The Suzuki Jimny is one of those cars that leave most people saying, “What the heck is that?” when they spot one. A charming, pint-sized off-roader, the Jimny went by the Suzuki Samurai branding in the United States and was available from the 1986 through 1995 model years in this country.
With roughly 30 years since they were last available in this country, finding a used Samurai in decent condition is getting tough. However, the vehicles are old enough that buyers can import one from Japan or elsewhere under the 25-Year Rule. The little SUVs are an intriguing alternative to grabbing a used Jeep Wrangler. Here’s what you need to know if you’ve got $8,000 burning a hole in your pocket and an adventure on your mind.
$8,000 Will Buy You A Whole Lot Of Off-Road Fun
1987 Suzuki Samurai JK Beige Front Passenger Side.Bring A Trailer
If you have a tight budget and don’t want to spend more than $8,000, it’s not hard to find a Wrangler in decent condition, but you can’t be too picky about things like model year and options. We were able to turn up the following listings to get an idea of what’s out there.
- A 111,459-mile 2002 Wrangler X is selling for $6,795 in Virginia.
- A 108,048-mile 1994 Wrangler S is selling for $7,999 in California.
- A 102,777-mile 1989 Wrangler Sahara is selling for $6,995 in Missouri.
- A 167,746-mile 2000 Wrangler is selling for $5,900 in Florida.
- A 202,000-mile 2007 Wrangler X is selling for $5,995 in Georgia.
- The cheapest model we can find is a 234,360-mile 2005 Wrangler Sport selling for just $4,995 in Nebraska.
All of these models have six-figure odometer readings, but that’s no big deal if we’re looking for a vehicle to beat up off-road. This is something you’re going to take out on the trail all summer, and probably sell for scrap the minute the transmission starts giving you trouble. At twice your budget, you might be able to find something with half this mileage. But the fun of buying something cheap is that you don’t really care if it gets banged up while you’re hopping over tree stumps and muddy creeks.
The Jimny Is So Cheap, You Could Almost Buy Two
1995 Suzuki Samurai Front 3/4 ViewSuzuki
If you’re looking for American-market models under the Suzuki Samurai nameplate, we found the following listings.
- An 82,511-mile 1987 Suzuki Samurai JX is selling for $6,991 in Washington.
- A 94,528-mile 1988 Suzuki Samurai is selling for $7,990 in Oregon.
- A 23,000-mile 1987 Suzuki Samurai is selling for $8,000 in California.
We’ve seen Samurais with very low miles selling for considerably more than $8,000, but these are pretty good prices for mileage under 100,000.
If you’re happy with a Japanese market import, your best bet is to hit up the auction sites, where we found the following sales.
- A 62,000-mile 1995 Jimny 4×4 sold for $7,400 in 2023.
- A 36,200-mile 1991 Jimny 4×4 sold for $5,400 in early 2026.
- A 67,100-mile 1990 Jimny 4×4 sold for $5,100 in 2021.
- A 49,400-mile 1992 Jimny 4×4 sold for $4,269 in 2021.
- A 113,300-mile 1994 Jimny 4×4 sold for $7,300 in 2020.
The Samurai/Jimny is fairly rare to find as a used model. Suzuki sold only 206,419 units here in the US over a decade-long stretch, and the SUVs were cheap when new, with MSRPs starting at around $7,999 in 1990. Even the first owners were likely to drive these cars like rentals, and it’s hard to find cheap surviving models for sale.
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But all that scarcity doesn’t seem to be affecting the price. Winning bids are coming in as low as $4,269 for a 1992 model, meaning you could buy one with enough money left over for a cheap fishing boat.
Whether you’re going with a Jeep or a Suzuki, the bottom line is that both of these off-roaders can be had at a “throwaway” price. You’ll love this SUV, you’ll have a lot of fun in it, but you won’t have a panic attack when the suspension gives out.
How Does A Jimny Compare To A Wrangler?
1997-2006 Jeep Wrangler Front Angle View WadingJeep
Based on the listings we found, your best bet for getting a Wrangler in decent-ish condition at a low price is a TJ-generation model, meaning the 1997 to 2006 model years. Here’s how the base specs for a 2006 Wrangler compare with those of a mid-1990s Suzuki Samurai.
2006 Jeep Wrangler
1995 Suzuki Samurai
Engine
2.4-Liter NA 4-Cylinder
1.3-Liter NA 4-Cylinder
Power
147 hp
66 hp
Torque
165 lb-ft
76 lb-ft
Ground Clearance
8.6 Inches
8 Inches
Wheelbase
93.4 Inches (2-Door)
79.9 Inches
Track Width
58 Inches
52.5 Inches
The Jeep Wrangler is, obviously, a much more powerful vehicle than a Suzuki Samurai, which sits somewhere between an entry-level compact and a mid-range golf cart in the horsepower department. But 76 lb-ft of torque is clearly enough muscle to get the job done for a small off-roader that barely weighs over a single ton.
A big part of the Suzuki Samurai’s appeal is its compact size. With a wheelbase of just under 80 inches and a short track width of 52.5 inches at the widest, you can practically drive the Samurai on bike trails because of how little space it requires. If you can get this SUV stuck, we can only assume you did it on purpose.
The Samurai Is Famous For Its Tipping Problem
1986 Suzuki Samurai JX Red Rear ViewBring A Trailer
There’s a lot to like about the Suzuki Samurai, but it’s worth knowing that it was pulled from the American market in large part because of its serious rollover problem, which was bad even by 1990s standards.
A 1988 Consumer Reports review of the Suzuki Samurai gave it an “unacceptable” rating because the SUV “easily rolls over in turns.” This review has been blamed for plummeting sales, and the lawsuit Suzuki Motor Corp. v. Consumers Union of the U.S., Inc. The legal case was possibly one reason the Samurai lasted only one generation, while the Jimny remained available in Europe and Japan.
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It should be noted that the Suzuki Samurai was never deemed unfit for American roads in a legal sense. That is, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration didn’t tell Suzuki to fix the problem or lose its ability to sell the car in America. To this day, debate continues over whether the car was legitimately dangerous.
But the SUV has no standard airbags, and it is a narrow, top-heavy off-roader. At the very least, Consumer Reports’ concerns were not unfounded, and the SUV doesn’t meet modern expectations of basic automotive safety.
We Like The Jimny, But It’s Easier To Recommend The Wrangler
1997-2006 Jeep Wrangler Rear Angle ViewJeep
The best thing about the Suzuki Samurai/Jimny is that it’s a cheap alternative to a Wrangler. So, if you can buy a Wrangler for the same price, why would you even consider a Suzuki Samurai? It’s half as powerful, twice as likely to rollover, and it’s not fit for towing so much as an inflatable raft.
That being said, we do have a soft spot in our hearts for the undersized Suzuki off-roader. Its compact dimensions are charming and make for an easy drive in and out of the woods, even for less experienced adventurers. But, if driving something especially small and nimble is important to you, you can buy a brand-new 4×4 utility vehicle for about what you’d spend on a used Samurai.
Ultimately, we’d love to recommend the Samurai, but the known rollover issue makes it a hard sell. Even if you can forgive the low power output and lack of real towing capacity, its small dimensions won’t do you much good when your new-to-you off-roader is doing cartwheels down the side of a mountain.
Sources: Suzuki, Jeep, Consumer Reports.
