98 vitara, im thinking about getting one, want info

[cooo]

hey guys, im going to be needing a rig soon and am pretty keen on a 2 door hardtop vitara, im keen for one of this vintage because of the 2 litre motor because i need this vehicle to be pretty good on road as well. ive been doing a bit of research about them, but am having a bit of trouble because theyre known by about a million different names, i discovered tonight that they have vacuum operated front hubs, i was wondering are these problematic? will i need to swap them for manual ones? easy job? in general how do you guys consider this car? i used to own a sierra 1.3 which was awsome off road but uncomfy/too slow for drving anywhere on the road, so am hoping to get a bit of both worlds with this vitara. i wont be doing it up much at all, maybe some bigger tyres and a slight lift to accomodate them and thats prob about it.

It will be used as my primary vehicle and lots of trips drving in the bush/ mud and a little bit of snow. no rock crawling or anything

how much slower are the 1.6 litre ones? i really want efi though not sure how many of the 1.6 litre ones are efi? also the newer one with the 2 litre motor has 4 wheel disc brakes and the 1.6 ones dont? is this correct?

sorry for the convoluted post

thanks for any help/ info

[atari4x4]

i'd be looking at one of these instead...

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/phpBB2/ftopic162392.php

[cooo]

thats exactly what i was thinking of. thats a cool buildup thread. thanks.

[cooo]

are their parts interchangeable with earlier swb vitaras? ie suspension?

[Gwagensteve]

2.0 litre vitaras do not have 4 wheel disk brakes. All drum rear I'm afraid. Even XL-7's are drum rear.

There's fewer interchangeable parts than you might think between the 1.6 and 2.0.

Front and rear diff centres are swappable. Axles aren't, nor are axlehousings- 2.0litres have wider track width.

The chassis are different widths.

Springs, shocks, control arms, struts are interchangeable. Front A arms are different, but are interchageable - the ball joints are removable on 1.6, not on 2.0. Important if you are planning aftermarket A arms (Calmini)

Steve.

[Goatse.AJ]

Personally, if you can afford it and you can get hold of one, I'd recommend a LWB Vit. Most of the bits are the same, and you'll find it sooo much better for the type of driving you mention. HEAPS better if you're camping alot.

[6thgear]

my 1.6 did fine both on the highway, bush and beach. unfortunately didnt get the chance to bring it to the snows, would have loved to though.

for the price definitely cant go wrong.

depends if you get bigger wheels/how much weight your carrying etc. i had 29" all terrain rubbers on mine and it was fine in 4wd mode.

[cooo]

im bringing my thread back. ive been looking abit at the 4 door ones as suggested, probably be a better option, a bit more practical. are all the 2 litre 4 door vits v6? do the v6 share the same diffs? ie can i still swap in diffs from a 1.6 litre to change the gearing if i have bigger tyres on it? any general info/advice would be great, thanks:)

[Gwagensteve]

Yes and Yes.

Steve.

[cooo]

is the v6 motor known to be pretty good?

i found a 97 4 door manual vitara at a dealer, totally standard with 150 000 ks on it, for 7k. what do you think of this price? im not really sure as you dont see too many 4 door ones for sale. its a dealer so they prob paid 3 k for it.

thanks

[cooo]

update : i just took the one in question for a test drive. its in good condition, really good apart from slight chips and scuffs in the paint which youd expect. It is pretty slow which i expected.

one question, it makes some sort of humming noise that start at about 3 k revs when under load, like putting my foot down a bit, like a groaning noise not sure what it might be, maybe just a harmless vibration? any ideas? it sits on the road really well and feels smooth at 100. I told him id pay 6 for it and theyre gonna get back to me, pending some other guy looking at it this weekend, which im guessing is fictional anyway.

thanks for any advice guys