O/T (sorry) Suzuki motors

37chief · Oct 19, 2017

I am trying to find a small vehicle I can tow behind my motorhome. I have been looking at the Suzuki Samari, or Suzuki Sidekick, a little newer model. These vehicles can be towed four wheels on the road Standard, or aujtomatic. Just trying to find something that will not break the bank. Most are 10-15 years old with 125-to 200k miles. Anyone have any knowledge if these four cylinder, or V6 motors are good for much over 150k? Any thoughts. Stan

glennster · Oct 19, 2017

cant help you on that stan, but i always wondered why they flat tow behind a motorhome as opposed to putting a car on a trailer? seem it would be a lot less wear and tear on the towed vehicle.

glennster · Oct 19, 2017

when i drove the wrecker, the drive wheels on the towed vehicle were always on the wheel lift. if it was awd or 4wd, it either went on dolleys or called in a flatbed. we would never tow with the drives on the pavement.

hoof print · Oct 19, 2017

Thousands of motor home owners do exactly what you are wanting to do. I believe any 4 wheel drive vehicle with a manual transfer case will work well for what you want to do. Shift the transfer case to neutral and drive away. Go with a manual transmission as well. Those little Suzuki?s are very popular for a reason. They are durable, easy to work on, and fun to drive.

Hobo,NC · Oct 19, 2017

Most heavy travelers tow Honda's around here... A few tow chevy Trackers some chebby pick ups my favorite a jeep Cherokee they take a lick'N and keep on tick'N not to mention repairs and parts are basic

and can be found most anywhere anytime 7 days a week... Billy Bob can keep them going...

I don't want to put down sackcahockies but you are put into a corner on parts you pay the man for them... A Samari is a tuff little dude but as uncomfortable a ride as it gets... Think being put in a cage with a tiger type ride...

Hobo,NC · Oct 19, 2017

(quoted from post at 07:51:03 10/20/17) when i drove the wrecker, the drive wheels on the towed vehicle were always on the wheel lift. if it was awd or 4wd, it either went on dolleys or called in a flatbed. we would never tow with the drives on the pavement.

Most AWD are 4WD are good to go as long as all 4"s are on the ground...

Good to reference when tow'N and YES I burnt up a Jeep transfer case on a wheel lift

lucky me I got out of it for less than $400 the case sits out front of the shop to remind me of my mistake..

https://www.awdirect.com/content/tow-specs.asp

wisbaker · Oct 19, 2017

Those Chevy Trackers are really Suzuki's so if you're worried about parts there are other conduits for them. As far as the motors, friend had a Chevy version of the Tracker and only got about 300,000 miles
out of it, but if I remember it was electrical gremlins that finally sent it to the scrap yard. They bought the Chevy version because they could get a GM employee discount. In the big picture the Tracker
engine outlasted the engine in the Jeep Patriot that replaced it, but they bought the lifetime warranty on the Patriot so Jeep's ponying up a new engine at 238,000 miles. My only concern is that they are
getting a little long in the tooth, might look for something a bit newer but the problem is the little SUVs that are newer probably have transverse engines and I'm not sure how they'll cotton to being
dragged around behind a motor home. If a manual transmission isn't a problem I might consider looking for a Subaru Forester with a manual transmission.

37chief · Oct 19, 2017

I'm kind of new to this RV thing. I should have started in my 50's. Not in my 70's. I think a tow dolly is more weight, and when you get the vehicle off then you have to deal with the tow dolly. Stan

Eldon (WA) · Oct 19, 2017

(quoted from post at 18:43:06 10/19/17) I am trying to find a small vehicle I can tow behind my motorhome. I have been looking at the Suzuki Samari, or Suzuki Sidekick, a little newer model. These vehicles can be towed four wheels on the road Standard, or aujtomatic. Just trying to find something that will not break the bank. Most are 10-15 years old with 125-to 200k miles. Anyone have any knowledge if these four cylinder, or V6 motors are good for much over 150k? Any thoughts. Stan

I had a Suzuki Sidekick 2dr with a towbar for 15 years, nice lightweight runaround vehicle, towed it behind the Dodge truck a few times. I sold it last year and moved up to a Geo Tracker 4dr...no tow brackets, but I did keep the towbar. I have our Chevy Malibu for sale now, an RV'r was interested in it as a toad behind his motorhome, (never knew they could be towed 4 down, but the manual verifies it). Sale fell thru because he couldn't use the towbar that he had with the tow bracket required....

