It's interesting that a car that my mum and girlfriend would call 'cute & quirky' can also look mean & cool in the eyes of another. The samurai pulls this off quite well and when it was parked next to my mums Jimny, it sat taller, wider and just looked aggressive. I know it wasn't very good at long journeys and it didn't have the 'get up and go' attitude as a modern diesel car would... But it more than made up for it at everything else. Town and city driving I actually found it substantially practical. For example I'm able to fit inbetween double parked cars with no trouble and as a result can get across the villages smoothly.
Coming in above all the obvious practical and functional pros however, is the way it makes you feel. I think it says something about your character driving a car like this. It sets you aside from the norm a little in that its not just another boring euro- box bought on finance which depreciates faster than it goes. This is part of the reason that I loved driving it. I would actually choose to use this for a quick mission into town on a Saturday night over my dads Mercedes. It was in no way easier to drive or more practical, but it makes you smile.
So not only have I lost my only transport, iv lost a part of my personality which sounds gay but Im sure you will all agree. There's no way it can be replaced either, iv spent 3 years restoring it to exactly how I want it. Not heavily modified and I probably havnt spent half as much as some on here but that was never the plan. It makes me think what a waste of time it was all that effort. Every time it went off road I would steam clean all the underside, clean in the brake drums, grease the callipers and brake lines, change the transmission oils, paint the chassis, just little routine maintenance cleaning to keep it nice. Wasted.
I urge everyone to assess their own security and make some adjustment. You might not live in the same area as me but I never spent that bit of money on a decent alarm or tracker. I got lazy in my own procedures and I'm telling you, the first time you do... It's gone.
Thanks for reading
Chris
