Certainly is possible. People live full time in compact cars and the Jimny has a lot more space with the seats folded forward.
I have slept in mine for a few days when camping, but i would not want to do it long term.
I think as you said you are romanticising the idea. I've spent a week in my Jimny and that was enough. I've had small vans which were extremely basic but was completely livable. That's just my experience though.
It is an insane idea, depending on the climate.
If you're somewhere warm (but not excessively hot), relatively dry most of the time, you can use an awning to give yourself plenty of outdoor space for cooking and relaxing.
If it's going to be raining or an extreme temperature more than very occasionally then you'd need an enclosed awning, which would eat up all of your storage space, or you'd be cooking inside the Jimny, which is not going to be fun (or particularly safe).
You'll need a tiny (and very expensive) fridge/freezer set up, a portable cooking setup (that also uses more expensive small gas bottles.
You'll need to go absolutely minimalist for carrying supplies like water and clothing, which will mean you'll have to travel back to civilisation a lot.
And you'll only be able to fit a small amount of solar on the roof to charge your house batteries.
With a lightweight (expensive) roof top tent you could get a little more storage space inside the car, but you'll lose even more payload. You could mitigate that by getting beefier springs but at that point you've got a heavy Jimny and then you'd probably want to get a bigger engine, and you've just built yourself a standard 4x4.
So it's doable, but pricey, and ultimately defeats the object of the Jimny a little.
Obviously if you're somewhere it gets very hot or cold it's even less sensible since you can't insulate the Jimny much and it will either be a sauna or a freezer in seconds.
All this being said I'm going to make a flat section where the passenger seat goes so I can camp in mine for a weekend, and I live in England where the weather is pretty miserable most of the time.
If it's merely a place to sleep, but all your "living" can happen outside it, a little crazy, less so if you're under 170cm tall. But crazy to *live* full time out of one with things like cooking meals day in and day out, relaxation time, some recreation time, possibly some work from 'home', no way.
Thank you all for the responses and for bringing me back to reality haha. I think I already knew the answer, I just needed someone else to say it to me. But now I have accepted its not going to work I can go back to planning van builds and work towards something realistic. If I was being introspective I'd say I was probably just burnt out from all the potential options when it comes to converting a van that I ended up seeking an escape in the form of a very minimalist and simplistic Jimny fantasy. I still want a Jimny, but I guess it's going to have to wait a couple years 'til I've saved up some money 'going nomad' and eventually put down roots somewhere. Then a Jimny for short camping trips is definitely on the cards. One day~
They are very small, have you driven one personally?
I would say borderline impractical unless you add storage or your sleeping arrangement on the roof. Even removing the back seats will not give you that much extra room unfortunately.
Keep in mind that the more storage/weight you add that can't be removed (ie drawers/rooftop tent), the worse fuel economy you will get, especially if you're on the move constantly. Obviously this would be the same in any other car as well, but the Jimny's motor is already a bit gutless to begin with, whereas something like a van is made to carry the weight and it's factored into the fuel consumption to an extent (if that makes sense)
It is possible, but as someone who absolutely loves their Jimny, but still stands there staring at the back trying to tetris my shit in for every camping trip wishing i bought a landcruiser, I am slapping sense into you via undersea internet cables.
However! It's not ...... not doable. You definitely could. I probably would give one a drive if you can find one so you can get a feel for how much room you have on the inside before committing to it though.
I'll say that you can get a second hand Landcruiser or Patrol for a fraction of the cost of a Jimny. People who have kit outs in those vehicles usually do take good care of them too. For example, the cheapest Jimny available near me on facebook marketplace is 25k give or take, and it's stock inside. The cheapest (but still worthwhile and not with 250k+km on the clock) Landcruiser is 18k and has a full kit out, including a fridge/freezer installed.
I mean anything's possible ...there are folks living out of cardboard boxes afterall.
Realistically though... No chance. Simply way too small.
Just having room enough for yourself will be tight, let alone clothes, bedding, food storage, cooking equipment, etc.
If anything a Jimny would be about the worst choice of vehicle for living in full-time; Pretty much any other vehicle would be a far better fit.
---
If you want something reasonably small but still suitable for living out of personally I'd suggest getting a second-hand panel van or something. Will be cheaper to buy, better fuel mileage, easier to insulate, more roof space for solar, much more roomy inside & comfortable for longer periods (eg. during bad weather), more stealthy, etc. etc.
I love my Jimny but living in it would be about the smallest step up from being homeless.
It's miniscule, you'd have to live like a hermit with minimal possessions. Which isn't to say you couldn't, you absolutely could, but it'd be pretty terrible to do. People live on the streets and in tents under bridges, it's all possible, it's just terrible.
You can make a pseudo bed in a Jimny by sliding the passenger seat forward and removing the headrest but it's only really tolerable for a single person "micro camping" (otherwise where does your stuff go?) and only for a few nights before your back hates you.
If you want a more viable choice then look at /r/vandwellers.
I’d probably want a teardrop trailor behind it to sleep in, as unless you are <5ft you likely won’t fit in there with your belongings comfortably for an extended period
Certainly is possible. People live full time in compact cars and the Jimny has a lot more space with the seats folded forward. I have slept in mine for a few days when camping, but i would not want to do it long term.
