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Mrs J wants a smaller car for work, and now that we don't need to cart around all the paraphernalia you need for small kids, I reckon something like a jimny would be useful.
Obviously the current amount of snow is partly influencing my thoughts, but even without it, a small 4x4 would still be useful for firewood gathering etc.
Opinions, alternatives, horror stories?
Someone in Cornwall thinks they're awesome. I would tend to agree.
my mother has one 😛 and she's 77 !!
That said, they live in the sticks and are regularly snowed in (including now, if they didn't have the Jimny) - it is every bit as able in the rough stuff as a SWB Landy.
It is very small, and quite horrible to drive in 'normal' conditions if you want to go over 50mph. I don't think I would be totally comfartable putting my kids in it regularly - cetailnly not motorway or faster road driving
Loads of guys I know use them off road properly. A bit ugly but capable. Beware fast cornering!
We've got friends who live up farm track on top of a hill. They bought the Jimny last year and its been superb apparently.
Very easy to roll from what i have heard - not driven one myself though.
I don't think I would be totally comfartable putting my kids in it regularly
That is one of my concerns, but we'd be keeping the other car for family journeys.
they are fun to drive slowly, but if you do ever get over 50, quite scary.
Mat will be along soon !! 😆
probably the perfect vehicle for what you want, not much else available like it bar an old fiat panda 4x4 if you can find one.
Suppose A3 quattro would be no good??
I'd go for the Jiminy and if you don't get on with it I'm sure you can sell it on for similar what you paid for it.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1993-suzuki-jeep-/220711883603?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3363741353
like this one
Great little things. Go anywhere fun.
on the plus side, they are very reliable. Missus used to have a Grand Vitara, which we had for 3 yrs and it never missed a beat (apart from the twice she crashed it in the wet 😆 torquey diesel, light back end RWD and no electronics, fun on roundabouts) )
Suppose A3 quattro would be no good??
That's another on the list, but it's a slightly different proposition, and I'm not sure I could use the firewood gathering excuse 8)
tow bar and trailer??
They don't get very good reviews but a guy at work has one and reckons it is great for general stuff except motorways. Ideal runaround especially at the moment and as has been said they hold their value pretty well and are reliable.
There are other similar options depending on your budget Fiat Panda, Suzuki SX4, Ford Kuga
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1994-LADA-NIVA-RHD-RED-/250739695234?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3a61401e82
These are great but rare in good nick now.New ones are available but as left hookers only
Find a 4wd drive site to see what they work like off road. Ace. had mine from new, 04 and 77K miles. Never had a handling issue, fail to see the concerns. After all the speed limit is 70 on motorways, which it does no probs,and now't but a t*** pushes the limits in the country. can't see why people won't put their kids in one. Cramped for me at 5,6" in back with my stiff joints. 37mph mixed open roads and conjested stop start, bit better on a run, 4 years of anal record keeping produced that! Run tyres that a bit more than road spec, I like the original Bridgestones £70 approx, but some people give them away. Good door seals which help in 18" water although it does get a bit floaty. Firm suspension. Copes well with trailer. About the only Jap 4wd that has high and low box. Low is wonderful down icy roads.
get one but not a soft top.
but not a soft top
That's what I'm thinking. Too many horror stories of badly fitting / leaking / torn / slashed rag tops.
The one I hired in Kos one year didn't like thick mud too much 😳
The bloke from the hire place liked having to come and rescue me n the wife even less and showed this displeasure by way of replacing it with a Deawoo Matiz
Great little vehicles, and they work properly off road as well. Like little mobile tool boxes. Not much space in them though.
That Lada (I think is good)is it the same as the Cossack as that was great.
Oddly enough I'm seriously thinking of replacing my Octavia with one. I don't really need a big car, most of my driving is local A roads and lanes, often potholed, which has meant replacing two alloys on the Octy. A Jimny with all-weather tyres would be ideal around the lanes of North Wilts. I found a 51 plate Jimny in Bristol a short while ago for £2450, which looked ok.
Whatcar crap. It isn't slow. It does over 70. It may not be quick but who needs that?
Cramped yes but not for 2. or kids. position fine. what doesn't it have?
Cheap rsiduals a bonus on this sort of thing. You buy cheap and keep it .
No similar vehicles out there as they don't have low box or solid axles. . Comparing them to Kuga's, SX4's etc is like comparing your 6" travel mtb to a track bike.
try one first I would or better still buy a Lada Niva. The Cossack is the "posh " version. Even better off road, a touch bigger and they last for ever. no one will steal it but you will have the most fanatical owners club ever. faultless for its purpose.
