Matt, I always look forward to watching your videos. I appreciate the honesty in your reviews. I wish you would upload more in a week but that’s asking a lot from a man who works all day everyday. I hope this channel grows and gets the success and recognition it deserves. Thank you sir for your great work!
My mother had a soft top Jimny until fairly recently. It suffered from the notorious Jimny “death wobble” at around 45mph. Her partner did some research into it and discovered that the soft top versions, unlike the hard tops, were built in Spain, not Japan. They supposedly produced them with greater tolerances, hence the reason for the play in the steering.
@@SkaffenUK the one I test drove wasn't old or had a big mileage....it would have shook the arms of you, it was shite🤣..... bought a 2014 2.4 petrol Grand Vitara, it's brilliant.
I read somewhere that the soft tops were indeed built in Spain to a much reduced quality and should be avoided at all costs. I guess buyers were deliberately left to assume they were going to get Japanese reliability - smacks a bit of fraud really.
To be fair, 17 years old is getting on a bit as far as rust is concerned, for example plenty of Mercs and Beemers of that vintage have rusty bodies. As for the emissions, a good code reader may well divulge a commonality between the various high readings. However there is little scope for profit if sold as a runner, as matt often demonstrates solid flip cars are somewhat of a rarity. It's why they get traded in, the owners already decided that fixing them up just isn't viable, either through a multitude of faults or a single major problem.
Loads of them over here in Tuscany. Ideal for rough country roads and you'd hardly believe where experienced drivers can get them to. Same with old Fiat Panda 4x4's and Susuki Vitaras.
Stayed at a hotel on Corsica that was on a cliff with a dirt road down the side of the cliff, and a watersports shack on the beach. The Hotel car was one of those Panda 4 by 4's for the run up and down the almost vertical beach road
Matt's mechanic is clearly a man of great skill and perception.....which of course is a total necessity when it comes to polishing turds. That said, Matt has had some winners of late, but sadly I don't think this is one of them.
Bet his MIG quivered when it saw this rust-monster drive in shedding flakes everywhere. Then again the description on the MOT Fail is epic. A mousehole in the inner sill is not the end of the world for man with an angle grinder, lift and a good Mig with pulse. The "Box-section" will probably be a flat piece or with a 90fold at worst and easier to weld as it would start out thicker than bodywork. I wouldn;t give such a POS houseroom but if I were in the market, the fuel injection/ECU issues would give me more pause than some underneath rust problems. Welding steel isn't black magic, just dirty and often with accessability issues. Electronics on the other hand ...... need I say more?
Wife had one early 2000’s. Great car for the shops as she used to pull up Velcro on roof and put bags in the back. Drive that at 70mph on M25 and you’ll realise what scared feels like. Steering was shocking!
We had one of these in Skiathos last September. Brilliant off road, totally gutless on any slight incline. Distance between gears was about five minutes. The only advice we were given about the car was to make sure the roof wasn’t left open overnight - apparently cats like to use them as Airbnb’s (and toilets). We’ll be getting another one next year 😂👍
We've had a couple of Jimnys, our current one is the same age and about the same age, rust has never been a problem for us though the engine warning light is, every year or two it decides to come on for no obvious reason. Their flat paint doesn't age well either. Suzukis are generally reliable especially with age, that's why they're beloved in developing countries.
Definitely a market for it as an off road play thing. Decent set of tyres, and it’s good to go. The more adventurous may jack the suspension, add a snorkel and maybe even a roll cage and it’ll be good to go
Farmers love them as an alternative to the John Deere Gators and their ilk. Loads have been converted to flat beds - basics implements added....etc...👍👍
Very very good timing. I was toying with a Jimny for Dartmoor lanes and that has put me right off the ones at sensible prices. As my local bodyshop on Dartmoor, a mere 500 yards away, never ever gets back to me with a quote for work, I can't face having to sort out welding etc. Saved me a fortune,, thank you!
I've got an 06 Jimny Soft top, and its a brilliant little thing with the heart of a lion. At 06 I believe it to be one of the last soft tops available. I had to have the death wobble sorted by our local Suzuki car dealer, and I put a new roof on it for about £500. Easy job, even for a mechanical 1/2 wit like myself. It has had some welding done around a seatbelt mount.. I'm 6'2" and 20 stone by the way, so I put it on rather than getting into it, but it is excellent.
I have had 3 Suzuki's, my current a 2022 Ignis all of which came or come with a 12 year rust guarantee.I have had no repairs made on any of the 3 cars,and that includes the fact that in winter here in Denmark a large amount of salt is used on the roads.
Speaking of three spoke wheels. The only manufacturer that made the best-looking ones were Saab. Though, I vividly remember them on the original Range Rover (Classic); Vauxhall Nova and Corsa (in sportier guises); SMART Roadster, Ford Probe, and the Dodge Viper.
