I'm looking for a Swami right now.  For all you experts/owners, is there a year or years that you would stay way   from or look for?

Are the later years like 94-96 more desire able than 86 & 87?

Thanks,

Rob

Its tough to say what years would be more desirable, for me the hard top was the more desirable model and as far as I know there weren't any major changes in the couple years it was sold here. The soft tops were sold here until '95 ?, the biggest difference beside an interior change ('88.5?) would be fuel injection in '91.

I prefer the EFI (fuel injected) samurais (90-95).
There were a few other minor changes throughout the 86-95 samurais.....
In 88.5 they changed the dash from round vents to square vents (tach instrument clusters are easier and cheaper to find for the 86-88s); they changed the carrier in the front axle from a 3 pin to a single pin (3 pins are better, if you ever want to run a front locker); they changed the 5th gear ratio to a lower ratio (higher engine RPMs at the same given speed, compared to the 86-88 trannys); they changed the bolt pattern on the transfer case and pinion flanges (the 86-88s use a little smaller bolts), the 86-88 driveshafts seem to be a little easier to find, if you ever need a replacement.
There were a few other changes, but nothing that I can think of that is really worth mentioning.  Oh, I guess some of the earlier (86-88 or 89) were "tin tops" (not convertibles).

Thanks for all the great inforamtion.

It sounds like the later Samis might be a better option for me.  Over all, I suspect finding a Sami in good shape is more important than the year.

I just need to stay away from the 96 model year; they had no back seat due to safety regulations.  I don't plan on using my back seat that often, but it is really nice to have the option.

Rob

Thanks for all the great inforamtion.

It sounds like the later Samis might be a better option for me.  Over all, I suspect finding a Sami in good shape is more important than the year.

I just need to stay away from the 96 model year; they had no back seat due to safety regulations.  I don't plan on using my back seat that often, but it is really nice to have the option.

Rob

96 samurais were never imported into North America...so you couldn't find one, if you tried.

Actually it was around 92, when they stopped putting the rear seats in samurais, because they didn't meet the US safety regulations.  But nothing was actually changed with the samurai itself, from when they put rear seats in and when they didn't.  I am guessing the NHTSA changed the requirements and samurais didn't meet those requirements, so they simply didn't put rear seats in them.
So if you want to put a rear seat into a later samurai, you can.  The seat mounts (nuts welded to the underside of the body) are still there, but the holes weren't drilled, so you couldn't put the bolts in.  All you have to do is simply locate where the mounting points are, drill a hole through the body, so you can put the bolts in and secure the seat in place.

The most common samurais are the 86-88.5 model years.  The 89-95 samurais are harder to find, but they are out there.  So while the later EFI samurais are more desireable (IMO), they are harder to find.

Thanks, I have some of my facts mixed up on the differeneces.

I read that the later year Samis had two of the four spider gears removed from the front diff.  Does that create any problems?

Rob

I read that the later year Samis had two of the four spider gears removed from the front diff.  Does that create any problems?

Rob

That is where the 1 cross pin vs. 3 cross pins comes into play, that I mentioned earlier.  A single cross pin carrier uses 2 spiders; a 3 cross pin carrier uses 4 spiders.  In stock form, it really makes no difference which one you have/use.  But like I said, if you add a locker, you really should use a 3 pin carrier from an 86-88 samurai.  If you have a later samurai with the single pin front carrier, you can simply swap an earlier 3 pin front carrier in its place....or you can swap the whole third, if you want to do it that way.
That is the good thing about samurais....even with all the various changes throughout the years, almost anything can be interchanged from early to late and late to early.

If more than 50% of it is still there it's a good year! 

What I have found is that many early Samis, no, most Samis are neglected and beat up to this point in thier life.  They have rarely had oil changes, been parked for many years, used as farm impliments and left to rust out from all of the mud, or rolled and pieced back togeather.  There are very few in my area to begin with and the ones that are around here have lived most if not all of the above.

I'm looking for a good foundation to build on.  I found one locally that I believe is over priced at $6k.  It is a good, solid, early Sami with a SPOA, 30" tires and power steering added as well as some aftermarket "cheaper" bumpers.  It has a straight body and has either been gone through or well cared for.  I'm actually biding on a Sami right now on Ebay, that is stock, a lot newer and looks to be almost completly gone through.  It even has AC.  It is more of what I want to start my build with.  Its only 782 miles from where I live. 

Rob