Suzuki Samurai (1989) – Enthusiast Wanted

To interpret this type of Suzuki Samurai, we have to dive into the history of the Suzuki Jimny. Before that name first appeared on the European market in 1998, it was stuck on kei cars in Japan. In that country, the Jimny was sold earlier than here, with small engines with a capacity of no more than 660 cc. Suzuki also decided to make a larger version of the second generation of the Japanese Jimny containing a 1.0-liter four-cylinder, intended for export. It was given different names in various markets, including SJ410 – a name that referred to the engine. At a later stage, the engine was upgraded to a 1.3-litre unit, with the name changed to SJ413. That car was, for the European market at least, built in Spain from 1986 to 2006. The car was not sold in the Netherlands for a long time, but in 1989 – when the name was officially changed from SJ413 to Samurai – in any case it was.

From SJ413 to Samurai

In that year, this original Dutch copy was registered. This generation came on the market in Japan in 1981 and that can be seen from the angular design. In addition, this European copy received an ex-factory and period correct sticker package fitted, which was sprayed together with the white bull bar and wheels provides a mischievous appearance. With the upgrade from a 1.0 to a 1.3-litre engine, the 4-speed gearbox was replaced by a 5-speed one. According to the advertiser, however, this Samurai still has a four-speed gearbox on board, which could be due to the fact that the model rolled off the production line in different factories at the same time. It is possible that the adjustments were not implemented everywhere at the same time.

Not only the mischievous appearance of the Samurai lets him put us in the spotlight here. The condition of the compact off-roader is also remarkable. The mileage is very low at 7,766 km, although that is not very special for such a car. You do not want to travel large distances with it, as it quickly becomes noisy and uncomfortable at highway speeds. Samurais are therefore often for sale with low mileage, if this is very virgin. What they are also more often for sale with is rust. The thing is made for the terrain and is quite uncompromising. Whoever bought one, almost certainly went into the mud with it. As a result, many specimens were often covered with dredged material, which meant that moisture could remain in all kinds of places for a long time. The quality of the carriage didn’t help either.

Blubber free

The XT-12-DR seems to have no rust spots on its body and – it seems – has previously been (partly) protected against rust. If we look in the wheel arches, we see a considerable layer of tectyl. The interior of the Samurai is also still neat, where other copies on the second-hand market regularly show damage and dirt. Of course, that also depends on what the Suzuki is often used for.

The inside of the Samurai’s wheel arches shine with tectyl.

The neat condition does mean that the provider – who gives little information about the car, but uploaded a lot of photos – asks a relatively large amount of money for the Samurai: €8,495. The car previously had five owners and the last two times passed the MOT without comments. All original booklets and the two keys are also included and we see traces of recent maintenance and repairs. For example, the radiator was recently replaced.

If it arouses your interest, you should drive to Oosterhout for a viewing. You can then go straight into the Biesbosch to kill the relative spotlessness of the Samurai. Tjakka!