I’m very glad you’ve acknowledged Japanese rust (and interior quality) because so many people focus on the mechanical reliability of Jap stuff but don’t realise how shyte the original construction was. Note to Japan: the UK can’t accept your motors because we Salt our roads and we can’t be arsed to go about cleaning and protecting your chassis.
An underseal every few years keeps any (not just Japanese) car mint, they don't really rust any worse than Ford, VW, BMW or Mercedes in my experience. All comes down to how a car is cared for
Lets run a check on it One previous carefree owner called seaman stains who used it for dogging. Lots of sticky tissue paperwork and owner having been fulled serviced . Fluids topped up on a regular basis but there is a history of some bumping and grinding . Gear knob shows extensive wear due to being yanked a lot and pulled to one side. Good all round vision through windows for viewing and can easily take two in the front and three in the rear. Previous owner sold due to being piston and broke
Don’t be hating on Japanese cars and Suzuki because of that rot box Matt. Here ( southern hemisphere ) we get made in Japan models cheaper than in England and they dont rot .Japanese reliability is a real thing. My swift sport is a great drive albeit without the finish so many people seem to want.
The 3rd Gen is best, the 4th gen's have a wind buffeting issue because of the squared off lines. This generation slips the wind better. And I like the late 90's styling over the new flimsy looking stuff.
you should always check a jimny behind the headlights especially, they acumelate water behind the headlights on top of the body mounts with no way to go so its a prime spot for rust. beside that the boot is also a prime spot for rust due to the jack vibrating ontop of the metal, i do own a 2007 jimny SE my self :) great little car.
Made up to see this little warrior for sale on the high peak autos website! You deserve the asking price for the honesty and complete comedy of the listing 😂
I had a Jimny as a loan car. (I'd previously been given a Suzuki Liana ...😳) Loved it's Tonka truck looks - hated the roadholding. Incidentally for years I thought the model name was 'Jimmy ' (as in Osmond - oh that ages me !)
Rented a Jimny whilst on holiday on a greek island many years back and it was great fun for the sort of roads out there - wouldn't want one to drive in the UK though. Bit of a shame that it was so rotten as it might have lived on for a while - hope it brings you some profit as well as the entertainment it provided for us😊
Same here,5 of us squeezed in,no designated driver so it saw us to loads of off road boozers,all of us burnt TF as the canvas covers had long gone,oh how we larfed.
Not all all Japanese cars are rot boxes…..we have an 02 3 door rav4 in black….used every day for last 7 years….approx 110k….passed every mot, probably a future classic.
Definitely something to be said for the greenlaning pitch. They get mutated to all sorts of degrees, external roll cages, massive wheels and snorkels. There's even one I know of that's had a Cavalier 1.7TD engine fitted 🕺
I had a 2000 Suzuki Wagon R which I owned from 2010 to 2020. It had no rust at all which surprised me for its age. It did probably have an easy life with just one lady owner before me and judging by the thick wad of receipts, was pampered while she had it. Also it was low mileage, just 49,000 in its first 10 years.
Here in NZ a lot of these become farm runabouts then spend their final days blocking a hole in a hedge. Cow poo on an already rusted body means they develop big holes very quickly.
They are cheap to maintain but you need to be a shade-tree mechanic. Most mechanics have no clue how these things work unless they are old fella's that worked on land Rovers and old land cruisers. I took mine to a Jeep specialist and they had no clue what swivelpins are. After that I was full-time shade-tree mechanic and never looked back.
My 2005 exactly the same. Put on eBay for £750 pre pandemic. Too too cheap but anyways within hours a truck from Bradford turned up with the cash. Weeks later up for sale £4K.
Wonder how many viewers will get that "Little Boy" reference? I'm sure all the other Japanese brands are very grateful to Toyota, and Honda for creating this notion among the Public that all Japanese brands are excellent quality. As far as the Jimny goes, bit ironic that vehicles that shape and size are now wildly popular in America. Thing is, the Public here wants such vehicles to be car-based. Why have something like the Jimny that's actually capable of going off-road, when you can have something that simply looks as if it can.
I drive an 04' here in Canada and I get looks all the time, sometimes smirks, sometimes scowls, sometimes they walk into a pole gawking at it. Nobody has the faintest idea what it is save for a few Suzuki lovers. I've always liked Suzuki 4wd's despite what the public at large tends to think.
I recently decided I needed another wallet draining hobby so I got a 2005 grand vitara with all the off-road bits, what a load of fun that’s been for a cheap laugh Love watching the jimny and vitara off road
Jimnys do indeed rust for fun, but it's just not the case that Japanese cars all rust. I've done hundreds of thousands of miles in old Japanese cars without rust issues. My 18 year old Toyota, with 130,000 on the clock has lived outside all its life, and it has no significant rust underneath, and passed its MoT with no advisories a couple of weeks ago.
