Thinking of buying a Jimny (Southern England)

Hi, this is my first post to this list. I'm not sure if it is a worldwide
list, or just UK. I'm in Hampshire, England. I was directed here after posting to the Suzuki4x4Tech yahoogroup.

My girlfriend and I hired a Jimny while on hols in Greece in September.
Wonderful vehicle! I loved it so much I said I was going to buy one when I
got home. My father has a CRV, which is good, but I prefer manual 2-4wd and
low range option, so don't really want one of these modern auto-4wd cars. I
prefer to be in control. I used to own a Defender, great vehicle, but
unreliable and cost me a fortune every MOT.

I have not viewed any Jimny's yet, but will do so very soon.

Before I get on autotrader and start phoning, is there anything I need to
watch out for? Common pitfalls?

Some questions...

- Is rust an issue? It certainly is on Landrovers.

- I want a softtop for the summer, but am concerned about security. The one
in Greece was softtop, and would not clip fully. It was a safe area so I
just left the roof down. Things are a little different in UK. I always like
to carry some recovery kit...towrope, basic tools, etc. I'm worried this
would be easily nicked. Is there a better zip up hood available like on MX5s
etc?

- Is the rear window glass or plastic? Is it heated? (our hired Jimny had
no rear window at all)

- Are parts easily available? Online specialist shops etc? How easy is the
Jimny to work on?

- I had no idea that there was no centre diff until I read on Wikipedia. I
stuck it in 4wd all week in Greece! Kind of explains why the wheels were
juddering on bends! I guess this is actually a good thing in the snow as
effectively difflocked fore and aft. Any comments on this?

- I'd like to get a set of mud tyres/wheels for when things get snowy.
Anyone done this? Any recommendations on brand?

- Are there any shows/events where owners and enthusiasts meet up? (I used
to own a mini and an MGB...lots of events to go to)

Looks forward to hearing from you all, thanks in advance

Scott

Hi Scott,

You don't say what your budget is for the Jimny, the rust issue affects earlier (hence cheaper) models as these were not galvanised. More recent ones are protected. When buying check for rust in the "toolbox" area in the boot. This is a recess under the carpet in the boot. On softtops in particular water gathers in this area with inevitable consequences.

I had a hired Jimny with a softtop and the rear "glass" was simply plastic. If you are going for a softtop then the assumption should be that there is no security!

They are pretty straightforward to work on but being Japanese , some parts can be expensive. Often cheaper alternatives can be found (see my shop!)

When buying make sure you have an extensive test drive. You need to check you are happy with the way it drives, steers and brakes. The steering will be worse than you are used to in a normal car but should not be scary. If its scary then you have one that will require some work and expense as bad steering is a common issue and can be difficult to resolve. Equally the brakes can be bad but these are simple to fix.

The transfer box is chain driven,make sure it is quiet and rattle free. Try dropping the clutch violently to see if the chain slips.

Hope this helps

martni

Thanks for the reply.

I'm selling my girlfriend's Saab to fund it (yes, she does know I'm selling it!). Should get 3-4k for that. Am aiming for a Jimny which is around 5 years old and 50k miles. I've seen O2 and JLX listed. Are these higher spec?

What year did the galvanised body come in? I really don't want to be having to do mig welding underneath it. Did enough of that with my mini. Never again.

Anyone put some sort of locked metal box in the back of their softop to keep essentials in like towrope etc? I really want a roof which can go down in summer but hate the thought of driving with no tools etc.

Scott

Welcome.

I used to have an old ammo box bolted to the floor of my SJ but could not find one to fit in the space behind the rear seats but if you can self you could make one to fit.

I have a hard top for warmth and security.

Kirkynut

Hi Scott and Welcome.
I have a 2002 JLX softop which I have had for 4 years. It has been a great little car and I have had loads of fun in it. It has the older G13 engine and if you are looking for a soft top, these G13 engineed versions are fairly easy to come by. The O2 has G13 engine and have a slightly higher spec than my JLX model.

My G13 sof top has had a wheel tyre upgrade and now runs 15 x 7j alloy rims and 215 75 15 tyres. I have also replaced the older mk1 soft top (rear section has zip out side windows as well as zip on the rear). The newer mk2 softops have just the zip out rear window and are much easier to take down and put up. Having said that there is a knack to make sure clips down correctly.

My G13 JLX averages about 32mpg but can go down to 28 mpg.

If looking for a soft top you may also come across VVT versions, but these seem rare. They have the newer M13 engine with variable valve timing which gives slightly better performance and better MPG (about 38mpg). The VVT can be found on 2005-2007 plates.

The G13 versions have gear lever to select 4 wheel drive and low, whereas the M13 VVT version have push buttons on the dash.

The M13 VVT versions all have ABS where as some of the later O2 G13 have it as an option.

I am currently considering upgrading to VVT soft top and need to find out if the ABS will work correctly with larger wheels.

Another thing to consider is that the G13 has 6000 mile service intervals whereas the M13 VVt is 12,500.

Hope the above is useful.

You won't regret buying a Jimny whatever version you go for. But i think you will have twice as much fun in a soft top.

Cheers

Paul
Hertford

Thanks for the reply. The saab hasn't sold yet, but hopefully soon. Wish I had a Jimny in the snow last week.

As soon as the saab is gone I'll be looking for a JLX ~5 years old ~50k miles for around the 3 grand mark. I want the manual lever operated 4wd and am not overly keen on the 3 spoke wheels. I think I'd prefer the 5 spoke alloys and a single solid colour body, maybe in red...O2's seem to be two tone.

Not fussed about VVT...something extra to go wrong!

I'll let you know what I end up getting.

Scott