Faults:

Well, she (the 'ol Scout) has me baffled on an electric issue, and if it can leak, it does!

General Comments:

I absolutely LOVE my old Scout II. My husband has been great in teaching me how to work on her. For a beginner Mud Pit runner and beginner mechanic, the Scout has been a perfect friend for me.

She has all the power and is geared low enough that I never have any problems of jumping into or crawling out of the mud!

There is a dead spot in the carb that has nothing to do with the quality of this vehicle. I'll get her fixed. Next lesson.

I am a very proud owner, and she will never go anywhere else. She will live and die here! She's old, ugly, rusted and wrinkled and I think she's Beautiful!

I do suggest a parts vehicle. It has been a great source for parts and lessons.

Bad Girls drive Bad American Toys! IH Forever.

Faults:

My Scout II has had some carburetor adjustment problems that I will get a professional to look at. It bogs out when I try to accelerate at red lights.

General Comments:

When I got the Scout for $500, I promised not to sell it on eBay. I will never sell my Scout because it is a fun, strong, reliable vehicle that is a fair weather friend for me. I have replaced the transmission, carburetor, water pump, floors, rear bumper, exhaust system, and many other parts.

Fortunately, I have a spare Scout II because junk yards are a waste of time. Simply put, Scouts are disappearing. Most of the time when I ride in the Scout, people will ask me what kind of vehicle it is. Some of the old heads remember and the drop-top, bikini laden station wagon is definitely a head-turner.

It is disturbing to know that Scouts were seemingly marketed exclusively to whites here in the U.S. When I look back at all of the ads and posters, I do not see any minorities or people of color in the advertisements.

My Scout is mostly for cruising, although it has the power to rip down a house. I will continue to restore it and keep it in the garage to avoid the fate of all Scout II's - rotting out. In some ways, I do not wish the Scout to be of show quality because that will mark the day when I can no longer be myself in it. This is not a vehicle that needs to be pampered!

Faults:

I bought the truck from the original owner, and lets just say, being 80 something years old, he wasn't very good at maintaining it anymore. I had to replace the transmission, carburetor, steering box, and power steering pump due to lack of upkeep. Surprisingly, I was able to replace them all, with the exception of the transmission, with used parts from the junk yard.

General Comments:

I have always been a big fan of the IHC Scout and Scout II. Something about the line of the body, and the fact that it is fully convertible, really give it a classic, yet unique look. There is nothing better than, cruising to the beach, or hitting the open road in an SUV with the top off.

Don't let it's small size fool you. Though it is a bit smaller than your average SUV, with it's completely reliable V8 304 or 345 engine, it has torque and power to spare. With one of these, you can tow just about anything, anywhere! Get this thing off road, and you won't be disappointed here either. With the exception of a 4 inch suspension lift, and 33 inch tires, I was able to brave the Rubicon with my stock Scout II.

One complaint my wife has is that it's old, and doesn't have all the comforts of a newer SUV. I personally, like the "retro" look, and don't mind that it is 26 years old. While the interior is definitely late 70's, many of the design features were ahead of it's time. For example, a reverse opening hood, and a lift gate that locks open when you open it, and unlocks by simply pushing it up again.

All in all, for my initial $1000 investment, I could not have asked for a better truck. It has it all. Looks, style, power, and reliability. Despite the fact it was neglected for many years, a simple tune up was all it took to get the engine running like a top. While you don't see many of these on the road anymore, parts are easily obtainable, and for the most part, reasonably priced.