Best 4X4 For Under $1,000?

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Don't forget about the Scout II. IH had all the badass that Jeep pretends it has.

Sadly, they are very rare now as IH did not exactly do a good job with rustproofing. I skipped quite a few choices in my list because of rarity or a lack of cheap parts. I even found a Isuzu Rodeo that ran ( looked like 4x4 in pic, but not sure) and drove for $300. It needed an engine seal and A/C work. So, it needed a $10 part to be useful. The Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser would also be high on my list as would any Jeep CJ or Wrangler, Nissan Patrol, Isuzu Amigo or even the Suzuki Samurai. I like all of them better because of size. Unfortunately, they are all too pricey in serviceable condition or too rare to have hopes of making them somewhat nice for little cash. My criteria includes an abundance of parts, an abundance of rust free examples, solid axle front suspension, simplicity of design, carburated engine, removable roof, and the ability to take common wheel sizes. Mainly, I would be on sand trails with it and probably not use it to go mud bogging. It would definitely see no rock crawling as there are not many rocks in flat Florida! I originally hatched this whole idea while trying to make my way through the Richloam tract of the Withilacootchee State Forest in Sumpter County, Florida. Trying to go through sugar sand in a 2wd compact pickup on all season 215 65 15 radials was a little scary! I was surprised I did not grenade the clutch or engine with all the revs I needed to keep my speed up. I wound up lost and drove 30 miles through the forest's logging roads. I probably did not see half of the roads that were there, and there are 5 more areas to see. What sucks is that with these gas prices, I may not be able to afford the gas to go exploring should I get the truck.

 

[Uncletruck]

There is just not much out there for under $1000 that is going to be worth a hoot initially that matches your criteria unless put another $2000+ in to it to make it dependable for abusive fun. Wheeling in FL is likely going to consist of sand, which means tight sealing of anything underneath. You could just buy beaters and destroy them, but that too gets expensive. I will tell anyone for a fact- the IH Scout brought International Harvester Corporation right to the ground with warranty issues due to premature body corrosion. That truck killed a great tractor manufacturer. 😢

-UT-

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I probably will not do anything too severe if I do buy one, and will only keep it for a few months. I am more interested in using it to explore some reasonable trails than jumping it, mudding or fording rivers. I would likely just do some logging roads that are well marked in some of the state forests. These roads have bridges, etc. and the biggest obstacle is deep sand which any of these trucks should be able to handle stock if I drive right. I have found several Broncos, Blazers and Ramchargers for my price range, as well as some of the more car-like smaller 4x4 SUV's that I don't think are worth my time. The Broncos are 4x4 with either a 302 or a 351W while the Blazers are either 305 or 350 powered. The Ramchargers are 318 and 360 powered. The thing is, I would rather have a gear-driven 205 transfer case, but most of these trucks are from the 80's and have the chain driven 208 instead. However, the wonderful local U pull it yards around here have lots of these trucks since they were popular and made for so long, so upgrades to older stuff is not a big issue if I chose to go that route. I routinely find headers and other upgrades in the yards for cheap, so I could probably build something good enough for little cash. I also plan to go through the suspension and brakes and replace anything I find that is marginal or bad. I don't like vehicles that drive funny.

I am probably going to sell off most of what I own now in a year or two when I go to university full time to cut my expenses. I am just trying to think of something fun to do in the mean time.

 

[archerm3]

Suzuki Samurai or Sidekick.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Suzuki Samurai or Sidekick.

The Samurai is cool, but rare and expensive when you find one. The Sidekick is not an ideal choice because it does not use a straight axle front end. The same goes for the Isuzu Amigo, but I still think it looks cool in the right color...

 

[83CuttyDblR]

get a Old SCOUT. my Uncle had 2 of them before but never did anything with them (kids!)

 

[83CuttyDblR]

<img src="http://www.calihscout.com/_wizardimages/Yellowscout.jpg">
<img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/09/01/automobiles/533-scouts.jpg">

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Yes, but the only problem with a cheap Scout or Scout II is that unless you live in the Southwest, it is likely a crumbling pile of rust held together with fiberglass resin, pop riveted roof flashing, and Bondo. Also, the engines are not exactly plentiful either as they have not seen production since the 70's. It's a good truck if it is solid, but few are very solid anymore...