Hello guys this is my first post in this forum and i am looking into buying a Suzuki Samurai.

I have a few questions about The samurais since I've never owned one or ridden on one before.

I want it mostly for driving the off-road Baja roads, take it to sandy beaches and mostly traveling on dirt roads.

I want to know how reliable are the Samurais for this purpose? how good does the samurai performs on the sand? i know they are not very fast and i don't need speed i just want it to explore Baja.

Also I've been trying to find tech info about the samurai, what is the avg. MPG? and fuel tank capacity? do they have 4 drum brakes or disk and drums?

What are the common problems with samurais that i should look for when buying one?

One last thing... what is a good price to pay for a samurai? i found this one craigslist locally is this a good deal or should i wait for something cheaper?

http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/898332449.html

Thanks.

They are reliable, that is for certain.  They will pretty much go anywhere you point them without complaints and are a lot of fun.  I've been out with the Sammy's on the fall adventure run and they didn't have any problems running around on the Dunes.

The price is really dependent on where you are.  I think that's a bit much, but the price on clean Samurai's has been climbing for the last few years.

I'll let others fill in the tech stats.  If you are looking for an affordable soft roader though, you might want to check out the Tracker/Sidekicks.  Little bit larger engine, bit more comfort.  There are a couple of good threads comparing the two, might give you a better idea about the Sammy as well.
http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=13458.0
http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=19923.0

 The one you are looking at seems pretty decent. Nice front bumper. Needs narrower wheels with a bit of lift and better all terrain or mud terrain type tires. If they are difficult to find in your area that would be a good start.

 They are disc in front with drum in rear.10.4 gallon fuel tank.

 Check for gear noise in the transmission, transfercase, and rear diff. Play in U-joints and driveline slips.

 Getting one from your part of the country is a very good thing, very little or no rust.

 Welcome to the addiction.