new to Jimny

Hi all, I am just about to hopefully take the plunge itno the world of Jimny. After the recent bad weather and not being able to get out for days on end it is time I got a 4x4, we stay a couple of miles from a main road and don't see snow ploughs for weeks, the only reason we got out during that last bit of weather was because the farmers all got out with their tractors and cleared the roads. It will mainly be used during the winter months and for a few fishing/camping trips up in the hills. For the rest of the year I am planning on buying a wee corsa or similair for the wife to pootle backwards and forwards to work in.
First questions however are, I will have around 3k to buy one, what should I look for interms of mileage and age? I might be able to stretch the budget a little more for the right one.
Does anybody know when the galve models came out? I would prefer to have the galve version if possible.
Are they quite easy to repair yourself? I am reasonably handy with the tools and have changed more than my fair share of pads, disc, shoes, wheel bearings etc. And I also have 3 mates that are mechanics:)
Any info would be much appreciated
cheers
darren

3k will get you into a galvanised one, theres plenty out there for that money so i'd personally buy the lowest mileage and most attractive/cared for one one you can find. You may be able to get one of the last of the old shape before the facelift after 55plate, the better looking ones imho(i'm biased)
As for working on them yourself, look around on here at the how to guides most jobs are within the capabilities of most diy mechanics with most common tools. They are surprisingly simple, essentially a coil sprung SJ.
Try the 4x4 system on the test drive as the vacuum hubs can play up, look for death wobble at 40-50mph from the steering, other signs of the death wobble can be leaky swivel hubs. Not major jobs but points for negotiation.

They generally wear well, inside and out so you should get a really tidy one.

If i've missed anything someone will be along shortly and add more.

Welcome along!

One of the nice things about working on jimnys is all the space you have!
Mountains of room in the engine bay and the ride height makes it easy to slide underneath. everything looks reasonably straight forward from what I can see for the DIY Mechanic. As Darren said lots of "how-tos" and great knowledge on this site

£3k should get you a tidy one but prices are inflated and supplies are short at the moment due to all the bad weather this winter... I suspect if you can wait until April you will get a better deal.


Mileages tended to be quite low when I was looking (they really aren't designed for long commutes) so buy on condition. Don't forget these are off roads vehicles so they may not quite have the great condition paint that you would get an a strictly road vehicle but look for obvious dings and scrapes and check the service history. Keep an eye out for rust under the carpet in the boot and any strange noises coming from the transmission.

Many (if not most by the sounds of things) have wheel wobble at higher speeds and under hard braking, it gets called "Death wobble" but seems to be a characteristic of the car to some extent. However it shouldn't make the car undriveable, if it is very bad be wary as some problems seem very hard to track down.

Hope that helps, I'm no expert so my thoughts are from my limited experience and reading this forum...

cheers for the replies guys, much appreciated. I could wait a while for prices to come down as we are buying two cars, we can quite easilly buy the wee run about for my wifes daily commute first and keep the money in the bank while waiting for the right Jimny at the right price. Also during that time we can be putting some more money into the bank for it.
I have done a lot of reading on the Jimny over the last week but its always better to get first hand knowledge from other owners, some car websites rate them really poorly but everyone I have spoken to who has one, or knows someone who has one rates them very highly.
My brother is a gamey and two of his friends swear by them, and in fact he was going to buy one himself but decided he needed the extra space of a landy 90 for the dogs, guns, wife and kids to fit in (in that order!)
cheers again
daz