Suzuki Caribian SJ413 (Thailand) White

I just love the Suzuki SJ413, this is the third that I have owned since living in Thailand, they are so practical, simple and above all ultimately reliable.

This one is a 1997, making it 12 years old when I bought it. It was in excellent cosmetic condition but it had not been maintained to any sort of standard. The previous owner had just paid for quite a lot of work but he had been cheated (as so often happens) because the work listed on the invoice had not actually been done and they had done more damage thay had repaired.

Luckily for me, there is a great Suzuki main dealer in Chiang Mai, in the west I would never even consider taking a 12 years old car to a main dealer, however in Thailand it's the cheapest option and the only reliable option.

I took the Suzuki to the main dealer and asked them to check everything and let me know what it would cost to make everything perfect. They called me back the next day and suggest I come in to talk to them, this is quite normal in Thailand as communication over the phone can often lead to misunderstandings. They has stripped out the gearbox, steering, suspension and all the bits were lying around the car that was up on a ramp. They explained that it needed a new steering box, water pump, radiator, hoses, cam belt, accelerator pump, vacuum advance, clutch, a couple of UJ's, auxiliary fan, suspension bushes and the top end of the engine needed a rebuild as did the carburetor.

The good news was that there was no problem with the bottom end of the engine, the shock absorbers were good, and the transmission was OK. Also, they could fit a good second hand steering box to save some money. The total cost to bring it to perfect mechanical order was 32,000 baht (just under $1000).

I had paid 120,000 baht for the Suzuki, this was probably a little high but it was not a bad deal, so with the repair work the total cost comes to 152,000, that's a good price for a clean and mechanically perfect vehicle in Thailand, in fact I have never seen a 12 year old mechanically perfect vehicle for sale in Thailand!

The work was done more than a month ago and the Suzuki runs like a dream, you have to understand these Suzuki's and then it's easy to love them. They are a bit rough on the road, the ride is bumpy and they are not very comfortable, but get them on a dirt track and they start to shine, they are proper 4x4 and they keep going where most 4x4's get stuck, also they are incredibly reliable and never seem to break down.