What tyres for a Suzuki Jimni? 😉
Mattscm you talk sense. My dad had a Niva and loved it.
I'm past the driving quick stage and Mrs J is the definition of a pootler. I don't take much notice of the whatcar reviews and it doesn't surprise me that it gets a panning.
I suspect for the money we'll pay, it will probably hold its value and could be sold without loosing too much on it if we decided it wasn't for us.
THere is a nice one on Autotrader, but it's in Bradford - a bit too far to travel at the moment. 😕
We hire them when on holiday (in Barbados) and they are perfect, but I couldn't imagine actually driving/owning one in any other circumstance...
And if you are looking at low miles, then buy something bigger - its not like you'll spend much on fuel.
I rolled a hired Suzuki. I wouldn't want one for everyday use
Diahatsu Terios? Little bit more civilised on the road and little bit less capable off.
Got to be cheap ones around as they are not exactly trendy.
And if you are looking at low miles, then buy something bigger - its not like you'll spend much on fuel.
I rather think that being compact is rather the point. I [i]have[/i] a big car. It gives me over fifty to the gallon on long runs. I, like the OP, rather fancy something smaller that's going to be more capable in crappy conditions. Buying bigger defeats the whole intention.
[edit] read the first para in the OP:
Mrs J wants a [b]smaller[/b] car for work, and now that we don't need to cart around all the paraphernalia you need for small kids, I reckon something like a jimny would be useful.
[/edit]
What about a Shogun Pinin 3dr.
Real off road ability and not that much bigger than a Jimny.
Niva's are ace. A mates dad used to export Ladas back home years ago. He had a shonky old Niva that we used to batter round our home made motorcross track in a farmers field. We must have rolled the same one at least 30 times and it just kept going fine. Took a good few goes before all the windows eventually gave up. Survived several front impacts too without the radiator busting, all wheels still ran straight
I decided we needed a second car mainly just for me to use last May, after lots of looking round decided a Jimny was the best idea. I've not regretted it at all, needs roofbars though for all the stuff you can't fit inside.
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The kayak might prove handy when all the snow melts...
Nice little car, that.
cheers, its not so clean anymore, and there is not much snow here in Perth, Australia...
cheers, its not so clean anymore, and there is not much snow here in Perth, Australia...
Ah, but then it's summer down there. Come the winter, tho'...
Due to global warming, our winters are supposed to be like the Med.
It could happen to you.
one of the last true offroaders, plenty of accessories and forums out there to support them too. europe gets a diesel version using the renault 1.5dci which would help as its a bit revvy otherwise.
Also look at the terios and pinin. we cant agree, the missus would have a pinin and i would have a jimny.
They are all hated by the press because most mags cant comprehend using the car on anything but their extra urban test route.
Great little cars,
Drove one almost all the way round Iceland including up onto a glacier and through a foot or so of snow for 50 miles! near akuriyi.
Been driving one for a few weeks whilst fixing it for a friend.
Bear in mind I drive a Defender 110 so inevitably end up comparing it against that which is probably a little unfair.
Good;
cheap to buy and run
ok on motorways, does 70mph no problem,
revvy willing engine
Surprisingly capable in 4wd in the snow even on road bias tyres
Bad;
No loadspace, headrests have to be removed before dropping seats, boot space is tiny.
X reg example of my friends is nearly shot rust wise underneath,
Front axle hub swivel's are non replacable (unlike Landrover), swivel seals leaking grease/water ingress, requires axle swop to fix.
Driving in normal 2wd is dangerous in icy conditions, you cant leave it 4wd all the time as it has no centre diff (like a Defender) unless your on slippy surfaces (mud snow etc) where the transmission cant wind up.
Peaky-torqueless engine coupled with 2wd above=loosing the back end easily.
Bouncy/choppy handling at above 30mph speeds.
Engine takes a long time to warm up.
'Tinny' lightweight construction-wouldnt want to crash one at speed.
In summary-cheaper and more reliable than a Defender, I'd class it the current snow conditions as more capable than a FWD car, but less capable than a Defender/Disco/Fourtrack/Patrol/Toy LC etc.
Okay offroad providing you read the user manual and understand how the transmission works. Useable on road. Requires care driving in icy conditions.
If you live in WYorks/Calderdale/out in the hills I think they are an excellent car.
Anything else - annoying. Fun and cheeky round town but the indicator stalk on the wrong side really did wind me up royally.
A fantastic car but really only fit for us by people who live in harsh weather areas IMO.
Plus it only snows 4 weeks of the year. Better off getting a Ford with decent weather tyres.
