1988 Suzuki Samurai JX Review - The Little Off-Roader That Got Tipsy!

[@jimbow7787]

I own two and love them. I sent this into some Samurai groups. Great video

[@michaeld2799md]

Telling Zack not to do a backseat review is like telling a modern warfare 2 lobby to be nice to eachother 💀💀💀

[@vanessamckinney1402]

like telling lefties to accept trump's victory😂

[@nolahahnshouse3389]

That’s crazy. I literally just passed two of these a few minutes ago while driving to O’Reillys to dump my oil. 😅

[@JayMcK-yj8ht]

We purchased the 2024 Suzuki Jimny 5 dr here in Western Australia,we love it as it is very retro styling .

[@SecretlySeven]

The destination was the journey with these.

[@classicforreal]

The journey are the friends with Suzuki Samurais we all made along the way

[@Crispychicken4u]

Those samurai’s hold their value better than the later sidekicks

[@frammenzio]

These are very practical off roaders. You see them everywhere here in Italy in rural regions where you may find urself in narrow passages where only these things can go on. 99% of them are just a bit lifted and they can take u anywhere, where their bigger brothers just can’t move.

[@alexmtl1979]

"Sharp" turns, I'm guessing? Super video!

[@iankerrphotographs]

In Australia this was called the Sierra and that particular shape was on the market from 1981 until the late 1990s. Have no idea how many were sold but it would be in the tens of thousands, they were as common as chicken feed. About the most "uncomfortable" things to live with as a daily driver but get it off road and it's an absolute weapon. Full size 4x4s eg Toyota Landcruisers, Nissan Patrols would give you a nod of respect if you passed them on a trail. Being so lightweight it could go just about anywhere. Only thing that let it down was a lack of grip on steep trails and rocks.

[@todddrake1723]

loved my Samurai for the short time I had it!

[@michaelw2263]

Holy shit the day has come! I absolutely LOVE the Samurai!!! They are so much freakin' fun to drive and off-road. Plus that tiny little motor isn't half bad. Granted, good luck finding parts for it, but still a fun quirky little car.

[@amazingjason455]

They made a lot of them globally for many years so parts are available.

[@salmansiddiq4521]

The extended wheelbase version of this exact car was sold in India as a Maruti Suzuki Gypsy. The Gypsy in India was powered by a 1.0l Carb 40ish HP engine initially. Later on, they got a 1.3l carb 60hp engine and finally a 1.3l MPFI 80ish hp engine. Gypsy is considered to be an legend in India. It is soo good that even the Indian Army uses it because of its low weight and offroad capabilities. Even today enthusiasts use gypsys to rally and offroad. Anyways, Loved the video.

[@jasonbaldwin6760]

Love my 02 Vitara/Tracker, wish I could get a newer Jimny stateside.

[@КГБКолДжорджКостанца]

Put a Bren MK2 turret in the back and you got yourself a deal

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

I went from my teens to my 20s in the 80s and these were absolutely Everywhere in California for years! I always thought they looked pretty cool.. I do remember me and some friends jamming ourselves into one a friend had and while it wasn't the most comfortable the Fun Factor was off the chain!!

[@sbsstorytelling]

Those were so hot for such a short while. I was in high school, and these were very fun to go around in. I remember them saying it was a hazard, and a lot of people took that to heart. Still, it is cool.

[@WilliamB.-ij6gl]

I was in CA in the late 1980's and I recall these being very popular. But, just eyeballing them, it was obvious they had a high center of gravity and would be an easy rollover. Eventually the media started reporting the same and it scared the bejesus out of people.

[@bazilwreckerloughead]

Back in the day I used to have a (I think it was a '96) Geo Tracker, which was a lot like these, I LOVED it, I wish something like this was still around for cheep.

[@RyanGallager]

So awesome you got your hands on one of these. Had a green 86 hard top in the family for a while until a guy bought it off my dad and towed it behind his RV. Forget which auto reviewer said it at the time, but I always thought it was hilarious...they said the Samurai had "the aerodynamics of an open parachute", lol.

[@JMR1096]

My family sold suzukis new from 1992 until 2013. We had one the last 1994 models for a plow truck....it worked well. No samurai came with power steering or automatic transmission. Any top and radio had to be ordered. Base models came with no top at all. The summary of lawsuit was great. Truth was that ford bronco ii and other suvs rolled easier but the Samurai was too much of a sales number threat.

