Minneapolis Street Sighting: Suzuki Samurai

It's been known I have a fasciniation with Japanese vehicles from the 1980s; I grew up with them, and even the duds seem like heroes to me. Case in point, the Suzuki Samurai. Consumer Reports rated it the worst SUV they'd driven up to the point--and even today, Motorweek said it was decent, but was very, very noisy at speed, and Top Gear USA destroyed in the name of proving that it was indeed one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road.
But when it came out, Suzuki had a big presence in the emerging Japanese 4x4 market. Names like Daihatsu and Isuzu were often cross-shopped with Suzuki's pint-size offroader. In 1989, the Sidekick joined the fray, making the decision a tad tougher. Slow sales and the Consumer Reports lawsuit, combined with strict safety regulations prompted Suzuki to withdraw the Samurai from the US lineup in 1995. During it's nine year run, it received so much as minute changes to color and interior spec. Nothing else was changed, partially keep the price at an entry-level, especially for off-roaders.
While it's not quite a "classic" by today's standards, the little Suzuki does have a cult following--sort of. In the 4x4 world, these are often the choice for beginner builds, or enthusiasts seeking a lightweight rig that doesn't require much in term of weight reduction.
As one can see, this example is not stock, paint-wise. I don't quite care for the cammo, but it's better than being covered in a plethora of rust holes, I suppose. I'm saddened that this was done to a rather straight example with no obvious signs of damage, rust or otherwise. The badges peeked out under the paint, and they begged to be stripped clean. As did the wheels, which appear to have been hastily painted with Krylon. I realize this is probably the beginning for a budget mud-truck, but damn. Be original for Pete's sake. It's not that hard to build an off-roader if you have any sort of imagination.
All in all, this Samurai is in decent condition, but I wish it was spared the cammo-paint. This isn't Kansas, and these aren't "just a furrin piece of crap".