Help a newbie - which zook to buy?

[jbonevia]

Hi Everyone,

I am very new to this forum and suzuki's in general.

I will be in the market for a sierra or possibly a vitara in the very near future and i need some shared knowledge to help me work out what i should buy!

I have been reading quite a few posts on here and browsing the net in general but i havent really come across specific answers to my questions.

I want it to do some off roading, nothing too serious to start with so i will be looking for a stockish model.

I am based in Melbourne and have about $6000 to spend. I know a fair bit about cars and car mechanics in general but have never owned a 4WD.

I really like the look of the sierra's over a vitara - in particular a white hardtop! Basically i want to buy something reliable that wont give me a lot of trouble and i wont have to do too much work on (unless i break something that is!).

Questions:

What is the best model year sierra to look for? Obviously i would assume the newer the model year the better but is there a particular year or features that i should look for? E.g did the later model sierras have worse off road abilities than earlier ones? Are later model sierra's built better/worse than earlier model ones?

Did any of them come with air conditioning (i want to own at least one car with aircon!)?

Was there a switch to factory EFI in the sierra's at any stage or are they all carby based? I have read about engine conversions to different suzuki motors which i would prefer to avoid doing if at all possible (i'm sick of working on cars!).

What were the major changes in the model years? I have read of later model sierras having different suspension setups, does this matter or make any difference?

What are the main mechanical differences between a sierra and a vitara? I know the vitara has a 1.6l engine and different front suspension?

Please feel free to add anything that will help answer these questions!

Thanks,
Jono.

[sierrajim]

These may help.

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... ing+suzuki

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modul ... ing+suzuki


In short, the Vitara (although can be heavily modified) is more road/light offroad based in stock form, more comfortable, more expensive to mod.

The Sierra, cheap to mod, aftermarket parts easy, some regard as more capable off the factory floor, less comfortable

[munga]

Find a later model (upto 94-95) white hardtop and then find air-con for it.
Should still have change for bodylift and some bigger rubber
I think the sierras went to coils in 96, which makes them comfier, costlier, and more difficult to source parts for.
If you're just looking for a beach hack, the coily would be the go. If you want to get a bit more adventurous, maybe stick with a leafy. Having said that theres a couple of very capable coily sierras on this forum, but they're few and far between on a whole.

I would buy a mint 90-94 hardtop for under 4k and go from there..

[jbonevia]

Thanks guys those threads helped a lot to read.

Aircon wasnt standard on any sierras? How much would it cost to fit a aircon kit?

[SiKiD_01]

Thanks guys those threads helped a lot to read.

Aircon wasnt standard on any sierras? How much would it cost to fit a aircon kit?

get a hard top vitara JLX model, like a 92-94 model, should have air con, power windows and mirrors too. and heaps more comfy.

vits are capable if you do the right mods. i did mine up for very cheap. it was the 4 sets of tyres at about $1000/ set that added up.


EDIT: you mention you're not into much off roading yet, so a vitara might be a good transition from road cars to 4wd's.

3" BL = $300 (75mmx70mm round block, steel crush tubes, not fitted)
OME sus kit = $1500ish (30-40mm lift)
Wheels and tyres = $1000-$1500 (30"-31" tall)
or hybrid lift it, like me.


Front:
OME struts
60mm Coil spacer
stock front coils
3" lift

Rear:
commo shocks
180SX coils
30mm coil spacer
75mm ball joint spacer
4" lift

31" Simex ET's
3" BL

[cj]

75" ball joint spacer

Damn, you must have some lift

[munga]

Thanks guys those threads helped a lot to read.

Aircon wasnt standard on any sierras? How much would it cost to fit a aircon kit?

air-con was fitted, but not standard across the range. its probably a 25% chance that you find the right vehicle with a/c. no clue on the price.
SiKiD makes a valid point too.