[@Pyjamarama11]

"when you are one harp turn from death you know you are alive" Ayrton Senna (possibly)

[@catgirl_eva]

That license plate.... And of course the owner has a Ranma 1/2 keychain.

[@karoltakisobie6638]

My motorcycle mechanic had Samurai and I rode it few times. He loved it so much he took it with him to Caribbean when he retired in mid 2000s.

[@Hobotraveler82]

Best friend had one. It was the tintop. Fixed roof model (wagon). Really neat driving it. 😊

[@steelelfc1]

Great video. We got those over in Britain as the SJ410/SJ413

[@davidkrumwiede446]

“Only sold here for a couple of years”? It was sold here for 10 model years, a respectable run.

[@davidsherrick898]

A friend back in high school had one with personal plates on it - 'Tipsy' I thought it was a good one

[@markhealey9409]

😂😂😂😂

[@ryangraff8310]

Another great video Zack. I've always loved these things. It's nice to see one that's not been all messed with too. I like em more stock, but prefer the looks of a solf top myself, particularly tan colored.

[@RERM001]

There is nothing more animu than a red Jimny. Only trve otakus will get it. Also, that YURI vanity plate is the icing on the cake!

[@gaufrid1956]

These of course were called the Suzuki Jimny in the Japanese market, and many others around the world. The first generation in the early seventies actually had a two stroke engine. The Jimny is still very popular in Australia, and it pisses on the Jeep Wrangler both for sales and reliability. The Jeep Wrangler is also narrow bodied, but with extremely wide fender flares, and you have absolutely no idea where the edges of the vehicle are when driving. Any car can roll over under extreme conditions. I guess that the lesson Suzuki learned from 1988 in the US was just shut up and don't always try to cover your butt.

[@RazoE]

My dad bought one brand new, got on the freeway, and drove right back to the dealer. He said he almost died trying to merge 😂.

[@myolox]

I remember these from the Jamaica commercial. By far one of the very fun and interesting 80's vehicle; as well as the Subaru Brat with the Jump seats and VW Cabrio.

[@VictoryInJesus1844]

Cool! We had a few of them in the early 90's.

[@davidkaufman7979]

My uncle had one of these, not sure of the year but it was a fun little car to drive.

[@Jonathan-bk3dq]

I think you meant "sharp" turns Zack. The label has peeled.

[@bwofficial1776]

These actually weren't overly tippy. Consumer Reports rigged their test by weighting one side and playing around with the tires to get the result they wanted. It's a shame these didn't survive the bad press, they're great off-roaders and were cheaper than a Jeep. Jimnys continued around the world so the rest of the world doesn't have a problem with the short and narrow wheelbase. I was in Japan a few months ago and Jimnys are absolutely everywhere.

[@LouisSubearth]

And the reason why is also messed up. The son of somebody up at CR died in a Samurai, and they used the influence of the publication to destroy Suzuki's reputation. The lawsuit left Suzuki USA nearly bankrupt and yearly sales dropped up until they abandoned the US car market, only selling motorcycles and powersports now.

[@highlycaffeinated6864]

Zach is like a cat with boxes when it comes to back seats, if I fits I sits lol. Awesome review Zach, I remember seeing this all over the place in the late 80s and all people would ever mention about it was the flipping over issue. Kind of became a running joke which is a shame since it was a decent cheap 4 wheel vehicle otherwise.

[@jimmyjimjims7483]

My uncle bought one of these in like 1995 for almost nothing and he still has it to this day, if I didn't do so much highway driving I'd love one but these are scary af on the freeway with modern giant fast cars all around you.

[@bennetfox]

CBS News and 60 Minutes killed the Suzuki Samurai just like they killed the CJ5 Jeep with their falsified rollover stories. Suzuki makes the Jimny which is a modern version of the Samurai but we can't have that in this country.

[@craigsampson3386]

Yep damn shame. Yeah Samurai is just a rebadged 2nd gen Jimny, here in Australia we got all 4, i bought a new one in 2020.

[@julianstechsation]

The dash looks quite similar to the Dash of an Nissan Patrol Y60 [Ford Maverick in Australia] Are those parts shared or design shared ?

