Hello everyone,

I just thought I should do a proper introduction on the forums. Then I figured, 'two birds, one stone' since I joined up primarily to get car assistance.

Let me just start with some basics. I live in Portland, OR. I'm 22, I've been driving for 4 years or so. I have a part time job, not many bills, so I do have a decent income for this project. My problem is this:


I have only had one car so far under my name, a beater '97 Ford Taurus. It was a fine town car, but it couldn't make it over anything more complex than a gravel road, which meant in effect I was cut off from my favorite hobby; remote camping. Now I'm in the market for a new car(or should I say, truck!) and I've gone to several different car forums to get some assistance.

I've been browsing pictures and online sites in the hopes of finding something that would work for me. A few weeks of searching later, and I fell in love with the Land Rover Defender. Small, boxy, soft-top, 4 cylinder engine? Sign me up! The only issue is, at least according to the Land Rover Association of America(or some such name), is that very very few Defenders were ever imported to the States, which was backed up by my research into buying one. A 1996 Defender, ex-military, was $54,000. A 95 that was more rust than car was selling for $16,000.

I'm just wondering, is this really the pricing for Defenders? My theory is that I came across either collector's models or refurbished models.

Alternatively, if for some reason they really are that pricey, does anyone know a different truck that might fit my goals? My needs are fairly simple:

4 cylinder engine
Enough clearance to manage rutted dirt trails(stock jeep height is fine)
Soft-top


Bonus points if you know of a truck that has fold-down windshields! And extra bonus points if it's boxy. Don't know why, I just love bricks on wheels.

I should mention I will be doing a few modifications to whatever I end up buying, in case that influences the responses. I plan to add a thin skid plate underneath(there are a fair amount of sharp rocks on the road to my favorite camp site), as well as a few hooks for shovel, pick, gas cans, etc. Additionally I'll be adding(or removing) anything that would help get me more mpg. I know a truck, and especially an off-roader, won't get quality mpg, but every little bit helps.

My research has found these so far:

Rover Defender
Nissan Patrol
CJ Jeep


And again, the Defender, for me at least, is 100% perfect, even if some of them have right-handed driver positions. Hopefully I've been looking for trucks in all the wrong places, and there are some fairly priced Defenders or similar looking models out there.



Cheers,
Antigan15

 

Don't everyone jump up at once....



Is this a dead forum?