if someone has a 1.4 Golf and they fit Lexus lights and a set of LED washer jets they should post pics here too.

In short, Barryboys to the power of minus one.

'c

agreed!

ando

moved to motors general

FX Meister

The old coupe is just an ugly car. The Suzuki Jimny is just a stupid car. It's not a 4x4, just a wannabe. Have you seen the sixe of the boot space in them? You get more in a Cinqucento. I think you should rethink buying either of those cars. Not meaning to be sexist here but you are a woman I presume?

SJ

FX Meister wrote:

The old coupe is just an ugly car. The Suzuki Jimny is just a stupid car. It's not a 4x4, just a wannabe. Have you seen the sixe of the boot space in them? You get more in a Cinqucento. I think you should rethink buying either of those cars. Not meaning to be sexist here but you are a woman I presume?

eh of course. i mean have u ever seen a bloke drive a jimmny? I've gone off it a bit at this stage tho i think the older ones kinda look like toy cars but i do like the newer model.

Re the coupe i don't care what anyone says i think it looks great and when you're a girl that's all that matters right??

peasant

I drive a Jimny (mainly because of my crap driveway which on some days actually makes four wheel drive necessary)

A few notes on it:

I got reasonable insurance ...but I'm ancient
It is very uncomfortable on both bad roads and long journeys, due to hard suspension, short wheelbase and low gearing. (but i think its kind of fun ...just not for too long in one stretch:D )
It's brilliant around town, highly maneuverable and good view all round
The boot is a joke ... I use it as a two seater only with the back seats down permanently and a boot tray and dog guard fittet ...but I've got three dogs ..
Engine is good, lively, has a fair bit of poke ...but noisy.
Very reliable. Had mine for almost three years now, the only thing that ever needed repairing was the r/h front king pin (not cheap) ...but i do go off road occasinally.
Ventilation is poor ...wind deflectors help
No race car ...a tad tail happy on wet roads.
Brakes could be stronger.
Very good spec considering year (99) and size: electric mirrors, windows, dual airbag, side impact protection.
Fuel consumption is so-so. Very good for a 4x4, pretty poor for a 1.3
It's great off road ..will give many a fourbe-barge a run for its money and outperform all of the so called SUV'S (somebody even testet the Jimny v the Cayenne ...Jimny won !)
Very reasonable service cost.
The factory fitted bridgestone tires are bad ...change, if possible

I would recommend it wholeheartedly ...but only if used as designed ..i.e for shorter journeys and with occasional excursions in the dirt.

no experience whatsoever with the Hyundai coupe ...

PS ...I am a bloke
to my surprise the jimny seems to be neither a "girly" car nor a "mans" car ....all the ones I see around seem to be driven by old fogeys (don't know how they do it ...it would slip your discs in a second ...never mind the dentures)

SJ

fair play - a very useful synopsis of the jimny!! i'm a bit up and down as to whether it's the car for me or not.... sounds good fun tho! :rolleyes:

peasant

Take it for an extended test drive ...you'll find out pretty quickly whether you like it or hate it. (I don't think there's an inbetween:D )

The new (05) model is still pretty much the same as the older ones, except for slightly revamped interior and 4x4 button instead of manual gearshift. Driving dynamics are the same ...05 engine has slightly more torque, but that shouldn't matter if all you want to find out is if you could live with it or not.

FX Meister

SJ wrote:

Re the coupe i don't care what anyone says i think it looks great and when you're a girl that's all that matters right??

The new one looks good but the older two models are just fierce ugly cars, horrible lines and ugly alloys.

How about a 406 coupe? They are quite nice looking cars, well equiped, not all that common and you can get them at a decent price.

alias no.9

FX Meister wrote:

The Suzuki Jimny is just a stupid car. It's not a 4x4, just a wannabe.

The Jimny is actually more 4x4 than most suv's on sale today. Its short overhangs and short wheelbase give it outstanding ground clearance, it's selectable low range gearbox sorts out the steep inclines and the soft ground, so it will match the likes of a land cruiser or discovery or even defender off road while the likes of the santa fe, the rav4, the crv and other such soft roaders would struggle to make it across damp grass. It does lack power but is very light in comparrison to other off-roaders to compensate for this which is a big advantage when avoiding getting bogged down, in fact on certain terrain the jimny is the only thing that can handle it. It is let down by only having a petrol engine which can be a problem when you get to the wet stuff if you get the electrics damp but suzuki have been making small petrol offroaders for years so I'm sure they've come up with some level of protection for that.

v-deniso

I have a '99 Coupe with 40K on the clock and I have to say that I haven’t had any trouble with it at all.
The petrol consumption isn’t overly bad, getting about 330 miles from a full tank.
I must warn you that the performance from the 1.6 is not great at all, most 1.4 Civics will kick past it from the traffic lights without a second thought.
Both steering and handling are good and precise but I opted to put Pirelli P6000 on the car which have actually made a lot of difference!
As far as looks go from the front in my opinion it hasn’t dated much at all
It looks like a proper coupe especially when you look at the completion (Puma & Megane)
If you need to carry extra goods as I've had to with moving house, you can drop the back seats and remove the parcel tray and suddenly have loads of room.
On the other hand if you want to carry any passengers its very tight as I have my seat fully back when driving and as a result cant fit anyone behind me but hey its a coupe and not an MPV!
There is a good dealer network for Hyundai now and prices for a service will set you back around €300.

If you want any more info drop me a PM...I may be willing to sell mine but seeing as the milage is so low and the car is exceptionally spotless I would be looking for a bit more than €7000 (If you see the car you will understand what I mean)

Eoin

SJ wrote:

fair play - a very useful synopsis of the jimny!! i'm a bit up and down as to whether it's the car for me or not.... sounds good fun tho! :rolleyes:

If you have your heart set on something like the jimny, then you could check out the Mitsubishi Pajero Junior. I think they are a 1.1 litre engine or so.

I have no idea of what they are like to drive or their reliability, but I would be quite inclined to trust Mitsi cars to be reliable. As far as I know, they are only sold as imports.