As a kid, I spent a fair amt of time in Baja, and from my experience the Samurai is not too suitable for Baja.
It's not that the car won't do well; Rather, it just doesn't have the capacity to carry the needed supplies. Baja is a big place, and (at least when I went there) there were no supplies. Instead, you had to carry everything you would need. For us - two wks worth of food, stove, sleeping bags, pads, chairs, clothes, parts, tools, & (not inconsequential) water & gas. Tough to get all that into a Samurai. Your trail buddy will need to be by himself in a Suburban . . . . and then you better hope the Suburban doesn't break down.
We'll have a chase truck. You're right: It's a great place to get stuck. And die.