@@johntate5050 Yup. Had various Toyota's and Mitsubishi (road car, not a Shogun), no probs. As a rough rule of thumb I reckon Japanese off roaders don't cope well with Northern Europe but for the last 20 years road cars from Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi have all been fine. Other components do ok too - my ancient Avensis still has ice cold Aircon.
@@jonford6119 Mazda? they're notorious rust buckets. Mine was given the terminal rust news today. I'd quite like an old Avensis. I just don't want another rust bucket.
I had an especially good chuckle at this video! Great stuff. The Japanese Car lovers will be a bit butthurt over this one. In fairness, even though I don't drive one currently, I do love a good Toyota.
Good evening mat,I had one these years ago, in red it was great fun, I sold it for £2000 to a green laner who probably completely destroyed it..cheers Phil form Newark
Good video! I’m actually working through my rusty Jimny at the moment and it’s cost me £1000 to weld, MOT, battery, bulbs and brake hoses. I’m hoping to get a decent return on it, but there’s nothing left for it to rot, it’s mostly weld and sheet metal!
My lady has a 2002 Jimny. Great little car! Sure they rust, but when your sills are only about 3 feet long they're not going to be the biggest expense to repair. Hasn't failed an MOT yet. Just the odd couple of advisories each year, which we duly get put right. Far less issues than my 2006 Jag S Type R, I can tell you that much! We took a 2,000 mile road trip to Ireland in September and the little 1.3 petrol didn't miss a beat. Even got some pretty mucky green laning into the mix, on road tires. If you accept you may have to spend a few hundred £'s a year to keep one fully roadworthy then they'll just keep on going. If however, you decide to neglect those little rust repair jobs then it will of course come back to haunt you. But that's the same with almost any older vehicle. I've spent thousands on my Jag in the last 5 years. Far more than I paid for the car itself, and I get way less reliability and usability than we get from our little Jimny workhorse. The Jag goes fast (if it goes), the Jimny goes any and everywhere, every time!
Susuki auto division left the U.S. market several years ago due to poor sales. Long term quality may have been a contributory reason. My 8 year old Honda has no rust. I live in Minnesota where they use massive amounts of salt.
@@Pmjs again, any tall and narrow vehicle will flip and there's no shortage of them on the road is there? Sue the motorcycle manufacturers because you got a speed wobble..? Driver error who bought the vehicle in the first place and didn't understand it's capabilities and limitations.
I was going to buy one as a weekend car, a 1.3 and as dead as a door nail...a horrible drive.... bought a 2.4 petrol 2014 Grand Vitara instead, it's brilliant.
Farm vehicle, no cleaning or welding required…just another role of gaffer tape. Then chuck hay bales or feed in the back to take to whatever beasts are in the field. Your money back would be a result.
You're right about Chapel en le Frith. Remember trecking over from Barnsley in an Audi A3 I had working on a Lovell Homes site. Started snowing and took me about 4 hour to get home. Once I was back in Barnsley it was sunshine and blue skies 😂
A weimaraner is the grey almost bluish dog that appears in the New Order Blue Monday video. To the car. The Jimny is great fun to drive offroad, but not so fun on regular roads.
I actually came across this on eBay and thought I recognised the place it was taken looked at the seller and my mind clicked on someone will probably buy it for a offroader
Pre 2000 were best, 35cc there about less engine and cheaper tax.. post 2k were atrociously over taxed… mine did 95000 10 yrs old and got 25% of its value I paid back in trade in… I still miss it.. great cars.
Personally, I wouldn’t give Japanese slack for rust. As all cars rust in some way. It also depends where you live. If you live in Canada, those most likely rot to hell due to the snow and coldness. Where’s with like say some place always warm, might not. Even then, I’ve seen pictures of French, German, british having rust issues. These were old and modern examples.
Very entertains. My wife had one of these a few years prior to our meeting - loved it! Going even further back to 1979, a pal of mine turned.up at a party with the predecessor, which had a 648cc two stroke engine, I had a series III Land Rover at the time & we did a bit of green landing. I must admit, that althe thing sounded like a strummer, it wasn’t too bad off road. That was until he tried to follow me down a steep bit to a oriver crossing, for some reason he managed to w turn it on its side. No problem we just pulled it upright & off it went again. He also decided to hook up a trailer loaded with about a ton of sand & gravel in it - very embarrassing, he couldn’t use the high range, and a right hand turn at some traffic lights, saw us only about halfway across the intersection in fourth. Gear when the lights changed - they changed again before the trailer was half way across..😊
Previous owners been practicing bangernomics! Taped roof and DIY bumper cost nothing and they still sold it for a grand after running it to the ground!
