Not if it’s a boy telling the story.

OK, so I’m a Brit who was never in, but your army are still going to need a lightweight unarmoured utility vehicle to carry out all the non combat duties - form follows function so something Defender or G.Wagen like. Such a big heavy truck is just too expensive and clumsy.

It was the confidence/arrogance. Totalitarians are full of it, they act like they’ve got Bif Tannen’s Bumper Book of Future Stuff and they know all the answers, that fools people who want simple answers.

So. 1993, driving my 109” Land-Rover home from Berlin. It had been getting hot for a while but I figured driving at night would keep it cooler with less stop/start driving.

It does make Defenders and Series a lot heavier than people expect from a vehicle with aluminium bodywork.

Ah, yep the cynical and greedy will try and “spin” anything to slither out of a situation. It might work?

Do you mean box section? If so it’s not a big problem, Land-Rover Series and Defenders have had box section chassis since forever and they have good flex, albeit the suspension does most of it I admit.

I heard IFS is better in deep sand, makes sense I guess.

It’s a VW, has that generic family look. Bit odd to have a pickup that looks like a Golf I admit.

Agreed, the Mitsi is fucking ugly.

Which is why I’m not a big fan of independent for off roaders, but it’s the rear that really boggles my noggin.

OK the front I kind of get - it’s independant and you can’t easily lift it without fucking it up. But that rear end?! Am I wrong, has it really got leaf springs AND trailing arms?

Worse surely?

OK I’m not American and up on the law, but: Why the hurry?

Having diffculty understanding the logic behind the suspension - all that lift and still it’s so close to the ground?

I know, Her Maj is much more a buy it from the corner shop and drink it on the park bench while shouting at the pigeons type.

A high-ish initial investment might be justifiable for lower future costs. And in my experience normally aspirated diesels are the most economical, easy to service and long lived, especially if they’re a decent size as this one is. On top of which Benz quality was better then. And that 5 cyl was pretty tough.

If I had to... Fiat Panda, definitely the best choice (and a shedload of waxoyl stat). Then Skoda, Czechs had a long history of quality manufacturing and they hadn’t been communist long enough to completely expunge those habits. After that... ugh, second hand Vauxhall it is.

Looks overpriced, but then low stressed and underpowered also translates to easy to maintain and a very long life span, which appeals to those who are frugal. Or poor. Who then wouldn’t be likely to pay this high a price.

I’m surprised you have them over there too, apparently they are what my Irish friends call “Knackers” and I always thought were “Tinkers”. They are very widely disliked because the bad apples in their community have a particular habit of preying on the old and vulnerable.