Suzuki 4x4 Club™

[yeruham]

Dear Friends,

I don't have my Suzuki 4x4 yet, but I hope to have one soon. I am presently driving a Peugeot 306 1600cc model 2000. It is an excellent car, but I have decided that my next car will be a Suzuki 4x4 and the older the better! I made that decision after the last time my Peugeot broke down on the road. I figured out quite soon that the problem had something to do with the fuel pump. But I had no way to know what exactly it was with the fuel pump until I had it towed to the garage, where the garageman's son, a graduate electrical engineer, by the way, discovered that a relay box, which actuates the fuel pump, was burned out. There was no way I could have found this out on the road. And he found it only after trying various things. There was no way to isolate the problem using logic, as it used to be in the old days. Indeed, and to make a long story short, the garageman himself has been an automotive electrician for over 50 years. He told me that when he went out on road calls not too many years ago, he used to send 90% driving away, and towed 10%. Now he sends 10% driving away and tows 90%. I've had it. I want a car with a distributor with points and condenser, etc. I want a carburetor, a mechanical fuel pump that I can carry a spare in the boot, and replace it anywhere. Indeed, one that I can replace the diaphragm would be even better.
That was my first decision, an old car that I can care for myself. But which one?
I though a lot about the WV Beetle. That is a great car, also easy to care for by oneself. But I owned one, which I bought new in 1968. I would say that it was OK in every way. But nothing to get excited about.

I am not ready to buy my Suzuki at the present time. I have gone through many periods of time with plenty of money, and plenty of periods without. At the moment I am without. But I am sure things will straighten out as they always have. Meanwhile, I want to learn as much as possible about Suzuki 404s. That is why I have joined the Forum.

The Suzuki 4x4s seem to have the advantage that one should be able to have a lot of fun with a car, do crazy things, drive off-road in all sorts of places. Suzuki 4x4s seem to answer this requirement. Also, what I'll loose in economy by not having all that electronic stuff, I should gain by low weight and small cc's, in addition to off-road adventure. That is my first question for you experienced friends. Does this make sense?

My second question is as follows. I recently saw in the local garage an old Suzuki with what looked like a carburetor.  After I studied it a little more and asked some questions, I learned only then that it wasn't a carburetor at all. It was some early form of  fuel injection. I would like to ask you friends if any of you are familiar with this? Is the fuel injection (which looks superficially like a carburetor) electronic or mechanical? Is it something which a regular guy like me can fix by myself on the road or in the field, or would it have to be towed (by a tow truck which might not even be able to get there)?

My next question has to do with the widely accepted  and also widely disputed opinion that the Samurai likes to roll over. I have not studied the entire Forum yet. I would not surprize me to learn that this question has already been adequately discussed on the Forum. If so, please just point me to the discussion. If not, please let me know what you all think. I guess this does not apply to later versions of the Suzuki 4x4. Is that right?

In my humble opinion it is just a matter of how good a driver you are. Correct?
Very  best,
Yeruham

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