You chose the model to avoid like the plague. The spanish built soft-tops with zero corrosion protection, poor paint application and a soft-top that funnels water into its important places tells you why there are so few of these left. Emmissions are probably a failing sensor. 3 spoke wheels are a nightmare to get to balance.
Loving the temporary attack of yobbishness at the end 😂 I had a little 04 kia picanto (my first ‘flip’) and it was so liberating driving that thing. Not worrying about damaging the clutch or anything…brilliant. Great video!
Great but sad video Matt, both for you and the car. You tried your best and offered it a chance. Sorry to hear that it didn't work out. Good lesson for us Japanophiles who believe that the answer to everything is non European- carwise. Thanks.
As a rule of thumb, if the rag top's been looked after so will the rest of the car 🤔
Matt sniffing the MOT definitely deserves a like
😂
It's more than I would have done!
Knowing it came from a mechanics workshop where you need a creeper to get under the humour level that brown splatter could be.. ahhmm.. anything.
licking it would deserve a subscribe 😄😄😄😄😄😄
Matt, I always look forward to watching your videos. I appreciate the honesty in your reviews. I wish you would upload more in a week but that’s asking a lot from a man who works all day everyday. I hope this channel grows and gets the success and recognition it deserves. Thank you sir for your great work!
Thanks for watching! 3 videos a week is about as much as I can manage
My mother had a soft top Jimny until fairly recently. It suffered from the notorious Jimny “death wobble” at around 45mph. Her partner did some research into it and discovered that the soft top versions, unlike the hard tops, were built in Spain, not Japan. They supposedly produced them with greater tolerances, hence the reason for the play in the steering.
That makes sense. My wife had on early 2000’s, never drove it until I had to use it to go to work one morning. The steering on the M25 woke me up.
@@ipadhome5549 yes, it’s quite scary when it happens. Even coming right off the throttle wouldn’t resolve it straight away. Not a nice feeling!
All Jimnys develop death wobble eventually, it's play in the king pin bearings. Standard thing to replace.
@@SkaffenUK the one I test drove wasn't old or had a big mileage....it would have shook the arms of you, it was shite🤣..... bought a 2014 2.4 petrol Grand Vitara, it's brilliant.
I read somewhere that the soft tops were indeed built in Spain to a much reduced quality and should be avoided at all costs. I guess buyers were deliberately left to assume they were going to get Japanese reliability - smacks a bit of fraud really.
To be fair, 17 years old is getting on a bit as far as rust is concerned, for example plenty of Mercs and Beemers of that vintage have rusty bodies. As for the emissions, a good code reader may well divulge a commonality between the various high readings. However there is little scope for profit if sold as a runner, as matt often demonstrates solid flip cars are somewhat of a rarity. It's why they get traded in, the owners already decided that fixing them up just isn't viable, either through a multitude of faults or a single major problem.
"Looks like the bumper was made in Spain too, using yesso" - nearly fell off my asiento with laughter. You're a funny guy Matt. 🤣🤣🤣
Gracias hombre
You can replace a bumper, but in Spain the cars don't rust !!
Loads of them over here in Tuscany. Ideal for rough country roads and you'd hardly believe where experienced drivers can get them to. Same with old Fiat Panda 4x4's and Susuki Vitaras.
Stayed at a hotel on Corsica that was on a cliff with a dirt road down the side of the cliff, and a watersports shack on the beach. The Hotel car was one of those Panda 4 by 4's for the run up and down the almost vertical beach road
I been in places with a Panda 4x4 that no men had been before
I seriously recognise and respect your positivity Matt facing utter piles of shit at times.
Got to stay upbeat
That rr he's in I mean 😂
Your mechanic must love you with some of the shit you bring him 😂
I do get some eye rolls
Matt's mechanic is clearly a man of great skill and perception.....which of course is a total necessity when it comes to polishing turds. That said, Matt has had some winners of late, but sadly I don't think this is one of them.
Bet his MIG quivered when it saw this rust-monster drive in shedding flakes everywhere. Then again the description on the MOT Fail is epic. A mousehole in the inner sill is not the end of the world for man with an angle grinder, lift and a good Mig with pulse. The "Box-section" will probably be a flat piece or with a 90fold at worst and easier to weld as it would start out thicker than bodywork. I wouldn;t give such a POS houseroom but if I were in the market, the fuel injection/ECU issues would give me more pause than some underneath rust problems. Welding steel isn't black magic, just dirty and often with accessability issues. Electronics on the other hand ...... need I say more?
Wife had one early 2000’s. Great car for the shops as she used to pull up Velcro on roof and put bags in the back. Drive that at 70mph on M25 and you’ll realise what scared feels like. Steering was shocking!
