Thinking about a cheap Jimny. Tips?
Discussion
…. or tell me why I shouldn't!?
Not for much off-road at all, just a possibility instead of a 'normal' car for a cheap runaround.
I've always fancied having one, but not previously been a good idea due to significant mileage for work etc.
Wife thinks I'll look silly in it - I'm 6'4". Not sure that should stop me.
Not for much off-road at all, just a possibility instead of a 'normal' car for a cheap runaround.
I've always fancied having one, but not previously been a good idea due to significant mileage for work etc.
Wife thinks I'll look silly in it - I'm 6'4". Not sure that should stop me.
I’ve had a couple for green laning (I’ve led groups over Salisbury plain etc)
Had a 12 year old one was pretty clean
Purchase an identical 7 year old one from Yorkshire nhs without viewing, whilst it looked good it was pretty shabby underneath compared to its older colleague - still nothing the mot man worried about
They both excelled off road and at paynand play sites
The only mod I did was some second hand mud tyres
Was an excellent spare car to have around for when it snowed, flooded other cars playing up
If I had the time I’d still have one now ( new baby)
Once the newer ones become cheap enough I shall hopefully treat my wife to one, but no off roading
Keep your eyes on gumtree, often flogged by girls after a simple MOT fail
Had a 12 year old one was pretty clean
Purchase an identical 7 year old one from Yorkshire nhs without viewing, whilst it looked good it was pretty shabby underneath compared to its older colleague - still nothing the mot man worried about
They both excelled off road and at paynand play sites
The only mod I did was some second hand mud tyres
Was an excellent spare car to have around for when it snowed, flooded other cars playing up
If I had the time I’d still have one now ( new baby)
Once the newer ones become cheap enough I shall hopefully treat my wife to one, but no off roading
Keep your eyes on gumtree, often flogged by girls after a simple MOT fail
Test driver said:
Pathetic gutless engines, too small inside and crap interior. Jeep Grand Cherokee, shogun or LR discovery all better options.
Really? depends what you want it for. The Jimmy is a very capable vehicle and will go anywhere my Defender goes except for a more spirited technique.
300bhp/ton said:
Test driver said:
Pathetic gutless engines, too small inside and crap interior. Jeep Grand Cherokee, shogun or LR discovery all better options.
That's rather missing the point tbh.....The OP has stated they're after something as a cheap runabout and whilst they've quite fancied one previously, it had been discounted due to significant mileage requirements.
IMO - Whilst the Jimny is indeed small and 'gutless' compared to the GC or Disco, it does make a cracking little, cheap, runabout. Which is precisely what the OP is after.
M
Test driver said:
Pathetic gutless engines, too small inside and crap interior. Jeep Grand Cherokee, shogun or LR discovery all better options.
100% Agree.Not quite sure why they have such a following, woefully slow and genuinely struggle on hills.
So many better options as said above.
The Jeep Cherokee for instance is better in every way and not much bigger.
Timbuktu said:
Test driver said:
Pathetic gutless engines, too small inside and crap interior. Jeep Grand Cherokee, shogun or LR discovery all better options.
100% Agree.Not quite sure why they have such a following, woefully slow and genuinely struggle on hills.
So many better options as said above.
The Jeep Cherokee for instance is better in every way and not much bigger.
And there is pretty much nothing that compares. The Cherokee is cool (have owned one), but that is a bit like saying an Impreza STi is a direct alternative to a Caterham.
Walter Sobchak said:
I've always quite liked these and the Shogun Pinins too, do Jimnys have permenant AWD on road or are they 2WD and only 4WD when off road-basically do they have a centre diff?.
The Pinins look quite cool, but tbh are more akin to a Vitara or Gen 1 Rav 4 in terms of design and off road ability. The Jimny is a league apart and quite different.The Jimny has no centre diff, it is RWD in high range with the option of 4wd and 4wd low. So on the road it'll be rwd unless it's snowy out when you can use 4wd high. The Vitara's are the same and I 'think' the Pinnin. The Rav 4 is unique in having a centre diff that is lockable. But on Jap 4x4's this has mostly been a rare thing up until recently.
300bhp/ton said:
The Pinins look quite cool, but tbh are more akin to a Vitara or Gen 1 Rav 4 in terms of design and off road ability. The Jimny is a league apart and quite different.
The Jimny has no centre diff, it is RWD in high range with the option of 4wd and 4wd low. So on the road it'll be rwd unless it's snowy out when you can use 4wd high. The Vitara's are the same and I 'think' the Pinnin. The Rav 4 is unique in having a centre diff that is lockable. But on Jap 4x4's this has mostly been a rare thing up until recently.
Thanks for clearing that up as wasn’t sure on the Jimnys, some of the Shogun Pinins do actually have the proper Mitsubishi super select system with the centre diff so you get 2H,4H,4HLC and 4LLC and some of them are just permanent AWD.The Jimny has no centre diff, it is RWD in high range with the option of 4wd and 4wd low. So on the road it'll be rwd unless it's snowy out when you can use 4wd high. The Vitara's are the same and I 'think' the Pinnin. The Rav 4 is unique in having a centre diff that is lockable. But on Jap 4x4's this has mostly been a rare thing up until recently.
I quite fancy getting a SWB proper Shogun either a mk2 or mk3 as a winter hack there arnt many of them about unfortunately!.
Walter Sobchak said:
Thanks for clearing that up as wasn’t sure on the Jimnys, some of the Shogun Pinins do actually have the proper Mitsubishi super select system with the centre diff so you get 2H,4H,4HLC and 4LLC and some of them are just permanent AWD.
