New or Used: The Homebrew Uberwagon
Greetings!
Here on TTAC, one finds recurring references to that elusive “sub-$20k AWD manual diesel wagon”. Clearly, this brief blurb of specs isn’t my dream alone; sounds like a lot of us want such a car. But suppose one cares not for a million airbags, iPod styling, touchscreens, blackbox electronics, or much of the other modern malaise plaguing cars that come with warranties. Suppose one’s warranty is a toolbox, two hands, and a brain. Suppose one wants to get such a vehicle by customizing an older platform oneself, on half the budget. And suppose we add one more criterion: light off-road ability. What does one do?
Here are the basic specifications for the end result:
– Size: must be able to fit a person sleeping in it, but weigh no more than 4000 pounds, preferably closer to 3000. Compact pickups/UV’s
Comfort, performance, style, badge cachet, and other criteria not listed are secondary to irrelevant (about in that order). The theme
Sajeev Answers:
You want something with a diesel, a stick, a wagon/utility body and a fair amount of parts availability in North America? I don’t doubt your ability to keep this hypothetical beast running, but what intrigues me is your ability to do a custom work. I’d start with a diesel wagon and let you figure out how to put a stick in it. My choice? A mid-80s Mercedes 300TD wagon. While the platform totally rocks and has decent aftermarket support, I don’t believe the diesels ever came with a stick. But I am sure you can find a U-shift-it gearbox that’ll bolt up, and the pedal assembly to make it work. If you can’t, hey, three outta four ain’t bad.
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Mitsubishi Delica!!! not a US car but widely available in Canada. and occasionally imported from japan. pick on up that has 25yrs on the clock and self importing is easy. they go from 8 to 12K. Parts are widely available (same parts as there trucks) its a 4x4 deisel (25mpg) with a available stick and the space of a WV van. you can get a pop top camper attachment. and they will run forever. Iv seen some nicely decked out surf wagons in Vancouver made from these.
Or pick up an older soobie GL wagon for around a grand to 1.5K. mine was $800 with 100k on the guage and no rust. I have the carb gas version that is not fast but gets 28 in town and 35 on open road. you could swap out for a euro diesel boxer (available on all non us current models) an throw on a lift kit to run forester springs and 29" truck tires. as far as the lift it works great and is cheap enough. O and they were Front wheel drive with a true 4x4 and a locking rear diff. more stock clearance than a ford explorer.