We had one of these in Skiathos last September. Brilliant off road, totally gutless on any slight incline. Distance between gears was about five minutes. The only advice we were given about the car was to make sure the roof wasn’t left open overnight - apparently cats like to use them as Airbnb’s (and toilets). We’ll be getting another one next year 😂👍
We've had a couple of Jimnys, our current one is the same age and about the same age, rust has never been a problem for us though the engine warning light is, every year or two it decides to come on for no obvious reason. Their flat paint doesn't age well either.
Suzukis are generally reliable especially with age, that's why they're beloved in developing countries.
Definitely a market for it as an off road play thing. Decent set of tyres, and it’s good to go. The more adventurous may jack the suspension, add a snorkel and maybe even a roll cage and it’ll be good to go
Farmers love them as an alternative to the John Deere Gators and their ilk.
Loads have been converted to flat beds - basics implements added....etc...👍👍
Very very good timing. I was toying with a Jimny for Dartmoor lanes and that has put me right off the ones at sensible prices. As my local bodyshop on Dartmoor, a mere 500 yards away, never ever gets back to me with a quote for work, I can't face having to sort out welding etc. Saved me a fortune,, thank you!
I've got an 06 Jimny Soft top, and its a brilliant little thing with the heart of a lion. At 06 I believe it to be one of the last soft tops available.
I had to have the death wobble sorted by our local Suzuki car dealer, and I put a new roof on it for about £500. Easy job, even for a mechanical 1/2 wit like myself. It has had some welding done around a seatbelt mount.. I'm 6'2" and 20 stone by the way, so I put it on rather than getting into it, but it is excellent.
You are 20 "stones" ??!
Something about these I love
@@onLYbyMyeah he could be I maybe how much do you weigh
I gave this video a 'like' at the intro, because I knew it was going to be a good one. Keep those cheap car videos coming, they're great fun.
Thanks!
Yes. High Peak back to form with a car that needs more work than the titanic. Feels like being reunited with an old friend
I have had 3 Suzuki's, my current a 2022 Ignis all of which came or come with a 12 year rust guarantee.I have had no repairs made on any of the 3 cars,and that includes the fact that in winter here in Denmark a large amount of salt is used on the roads.
The Ignis is amazingly reliable?!
I ran one for ten years with ZERO faults.......!!!
Speaking of three spoke wheels. The only manufacturer that made the best-looking ones were Saab. Though, I vividly remember them on the original Range Rover (Classic); Vauxhall Nova and Corsa (in sportier guises); SMART Roadster, Ford Probe, and the Dodge Viper.
The Saab 900 Turbo was the only one that looked wrong and worse if it didn't have them.
Its good to see that you are now testing cars that fit better with your character.
I’m on my second one, I absolutely love it. My second one is auto JLX with 30,000 on a 56 plate
Love the Jimny I bought new one in 2017, should kept it but it's worth more now than I paid for it, madness.
Yes that would’ve been the thing to do
the new model? Was that out in 2017? My god where does time go?
I lived in Trinidad for a few years and these were quite popular. Slow and noisy is how I remember them but excellent little offroaders.
Slow but good fuel mileage, compromise.
I’m very glad you’ve acknowledged Japanese rust (and interior quality) because so many people focus on the mechanical reliability of Jap stuff but don’t realise how shyte the original construction was. Note to Japan: the UK can’t accept your motors because we Salt our roads and we can’t be arsed to go about cleaning and protecting your chassis.
Japs are not to blame for this, in the continent they last forever !
Lol you salting your roads is not their fault they would outlive almost any crap made in usa or Europe
An underseal every few years keeps any (not just Japanese) car mint, they don't really rust any worse than Ford, VW, BMW or Mercedes in my experience. All comes down to how a car is cared for
You have found the ideal shooting rig, take the top off, deck it out with lights, gun rests etc, no need for MOT, mirror or bumper repair.
Nineteen minutes and nine seconds of smiling. Keep up the good work. 🙂
Thanks!
Rented one exactly like that on holiday in Corfu and loved it. They probably rust a bit less in Corfu I'm guessing 😁
@offroadguy7772 thanks!
Lets run a check on it One previous carefree owner called seaman stains who used it for dogging. Lots of sticky tissue paperwork and owner having been fulled serviced . Fluids topped up on a regular basis but there is a history of some bumping and grinding . Gear knob shows extensive wear due to being yanked a lot and pulled to one side. Good all round vision through windows for viewing and can easily take two in the front and three in the rear. Previous owner sold due to being piston and broke
BRAVO 🤣
Don’t be hating on Japanese cars and Suzuki because of that rot box Matt. Here ( southern hemisphere ) we get made in Japan models cheaper than in England and they dont rot .Japanese reliability is a real thing. My swift sport is a great drive albeit without the finish so many people seem to want.
