I put down a hundred dollar reservation on the Scout Motors SUV. Hundred dollars refundable, 2027 delivery. Scout is a VW-backed revival of the International Scout — a vehicle I have always respected from a distance.
The GX I’m currently driving has 218,000 miles and I’ve developed what I can only describe as breakdown anxiety. The new GX550 and the Land Cruiser are $75,000 and still drink gas. The Scout is targeting $50,000 to $60,000 electric.
Probably smart. Probably.
“Probably” is doing a lot of work in that sentence. I have a long history with vehicles I acquired based on principles that seemed solid at the time. The Pinzgauer was probably smart. The Land Rover was probably smart. The Vanagon with the solar panel was probably smart. The record is complicated.
But a hundred dollars refundable against a 2027 delivery window is not exactly a commitment. It’s more like a reservation at a restaurant you’re not sure you’ll want to go to. You can cancel. The restaurant will survive.
I’ll revisit this in 2027 when the car actually exists and I can sit in one.