BT
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,772
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May 20, 2017 18:44:48 GMT
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Hello fellow retro rides users.
I am seriously contemplating a cheap knock about wagon for the purposes of mundane every day tasks. Taking the dogs out, tip runs, fishing trips, things I am very pedantic about doing in my nice, shiney, well kept daily. I also miss visiting the lay and play days.
Woth that in mind I was looking at cheap 4x4s and the Vitara has popped into mind. I was originally looking at the SJ range but they've got either very expensive or very rusty since I last looked at them about 10 years ago.
I want something as cheap as possible and because of that I am looking at the smaller 1.6 models for the cheaper tax bracket.
This brings me to ask, has anyone ever owned the 1.6 3dr version either hard too or semi-convertible in a manual and if so, what did you think of it?
Are they a ticking time bomb with loads of problems waiting to rear their ugly heads?
Are they actually any good off road with a few supporting mods?
Have you had one and if so what was your experience?
One has popped up fairly local to me and before I ask to view I'd like to know if they're actually worth a punt or if I should steer clear and try to subdue the urge of a little 4x4.
As a penance for a boring thread have some photos of some vitaras that I think are pretty cool.
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Last Edit: Jun 30, 2017 9:39:29 GMT by BT
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May 20, 2017 22:06:58 GMT
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They've definitely escaped the hairdresser tag. An old friend had a few from new and loved them. They were on my list until recently too, just the economy let them down. Mind you, I need super frugal so if you're just tooling about that shouldn't be a worry.
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Peugeot 307sw - Suzuki SV650S - MX5.
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lilbob
Part of things
Posts: 419
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My friend has one and in the 6 years he has owned it had never had any mecanical faults its only needed revular stuff to stay mot'd Fuel wise its around mid 20's and parts are cheap and easy to get As for off road capabilities i'm not sure on that as his is a hairdresser special so wide wheels and fat boy kit
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1.6 isn't in the old cheaper tax bracket they're 240 a year
1.5 is - I had a 1590cc civic and it was in the higher band I was upset
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I had one fitted with a Perkins Prima for a while. The engine probably did a lot toward making it a better car, and it quite happily munched the miles on road with an average of 45mpg or so.
I didn't feel a huge amount of love for it, but it ticked the boxes of being watertight, having a working heater, and starting every time I went to it.
It was eventually parked up when chassis rot became apparent, specifically with a rear radius arm bracket coming 'loose' and some further investigation revealing more rot in the boot floor, rear arches and front inner wings. I sold it on to a lad who wanted the engine for an MGB.
I used to go trialing etc with a club who had a few lads who ran Vitaras as their vehicle of choice, for.starters because they were cheap, also because they wanted to be different to the Land Rover boys.
They weren't bad in terms of ability, but they were all lifted with big tyres, new suspension arms etc up front with other odds and sods added. I priced up the kit out of idle interest a few years back and found that by the time you'd bought one and spent the money building it to the spec most lads were running you'd have spent similar or more money -plus time- than a cheap 90, which was equally capable as an off road vehicle with only the need to add a set of knobbly tyres for the really muddy stuff.
Probably a different situation now -ten years down the line- but there's my experience of em.
The SJ was a neat and nimble little thing - as is the Jimny which followed- but too small for me to get properly comfortable in them.
Their main advantage as an off roaded was being small and light so it just floated over everything. I always found great amusement in seeing one that had been jacked up, had bigger engines and different gearboxes fitted, even going as far as fitting Land Rover axles to 'improve' them, or looking at it another way, basically removing every advantage they had that made them neat and nimble.
Back to the Vitaras, if you can find one that isn't rotten then why not.
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May 21, 2017 19:27:29 GMT
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Ive got a cheap swb shogun if your after a cheap 4x4 wagon.got two grotty body mounta that need a weld for mot (january), tyre, and waterpump is leaking. Cool car tho. I bought a widearch swb and this is stuck on my drive. Done a clutch, shocks, brake rebuild and radiator since i bought. Took the mud terrains off for new one
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Stiff
Posted a lot
'kin 'ell
Posts: 3,007
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May 21, 2017 21:59:37 GMT
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Stiff
Posted a lot
'kin 'ell
Posts: 3,007
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May 21, 2017 22:16:50 GMT
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This one looks like it could be fun... Or you could go overboard...
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I know literally nothing about them other than I can explicitly remember the exact moment I decided I wanted one. My family when I was muuuuuch younger went to Disneyland Paris, admittedly it was for my younger siblings and I was just a touch too old for it to still be magical, we went via coach which meant a short while on foreign roads staring out the windows at all the cool fiats and renaults.
On the return trip just as we pulled into the filing lanes I saw a Ferrari lorry, being a car fan and a child you can imagine that drew my attention, right up until the moment I'd say 6 or 7 "Raging rhinos" appeared just in front of it. All modded to the max, massive lifts, massive tyres, massive aerials, massive cool. I, at that point wanted one as my first car. I must have forgotten about them because a decade and more later that never happened and I ended up owning a V8 discovery mk2 for offroad fun and have a subaru forester now, they're firmly on the maybe one day list. Thinking about it now, they must have been quite new at that point. I don't recall any SJ's.
