Suzuki jimny

sean1141

Hi all. My dad is thinking of buying a jimny most likely 2000-03. Is there any common problems with them or things to watch for?
Are they reliable etc.
If anyone has any info or links to a good one let me know
Thanks

peasant

From my experience: (had one for a while a few years ago)

Good points;
Fun little things to drive on short distances. Hugely capable off-road. Brilliant chuckability round town.
No reliability issues I know of.

Not so good points:
Terribly bouncy on bad roads. Tinny, noisy and wrongly geared for motorway (or any long distance driving). Somewhat cramped all round. Selectable four wheel drive (no center diff) only really works off road ...slippery roads, RWD and solid axles sometimes make you wish it had AWD instead.

Known (to me) issue:
Rust on body near exhaust back box / bottom of boot.

Nuw

I rented one in Iceland a few years back. Massively fun off-road, as reliable as it gets (as far as I can tell). As above though, uncomfortable on anything but short trips, not spacious in any way, noisy...

Good MPG, which is expected considering the power (or lack thereof). As you expect, get thirstier in AWD. It won't break the bank on insurance/maintenance/overall running costs.

Pretty good value as well, but you do need off-road capability to consider one as there are alternatives out there which would miles ahead in terms of comfort.

selectamatic

Very important to check for corrosion on both the body and chassis. Earlier chassis tended to rust and sometimes crack if let go beyond reasonable repair. That said it's highly unlikely to be an issue with a jimny that has been used as a city car etc.
as said above they're brilliant off road especially when fitted with off road tyres but they're not the most comfortable yokes so if your father is after a high seating position and comfort on long journeys he should prob look else where. Honda hrv or crv, rav4 (mk1 is the best), daihatsu terrious or even a vitara should be ones to consider, all have bigger engines though most above 1.6 except for the terrious

curiousb

peasant wrote: »

From my experience: (had one for a while a few years ago)

Good points;
Fun little things to drive on short distances. Hugely capable off-road. Brilliant chuckability round town.
No reliability issues I know of.

Not so good points:
Terribly bouncy on bad roads. Tinny, noisy and wrongly geared for motorway (or any long distance driving). Somewhat cramped all round. Selectable four wheel drive (no center diff) only really works off road ...slippery roads, RWD and solid axles sometimes make you wish it had AWD instead.

Known (to me) issue:
Rust on body near exhaust back box / bottom of boot.

+1

Had one for a few years also and totally agree. Overall good fun and I would have one again with no problem. Only ever had to service it.

sean1141

Cheers folks. He will only be doing maybe 5000km a year and that will mostly be short trips. It will never see a motorway or main road even.
It's the high seating position that he likes and also the small engine for cheap tax and running costs.
I can't think of anything else that would meet his needs

peasant

If he can test drive one on the worst road he'll use regularly and still likes it after that ...he should buy it

flazio

Only other vehicle I can think of as an alternative would be the Daihatsu Terios.

CiniO

flazio wrote: »

Only other vehicle I can think of as an alternative would be the Daihatsu Terios.

Pajero Pinin would be also an alternative, but 1.8 engine would make tax bit more expensive.

If he's only looking at higher seating position, maybe fiat panda, opel agila, etc..
Does he need 4 wheel drive? (i.e. driving plenty off road)?

AMKC

A Fiat Idea, Opel Meriva and Renault Modus are some others that he could look at that might also be in his budget.