Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1986 Suzuki Samurai Ja Sport Utility 2-door 1.3l Tintop 5 Speed on 2040-cars

Year:1986 Mileage:90115
Location:

Yorkville, Illinois, United States

Yorkville, Illinois, United States
Advertising:

I bought this about a year ago.  Since then I have replaced the stock carb with a Weber conversion, powdercoated a few engine parts, and installed a tach.  Also has a new battery and exhaust.  The carb has a manual choke routed to the left of the steering wheel.  Since installing the Weber I have consistently hit 27-30MPG.  This thing is a blast to drive.  Chances are if you are looking at this you know what it is.  Other than the above listed, it is stock.  No suspension lift or larger wheels and tires.  Everything works!  Hubs lock, 4x4 works.  Even the wiper squirters work.

Motor: stock 1.3L with the Weber carb.  New exhaust is minus the cat. converter.  I was told by the previous owner that the motor was freshened up but I have no proof.  I will state that the alternator and water pump look new.  Fires right up and runs great.

It is CLEAN as far as rust goes.   The underside is solid.  Rockers are solid.  You will notice surface rust near the hinges, around the battery box, and a few spots under the rear windows (see pics).  The bottoms of the doors are completely solid but have a few surface rust spots.  I have had this garaged since I bought it and refused to drive it during the winter due to how rust free it is. The paint is not show quality but still looks good and appears to be original.  There is a dent on the drivers rear corner (see pic).  The interior is stock and seats have small tears.  Back seat included but removed as I transport my dog in the back.  Glove box door hinge is broken but door stays in place.


Now for the bad: oil leak from bottom end (either pan or rear main), second gear synchro is starting to go.  Still shifts fine if you are used to it, but if not second will grind.  The interior floor looks bad and carpet is shot.  If I were going to keep it I would Linex the inside, fix the leak, and deal with the trans until I had the time to pull it.  I am trying to be as honest as possible and have therefore pointed out as much negative as I can.  These are all easy fixes for most.  This sammy is not all cut up and beat on.  It would make an excellent starting point for a new build or simply a great driver to tool around in.

Feel free to contact me.  Come by for a look and test drive.  Mileage currently at 90,000.   Cash only
-Tom

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American Suzuki Motors files chapter 11, will no longer sell cars in the United States

Mon, 05 Nov 2012

As much as we knew it was a possibility, we have to say that Suzuki's announcement this afternoon that it is filing chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings caught us a bit off guard. American Suzuki Motor Corporation - the sole distributor of Suzuki automobiles in the United States - will realign its business to focus on motorcycles, ATVs and the marine market.
What does this mean in simple terms? In short, new Suzuki cars and trucks will no longer be sold by Suzuki in the United States once current supplies run out. Period.
Suzuki cites "low sales volumes, a limited number of models in its lineup, unfavorable foreign exchange rates, the high costs associated with growing and maintaining an automotive distribution system in the continental US and the disproportionally high and increasing costs associated with stringent state and federal regulatory requirements unique to the US market."

Suzuki has to take out $45M loan just to shutter US dealers

Thu, 08 Nov 2012

Bloomberg reports American Suzuki is set to borrow up to $45 million to to close its automotive dealerships and freshen up its it motorcycle and marine business. Suzuki Motor Corporation will loan American Suzuki the funds at three percent below the London Interbank offered rate in order to offer dealer owners a cash payment in exchange for voluntarily abandoning franchise agreements. The company's 216 dealers have 10 days to make a decision on the matter. Under the plan, Suzuki would give dealer owners half of what they're owed in one lump sum, and the dealers would then be able to pursue the remaining debt through the company's bankruptcy procedure.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott C. Clarkson granted American Suzuki interim authority to borrow the funds, but Bloomberg reports the company will likely return to court in a few weeks to seek up to $100 million. According to Richard Pachulski, a lawyer for Suzuki America, the automaker may owe its dealers somewhere around $50 million.

Junkyard Gem: 2000 Suzuki Esteem Wagon

Fri, May 26 2023

GM began selling Americans the Suzuki Cultus with Chevrolet Sprint badges in the 1985 model year, with the following generation of Cultus becoming the Geo (and, a bit later, Chevrolet) Metro. Suzuki began selling the Cultus as the Swift over here starting in 1990, then enlarged that car's platform to create the bigger Cultus Crescent five years later. This car first showed up in American Suzuki showrooms as the 1995 Esteem, and a wagon version arrived for 1998. Most of the Esteem longroofs disappeared from our roads long ago, but I was able to find this high-mile 2000 model in a Northern California car graveyard. The Esteem was available in the United States through 2002, after which it was replaced by the Aerio. Since station wagons were falling out of favor in a hurry with American car shoppers by that point, the Aerio wasn't available as a wagon; Suzuki buyers here who insisted on a small cargo hauler in 2003 either had to move up to the bigger Forenza wagon or join the SUV craze by getting a Vitara. All that was in the future when this car was first sold, though. It's a base-grade GL 1.8 model with no options that I can find, and its MSRP was $13,399. That's about $23,959 in 2023 dollars. The 2000-2002 Esteem wagon was forced to compete for sales against the bigger and more powerful Daewoo Nubira wagon, which had a menacingly similar price tag ($14,160 in 2000, or $25,320 after inflation). Hyundai was in the final year of selling a wagon version of the Elantra here in 2000, and its price was a mere $12,499 ($22,350 today). Ford was asking $15,380 for its cheapest 2000 Focus wagon ($27,501 now), while Saturn offered the SW2 wagon for $14,290 ($25,552 in 2023 bucks). What all those affordable small wagons had in common was a five-speed manual transmission as base equipment, and that's what this car has. A four-speed automatic added $1,000 ($1,788 today) to the cost of a new 2000 Esteem. This car came with a DOHC 1.8-liter four-cylinder rated at 122 horsepower and 117 pound-feet. Not exciting by 21st-century standards, but enough to keep driving misery at bay in a 2,359-pound wagon. This car's owner or owners took good care of it, and it rewarded them by driving 237,255 miles during its 23 years on the road. The interior still looks good, which is typical of high-mile cars I find in these places. A car owner who keeps the upholstery in good shape also tends to perform all the maintenance on the dot.