Swan Song: 1980 International Scout II – STILL $45,000

May 2, 2023 Update – Despite no apparent action from the first three Craigslist ads in as many months, the seller of this IHC Scout we’ve been tracking the sale of since January 2023 posted a new listing with the same $45,000 asking price.

March 21, 2023 Update – The seller replaced their expired second listing with a third Craigslist ad.  The pictures, description, and already raised asking price of $45,000 all remain the same.

February 13, 2023 Update – The seller replaced their expired original listing with a second Craigslist ad.  The pictures, description, and already raised asking price of $45,000 all remain the same.

January 12, 2023 Update – Nine days after first listing their rare diesel-powered International Scout II, the seller raised their asking price from the original ask of $35,000 to an almost eye-watering $45,000.  We will keep a close eye on this one to keep up with more price changes.

1980 marked the final year for the Truck and Farm Implement company International Harvester (better known simply as “IH”) to dabble in the retail market. With several improvements, including a new grille featuring square headlamps, the 1980 International Scout II was arguably the best and rarest version offered by IH.  Even rarer is a 1980 Scout II equipped with the one-year-only, Nissan-supplied DS33T inline-six TurboDiesel engine.

This slightly restored red 1980 International Scout II for sale, currently listed on Craigslist in Vancouver, Washington, is said to be an ex-California-sourced example featuring a rust-free body and a reupholstered interior. As with all Scouts fitted with this diesel engine, this example features a floor-shifted four-speed manual unit.

Currently offered for $45,000, Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is slightly below the one-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for all body styles and powertrains of International Harvester Scout II SUVs produced between 1972 and 1980.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the truck featured here:

As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #2 Very Good” estimate of $29,500 and its #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $44,700 before deducting twenty percent for the inline-four diesel engine.

Better known for farm equipment and large trucks, International Harvester produced the Scout off-road vehicle in two distinct generations from 1961 to 1980 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  The larger Scout II came along in April 1971 as a ’72 model and is easily identifiable by its front grille. The 1971–1972 Scout IIs shared the same grille, three horizontal bars between the headlights, and chrome rings around the headlights. The 1973 Scout IIs had 14 vertical bars between the headlights, a split in the middle, seven bars on each side surrounded by chrome trim pieces, and an “International” model plate low on the left side. The 1974–75 Scout II grilles were the same as 1973, with the addition of a vertical bar trim overlay. 1975 had chrome and black, square trim rings around the headlights; 1976 had the same headlight trim rings as 1975, and a chrome center grille of 15 horizontal bars split into three sections was used in this year only. The 1977–79 Scout IIs used the same grille between the same headlight bezels the new chrome grille had two large horizontal bars with three vertical support lines and the “International” nameplate moved up to the center of the grille on the left side.

After testing a number of diesel power plants sourced from a variety of suppliers, International Harvester settled on offering 1976 through 1979 Scouts with Nissan’s SD33 diesel engine.  The SD33 was a 3.2 Liter naturally aspirated inline six that produced only 95 horsepower.  For 1980, Nissan supplied a turbocharged versions, known as the SD33T.  All were equipped with a T-19 manual transmission.

In 1980, the final year of production for the Scout, the grille was a distinctive design, available in black or silver, a one-piece grille with made of Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic.  1980 models were the only International Scouts to feature single rectangular sealed beam headlights that quickly gained popularity in the late 1970s.  Both grille color options had imprinted chrome trim around the newly-integrated square headlights and an “International” name mark on the left side. Starting with late 1974 Scout IIs, disc and power brakes were standard features. Early 1974 models had disc brakes as a rarely selected option. Very few 1971–1979 Scout IIs were ordered in RWD-only configuration, most were 4WD.  Scouts were tough and could go through just about anything, with their Achilles Heel being the use of poor-quality Japanese steel combined with ineffective rust prevention measures.

The Bionic Disco YouTube Channel features this classic International Scout commercial from 1979:

As is especially the case with any International Scout II for sale, we would like to see more pictures of the engine compartment and undercarriage. Even ex-California examples have a high probability of at least some surface rust underneath, so it’s important to confirm this example truly does not have any tin worm.

If you are serious about buying this Scout II, you can start the conversation by emailing the seller.  When you connect, please remember to mention you saw their IH SUV featured here on GuysWithRides.com. Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s description:

Show or go: What would you do with this 1980 International Harvester Scout II for sale?  Please comment below and let us know!