Love the videos mate, please keep up the cheap car buys - they’re the best part of the channel 👍🏼
Looking at the old Jimny you can certainly tell the Suzuki design team has modernised drastically! Great video mate, can wait for the next! 😃
The 3rd Gen is best, the 4th gen's have a wind buffeting issue because of the squared off lines.
This generation slips the wind better.
And I like the late 90's styling over the new flimsy looking stuff.
@@jessebrown1400 Fair enough, I appreciate your response!
@@jessebrown1400 not something I've noticed with my Gen4, not seen any other owners mention it either?
@@SkaffenUKMatt Watson on CarU specifically mentioned this issue with his gen 4 in comparison to the gen 3.
you should always check a jimny behind the headlights especially, they acumelate water behind the headlights on top of the body mounts with no way to go so its a prime spot for rust. beside that the boot is also a prime spot for rust due to the jack vibrating ontop of the metal, i do own a 2007 jimny SE my self :) great little car.
Made up to see this little warrior for sale on the high peak autos website! You deserve the asking price for the honesty and complete comedy of the listing 😂
Neighbour has one in full black with snorkel, it's awesome. Definitely like to see this in the hands of someone who'll get some more like out of it.
Got one of these, 12 years old and still totally reliable. Do treat the underside every year
That’s the key
@Lord Rupert Knob agreed, buffing with flap disc and then coating in LINE-X would be my first choice.
Get the emissions tested at your local VW dealer, I’m sure it will pass
😂
Lmaooo
I had a Jimny as a loan car. (I'd previously been given a Suzuki Liana ...😳)
Loved it's Tonka truck looks - hated the roadholding.
Incidentally for years I thought the model name was
'Jimmy ' (as in Osmond - oh that ages me !)
Rented a Jimny whilst on holiday on a greek island many years back and it was great fun for the sort of roads out there - wouldn't want one to drive in the UK though. Bit of a shame that it was so rotten as it might have lived on for a while - hope it brings you some profit as well as the entertainment it provided for us😊
Same here,5 of us squeezed in,no designated driver so it saw us to loads of off road boozers,all of us burnt TF as the canvas covers had long gone,oh how we larfed.
Not all all Japanese cars are rot boxes…..we have an 02 3 door rav4 in black….used every day for last 7 years….approx 110k….passed every mot, probably a future classic.
First time I came across a Jimny it was Wheeler Dealers and they bought one thinking it could be fixed - it couldn't.
Definitely something to be said for the greenlaning pitch. They get mutated to all sorts of degrees, external roll cages, massive wheels and snorkels. There's even one I know of that's had a Cavalier 1.7TD engine fitted 🕺
I have to correct you there, SAAB made a few great sets of 3 spoke wheels
Hmm I disagree. None look right
@@HighPeakAutos a misguided reply. SAAB 93 aero wheels were alright
@@1979jasonr 😂 ok I’ll keep my opinion to myself
The saab 3 spoke on the 9-3/ 9-5 ,were actually a 6 spoke .
My jimny had OZ 5 spoke alloys rare I think as only see two others with them..
Just seen your advert - worthy of the Bard 😂. Oh and only decent 3 spoke wheel, the Saab 900 Turbo of late 80’s, early 90’s.
I had a 2000 Suzuki Wagon R which I owned from 2010 to 2020. It had no rust at all which surprised me for its age. It did probably have an easy life with just one lady owner before me and judging by the thick wad of receipts, was pampered while she had it. Also it was low mileage, just 49,000 in its first 10 years.
My family used to go on holiday in Cyprus occasionally, and we always got a convertible Suzuki jeep as a hire car.
Hi Matt, I am a disabled person who likes watching your videos! I am watching your video on the Germany, and I think you should throw it in the bin!
Honest enough and for sale in trader next day...can't really argue
I love the intro music to this, just know something good is going to happen......
Made in spain with crap local steel , had a navara that rotted in the same way also made (badly) in spain
“It’s just a pity that I bought what I thought was quite a rare Suzuki Jimny because it had no roof, it turns out it’s got no chassis either” 😂
Here in NZ a lot of these become farm runabouts then spend their final days blocking a hole in a hedge. Cow poo on an already rusted body means they develop big holes very quickly.
You have forgotten the Saab 900 turbo had 3 spoke alloys which looked good, so maybe the only car which did
Well Matt, this was good entertainment value that I would give a 7 !!! Keep the super work up 👍🏼
Thanks
These videos, this channel, are just THE BEST! 👍
Thanks! I appreciate it
One of my friends has one of these. Absolutely loves it. Spent a fortune keeping it going
They are cheap to maintain but you need to be a shade-tree mechanic.
Most mechanics have no clue how these things work unless they are old fella's that worked on land Rovers and old land cruisers.
I took mine to a Jeep specialist and they had no clue what swivelpins are.
After that I was full-time shade-tree mechanic and never looked back.