Eldon (WA) · Oct 19, 2017

(quoted from post at 19:35:14 10/19/17) I'm kind of new to this RV thing. I should have started in my 50's. Not in my 70's. I think a tow dolly is more weight, and when you get the vehicle off then you have to deal with the tow dolly. Stan

Correct! Towing 4 down all you have to do is unhook the drawbar, stow it on the motorhome or toad...no worries about where to store the dolly or trailer.

37chief · Oct 20, 2017

Looked up the weight for a Malibu, It's 400 or so lighter than my 08 Ford Edge. I pulled for a couple years, but still a bit heaver than I want. The Ford Edge gave the V10 a good workout going up fairly steep hills, but I did tow it. Like a fool, I got rid of a good low mileage Ford Edge with tow brackets, and now have a Jeep grand Cherokee which is way more than I want to pull. Stan

wilson ind · Oct 20, 2017

Don't know exactly what your saying. I will guess your "chebby" is some hill country for a Chevrolet. Your sackcahockies is WHAT?

glennster · Oct 20, 2017

stan, i was thinking a car hauler trailer as opposed to a two wheel dolley. its extra weight and a license plate, but you can take what ever will fit on your trailer.

Ken Macfarlane · Oct 20, 2017

Generally they were cheap vehicles and people didn?t maintain them well when they got older and handed to kids for college etc. I?ve got one tracker left and 3 samurais I?ve been meaning to turn into one for a road legal side by side.

They seem to have disappeared from motor home toad duty around here about 10 years ago.

Hobo,NC · Oct 20, 2017

I have had to go to the salvage yard and pick parts for them simple brake parts were Hundreds of dollars and that's per wheel :twisted:
I have no luv for a vehicle like that...

John730D · Oct 20, 2017

Lots of cars can be towed 4 wheels down. I had a 2004 (I think) Ford Explorer 4x4 v6 automatic that I pulled behind my motorhome. All it took was a dealer installed switch to place the transfer case in neutral. I think it was only $75 at the time. Might check around to see what vehicles would work. When they pull 4 wheels down it is referred to as dinghy towing. Google it, there is lots of information out there.

BarnyardEngineering · Oct 20, 2017

(quoted from post at 18:47:46 10/19/17) cant help you on that stan, but i always wondered why they flat tow behind a motorhome as opposed to putting a car on a trailer? seem it would be a lot less wear and tear on the towed vehicle.

The wear and tear is minimal because the car is just rolling along behind.

A trailer is added expense, added weight, added complexity. Four more tires to maintain. Trying to get the car on and off the trailer on a dark night in the rain. Figuring out where to put the trailer at the campsite, and trying to get it there with a giant motorhome.

Crazy Horse · Oct 20, 2017

Not that it matters to you but Suzuki no longer sells any new vehicles in Canada anymore. So, no Suzuki dealers like there used to be. I suspect they are still being imported into the USA and elsewhere. I still see a lot of them for sale used. I suspect there are still good parts sources as well.
No more Suzukis in Canada

Blackhole49 · Oct 20, 2017

Saturns were made to be towed.

rbhuntn · Oct 20, 2017

Go for the Suzuki Samari. Great little vehicles. Had one for 4 years that was bought new. Only thing that I ever had to do was change the spark plugs and oil changes.

Talked to many that had the SideKick and those were problem children.