Just to add on a even slightly windy motorway even driving at 50mph is 'interesting'.
but the indicator stalk on the wrong side really did wind me up royally.
+10million. bloody annoying.
I prefer the indicator on the 'wrong' side...means I can still look cool as I drive 1 handed with my arm resting on the window ledge...I can steer and indicate with just 1 finger...;-)
my brother has one, hes teh worst car owner going
hes had it 5 years, it was5 years old when bought
Hes never cleaned it, seviced it or anything
Its passed all 5 MOT's in that time needing couple of tyres and a wiper blade and a clutch cable
very reliable and fairly capable
If you want something better built Id look at the shogun pinnin
I've hired them on holidays
Always been soft tops, wouldn't have one of those here because the other posters are right, they never fit properly and are a security issue.
Other than that they are a very competent off roader, with proper low range / 4wd transfer box and good ground clearance. I'd have a tin top for work in this country, but they are a bit too small for what I need and not great for long distances. One scaled up to Defender 90 size would be just the job, preferably diesel. Can't speak for reliability but most Japanese stuff is pretty good.
Mrs3bikeman uses one for her work which involves driving down narrow lanes, often muddy. - width and length spot on, easy to turn in tight spaces [field gates etc].
we live several hundred yards on an unmade road - on a hill. cant get up once its snowed in 2 wheel drive Golf etc - easy peasy in Jimney - had to pull 2 neighbours cars out this morning because of snow and ice.
Last winter deep snow on Blackdowns - no problems.
Driving on roads dual carrageway 60- 70 no problems - this is our second one in 5 years - get one with AC for the summer though.
fuel consumption is not brilliant 35-40 - wish they would make a diesel.
No boot have to put seats down - bike carrier either on back or roof. you have to remove both wheels to get a bike in the back.
Sister used to have a Pinin. It was pretty good, but not a great deal of room in the back. GDI engine sounds like a diesel when cold.
Supposed to be capable off-road, but not sure she ever took it across more than a muddy field.
Servicing was expensive at main dealer.
Never been in a Jimny but from the descriptions on here the Pinin sounds like it would have better manners on road.
Had a Vitara in Oz as a sort of 4x4 lite (had a Toyota for the serious stuff).
Got it bogged in mud up to its axles once, put it in low range and it just drove out. Had a lot more respect for it after that.
The only thing I didn't like about it was its lethal rear axle behaviour if you gave it some welly on a rough road. I suspect the Jimny would be similar.
For the money/05 money you could buy a non-turbo forester on steel wheels. Mine was utterly awe-inspiring for handling and alround usability/assurance
If you are not doing serious off roading the forester offers more in buckets. All imo of course
A Forester is [i]much[/i] bigger than a Jimny, Autoexpress were only getting 24.5/gal on their test vehicle, a 2.0 litre, and it's Group 15 insurance against the Gp 7 of a Jimny. Please, be realistic, the OP specifically pointed out the requirement for a small, cheap second car. A Forester fails every one of those requirements. I would laugh in your face If you suggested I replace my Skoda with one. 24.5 against the 45-63/gallon I get in my 1.9TDi? Get real, I'm earning nowhere near enough to afford to run one, and I'd be surprised if the OP would even consider one as a second car.
33/34 average on group 11. From memory they tested a automatic forester not a manual. For the record my 2.0lt petrol Legacy averaged 40mpg at 80 on the motorway compared to 33 for a 1.6 toyota auris.
Or 39 in a new shape 1.3 Yaris.
Oh and I found at a constant 55 I hit 50mpg in the legacy.
Ps. The yaris cost more to insure than the forester.
The reports I've read seem to suggest the Forester should get a lot more than that - well into the 30's in mixed driving on the non-turbo + motor journo's are notoriously heavy on the right foot, especially when someone else is paying for the fuel.
I was seriously thinking of getting one until Hora recommended it 8)
Hora are you sure a petrol legacy can hit 40mpg at 80mph! It seems that Subaru have developed a perpetual motion device that is more efficient than a Yaris of half the weight and half the engine size of said Subaru. I thought you canna change the laws of Physics but you obviously can. What a load of B@ll@cks! (And its running an extra prop and diff etc etc.)
One word, gearing.
At 80 my Legacy sat at 3,000rpm.
The auris and yaris both at OVER 4,000rpm.
The Forester is amazing. I've never had a car pull itslef on rails around roundabouts until I drove one of these. Like a gravity traction-beam! and it now lives up in Heptonstall (silver 53 reg). The elderly lady who owns it uses it to delivery groceries throughout the surrounding area and loves it.
