For years, the Suzuki Samurai was a cheap, off-road beater that was used for as long as its notoriously vulnerable body panels held together. Now, it’s become an actual collector’s item, snatched up from estate sales and local auctions from sellers who are seemingly unaware there are buyers out there who will pay real money for one. This Samurai is listed here on eBay with bids to just under $10,000 and the reserve unmet.
A few months ago, I made some mild overtures at pursuing an auction for a non-running but rust-free Samurai. I had budgeted $800 for the purchase so consider me shocked when bidding climbed past that number in short order. It seemed like the world had caught on to how special these compact off-roaders are, in addition to just being cool as heck as many niche vehicles from the 1980s are becoming. This one looks extra sharp with its preserved body decals and fresh spare tire cover.
Wow – the interior is far nicer than it should be for a truck that has close to 90,000 miles on the clock. Not only that, these were not exactly built to the likes of a Mercedes-Benz W123 inside, which is quite literally bomb-proof. Samurais were far more capable off-road than they should have been, but that doesn’t mean they escaped the typical pitfalls of 1980s Japanese build quality. This truck has clearly been loved based on what we can see in the photos.
The 1.3 liter, four-cylinder engine benefits from simplicity and cheap parts, so owning one generally is an affordable experience provided it’s not suffering from years’ worth neglect. The seller doesn’t tell us much about its maintenance history, but given it’s been with the same caretaker since 2005, it’s reasonable to assume that someone loved it enough to keep it in tip-top shape. Will this Samurai clear $10K? From what I’ve seen lately, it’s practically a given.
I own a 1987 Sami and paid 9,000 for it and have been offered 19,000. It’s a very clean example of a tin top unmolested. It’s a blast to drive and gets a to. Of looks. This example will race beyond 18,000 easy.
I guess prices for anything these days is just high, goes along with everything else and inflation. I had the Geo Tracker variation of this, but they’re basically the same thing. What I will say is that they are nearly indestructible, and will go through almost any weather or terrain thrown at it. The 1.3 Suzuki engine is bulletproof, with a perfect power & weight combo for the chassis. Unfortunately the two pictured are now long gone, but not forgotten.
No they are not,Sammie’s have solid front axle
Blows my mind how much a clean Sammy goes for these days. I had one in high school and had so much fun in it. Bought another rusty one several years later as a winter beater for a couple hundred bucks. I’d love another one but, man, I just can’t stomach the cost. It’s so hard to find one that isn’t either rusted out, beat to hell, or rednecked into a monster truck. Rarity + desirability = $$$, and these things are in the sweet spot right now.
Still cheaper than a name brand side by side and some 4 wheelers.
Look at the canadian prices and come buy the here , your money is worth 30% more and the selling prices are lower than yours
Yikes! I have a ’98 Tracker white convertible with 20K miles on it. It’s just sitting in my back yard for a couple eyars now. AZ car (truck?) from new and still looks new. I had no idea they were worth more than $1500.
Trackers fetch at least 10,000. It’s a keeper.
I had a Tracker, bought as a fixer upper. Had broken the timing chain or belt, whichever it had, guy tried to fix it himself and couldn’t get it timed. Gave nearly nothing for it, found out how to time it online, put it back together and it ran like a top….when it ran. Had a crazy electrical problem, it would just quit firing. I suspect he knew this when he sold it to me, tried to fix the timing and screwed it up farther. I checked connections, replaced parts, finally gave up. Sold it on eBay as a parts car for twice what I gave for. Kid that bought it said he and his Dad had 10 of them! They rented them out to visiting hunters. Don’t know if he ever got it straightened out or not. I was happy with the $600 I got for it, looks like I should have held onto it a while longer!
Insane money lol. They were 10k new if i recall. Love em. Trackers and Sidekicks too. Outdoorsman favorites. 🦌 ⛺️ 🎣
Aren’t trackers a completely different suspension set up than the samuri? Like a very limited coil spring and control arm design? Versus the samuri with leaf spring front and back simalar to the cj7s etc. Very easy to modify for improved off road capability. Had a friend who tried to make a tracker into an off roader and short of cutting the fenders and quarters off even putting a set of 31s on it was not possible. Tho a very capable 4×4 in stock form with some decent tires it was no rock crawler or mud bogger
Question is, can I LS this damn thing?
yep
Well, it’s twin is a Chevy Tracker and the LS is a Chevy motor, so why not ;-)
Base price of a new Samurai was around 6k and change. They usually sold around 6 all in with dealer discounts. We took on a Suzuki franchise in the 80s at the Pontiac dealer and these things sold like hotcakes in Philly.
I did new car prep and these came into the dealership with cardboard roofs. Any roof at all was a dealer installed option, along with AC. I definitely saw the appeal. I had ample opportunity to buy one at cost, but I opted for a used cj-7 instead.
I looked it up and $6k is about $17k in todays dollars. Could you imagine trying to buy something like this today for $17k? Anyway, now that I’m around the point where buying one sounds fun, they’ve turned the corner into collectible.
I’ve got a 91 that I paid 6k for in BC..Its a pristine little buggy. I run 235 tires on it and go everywhere. it’s fairly un modified other than shocks and an alum. rad. problem free with 28 k original miles. summer use only. I’ve been offered 15k by RV guys. no rust..black paint job still nice. looking for some more comfy seats. I wouldn’t sell..I would just regret it. I’ve been offered some interesting trades but its such a great little buggy for summertime fun. 1.3L. 5 speed FI..can’t beat reliability.
gota geo tracer 1.6 same era we just turboed. Justa show piece fora friend. 35K mi, up from Fla. Same top’n condition. i’d say 3.5 – 4 on the standard 5 scale. Now I know how much it is worth (may B, still not actual VALUE).
Have seen these from stock to wild, a ton of aftermarket parts for the old Samy’s still out there. Paid a friend $300 for my first, missing parts, not running. And so “DIRT CHEAP” was frankenbuilt with a 82ish yota 3TC/5 speed. At the time I also got 2 more Zuks for parts 1 of which my wife fell in love with after driving. The other was a tin top that was stripped of interior not running. Hard times and both dirt cheap and the tin top are long gone. The wife’s old Sami is stock, a battery and some gas and it could probably be coaxed to hit 55 mph (downhill with a tailwind) after sitting for a while but I think we’ll hang on to it.
Had one. No complaints other than it sure needed another gear at 55!