This was a fun project.  I did not keep track of what I was spending on it, but I think I about broke even when I sold it.  After Watching Mike Brewer on Wheeler Dealer restoring a Saumrai, I became interested in these great little Japanese Jeeps

  I had a sweet little 1988 1/2 Suzuki Samurai.  I bought this from a guy in Mt. Pleasant, SC in about August 2010 who had done a nice restoration job.  So I have had this for just under two years. The Zuki has been garaged since I owned it and I understand the previous owner did the same.  This Zuki was rust free.  When I bought the Zuki the engine had just been rebuilt.  I put about 7000 miles on it, the ODO showed over 100K when I bought it.   I only drove it for local errands.  If you know about these you will know that they will go anywhere but not fast.  We did have a good snow two winters ago and this was a real hoot in the snow.  I have a steep driveway so I need a 4-wheel drive, which works perfectly.  Since buying the Zuki I added a new full top for Winter, and a Safari top.  When sold I had the bikini top, windjammer, and bed cover on it.  I also acquired a back seat, new upholstery for seat, radio, trailer hitch, bull bar, new battery, new water pump, new fuel pump, fog lamps, bow and hardware needed for full top, and a new set of tires.  The windshield had a chip so in in February 2012 I installed a new windshield.   I sold it because I bought a Sidekick and do not have room for both.  This is very comfortable, it has Honda Civil seats in it.  The Zuki has HID headlights.  The only thing that I can think of that is annoying is that after driving it about 20 miles it will drop a spot of oil about the size of a quarter.  Also about 1/2 of the drivers side inside door handle is missing, I had two new ones but had gotten so used to the existing one that I have not been motivated enough to install a new one.  Five speed manual transmission, two speed four wheel drive.  This Japanese Jeep needed nothing and was ready to go. 
You may note that these pictures were take a few months apart.  When I got the Sammi it did not have fog lamps, so I added clear (white) lamps.  Actually I feel that fog lamps should be amber so I later swapped them for amber.  This Sammi has never been driven in the rain.  I go out for breakfast many mornings, a 10 mile round trip, but I always check the weather, never go when it is raining, or even there is a chance, same thing with my bike, just too hard to clean up.  As you can see last year we did get some snow, a rare thing here.  I did drive it in the snow and I have to say it was really fun, in 4-wheel drive the snow was absolutely no problem for the Sammi.  The wipers and washers do work as they were designed.  The political statement on the sparetire cover could be peeled of and replaced with whatever was wanted or just kept plain.  The young man who bought the Zuki lived in Camden, TN and was a Conservative and liked the spare tire cover.

SOLD!