Ask someone to picture a Scout and they almost always picture a Scout II. It’s the version International Harvester got right. A longer wheelbase than the 800 it replaced, enough room to be comfortable on a highway, a removable top, and an engine bay that eventually swallowed everything from a modest four-cylinder to a 392. It’s also the version Harvester was still building when the company left the light-truck business entirely in 1980, which makes the Scout II both the most common Scout and the last one.

Common is relative. These were working trucks in snow states, sold to people who used them, and the attrition over fifty years has been brutal. What survives in solid, unmolested condition is a much smaller population than the production run suggests. Own one and you’re thinking about selling?

Working With Our Team

Alex Manos started buying collector vehicles in Los Angeles in the 2000s, and Beverly Hills Car Club now works across the 48 continental states and Hawaii. Our team has handled thousands of makes, models, and conditions, along with the circumstances that tend to come attached to trucks like these: estates in probate, divorce settlements needing a neutral number, storage facilities holding a lien, titles issued in a state the owner left two decades ago…

Who buys International Scout? We Do! Our commitments are short enough to state in one paragraph. We don’t renegotiate after we’ve agreed on a figure and we don’t string sellers along.

Selling a Scout? Questions? Call: 888-848-4771

The Ten-Year Run, Year by Year

1971-1973 — the launch trucks. The Scout II arrived on a 100-inch wheelbase with a one-piece removable top, leaf springs and solid axles at both ends, and the Dana 20 transfer case. Engines ran from the 196 four and an AMC-sourced six up through International’s own 304 and 345 V8s. Early trucks are the purest expression of the design and appeal to buyers who want a Scout II that looks like a Scout II, but they’re also the hardest to find without significant corrosion, simply because they’ve lived through the most winters.

1974-1975 — the consolidation years. Brake and trim revisions arrived, emissions equipment began appearing in earnest, and the four-cylinder option wound down. These are solid, honest trucks that tend to trade in the middle of the market, less collectible than an early truck in equivalent condition, less sought-after than what came next, and frequently the best value for someone who simply wants to drive one.

1976-1977 — the range expands. The 118-inch chassis arrived, producing the Terra pickup and the Traveler wagon. Both are meaningfully scarcer than a standard Scout II, and both have their own followings — the Traveler in particular, because the full-length roof gives it a different presence. The Nissan-sourced SD33 diesel entered the lineup in this window, and the SSII appeared: roll bar, soft top, half doors, minimal interior, and no interest in your comfort.

1978-1979 — packages and paint. Harvester leaned into trim and appearance packages during these years, and the Rallye and Midas treatments are the ones most often mentioned in listings. Documented, correct package trucks carry a premium. Undocumented claims carry very little, because stripes are available and so are decals.

1980 — the final year. The last-year trucks got the Dana 300 transfer case, a revised front end with rectangular headlights, and the turbocharged version of the SD33 diesel. Production ended that October. Last-year status matters to a segment of the market that wants the end-of-line truck specifically, and the 1980-only hardware.

The Five Photographs That Tell Us the Most

Here’s what we generally actually ask for, and what each shot answers.

The rear three-quarter, low and close. The lower rear corners of the tub (where the quarter panel wraps into the wheel arch) are where a Scout II fails first and where the repair is most labor-intensive. This single photograph reshapes more offers than any other.

The tailgate, dropped, shot from below. Scout II tailgates corrode from the inside seam outward, and a tailgate that looks fine standing up frequently isn’t. Good replacements are neither cheap nor plentiful.

Underneath, if you can safely get there. Frame rails, the rear crossmember, the spring hangers, and the body mounts where the tub sits on the frame. Surface scale on sheet metal is a normal line item. Structural rot in these locations is a different category entirely — doing it properly can cost several times what a finished driver-quality Scout II brings, which is exactly why so many projects stall with the body off and never restart.

The floors, with the carpet or bedliner pulled back. Front footwells and the rear cargo floor. Whatever was laid down to cover a problem has usually been holding moisture against the steel ever since.

The base of the windshield frame, both corners. The gasket traps water here, corrosion works outward from behind the glass, and it’s the spot sellers most often don’t know to check. Photograph the cowl and kick panels while you’re there, and the battery tray and front fender bottoms on your way back out.

Photograph the problems rather than around them. We find them either way, and a seller who shows them upfront gets a firmer number faster and never has a conversation about revising it later.

Routes For Selling

Auction. A correct, documented Scout II can perform well in front of the right room. Weigh the whole picture: seller’s commission that typically runs around ten percent and climbs on premium consignments, transport and insurance to the venue, storage across the consignment window, and a few months between agreement and hammer.

Online auctions. The right audience and lower fees, in exchange for the listing work — photography to a high standard, a thorough write-up, and a week of answering questions in public.

Private sale. Full control and direct contact with enthusiasts, in exchange for a high volume of unserious inquiries, no-shows, under-asking offers, and contingencies.

Direct sale to us. Top dollar paid and immediate transactions, with no commission taken off the top and no waiting on a calendar.

Call Now 888-848-4771

Email [email protected]

Selling Your Scout II To Us

The five photographs above, plus the standard walk-around -all four exterior angles, interior, engine bay. Daylight and a phone camera are fine.

With them, send the VIN, the drivetrain configuration if you know it, and the context: how long you’ve owned it, how it’s been stored, what’s been done, what you know is wrong, and any paperwork you have.

We’ll respond within 24 to 48 hours, often sooner. If we’re making an offer, it’s a specific number with our reasoning behind it — not a range, not subject to a later inspection, not something that changes when the truck gets loaded.

When you’re ready to move forward, get in touch. There’s no urgency from our side. Harvester built the last one in 1980, and yours has waited this long already!