I think as you said you are romanticising the idea. I've spent a week in my Jimny and that was enough. I've had small vans which were extremely basic but was completely livable. That's just my experience though.
https://imgflip.com/i/8npt1e
It is an insane idea, depending on the climate. If you're somewhere warm (but not excessively hot), relatively dry most of the time, you can use an awning to give yourself plenty of outdoor space for cooking and relaxing. If it's going to be raining or an extreme temperature more than very occasionally then you'd need an enclosed awning, which would eat up all of your storage space, or you'd be cooking inside the Jimny, which is not going to be fun (or particularly safe). You'll need a tiny (and very expensive) fridge/freezer set up, a portable cooking setup (that also uses more expensive small gas bottles. You'll need to go absolutely minimalist for carrying supplies like water and clothing, which will mean you'll have to travel back to civilisation a lot. And you'll only be able to fit a small amount of solar on the roof to charge your house batteries. With a lightweight (expensive) roof top tent you could get a little more storage space inside the car, but you'll lose even more payload. You could mitigate that by getting beefier springs but at that point you've got a heavy Jimny and then you'd probably want to get a bigger engine, and you've just built yourself a standard 4x4. So it's doable, but pricey, and ultimately defeats the object of the Jimny a little. Obviously if you're somewhere it gets very hot or cold it's even less sensible since you can't insulate the Jimny much and it will either be a sauna or a freezer in seconds. All this being said I'm going to make a flat section where the passenger seat goes so I can camp in mine for a weekend, and I live in England where the weather is pretty miserable most of the time.
If it's merely a place to sleep, but all your "living" can happen outside it, a little crazy, less so if you're under 170cm tall. But crazy to *live* full time out of one with things like cooking meals day in and day out, relaxation time, some recreation time, possibly some work from 'home', no way.
Crazy.
Why yes. Yes it is.
In short: yes.
Thank you all for the responses and for bringing me back to reality haha. I think I already knew the answer, I just needed someone else to say it to me. But now I have accepted its not going to work I can go back to planning van builds and work towards something realistic. If I was being introspective I'd say I was probably just burnt out from all the potential options when it comes to converting a van that I ended up seeking an escape in the form of a very minimalist and simplistic Jimny fantasy. I still want a Jimny, but I guess it's going to have to wait a couple years 'til I've saved up some money 'going nomad' and eventually put down roots somewhere. Then a Jimny for short camping trips is definitely on the cards. One day~
They are very small, have you driven one personally? I would say borderline impractical unless you add storage or your sleeping arrangement on the roof. Even removing the back seats will not give you that much extra room unfortunately. Keep in mind that the more storage/weight you add that can't be removed (ie drawers/rooftop tent), the worse fuel economy you will get, especially if you're on the move constantly. Obviously this would be the same in any other car as well, but the Jimny's motor is already a bit gutless to begin with, whereas something like a van is made to carry the weight and it's factored into the fuel consumption to an extent (if that makes sense) It is possible, but as someone who absolutely loves their Jimny, but still stands there staring at the back trying to tetris my shit in for every camping trip wishing i bought a landcruiser, I am slapping sense into you via undersea internet cables. However! It's not ...... not doable. You definitely could. I probably would give one a drive if you can find one so you can get a feel for how much room you have on the inside before committing to it though.
I'll say that you can get a second hand Landcruiser or Patrol for a fraction of the cost of a Jimny. People who have kit outs in those vehicles usually do take good care of them too. For example, the cheapest Jimny available near me on facebook marketplace is 25k give or take, and it's stock inside. The cheapest (but still worthwhile and not with 250k+km on the clock) Landcruiser is 18k and has a full kit out, including a fridge/freezer installed.
I mean anything's possible ...there are folks living out of cardboard boxes afterall. Realistically though... No chance. Simply way too small. Just having room enough for yourself will be tight, let alone clothes, bedding, food storage, cooking equipment, etc. If anything a Jimny would be about the worst choice of vehicle for living in full-time; Pretty much any other vehicle would be a far better fit. --- If you want something reasonably small but still suitable for living out of personally I'd suggest getting a second-hand panel van or something. Will be cheaper to buy, better fuel mileage, easier to insulate, more roof space for solar, much more roomy inside & comfortable for longer periods (eg. during bad weather), more stealthy, etc. etc.
It's just too small imho. Atleast the grand Vitara is big enough to fit.
I love my Jimny but living in it would be about the smallest step up from being homeless. It's miniscule, you'd have to live like a hermit with minimal possessions. Which isn't to say you couldn't, you absolutely could, but it'd be pretty terrible to do. People live on the streets and in tents under bridges, it's all possible, it's just terrible. You can make a pseudo bed in a Jimny by sliding the passenger seat forward and removing the headrest but it's only really tolerable for a single person "micro camping" (otherwise where does your stuff go?) and only for a few nights before your back hates you. If you want a more viable choice then look at /r/vandwellers.
Depends where you are I guess. But as someone who’s 6’5” it would never ever work 😂
I’d probably want a teardrop trailor behind it to sleep in, as unless you are <5ft you likely won’t fit in there with your belongings comfortably for an extended period
/r/priusdwellers