[@runningawayvagabond5876]

Had an '89 Samarai way back in the day. Was one of those vehicles that was soooooo bad it was actually good. Gutless wonder that had horrible road manners. Terrible on the highway, so light that it couldn't drive itself out of tire tracks in the winter, suspension that was stiff I had a sore neck for awhile after getting it from my head being bounced around, drive lash so bad it was hard to shift smooth, no noisy above 30 you may as well turn off the radio since you couldn't hear it. Man, I miss that thing! They are still available in many other countries. Look up Suzuki Jimny (not Jimmy, it's Jimny with an N) and be prepared to get upset they aren't offered in the USA and Canada. So cool.

[@lesklower7281]

I can understand why Jeep wanted to get rid of these Suzuki Samurais because they old sold the Jeep but in Australia we still get Suzuki's which are a very good vehicle because over in lndia the Suzuki Baleno which we own on the same production line they make the Toyota Starlet which is a rebadged Suzuki Baleno and our son owns a Suzuki Jimny also there about 11 separate brands of 4X4s available in Australia including the Japanese lndian European and of course the USA and they are mostly utes also there are two 4X4 utes from Toyota the ever popular Hilux and the Lsnd Cruiser 70 series and if course the Suzuki Jimny that's not a ute with the 3 door and now a 5 door available in Australia and the Suzuki Jimny definitely out sells the the Jeep and the Hilux in both 2wd and 4X4 also out sells the Jeep because the latest Jeeps don't have the best build quality along with the Chinese built vehicles 😊

[@gm12551]

My babysitters husband had one for a short time. I got to ride in it one time. I believe it was champagne color with a white soft or hard top. Ironically the husband just passed away at 89, two days short of his 90th birthday.

[@SecretlySeven]

It's now 2024. We ran this off because it was a roll over risk. Ford Explorer comes along and makes this look safe. Now we have the $40,000 Explorer instead of the $20,000 Suzuki Jimny. I feel that's the lesson that should be learned here.

[@Pyjamarama11]

the rest of the planet continues to enjoy all the Samurais America refused to buy

[@LouisSubearth]

All SUVs have rollover risk due to their high center of gravity.

[@nickydarling5208]

My mom used to have one before I was born, always thought that was so strange lol

[@celsovera91]

I went to Catalina Island a few months ago. You have no idea how common these little trucks are there

[@senseicorey9979]

Remember the video from the early internet of a guy jumping one of these like 15 feet Into the air, while someone yells "HOLY FN S!"

[@JakeTerch]

That was a Sidekick. You can find it here on KZbin if you search Suzuki Sidekick Jump!

[@senseicorey9979]

Was it bigger or smaller than this?

[@manuellujan666]

The Bravada had a warning like that on the sun visor

[@jake_of_the_jungle9840]

I’d do things for a samurai this clean

[@EnricoPonco]

I owned one it's fun to drive😅

[@MrBluoct]

Md to Manhattan on a Friday night 4 people in an 86 loaded : all options black hard top with our gear on roof Great high volume custom mud mats but had to remove to stomp on the gas pedal to gain that xtra 1/2,inch of gas pedal blasting up I- 95 Little suk went anywhere. 60,000 miles with zero issues Had … a/c Over next x years 4 wheel community offered select mods for strictly trail rig

[@jeremiahallyn4603]

Lol, harp turns 😂

[@Gene1969]

I have that exact same fuel filter on my mower!

[@markwilliams2620]

Edit: The original tops were either canvas or fiberglass, IIRC. I 'memba when the Consumer Reports video made rhe local news. I though, "Well, you can't do that cornering with a Jeep, either". Heck, I almost rolled a Dodge Colt and a Chevy Chevette on my country, dirt roads.

[@martymiller4300]

Three things; How many have crowbar bent hoods and broken hood latches because nobody knows the hood release cable is inside the glove box. Second, we had one come in where ALL the door handles were broken, if it hadn’t been for the cloth top with the zipper back window the thing would have been even more like a sardine can. Finally “It’s a 4x4, we need to put great big tires on it”. 5K miles later the bicycle size bearings in the transmission would fail. Customers would bitch about the cost of a transmission overhaul, but would they put stock size wheels and tires back on?

[@MelodyOo]

do you plan to review the modern Jimny? they are amazing cars

[@bwofficial1776]

The modern Jimny isn't sold in the US so unless he goes down to Mexico or overseas he'll have to wait 25 years for someone to import one.