My 2005 exactly the same. Put on eBay for £750 pre pandemic. Too too cheap but anyways within hours a truck from Bradford turned up with the cash. Weeks later up for sale £4K.
Wonder how many viewers will get that "Little Boy" reference?
I'm sure all the other Japanese brands are very grateful to Toyota, and Honda for creating this notion among the Public that all Japanese brands are excellent quality. As far as the Jimny goes, bit ironic that vehicles that shape and size are now wildly popular in America. Thing is, the Public here wants such vehicles to be car-based. Why have something like the Jimny that's actually capable of going off-road, when you can have something that simply looks as if it can.
I drive an 04' here in Canada and I get looks all the time, sometimes smirks, sometimes scowls, sometimes they walk into a pole gawking at it.
Nobody has the faintest idea what it is save for a few Suzuki lovers.
I've always liked Suzuki 4wd's despite what the public at large tends to think.
I recently decided I needed another wallet draining hobby so I got a 2005 grand vitara with all the off-road bits, what a load of fun that’s been for a cheap laugh
Love watching the jimny and vitara off road
Jimnys are cool as heck
Jimnys do indeed rust for fun, but it's just not the case that Japanese cars all rust. I've done hundreds of thousands of miles in old Japanese cars without rust issues. My 18 year old Toyota, with 130,000 on the clock has lived outside all its life, and it has no significant rust underneath, and passed its MoT with no advisories a couple of weeks ago.
I worked for Suzuki....they all rot.
Are you in the UK?
18 years 130000 miles not like it was used much 😂
@@johntate5050 Yup. Had various Toyota's and Mitsubishi (road car, not a Shogun), no probs. As a rough rule of thumb I reckon Japanese off roaders don't cope well with Northern Europe but for the last 20 years road cars from Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi have all been fine. Other components do ok too - my ancient Avensis still has ice cold Aircon.
@@jonford6119 Mazda? they're notorious rust buckets. Mine was given the terminal rust news today. I'd quite like an old Avensis. I just don't want another rust bucket.
That's one car I'll never be buying, thanks for the honest revue
I had an especially good chuckle at this video! Great stuff. The Japanese Car lovers will be a bit butthurt over this one. In fairness, even though I don't drive one currently, I do love a good Toyota.
Think I’m right in saying All the convertibles were made in Spain because originally they were intended for the Spanish holiday car rental companies
A ton of funny metaphors in this one. Great job.!
Best of luck with this one Matt
Good evening mat,I had one these years ago, in red it was great fun, I sold it for £2000 to a green laner who probably completely destroyed it..cheers Phil form Newark
Good video! I’m actually working through my rusty Jimny at the moment and it’s cost me £1000 to weld, MOT, battery, bulbs and brake hoses. I’m hoping to get a decent return on it, but there’s nothing left for it to rot, it’s mostly weld and sheet metal!
Due to the cost of living crisis it still might a cheaper option than a traditional Turkey this year….. 😂😂 Love the reviews Matt 👍
My lady has a 2002 Jimny. Great little car! Sure they rust, but when your sills are only about 3 feet long they're not going to be the biggest expense to repair. Hasn't failed an MOT yet. Just the odd couple of advisories each year, which we duly get put right. Far less issues than my 2006 Jag S Type R, I can tell you that much! We took a 2,000 mile road trip to Ireland in September and the little 1.3 petrol didn't miss a beat. Even got some pretty mucky green laning into the mix, on road tires. If you accept you may have to spend a few hundred £'s a year to keep one fully roadworthy then they'll just keep on going. If however, you decide to neglect those little rust repair jobs then it will of course come back to haunt you. But that's the same with almost any older vehicle. I've spent thousands on my Jag in the last 5 years. Far more than I paid for the car itself, and I get way less reliability and usability than we get from our little Jimny workhorse. The Jag goes fast (if it goes), the Jimny goes any and everywhere, every time!
M'lady? I thought she had a pink Rolls Royce?
@@johntate5050 I don't like calling her "The missus" 🤣
Especially as we're only engaged to be married at this point
I checked the boot floor of one of these to see if it was worth buying and there was no boot floor !.
Pair of second bumpers, pair of pattern sills and an aftermarket radio and that’d be good to go and probably £2500+ in winter / spring
“Bag of sand” took me a little long 😄
Susuki auto division left the U.S. market several years ago due to poor sales. Long term quality may have been a contributory reason. My 8 year old Honda has no rust. I live in Minnesota where they use massive amounts of salt.
Didn’t the Jimmy have a bad name here because they rolled over easily back then?
They left because consumer reports fixed a road test and lied about the car being prone to rollovers.
I remember the Suzuki SJ410 Samurai in the 80s news as in the UK they were involved in a series of rollovers&2 people were killed.
@@Pmjs again, any tall and narrow vehicle will flip and there's no shortage of them on the road is there?
