Pardon if certain aspects of this have been discussed before but the search feature seems to be malfunctioning, I get an (SQL) error.

At the moment I drive a 2001 GMC Jimmy, custom exhaust, airaid intake, pullies and a huge gas hog.

My intention is to sell this Jimmy and buy a Samurai and do a full Calmini performance upgrade to the 1.3L as well as some slightly larger tires but nothing that will obliterate MPG.

Highway travel, I can't get anywhere here without high way travel. How capable are these cars with slightly larger tires and high way travel? Do any of you take these Samurais on interstates(such as going to the beach)? Reliability wise, if they aren't worse then my current car then I can deal with it(my god have I had problems with this Jimmy).

Longevity, I'll probably keep the car for a long time to come.

My friends and I do go on local trails however my Jimmy is only so capable, it has a big ass and the suspension is nearing the end of it's life, so this car would be used for what it's meant to be .

The idea here is to sell the Jimmy for roughly $5,000, buy a Samurai which seems like they can be had for less then a thousand and putting another $2000-$3000 into it total. If any money is left over it will go to the go fast crotch rocket fund 

Or am I going to be disappointed? I am used to the 250lbs of torque in the Jimmy but surely these Samurais weigh much less then the Jimmy. I'm just thinking if I like soft top jeeps and compact cars the Samurai can serve me well.

whats your locale?


that will affect sami availability.

10 minutes out of Reading, PA.

Pardon if certain aspects of this have been discussed before but the search feature seems to be malfunctioning, I get an (SQL) error.

At the moment I drive a 2001 GMC Jimmy, custom exhaust, airaid intake, pullies and a huge gas hog.

My intention is to sell this Jimmy and buy a Samurai and do a full Calmini performance upgrade to the 1.3L as well as some slightly larger tires but nothing that will obliterate MPG.

Highway travel, I can't get anywhere here without high way travel. How capable are these cars with slightly larger tires and high way travel? Do any of you take these Samurais on interstates(such as going to the beach)? Reliability wise, if they aren't worse then my current car then I can deal with it(my god have I had problems with this Jimmy).

Longevity, I'll probably keep the car for a long time to come.

My friends and I do go on local trails however my Jimmy is only so capable, it has a big ass and the suspension is nearing the end of it's life, so this car would be used for what it's meant to be .

The idea here is to sell the Jimmy for roughly $5,000, buy a Samurai which seems like they can be had for less then a thousand and putting another $2000-$3000 into it total. If any money is left over it will go to the go fast crotch rocket fund 

Or am I going to be disappointed? I am used to the 250lbs of torque in the Jimmy but surely these Samurais weigh much less then the Jimmy. I'm just thinking if I like soft top jeeps and compact cars the Samurai can serve me well.

The Samurai is quite cramped and the ride isn't good. If you're modding the suspension then you can improve on that.
The 1.3 performance upgrade won't be cheap and if the motor is tired you won't get the full benefit from it. The 1.6 swap could well be cheaper and if you go for a 16V then I'm sure that you will have more than enough performance and torque, these little trucks are very light.
The Samurai is very good offroad in stock form, if you're going to be doing a lot of highway miles then it might be worth just doing a few sensible mods - mild lift, 31s or similar, gearing, protection - that sort of thing. Then spend some money overhauling/replacing the bits that wear out, brakes/brake lines etc...
They can be very reliable, it depends on how well you build it 
The frames pretty much last for ever but the body can rust quite badly, get a good one and apply some rust prevention.
Oh and I'm about 30mins out of Reading - Berkshire 

Pardon if certain aspects of this have been discussed before but the search feature seems to be malfunctioning, I get an (SQL) error.

The search isn't working tonight. Sometimes the board runs a bit slow but Eric and the mods provide an extremely useful resource for free so its worth perservering.
Wecome aboard, you'll find its one of the friendliest boards around.

JMHO, Having had both a Sami and a Tracker...

If you are going to trailer your truck to the trails, go Samurai.  If you have to drive it daily and drive it to the trail, I would recommend you look at a Tracker or Sidekick.  They have more interior space, and don't feel as cramped.  They have a much more "civilized" ride and won't beat you on the highway.  They have more power (look for a 1.6 16 valve engine).  The top on my Samurai fastened with Velcro around the door frames, and the velcro would let loose in the wake of every oncoming truck, but that hasn't happened once in 6 years of driving the Tracker (the top is much more intricate and takes more time to put down and up). 

You are more likely to find a Tracker or Kick without major rust problems   With a 2 in spacer lift, 30's and some armor, Trackers are very capable on the trail.   

I really liked my Samurai, but I found the Tracker to be more practical.

Yes, it is a tough call.
Buy what you can afford.
both are Awesome rigs.
I'would've owned a Sammie but the salesperson wouldn't budge 200 bucks.
Sammie was comfie but the Kick has more power and room.
Either Or.
Buy one and build it up.
You'll Love which ever one you have.

The real question here, which I have not seen addressed, is: How trail-worthy do you want your vehicle to be?

The real question here, which I have not seen addressed, is: How trail-worthy do you want your vehicle to be?

Both rigs are pretty trail worthy.  I say it's more of what you can find and what you can afford then anything else.  If I had to start over I would probably go with a Tracker and do a solid axle swap, or just build up the IFS simply because you can still find Tracker/Sidekicks for cheap up here.  That and the Injection is really nice when climbing hills as is the extra power.  Not that my little side draft has any problems stalling out.   

Though it's not a solid plan I think I may have been coaxed to go Tracker, for the sake of highway travel and less work!

I have some time at the moment so I've been surfing around writing down what I plan to do to the Tracker. Basically a 3" body lift, 2" suspension lift, calmini front and rear bumper,  calmini's exhaust and intake and completely unsure of what wheel/tire. Some trackers look as if they have hub caps, the wheels them self decent looking? Perhaps paint black .

There is one thing, does anyone know if this kind of soft top is made for a 90's Tracker? If not I'm just going to rip out the back seats and put a bikini top on.


The fella that posted this seems to have been away from the forum for a long time.

I daily drive my sami but its only 5 mi one way and all low speed.  Thankfully since with the 33" boggers it will only do 45 tops and forget 5th gear unless its down hill.  This sami does have stock gears but a 6 to 1 t-case.  My first sami is bone stock and I drove it for about a year while building this one.  I love my sami's  but would like to stuff my tracker motor in my sami for a little pick me up.  As for comfort the tracker is hands down better!!  good luck in your choice!

Though it's not a solid plan I think I may have been coaxed to go Tracker, for the sake of highway travel and less work!

There is one thing, does anyone know if this kind of soft top is made for a 90's Tracker? If not I'm just going to rip out the back seats and put a bikini top on.

The fella that posted this seems to have been away from the forum for a long time.

I think that guy is from Australia.  There used to be a lot of different tops available, but the choices have seemed to dwindle down over the past two years or so.  I have not seen a similar top here recently, but every now and then a bikini, windjammer and duster combination shows up on e-bay.

The rear seat comes out very easily(4 bolts).  I take mine out when we need more space for camping equipment.  Takes about 5 minutes.

I think that guy is from Australia.  There used to be a lot of different tops available, but the choices have seemed to dwindle down over the past two years or so.  I have not seen a similar top here recently, but every now and then a bikini, windjammer and duster combination shows up on e-bay.

I remember his soft top was custom built.  That is why you haven't seen any really like it out there.

That's SiKiD's Tracker. His top is custom made. There is a similar top that was made by Kayline, but they are out of production now. Your best bet is to look on ebay and keep your eyes peeled.