[@craigsampson3386]

​@@bwofficial1776 yeah i think Doug DeMuro's review was a Mexican registered one from memory. Supposedly some do slip into North America though and register them as a Samurai lol

[@davidp2888]

That thing would tip over easier than a set of dominoes.

[@spraynpray]

Such a cool vehicle.

[@MelodyOo]

very good car

[@kc0lif]

nice hardtop family vehicle.

[@barron204]

No Family guy quote?

[@squidwartztortellini8812]

i am glad there are still lot of these running in my country, and they are super cheap

[@mihaillevarda9395]

They were common în mount athos, greece în the 1980s and 1990s

[@classicforreal]

You talk about doing a U-turn but why didn't you demonstrate a Harp Turn?

[@Sha-Ayo]

Top Gear Bolivia Special

[@danmccarthy4700]

I knew these were tiny. I didn't know they could almost fit sideways into a parking space.

[@LouisSubearth]

They're slightly longer and wider than kei cars.

[@craigsampson3386]

​@@LouisSubearth yeah it started life as a KEI car, the exported global versions just got larger engines and wider track widths with wheel arch flares etc

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Nice 😊

[@robertvance1873]

Ford explorer of the same year was also dangerous

[@davinp]

Consumer Reports Magazine had rated the Suzuki Samurai as unsafe and prone to rollover

[@bwofficial1776]

Consumer Reports also got caught rigging vehicles like the Samurai and Jeep CJ to get the results they wanted.

[@craigsampson3386]

Turned out to be faked and Suzuki successfully sued them in court, still unfortunately damaged their reputation permanently though in North America.

[@TD05SSLegacy]

How hard is it to find parts for these?

[@LouisSubearth]

Not too hard. Everything is small in them so they're cheap, at least the mechanical stuff.

[@craigsampson3386]

In North America? Somewhat hard, some wreckers specialise in them like Highway83Suzuki. Globally? Super easy as they sold like hot cakes everywhere else.

[@JayCeeMax]

Jimny Boy

[@javanhernandez5690]

First

[@michaelhoskins832]

Oh great. Drunk cars again. Can't stand up on their own.

[@robertvance1873]

So politically correct 😂 Live a little so what No airbags 😅

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

A game show, Classic Concentration hosted by the late Alex Trebek of Jeopardy! fame had one of these shitty cars.

[@oldskool1979]

These were dangerous.. easily tipped over ! Thats why they stopped making them here.

[@bwofficial1776]

The rest of the world doesn't seem to have a problem with Jimnys/Samurais.

[@Viggenpower]

No they weren't. In fact as someone who was a licensed driver in the 80's, I know of more Jeeps, Bronco ll and Troopers that rolled over than these. Most of the people I know who owned them simply put on a wider tire or changed wheels with a different offset.

[@craigsampson3386]

Turned out to be faked and Suzuki successfully sued them in court, still unfortunately damaged their reputation permanently though in North America.

[@craigsampson3386]

Long story short the reason why the Suzuki Jimny and the Suzuki brand in North America doesn't exist anymore is basically because of spiteful people with agendas purposely damaging the Suzuki brand there to the point of no return... Suzuki won in court when they sued but it was too late for their damaged reputation and they pulled out of the North American market because of it. The Suzuki Samurai (2nd gen Jimny) was actually outselling the Jeep Wrangler 2 to 1 previously before this happened and then sales tanked after the hit piece went out... Also after trying to regain their footing after this drama went down, they attempted to try a different image to survive in the North American market by doing many manufacturing collabs with GM with that crappy market exclusive Grand Vitara XL7 model which basically is just a GM car with a Suzuki badge, same thing with the Equator aswell which was just a rebadged Nissan Frontier. Unfortunately it got more confusing too like some of Suzuki's own _good_ vehicles like their own Vitara/Escudo were mostly hidden under different manufacturers badges too like the Geo/Chevrolet Tracker which didn't help for reputation or sales either. There is a good video on KZbin by Donut Media only a few years ago, that explains what happened more in depth on that hit piece against Suzuki if you wanted to learn more? I can't paste links in the comments here, but just type in: "SUZUKI SAMURAI: How Fake News Killed Suzuki | Up To Speed"