I also like ther jimny if I'm honest but not as an only car for baby etc 🙁
OP wait until the Jimnys peak selling season is over. Winter is the best time to buy a mx5 and spring onwards for a Jimny IMO
Do not crash one, you are unlikely to survive.
Oh
I feel that I have to comment on the Jimmer debate. My other half has owned one for the past 2 years now. To begin with I was a bit dubious about it but did my research and warned her of the pitfalls and let her make her own mind up. 2 years down the line and I think its a fantastic little car. yep its no good at high speed, motorway cruising is 65 or you just burn through fuel. but urban, rural and A & B road driving is perfectly acceptable. In bad weather I would rather be in that the anything bar a defender. we made it back from North Yorks when it was really bad and had to cut through all the little vilages around leeds to get home. None of them were cleared and the little Jimmer went up, round and through everything. Some of the lads may take the piss about the size or styling but then they soon change their mind when they want to go riding/boarding and they cant leave their street!
As far as reliability ours is a 2000 w reg and we have had it serviced once in 2 years + its had a new battery. MOT it failed the 1st year on a offside leaking swivel hub (which can be replaced!!) and the 2nd year on the other. swivel hubs are based on the defender version and were £200 fitted each. Bearing in mind we got ours for £1600 and we could sell it tomorrow for the same I dont reckon it owes us much. Its a solid proper offroader based on a ladder chassis design (again like the defender) so you can laugh at people in x5's cayennes, q7, when they cant get up a snowy icy hill and you chug past them.
no idea but they look woeful
A neighbour who lives up the hill has 2 (one for him and his wife), he's the only one who can get his car (and his wife) parked outside their house in this heavy snow, everyone else is parked around the streets.
My wife wants one now, especially after having to spend the night at work last night.
especially after having to spend the night at work last night
Even though the roads were properly gritted that night? 😉
Yep - we sold ours a months ago, my Mum has one, inlaws have one, blah blah blah.
Good points:
Comically good off road. Very little will get you further - extremely light, loads of clearance, proper low range 'box
Incredibly easy to park - tiny turning circle and tiny car.
Very robust and reliable.
Actually quite well specced - most have aircon, heated electric mirrors, airbags, ABS brakes (post 2005), etc
Cheap to buy
Bad points:
Tiny boot
Thirsty for what they are - 30ish mpg
Noisy for any distance driving
Quite "jerky" on roads - what makes them great off road hinders them on it.
Servicing a wee bit steep.
Overall, they are a surprisingly fun little thing. The mags reviews are mostly complete tosh - they are looking at road comfort and very few actually off road them. AutoExpress tested them PROPERLY against loads of other 4x4s and it came 2nd. The Disco was 1st.
Loads of farmers around here have them.
Watch service history - my Mum is having major front hub issues and the brakes can need replacing. Get as late as possible - post 2005 gets a better engine, ABS brakes and some other goodies. They are VERY cheap to buy and with more aggressive tyres, are one of the best off roaders out there.
Apart from the Defender maybe 😉
Servicing a wee bit steep
When I was considering buying one I wondered why there were a fair few upto 5yrs old with circa 2 stamps!
Hora - sold ours with only 23k on the clock (but 5 years old) so most services were time rather than mileage dependent. A few bills shocked me but then we always went to a main dealer. Much cheaper with an independent.
You'd have to be slightly mad to do a lot of miles in one!
Front axle hub swivel's are non replacable (unlike Landrover), swivel seals leaking grease/water ingress, requires axle swop to fix.
Not completely true. Unlike a Landrover, the Swivels are not oil filled, therefore the surface of the swivel can become pitted without major issue. A simple rub down with emery and re-paint will fix. No need to change an axle. The seals are commonly available. If its leaking grease then something else is wrong, usually the kingpin bearings are worn and need replacing (about £25 per side)
Indicators on the wrong side
Only true for Japanese built ones, its on the "correct" side for Spanish ones.
gf picked up a vitara this weekend - same deal, wanted a small cheap 4*4 after being snowed in for 10 days during bad weather. track to house very muddy, in 4wd, vitara went straight through no bother. comfy at around 80 on motorway but loses some on uphills. suspension a bit firm but livable with, passenger seat REALLY hard and unconmfortable. a bit noisy.
great fun, i like it.
Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I just thought I'd see if anyone has a Jimny they want to sell now that all the snow's gone. And this thread seemed to be a good place to find a Jimny owner.
My GF needs one for getting up to the sheep down a bumpy lane - and it's currently destroying my poor old Mondeo. No, I don't want a Forester 🙂
Oh, and I'm on a limited budget...
I like ours apart from the soft top. Very reliable car. Anyone got a spare wheel please ? mail in profile