Talking about keeping your nice car nice, one of my neighbours decorators has a nice work vehicle to store his paint in... a 2015 audi A7. Wierd eh, I wouldn't dream of it myself.
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taurus
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,084
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May 22, 2017 15:05:37 GMT
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My brother had one - it wasn't a happy experience. Numerous mechanical issues. Maybe he was just unlucky though.
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BT
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,772
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May 23, 2017 21:55:54 GMT
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Thanks very much for the responses! It seems as though the grand consensus is that they're not all that bad which is good. It's a shame to see that they don't fall into the cheape tax bracket. With that in mind I can not help but think I would perhaps be better off looking for a V6 of some sort perhaps in the 5 door version. Probably offer a better load space with the rear seats ripped out and probably a bit more fun, even if it is juicy. Thanks for the offer of the shogun jaykay but I've just sold my L200 and am looking for something ridiculously cheap (the Vitara k was looking at was a mere £200. At that money you'd leave it if it got stuck in the mud!) Thanks again guys and I'll keep this updated with whatever happens.
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heathrobinson
Part of things
Broken everything
Posts: 848
Club RR Member Number: 111
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May 23, 2017 22:05:29 GMT
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My mate has one of the fuggly rounded mk2 ones. I hated it until I borrowed it for a bit - with spirited driving you can get the bum out at most junctions if it's a bit wet, and they actually work off road. I looked like a hairdresser driving it I'm sure, but I spent a lot of every journey laughing my posterior off. I can't shake the idea of adding a turbo to one and making a fuggly little covert drifty sleeper thing...
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BT
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,772
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May 23, 2017 22:36:37 GMT
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heathrobinson I am certain there is a chap in the readers ride section who has one of the wide/fat model vitaras that is installing a MX5 engine, it may be turbo, I can't quite remember but either way it's very cool! I've never been too concerned by the imagery of vehicles. I drive a TT and a R53 both of which are very widely deemed a "woman's" car. I love them both!
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May 23, 2017 23:03:39 GMT
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I wouldn't recommend the V6 ones. Suzuki's V6's are quite thirsty but there's no power to offset it.. Same with the newer 2.4 4cyl Grand Vitaras. (I work for Suzuki HQ over here) Turbo would definitely improve the efficiency though. Better get 2 just for symmetry
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May 23, 2017 23:23:28 GMT
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I wouldn't recommend the V6 ones. Suzuki's V6's are quite thirsty but there's no power to offset it.. Same with the newer 2.4 4cyl Grand Vitaras. (I work for Suzuki HQ over here) Turbo would definitely improve the efficiency though. Better get 2 just for symmetry I did thousands of miles in this thing! (on Gran Turismo 2!) Shove supersoft tarmac tyres on it and it'd win any race! Seriously though, I have a couple of them on my books one a 1.6 and the other a V6 5 door. Both go fairly well and are moderately reliable. But parts prices are HORRENDOUS and a lot of stuff is not available aftermarket. The V6 needed (amongst other stuff) 2 new lower balljoints for the last MOT, but the balljoints are part of the lower arms which are main dealer only and £600 a pair! Plus another £130 for the inner bushes which are supplied separately! The owner nearly had a heart attack! Steve
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May 23, 2017 23:31:27 GMT
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The RRP for the arms is about AU$1040, so that's roughly in the ball park.. I'm sure if you are handy with a press, they could be pressed separately and some aftermarket ones could be used... I don't see the point in replacing parts that are nearly more expensive than the car is worth.
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,840
Club RR Member Number: 174
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May 24, 2017 11:38:44 GMT
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Rust is the main issue. The 1600 ones are great. Gearbox and diffs can be a bit noisy but they don't seem to break. Parts are really cheap. I put a MX5 engine in mine but that was mainly for a proper RWD gearbox.
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May 24, 2017 14:44:57 GMT
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They'll fit your bill nicely if you find one that isn't rusty. Going to a pay & play day I bet you'll break a front diff or at least a driveshaft if you aren't really careful, but at least you'll be able to stick in 2wd to get home. Plenty of them are being broken so I don't think spares would be an issue. You've picked the right time to buy one!
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Last Edit: May 24, 2017 14:48:22 GMT by mgbizzle
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May 25, 2017 21:03:30 GMT
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dog, tip runs, fishing. they all require cargo space.
the shorties look like they ahve less room than a hatchback car
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BT
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,772
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May 25, 2017 21:09:32 GMT
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dog, tip runs, fishing. they all require cargo space. the shorties look like they ahve less room than a hatchback car You're 100% accurate. However it took viewing one for me to realise this. I thought it would be manage able but it certainly isn't. I am on the look out for one of the larger 5 door versions. That way is yonk the whole rear seat out, sling it in the garage and use it like a smaller van. I keep trying to spot one on the road but it doesn't seem to be that simple.
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