Suzuki Club UK

Hi all, new to forum and full of questions ! Right I'm 19 years old and have been driving almost a full year now, my insurance runs out in three weeks time and want to get another vehicle. I pretty much have made up my mind to what I want ( a Suzuki SJ ) but have heard that they are not very good on road. Now why is this ? It'll be used pretty much as an every day vehicle on road to and from work work but I also want to go off road, nothing serious just don't want to get stuck when I'm out with my birds, haha. Any advice on what I should be warey of and any advice in general would be greatly appreciated, look forward to hearing from you.

The Bird Man wrote:Hi all, new to forum and full of questions ! Right I'm 19 years old and have been driving almost a full year now, my insurance runs out in three weeks time and want to get another vehicle. I pretty much have made up my mind to what I want ( a Suzuki SJ ) but have heard that they are not very good on road. Now why is this ? It'll be used pretty much as an every day vehicle on road to and from work work but I also want to go off road, nothing serious just don't want to get stuck when I'm out with my birds, haha. Any advice on what I should be warey of and any advice in general would be greatly appreciated, look forward to hearing from you.

The people who say they're not very good on road obviously have never driven one. I've been driving my SJ on the road for 2 and a bit years now and in my opinion it's more fun to drive than most other cars. They're not quick, they're not economical, they're bouncy and they're noisy inside and out but they are such good fun. So long as you don't try and pull a Scandinavian flick you don't need to worry about the 'roll-over' reputation because that's nonsense too. My SJ will go round corners faster than my balls let me push it.

My Mrs drives hers every day with no complaint. She even sometimes drives mine.

Cant beat them for grin factor!

yeah the whole stigma if the suzuki roll over is nonsense! I drive mine pretty full on and ive never even come close to rolling.
ive owned other 4x4s and the suzuki is so much more fun. and it'll go nearly anywhere u want it to. plus its so easy to work on and modify its unreal!

oh, and welcome to the club!

steve

Yer they only roll if you try to drift it in a field

Cheers for the info and the warm welcome chaps, much appreciated I can't wait to get one now :p What sort of MPG are we looking at roughly ? Also what about doing long journeys in them ? I mainly stay local with my driving but I go to the occasional game and country show so want to be able to with no worries. Cheers

Welcome
The best option is to get a Suzuki samurai as it has a 1.3 engine and is a bit better on mpg or find a sj with a 1.6 vitara engine fitted
As my sj 410 has a 1.0 engine and it has lower gear ratios meaning that mine will be better off-road and it won't have a better mpg as a 1.3

I disagree ollie I've drifted mine in fields loads of times

Actually Dazerade you'll find the 970cc engine is just as economical if not more than the 1.3 models on road and insurance companies will sting a 19 yr old with a 1.6 converted one.

At your age I would avoid buying a modified one for insurance reasons, they like to add a huge premium for modified SJs for people under 25, plus if you buy one un-modified you don't have to worry about the hack jobs some people do to them as well. A standard SJ with just some good tyres is still very capable.

Search everywhere for rust when buying one and take a jack so you can lift each wheel and check for play, noisy bearings and sticking brakes. check all the prop shaft UJs for excessive play and the diff pinion flanges for play and oil leaks.

I would advise avoiding one with lift shackles or swapping back to standard length shackles if you buy one with them fitted, they really do more harm than good both on an offroad. Also I would never buy one that has an SPOA conversion, 90% of them have been done badly and that will also do more harm than good, if it's done we its a good mod but only if its don't properly. I.e. the caster angle kept correct, a proper hi-steer set up and NOT a Z-link, the rear diff angle is NOT titled up unless combined with a double Cardon/CV rear propshaft and they have either fitted uprated rear springs or an anti-wrap bar to stop axle wrap under acceleration.

Also go for a 5speed model if you do a lot of road miles, the 4 speed 410s do sit at high revs above 45mph

Don't forget to look for rust, be fussy and don't rush out and buy the first one you see, it's worth taking your time and finding a good one. If you end up looking at one and the guy trying to sell it is all like "it's a beast offroad and never gets stuck" don't listen to him and I'd probably walk away, likewise with 90% of the eBay adds saying "offroad monster" with bad English and grammar, most likely the vehicle has poorly done modifications etc. so many people mod these SJs who don't really know what they are doing its almost scary. If you ever want a second opinion on a vehicle you look at then feel free to take loads of pics and post them up on the forum for a second opinion, oh and did I say to try to avoid buying a modified one

Do plenty of reading around the forum, you'll soon learn what to look out for.

What he said ^

dan_2k_uk wrote:What he said ^

I really need to get around to writing the "ultimate SJ buying guide" that I have been meaning to do for ages, I always end up writing a small essay when advising people what to look for and never feel like I've covered it all