Suzuki Club UK

So iv had a few days to reflect on losing my SJ. Me and my family have been grieving for 5 days now and it's actually quite sad. A lot of people don't seem to realise the connection between cars and enthusiasts. The fact of the matter is that SJ's get under your skin and I know for a fact that everyone on here will relate to this.

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

Feel for you mate.

Makes me think I should do more to secure mine.

Still hope for a safe return. Bet you have been all over ebay and every free ads page in the uk!

I had a look about a few sites but couldnt see anything that stood out as part of your truck.

Yeah iv looked on eBay see if I recognised any wheels and tyres or body parts. Dont think anyone's got it to sell on over Internet or in the paper that would be too risky

Someone said that it could have been stole to order and maybe in another country. I bet there worth quite a bit over in the eastern block or something.

More likely to be broken up in a shed somewhere or burned out by now. If it was on the road network the ANPRs would have picked it up.

I'm sorry it hasn't turned up yet Chris, I agree with what you've said. Alot of SJ ownership is about how you feel when you drive it, how you look at it & how you chat about it! its all about what it means to you. And as for security, its a shit world we live in where we have to keep all our possessions under permenant lock & key for fear of someone taking them. People get complacent (i know I have) and then things like this happen & they get put in perspective, I still consider myself lucky from when mine was almost taken - really lucky. Everyone should have a think about what sort of security measures they have in place, I'd hate for it to happen again.

Such a sad story and I agree with everything you said.

I SO hope you get her back.

If not I'm sure one day you'll find another and love it just the same.