This 1979 International Scout II is a one-owner vehicle that has seen little use over the past few years. It has spent the majority of its life parked in a barn, but every 6 months it is taken out for a gallop around the farm, and then it goes back into the barn. The time has come for it to come out of the barn permanently, and to head off to a new home. It is located in Hudson, Florida, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has currently reached $4,550 in what is a no reserve auction.

This is a pretty cool looking vehicle, and I quite like the fact that it is a full hardtop. What I’m not too thrilled about is the worrying signs of rust that are apparent right across the vehicle. You can see rust staining on the paint in several areas below the drip rails, which indicates that there is some rust there that we can’t get a good look at. There is also rust appearing around the side window on the passenger side of the car, in the rockers, the lower doors, and the lower quarter panels. While the frame looks solid, there is some significant rust in the floor at the bolt-down point under the driver’s feet. It looks like a decent restoration on the Scout II is going to involve the frame-off process if it is going to be completed properly.

The interior of the Scout II looks reasonable, and how much restoration the next owner undertakes is going to depend on whether they want to just use it as a weekender, or they want to return it to its best. The seats look reasonable, as does the dash. the carpet, both on the floors and on the lower door trims, is looking pretty badly faded. The rear cargo area is showing all of the signs of many years of hard work, and I did notice that there is now a CD player fitted to the dash. On the plus side, the scout II is fitted with air conditioning and cruise control, and both are said to work perfectly.

Powering the Scout II is the 345ci V8 engine backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission, while power steering and power brakes make light work of even the roughest terrain. It is here where the news improves. The car is said to run and drive well, with the 4-wheel-drive system and the locking hubs working properly. The owner says that the vehicle runs and drives perfectly, which means that while there might be some work to perform on other aspects of the vehicle, it might be the case that the next owner won’t need to lay a spanner on the drive-train.

I like this Scout II because it is just different enough to be really interesting. What I don’t like is the rust that I can see. The car isn’t beyond salvation, and while it doesn’t look like the next owner is going to face the replacement of massive amounts of steel, it is all the small sections that can absorb plenty of time, energy, and money. Having said that, the strong bidding on the vehicle indicates that there are plenty of people who can see potential in the Scout II. I will have no problems at all if someone restores the vehicle and proves that my concerns are unfounded.