1988 Suzuki Suzuki

Samurai SUV

4 - Cyl.

Manual

JS4JC51C2J4274468

Clear

Gasoline

Those of you who follow my auctions know that I'm a physical therapist here in Tucson, Arizona and know that I have made a hobby out of finding very clean, usually one owner, low mile vehicles. As a therapist I deal with many elderly and retired folks which gives me unique access to some of the cleanest vehicles in the nation. I have built a reputation in this area for delivering very nice vehicles and often get emails from individuals looking for specific cars from all over the country. My feeback speaks for itself. Through a series of events I was able to locate and purchase this one-owner and very low mile Samurai. I have sold many of these over the years and usually will not deal with any of them that are modified from stock. I made an exception on this one because of it's history and how well the modifications were done. This is a 1988.5 Suzuki Samurai. It was a mid-year production Samurai and I believe the first model with the newer dash style. It is in fantastic condition and was always garaged since new. It runs and drives very well and suspension and stearing are very tight. It has the rare two piece hard top which is easy to put on and take off and much quieter than the soft top models with much less wind noise but still gives you the option to go topless. I will give more details below: HISTORY: This Samurai was purchased brand new here in Tucson, Arizona and has never left the area except when towed behind the original owner's RV. It is a very rare color combination and interior design. The original owner is a world famous artist who used the Samurai to get to places where he could take photographes that he would use as models for his paintings. He is one of the most famous painters of the Grand Canyon in all the world. His paintings regularly sell for $30-40,000 and as high as $80,000. I have chosen to not disclose his name for privacy reasons but the winner of this Samurai will be able to verify it's history as the title is still in the original owner's name and you can search it on the internet and verify what I am telling you. He is a large man at about 6'4" and he is into his sixties now. He has some arthritis in his knees and was having an increasingly more difficult time getting in and out of the Samurai and that is the reason he sold it. He maintained it meticulously over the years with oil changes every 3k miles and fluid flushes and replacement at appropriate intervals. This Samurai was never abused off road. It was towed for many of the 70k original miles. It will come with the tow hitch for the new owner if requested. The modifications he made were a Weber carberator, which many people prefer over the stock carb, and he removed the original front seats and replaced them with some very nice seats out of a Honda Prelude that are wider and more comfortable than the original seats. These replacement seats are in perfect condition. The seats were replaced due to his large frame. The original seats will go with the Samurai if so desired. The original driver's seat does have some tears in the vinyl siding but the passengers side is in great shape. The rear seat was removed when the truck was new and wrapped in plastic and is in near mint condition. The only other modifications were a toggle switch added on the dash for some flood lights he had on the front at one time but he removed later on. He also put a Calimini exhaust system on it with a chrome tip. The performance modifications make a huge difference over a stock Samurai in terms of power and performance. INTERIOR: The original owner says that the interior was never modified other than the change in the front seats. I told him I had never seen one with this type of carpet in it and that they always came with the yellow 4WD shifting instruction card on the hump between the shifter and the transfer case shifter. He said he never replaced the carpet and that this Samurai never had that card in it. The only thing I can think of is that possibly the dealer made some upgrades and installed a carpet kit to tie in the colors better as Samurai carpet came only in the thin, black carpet. This carpet is thicker and is brown which looks better and makes the interior much more quiet. The carpet does show some wear on the driver's side and cargo area but overall is still in good condition. All the door panels and rear cargo panels he had redone several years ago in just a plain brown that looks very clean with no rips or stains. All the glass is perfect. Everything works well including the radio, AC, heat, wipers, all lights and gauges, horn, windows and door locks. All the seat belts are in great shape both front and rear. As mentioned earlier the Samurai will come with both sets of front seats and the rear seat in near mint condition. Overall the interior is very clean and quiet and looks great. The replacement seats are very comfortable and I think anyone who buys this will probably end up sticking with the replacement seats versus putting the stock ones back in. EXTERIOR: The paint is 100% original with no body or paint work every done to this rig. The body is extremely straight with only one ding on the hood. The paint shows wear from the hot Arizona sun which has burned off much of the clear coat leaving a nice patina look to the Samurai. The paint color is VERY rare and I have never seen another one like it in all the years I have been into these Samurais. I'm not saying it is the prettiest but I am saying that it is rare. It would make an ideal hunting rig because the color scheme makes it so camouflaged. There is no rust anywhere on this little rig either on the body or undercarriage. Very good shape including front and rear bumpers. All running lights work as they should including both of the original Kotto headlights which were covered with a rock screen. There is a frame mounted tow bar bracket in place and I do have the tow bar that will go with the Samurai if so desired. It has wiring for lights as well. The two piece hard top has no cracks and is in great shape. It has it's original wheels including the original spare tire from 1988. It has a newer set of BF Goodrich All Terrain tires that show about 80% treadlife left. All doors open and close as they should. The door hinges have been modified to allow the doors to lift right off if you wanted to remove the doors. All three locks work with the original key. MECHANICAL: The best part about this Samurai is the mechanical condition. It runs and drives great! Very smooth driving little rig with good power with the Weber carb and Calimini exhaust system on it. Only 70k miles on the body and less on the drivetrain due to the towing factor, so this thing has tons of life left in it. It has no leaks, shakes or shimmies. Stops perfectly and has brand new brakes all around from Jack Furrier's auto center (have receipt for $455 inlcluding new wheel cylinders in the back and power flush). Does not smoke and starts immediately when you first bump the ignition. The radiator was just flushed with new coolant. All the 4WD components work perfectly. Transmission shifts perfectly. Just runs great and is a blast to drive. Needs nothing. Comes with the service manual. Drove it all weekend in 108 degree Arizona heat and never close to overheating, even in stop and go traffic. No worries with this Samurai. SUMMARY: This is a very nice one-owner, rust-free and well maintained, AC equipped Samurai that has never been abused and has extremely low miles on it. It has a rich history with a world famous original owner and some very nice (and expensive) modifications. It would be a pleasure for any Samurai fan to own and drive. It comes with two sets of seats so one set can be sold to offset the cost of buying the samurai. These seats don't come very cheap. Fully equipped for towing right now so you can fly in and tow this home if desired with a rental truck or just drive it home. It may be advertised locally so I do reserve the right to end the auction at any time if it sells locally or through another media source. There will be a $500 deposit due within 48 hours of the end of the auction via Paypal. Check my feedback, check the photos, ask any questions and bid with confidence! Goodluck!