The Suzuki Jimny is one of the coolest SUVs ever to roam the rougher parts of the world. This tiny little mountain goat of a JDM SUV is a hard one to get stuck, but stuck happens. This particular Jimny was stuck good 47 years ago high in the Sierra Mountains until the badass crew at Matt’s Off-Road Recovery came to the rescue once again. 

Matt’s Off-Road Recovery has struck again 

According to The Drive, Matt’s Off-Road Recovery squad was tipped off on the Suzuki Jimny by the Jimny’s former owner, who had gotten it wedged in nearly 50 years ago. He was working on a mining operation in the area when a landslide locked the Jimny away on its own. Due to its Ocre colorway and its mining mishap, the owner cleverly nicknamed the LJ20 Jimny “the Golden Nugget.” He offered to sell it to Matt and Co for the price of extraction. The game was afoot. 

Matt’s crew surveyed the area by foot first to grasp what they were dealing with. The old mining road was overgrown, narrow, and completely covered in landslide debris in some parts. After treading a path from across the river, they found the Suzuki Jimny in rough shape, seized motor and all. 

The Suzuki Jimny gets saved by Jeep Cherokee 

After realizing that the river path was by far the more crossable trail, Matt and the boys busted out their handy yellow Jeep Cherokee, Banana. The Jimny owner commented that he thinks the Jeep must be the largest vehicle ever to get back to this part of the old mining area. It must have been because the videos show the Jeep Cherokee barely able to squeeze back there, but ultimately the Jeep pushed through. 

After the hairy approach, the Jeep Cherokee came to the Suzuki Jimny’s aid and linked themselves together for extraction. The Jimny’s horrid condition made winching it across the river quite the feat. However, the Cherokee’s winch came correct and yanked the little nugget across the prospectors’ waters with grit and determination alone. 

All things considered, the Jimny did alright until it got submerged and got caught on a rock that smashed in its headlight. The Jeep didn’t manage to leave unmarred, either. It ended up catching some heat from some rocks on one of its taillights. 

How was the Jimny after 47 years? 

The motor was seized for starters. All four tires had rotted nearly completely. There was loads of paint and body damage from the 47 years left abandoned in the land slide’s wake. There is likely not a ton to be salvaged, but the recovery crew paid $210 to take the old JDM mini SUV off the owner’s hands. While that $210 seems pretty cheap, it was $10 over what the previous owner originally paid for it all those years ago. 

While going to this much trouble for a rotted-out Jimny may seem like more work than it’s worth, the Jimny has a certain energy about it that makes people love them. Seeing the helpless little Suzuki Jimny in such a state is simply too much to bear, and clearly, the folks at Matt’s Off-Road Recovery agree. Thankfully, the Jimny was saved, and we can all rest knowing that it is now still rotten, but at least around friends and family.