[weedkilla]

Ok, so it's almost time for eldest son to get himself a first car and I'm a fan of kids having projects.

After much debate and discussion we've pretty much narrowed it down to a lwb vit.

Now what I know about vitara specifics is about f-all.
So my question is - if you wanted a cheap, light duty 4wd (Maybe a locker in the rear, 30's at the most,not trying to push the absolute limits) which model vit would you choose?
My gut says a 1.6 manual, and making it a project is a better idea. But he is a worker and saves his money and he could get into a gv into early 2000's.
Sub $5k is going to be his budget, but he is a natural worker and saves well, so I don't see an issue with him not being able to keep it on the road. Bar work, labour, etc can all be considered free. Tyres, etc I can push through as work expenses to help him.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[got_bar_work]

5k will get u a gv no problem. I paid 4k for my 99 auto from a dealer with 198k
The extra power from a gv is great.
I would get a 2l vit over a 1.6l
The 1.6 are starting to get old and have a lot of problems.
Autos are so much better offroad and around town i cant think y u would want a manual.

[Chop]

If I was young, I wouldn't want the gv fuel bill. Just my opinion, they ain't the best for a young hip pocket.

[alien]

IMO it depends on the terrain he wants to drive and what his day to day load carrying requirements are.

If he wants something a bit more rugged then the 1.6 SWB is a good option, but he won't have much space in the back.

If it's more about having something good on the road and doing some sand and light trails then the 2.0 is a better option.

Also consider aftermarket support for each is very different.

[weedkilla]

Hadn't thought about the fuel bill for a gv.
I'm guessing it's noticeably bad if you mention it
Swb just isn't going to work for him. Being able to lock up a push bike inside it is a pretty big requirement.

So I guess it's down to 1.6 or 2.0l lwb, and whatever comes up at the right price/condition.
Thanks guys, I'll keep reading, any good links you suggest? Other than Atari's mammoth thread, nothing really stands out.

[alien]

Check out Ninjamoses builds...

[got_bar_work]

I would go a 2l over a 1.6 so much better around town. Wont have to worry about cracked blocks. Dark horse went from a 1.6 lwb to a 2l lwb look for his build thread

[J--A--C--K]

Dark horse was selling his lwb for a very nice price, it is a bit of a drive from SA , but might be worth searching the for sale section with his username .

[J--A--C--K]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=49797
Get In quick befor he parts it.

[vet 180]

J--A--C--K wrote:

http://auszookers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=49797
Get In quick befor he parts it.

I would jump on that. It's well set up and has the best of everything. To build a similar car from scratch it will cost you double.

[weedkilla]

Ok, I've had a think about dark horse's car - and if it was closer I'm sure I would go and have a look.

However two things are holding me back - It's not rego-ed so I'd be SOL getting the rego transferred to sa.
Also, I really like the idea of a project for Bull (my son), so he can learn the ways things get better and worse with mods. Also his driving abilities don't exceed a stock 4x4 at the moment, so it makes sense to start there and build the car as his abilities grow.