I bought my Scout II in March 2009 with the idea of being able to carry things around and having a backup vehicle in case my car went down, which was fairly often. If you live in Houston or any major city, you know you cannot overprepare in the "transportation department!" Gone would be being stuck without transportation, not having bus service past working hours, and having to rent a vehicle when your car dies right before an out-of-town trip. I had thought briefly about using it to camp with, but it wasn't my primary concern at the time I made the decision to commit to this purchase. Recently, in August 2010, my car finally reached the end before my Scout could be finished in time, and I had to replace it with another vehicle. At that time, I bought a Honda CR-V (shown under previous vehicles below), which I had for a year before I traded it off for my 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ Unlimited in August 2011. The Scout will probably be used more for camping because of its simplicity, larger capacity, steel roof to support a roof rack, manual transmission and 4WD, and higher SAFE towing capacity. With this new development, this may change over time with experience. At this time, it is still in restoration.
Scout specification
Photos will be put on as soon it is finished.
I traded in the Honda CR-V after two things became evident; a bad-smelling AC that would be expensive to fix, and spreading rust on the underside from having been owned in Vermont. I wanted to not have to deal with the repairs on the vehicle, especially since this was not what I wanted. It has been a nice vehicle, don't get me wrong. It's been very reliable, too, but I wanted something more, and that is basic vehicle designs. That means manual windows, locks, and mirrors, traditional part-time four-wheel-drive (though it doesn't have manual locking hubs), and a vehicle that is easy for mechanics to work on. Also, Wranglers have tremendous aftermarket support as well as community support. Unlike the Scout, which is supported by a very small population of IH enthusiasts (as it is no longer made, and the Light Line division has been out of business for several decades), the Wrangler has huge forums where you can meet people, do group trail camping trips, and especially importantly, get help in fixing your vehicle or even modifying it. The Honda community was no comparison to it, and unfortunately, Honda no longer makes a suitable vehicle that I like. Anyway, I wanted a manual transmission, but I had to think about the possibility that I would become injured and unable to drive the Scout for a time.
TJ Unlimited specification
2003 Honda CR-V EX RTAWD
