Advice on buying a Vitara

[Garth]

Hello All

New to this part of Muddy Club the avitatar will explain.  I am looking for a Vitara for a second 4X4/winter car for my Mrs.  

What do I need to look for and how much should we pay.

Looked at one today 1995 JLX 1.6 16 valve with 51,000 genuine miles service history 11 MOT 6 months tax etc.  for £1500 sounds good to me

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and quick as someone else is looking at it tomorrow.

[prowler]

Have a look on e-bay,there is 4 or 5 I am looking at ranging from £575
{ buy now } price up to £1850 { buy now }. Most look OK...................

[the loon]

Hello All
New to this part of Muddy Club the avitatar will explain.  I am looking for a Vitara for a second 4X4/winter car for my Mrs.  
What do I need to look for and how much should we pay.
Looked at one today 1995 JLX 1.6 16 valve with 51,000 genuine miles service history 11 MOT 6 months tax etc.  for £1500 sounds good to me
Any advice would be greatly appreciated and quick as someone else is looking at it tomorrow.

£1500 ????
My advice
get a sound series
 

[Foden34ke12]

if you want a vehicle for the winter then don't get a soft top they can be a bit leaky in the winter. if you do want one (they are better summer cars thean winter!) make sure it has a newish soft top. Bestop is one of the better brands.

Otherwise the usual suzuki blarf check body and arches for rust etc. make sure it has an mot.

Dave

[Damon]

Here you go.

All ready to go.................. £1500 or near offer, MOT and Taxed, please see the for sale section and/or email me

damon@eversley32.freeserve.co.uk

[Damon]

if you want a vehicle for the winter then don't get a soft top they can be a bit leaky in the winter. Dave

No leaks, rips or tears, not draughty and the heater works fine  :)

[Foden34ke12]

That looks good for you...

[Pike]

get a disco,theyre better offroad especially a V8,and cheap

[jimbarrettsmith]

I am sorry but I have to disagree about a disco being better offroad than a Suzuki. Here are the facts

I have a long wheel base Vit and was down Bures a few weeks ago.
At bures there is a sandy hill
On the hill about 3/4 up were 2 discos and defender stuck in the sand with waffle boards and shovels and all that sort of crazy stuff.
The evil one (wife) was driving and we drove up the hill no problem followed by (I think) a Suzuki sj 413.  Hmm that was easy I said lets try it in 2WD
Alas we did not get up the hill but we got further than disco.

So let’s continue my adventures

At the Tixover site I went up a hill, no problem, a little bit late what should be stuck there, yes a disco with the right rear wheel twisted under the body hmm not good.

If I were you my old china I would buy Damon’s simply because they are cheap to buy, cheap on petrol cheap to maintain and cheap to insure.  If you buy a normal Suzuki i.e. not modified then the problem you will have is ground clearance, I suffered with my first un-modified vit but was lucky enough to buy my current one of e-bay already modified.  Talking of modifications I suspect that the calmini bit and bobs and the bumpers would cost more than what he is asking.

I am no expert and have limited experience but am chuffed to bits with what I have and have upset a lot of land rover owners.

Jim

[datalas]

blanket statements saying things of the ilk of "the disco is better" or "the suzi is better" are laughable at best to be honest.

The Suzuki has numerous advantages which the Discovery certainly doesn't, it has good visibility and is reasonably light.. neither could be said (without laughing) about the disco.

On the other hand, the longer wheelbase can occasionally be an advantage, as can the larger engine and payload ;)

personally I'd happily own either, but accept that they are for different tasks....

[jimbarrettsmith]

Ah Ha good point, I forgot to say my Vit is a long wheel base with a 2.0 V6

Light long and powerful  8)

[Foden34ke12]

At the end of the day a standard disco will probably beat a standard vit but they are designed for different uses. If i was trekking across the sahara i would want a disco. But fr fun and mods a vit is far better becaus for about 3000 pounds you can mod a vit to the extent where it will beat almost any landie etc and still drive on the road. (like mine).

I the world of land rover would probably only get a low quality car standard for that.

Discos do have a really good chassis and suspension system though in there defence.

Dave

[jimbarrettsmith]

So this topic got me thinking how good my LWB Vit really is, so today I entered a trial.  My first ever trial event and considering I have only been off roading since the summer the result is definitely due to the vehicle rather than the driver.

Can you guess what the result was?

No

Ok I will tell you

I came first  :lol:

[Foden34ke12]

As you can prove vitaras are great if you can get past the realiability issues... They are short and sweet, cheap and easy to find parts for...

Not slagging discos or any other type of 4x4 but vitaras are good 4x4s and people need to except that.

Dave

[Tailendcharley]

:o  :o And the big thing about Vits is the G factor as I call it or the x factor as Jeremy Clarkson calls it...it's just pure fun all the way...I love em.... :)  :)

    Billy no Mates  

[Pike]

Well,that stirred up a hornets nest didnt it?.........ha-ha you all bit didnt you?????.........ive had both (disco and zook) and it really depends on what you wanna do ...trials,..id buy a zook,greenlaning and general not too serious offroading,id buy a disco.....also you cant swing a cat inside a zook and in a soft top you cant hear nothing but noise at 70mph......its each to his own,it depends on what you want to do with it.................................now!!!! a V8 bobtail rangey...now youre talking!!!!