The Samari is almost as good off road as a Jeep. They are way underpowered so don't expect to run 70 down the hwy all day. Very good at 55-60 all day and got around 30 mpg at that. The one I had was a 1987 bought new when they were on sale for under $5K new.

dhermesc · Oct 20, 2017

A good Samari will cost you more than $5000 today. Rusted out junk Samaris are cheap, but ones that you would pull behind a $100K+ motorhome won't be.

rdandersom · Oct 20, 2017

No personal knowledge but I thought one would work for me once so I quizzed a co worker who had one. He liked his but told me the 4 banger at least will not tolerate overheating.

tim s · Oct 20, 2017

I use Suzuki Side kick to make "Street Gators" I enclose the back of the cab and put a little dump bed in them, they stay street legal and are very handy.

dr sportster · Oct 20, 2017

I remember a fat guy at work drove one and it sagged on the drivers side from his weight.

Eldon (WA) · Oct 20, 2017

If mine would have had power steering I would have kept it and done the same. The 2dr is a handy little suv. I really like the 4 door tracker that I replaced it with, tho. Power steering and auto tranny are nice, especially in low range.

Mike M · Oct 20, 2017

Go look at Honda Fits. They made them with manual trans. too. I have a 2008 and it is automatic. My owners manual says I can tow it if you start it and run it through the gears first. Then there is a certain amount of miles you can tow before you should do that again. A 2007 or 2008 model are pretty cheap now.

Suzuki Samari are hard to find and IIRC had a real bad reputation for roll overs !

Eldon (WA) · Oct 20, 2017

(quoted from post at 11:59:47 10/20/17) Go look at Honda Fits. They made them with manual trans. too. I have a 2008 and it is automatic. My owners manual says I can tow it if you start it and run it through the gears first. Then there is a certain amount of miles you can tow before you should do that again. A 2007 or 2008 model are pretty cheap now.

Suzuki Samari are hard to find and IIRC had a real bad reputation for roll overs !

Yeah they were nicknamed Suzuki Somersaults LOL!

Bret4207 · Oct 21, 2017

(quoted from post at 14:36:46 10/20/17) I use Suzuki Side kick to make "Street Gators" I enclose the back of the cab and put a little dump bed in them, they stay street legal and are very handy.

Great idea! I want one!

kevinthefixer · Oct 21, 2017

Suzuki made great little lightweight vehicles up until the mid-90s. I got my better half a Geo Metro (all Suzuki until Chevy bought them out) about 5 years ago, went through the 3-cylinder motor, haven't had a lick of trouble since. The Samurai was the same sort of thing for a 4WD sport, light, efficient, simple. As with any small Asian car, avoid automatic transmissions if you like to pass stop signs.

OT a bit, but I worked on motor homes ~20 years ago. Amazing and appalling what motor home owners will do to avoid having a clutch in their towed vehicle. Unreliable driveshaft disconnects. Freewheeling hubs for front-drive cars that space the front wheels out 2" each--try aligning that front end! Hooking a fuel pump and filter into the transmission cooler lines with a relayed charge wire in the trailer connectior so it turns the pump on with the motor home's ignition. ANYTHING but learn to drive!

Tim in OR · Oct 22, 2017

Funny thing, A gal in the office at work limped into the yard with her tracker. It had shut down several times on the way in. She is notorious for not maintaining her stuff, so the other guy in the yard and I refused to look at it. We both suggested that it sounded like a dirty fuel filter, but we would not touch it. That was last spring, it still sets there. She wont sell it to any of the Hispanics who have offered to buy it, because she is afraid they won't change the title, then get into trouble with it and have that trouble come to her door. I could probably get it for next to free, but I don't need another project. Upper management dosen't know its there, and middle management isn't worried about it because she is the branch lead. oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh wwwweeeeeeeeeellllllllll.
Tim in OR

O/T (sorry) Suzuki motors

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