Buying a Scout II

With my youngest approaching 16, I am looking for a daily driver International Harvester Scout II. I fell in love with Scouts at a very young age. My next-door neighbor Martin G. Rush (G for Gregsby) had one, and he drove it daily until he died in 1985.

I grew up in Selma, Alabama, and lived next to one of the original 12 state troopers. He was like a 3rd granddad to me. He was married to a wonderful woman, Beenie “Bee” Rush until he died in Sept of 1996 @ 83 years old. Some of my earliest memories involved watching Day, as we called him, clean fish. He would go out with his friend all day and catch fish, pulling his bass boat behind his Scout II. I don’t remember the year, but this would have been 1985, and I doubt it was brand new. I think it was a late ’70s model.

When he passed away, his Scout II went to the gentleman who had purchased the house on Birch Ave. from my parents. At that point, I was in College at Auburn University, didn’t have the money, and didn’t think about buying it. I wish I had.

Fast-forward about 40 years, and I am in the market to redo a Scout II before my son takes my truck in September 2026. That means I have a couple of years before I need it completed, but I figured that would give me ample time to identify a truck and update it as my daily driver. When I first started looking, I found the guys at Velocity. They are building Scout II for a cool $340,000 ….plus tax.

Yes- that thing is badass and gives me something to shoot for, but since my budget is SIGNIFICATLY less…I will have to keep dreaming! I have a friend here in Chattanooga who has a small biz named Second Daily Classics, so I have tapped his expertise. I don’t know much about finding a classic car and what questions to ask, so I will document as I go, and hopefully, I can help out the next guy.

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Engine Options
Interiors Options
Paint Options
Lift Options – 2.5 Inch lift – 4.0 Inch lift

What to look for before you buy!

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