Cheap ($1000) trucks & utility vehicles

Are you willing to come south? Cause that is probably your best bet on getting what you want.

I would agree with the others who've said just buy what's clean and has what you want... the anti-theft can be easily "GRM'd" via some hidden kill switch wiring. Just because some things are more commonly stolen, doesn't mean yours actually will be stolen.

One option nobody has suggested is to just steal something. Odds are it's already been stolen, so really what you're doing is ethical after all.

Have you considered moving somewhere you dont have to be so paranoid about theft? I don't even lock my vehicles most of the time.

2002maniac wrote: Have you considered moving somewhere you dont have to be so paranoid about theft? I don't even lock my vehicles most of the time.

I'm sort of stuck here for school and work right now. Seriously, between Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, etc, there is a lot of post-industrial poverty and a correspondingly high crime rate unless you can shell out $1500+ a month to live in the burbs. As soon as I graduate my plan is to GTFO but for right now I have no choice.

It's just bad luck for me that full-size domestic cars and trucks are the vehicle of choice for the local urban poor. Most trucks around here look like this.

I don't know about you guys, but I've never seen a Trooper or Montero looking like that...

In reply to SlickDizzy:

Yep. We live far enough away that we are not directly affected by the disproportionately high crime rate of that area. It also helps that we live on a cul de sac that has 2 grumpy ol' fellers at the entrance. One is a pro-gun democrat and the other is a retired chief of police. Douchebaggery is well below the Pekin average on our street!

Uh, your requirements if I understand all your posts right:

$1000
off-road capable 4x4
easy to source manual
easy to work on
easy parts availability
not totally rusty

Your choices are: Jeep Wranger (going to be hard to find with those reqs), or a Jeep Cherokee XJ - wire in a kill switch

ANY 4x4 is easy to steal, unless you chain the shifter into 2 HI, anybody can crawl under, pop the t case to neutral and roll it on a trailer.

Just steal something.

Tom Suddard wrote: Just steal something.

I bet you had to work to find that pic :D

Nope. They're popular with the donk crowd down here in Fla.

http://bit.ly/188jGpy

AMC Eagle wagon...maybe that won't be theft bait.

Cotton wrote: AMC Eagle wagon...maybe that won't be theft bait.

I agree with whomever suggested anti-thefting whatever you buy. Consider this an exercise in creativity. I bet I could come up with five methods per vehicle to make it very hard to steal if given a day to think about it.

Buy Isuzu or montero, if one can be found in non rusted condition. South American ran on these things for years.

A Nissan pathfinder would work as well. Find an earlier boxier one and manuals are easy to find. Wd21 style.

So you need this:

http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/3738661575.html

Too bad it's a little out of budget. It looks like a clean example.

What about an older Forester? I don't think I've ever seen one of those "donked"

You should get an AWD astro van. I put one in a ditch with about a foot of snow in it and it drove right out. You should be able to do some light offroading with it. Also Ford Aerostars were available with awd although not as capable as the Astro. You should be able to find one for a grand.

I might sell you a Peugeot Mi16. It meets absolutely none of your requirements except price. And it probably isn't too easy to steal since the thief would have a hard time putting it in gear.

What about an awd Pontiac Aztek? Nobody in their right mind would try to steal one of those. Also, would even something like this get swiped?: http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3750085658.html