I quite fancy getting a SWB proper Shogun either a mk2 or mk3 as a winter hack there arnt many of them about unfortunately!.
The Mk2 Shoguns are very thin on the ground. I think that sadly, most have rotted away. Good capable machines, IFS front and live rear. Not quite a match for a Defender off road, but good all round.I quite fancy getting a SWB proper Shogun either a mk2 or mk3 as a winter hack there arnt many of them about unfortunately!.
The Gen 3 Shoguns I personally love the styling of. The SWB is pretty large though, has the same wheelbase as a classic Range Rover, Disco 1 or Disco 2. Although slightly shorter overall.
I believe the diesels have issues with rusting fuel lines which destroys the injection pump and costs something crazy like £2000-3000 to sort. Definitely worth a read up if you are interested.
The 3 Gen's are also fully independent suspension front and rear. This should make them more compliant on the road and more comfortable at speed on rough terrain. But does limit their off road ability on difficult terrain. Lots of examples of this on YouTube. Sadly they have no traction control and not traction aides likes diff locks. The coil independent suspension makes them very prone to lifting wheels and becoming cross axled. Good for laning, but not a Pay & Play type of vehicle.
300bhp/ton said:
The Mk2 Shoguns are very thin on the ground. I think that sadly, most have rotted away. Good capable machines, IFS front and live rear. Not quite a match for a Defender off road, but good all round.
The Gen 3 Shoguns I personally love the styling of. The SWB is pretty large though, has the same wheelbase as a classic Range Rover, Disco 1 or Disco 2. Although slightly shorter overall.
I believe the diesels have issues with rusting fuel lines which destroys the injection pump and costs something crazy like £2000-3000 to sort. Definitely worth a read up if you are interested.
The 3 Gen's are also fully independent suspension front and rear. This should make them more compliant on the road and more comfortable at speed on rough terrain. But does limit their off road ability on difficult terrain. Lots of examples of this on YouTube. Sadly they have no traction control and not traction aides likes diff locks. The coil independent suspension makes them very prone to lifting wheels and becoming cross axled. Good for laning, but not a Pay & Play type of vehicle.
I had a mk3 lwb Shogun a while back and quite liked it, it did have traction control iirc but don’t hold me to it, only real complaints with it were, it was quite thirsty and a bit more noisy compared to the 120 series Landcruiser 3 litre D4D I had, overall though I’d say that while the Landcruiser is slightly better built there’s not much in it and the Shoguns are a lot cheaper to buy in the first place, you’re right about the fuel pumps being an issue on them though, a very common one unfortunately, off road I can’t really compare them as I didn’t really off road the Shogun and did the Toyota quite a bit.The Gen 3 Shoguns I personally love the styling of. The SWB is pretty large though, has the same wheelbase as a classic Range Rover, Disco 1 or Disco 2. Although slightly shorter overall.
I believe the diesels have issues with rusting fuel lines which destroys the injection pump and costs something crazy like £2000-3000 to sort. Definitely worth a read up if you are interested.
The 3 Gen's are also fully independent suspension front and rear. This should make them more compliant on the road and more comfortable at speed on rough terrain. But does limit their off road ability on difficult terrain. Lots of examples of this on YouTube. Sadly they have no traction control and not traction aides likes diff locks. The coil independent suspension makes them very prone to lifting wheels and becoming cross axled. Good for laning, but not a Pay & Play type of vehicle.
I’ve not got a 4x4 at the moment, currently running an Audi A5-although to be fair it is a Quattro!. I know I’ve had issues with the reliability of them but seeing how cheap an early one can be had for now I might take a punt on a L322 TD6, preferably in a undesirable colour in HSE trim, if anything expensive goes then off it goes to the scrap yard or spares on eBay.
Timbuktu said:
Test driver said:
Pathetic gutless engines, too small inside and crap interior. Jeep Grand Cherokee, shogun or LR discovery all better options.
100% Agree.Not quite sure why they have such a following, woefully slow and genuinely struggle on hills.
So many better options as said above.
The Jeep Cherokee for instance is better in every way and not much bigger.
Test driver said:
Timbuktu said:
Test driver said:
Pathetic gutless engines, too small inside and crap interior. Jeep Grand Cherokee, shogun or LR discovery all better options.
100% Agree.Not quite sure why they have such a following, woefully slow and genuinely struggle on hills.
So many better options as said above.
The Jeep Cherokee for instance is better in every way and not much bigger.
300bhp/ton said:
Can't believe you've been in one.
Wrong. I've had one as a rental on a number of occasions and used it extensively on and off road so I feel entitled to an opinion thanks.300bhp/ton said:
They run as well or better than a Tdi 90
Is that meant to be a compliment?300bhp/ton said:
And there is pretty much nothing that compares. The Cherokee is cool (have owned one), but that is a bit like saying an Impreza STi is a direct alternative to a Caterham.
Right - comparing two small 4x4s is like comparing an Impreza and a Caterham. Which one is the Jimny, the Impreza or the Caterham?300bhp/ton said:
Again, still completely missing the point
If the point is that you want a slow, gutless, bad handling vehicle with no space inside then I'm very happy it miss it.There are many better alternatives and I'm just trying to counter all the replies that will be in favour of these horrible little vehicles.
But I suppose it's like a Defender. It has a big following and woe betide anyone who dares to talk badly of it.
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