Sue the motorcycle manufacturers because you got a speed wobble..?
Driver error who bought the vehicle in the first place and didn't understand it's capabilities and limitations.
I've only ever driven 2 SUVs a Vauxhall Frontera 2.2CDTI and a SEAT Ateca 2.0TDI FR Sport.
I was going to buy one as a weekend car, a 1.3 and as dead as a door nail...a horrible drive.... bought a 2.4 petrol 2014 Grand Vitara instead, it's brilliant.
Oooh... that front bumper! Craftsmanship, at its best! 🤣
Farm vehicle, no cleaning or welding required…just another role of gaffer tape. Then chuck hay bales or feed in the back to take to whatever beasts are in the field.
Your money back would be a result.
I have been watching your channel for a while now and I am really enjoying the content you make. Looking forward to your next video.
Thanks
Green lanes are public highways, so require a road legal vehicle, including MOT.
Off road courses are different
Due... Never sniff strange spots!!!! Had a Jimny as the winter hack. Great fun in the snow.... But it hated the beach in summer, No Likey sea water!
You're right about Chapel en le Frith. Remember trecking over from Barnsley in an Audi A3 I had working on a Lovell Homes site. Started snowing and took me about 4 hour to get home. Once I was back in Barnsley it was sunshine and blue skies 😂
Haha always the first to see snow
@@HighPeakAutos aye, never thought I'd be saying it but made me happy to get back to Costa del Barnsley 😎
I think I can trace my herniated disk back to driving one of these as a rental on gravel roads in Crete.
😂
🤣
A weimaraner is the grey almost bluish dog that appears in the New Order Blue Monday video. To the car. The Jimny is great fun to drive offroad, but not so fun on regular roads.
I actually came across this on eBay and thought I recognised the place it was taken looked at the seller and my mind clicked on someone will probably buy it for a offroader
Haha that was entertaining! Good to see a different side to you enjoying the simpler things too
Always liked the Viper 3-spoke design but it's very 90's.
It's badass, tri-union
Pre 2000 were best, 35cc there about less engine and cheaper tax.. post 2k were atrociously over taxed… mine did 95000 10 yrs old and got 25% of its value I paid back in trade in… I still miss it.. great cars.
Personally, I wouldn’t give Japanese slack for rust. As all cars rust in some way. It also depends where you live. If you live in Canada, those most likely rot to hell due to the snow and coldness. Where’s with like say some place always warm, might not. Even then, I’ve seen pictures of French, German, british having rust issues. These were old and modern examples.
Very entertains. My wife had one of these a few years prior to our meeting - loved it! Going even further back to 1979, a pal of mine turned.up at a party with the predecessor, which had a 648cc two stroke engine, I had a series III Land Rover at the time & we did a bit of green landing. I must admit, that althe thing sounded like a strummer, it wasn’t too bad off road. That was until he tried to follow me down a steep bit to a oriver crossing, for some reason he managed to w turn it on its side. No problem we just pulled it upright & off it went again. He also decided to hook up a trailer loaded with about a ton of sand & gravel in it - very embarrassing, he couldn’t use the high range, and a right hand turn at some traffic lights, saw us only about halfway across the intersection in fourth. Gear when the lights changed - they changed again before the trailer was half way across..😊
Never heard of a Weimaraner? You can't be on my quiz team.
The Jacuzzi Shimmy, the only thing that can improve this heap is an anti tank missile
The convertibles are made in Spain and have a bad reputation for rust.
Previous owners been practicing bangernomics! Taped roof and DIY bumper cost nothing and they still sold it for a grand after running it to the ground!
Yes exactly
You know what this car needs Matt a nice can of super unleaded and a match and don't forget the sausages and a stick to poke the sausage with.
You chose the model to avoid like the plague. The spanish built soft-tops with zero corrosion protection, poor paint application and a soft-top that funnels water into its important places tells you why there are so few of these left. Emmissions are probably a failing sensor. 3 spoke wheels are a nightmare to get to balance.
Little boy 😮 someone stuck in when he was at school 👏
Loving the temporary attack of yobbishness at the end 😂
I had a little 04 kia picanto (my first ‘flip’) and it was so liberating driving that thing. Not worrying about damaging the clutch or anything…brilliant. Great video!
Forget the clutch that's worth like £60, the synchros are what you don't want to damage.
Have to start double clutching lol that would get very old very quickly
@@danecowan678 yes and you would blow through that cable stabbing it all the time to make shifts and keep up with traffic.
Great but sad video Matt, both for you and the car. You tried your best and offered it a chance. Sorry to hear that it didn't work out. Good lesson for us Japanophiles who believe that the answer to everything is non European- carwise. Thanks.
Great stuff 🙏🙏
I think this is the first car on the channel you've bought that doesn't "just needs a good buff" to fix 🥺