Slate Truck Or 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser, What Car Should I Buy?

I'm an avid rock climber, a general outdoors enthusiast, and a maker — in essence, the exact flavor of pervert that the new Slate truck is built for. So, with pricing coming out this week, there's a part of me that's genuinely tempted to throw some money down and reserve a spot (the same part of me that's confident I'll win the lottery by the time deliveries start). But, in the imaginary fantasy world where I actually have $25,000 to drop on a car, there's a strong competitor to the Slate: The 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Now, I admit, cross-shopping a brand new electric pickup truck with a 28-year-old Toyota SUV is weird. But it's a question I've genuinely been thinking about all day, and it's honestly hard to firmly come down on one side or the other. Both have their merits and detriments, and both would be excellent — but imperfect — for my needs.

On the one hand, $25,000 gets you a base-model Slate, a perfectly serviceable vehicle. Sure, it doesn't have amenities like "power windows" or "speakers" or whatever, but I'm the kind of sicko who genuinely likes adding functionality to a vehicle myself. I'm more than happy to take measurements into computer-aided design software and 3D print myself some tweeter mounts for the dash and a subwoofer enclosure to go under the driver's seat, and I'm equally happy to get out my woodworking tools and sewing machine to build the nicest, plushest center console anyone's ever seen. Can you imagine some nice teak accents in that interior?

The Slate also has the advantage of a pickup bed, something I love. I'm a big fan of vehicles that require absolutely zero care, and I can dump absolutely whatever I want into the Slate's bed, like furniture, crash pads for bouldering, or motorcycles. Only having two seats is certainly a detriment for someone who likes to bring lots of friends rock climbing, and there's not much interior space to sleep in when it gets too cold at the crag for a tent, but the flipside of all that is that the Slate is nice, compact, and easy to park in the city. Plus, I could buy the SUV kit, which comes with a bed cap and an installable back seat.

On the other hand, $25,000 gets you a hell of a lot of J100 Land Cruiser. It doesn't get you a perfect car — you're all but guaranteed to blow that budget if you want a truck with under 200,000 miles, according to AutoTrader — but the 2UZ in a Land Cruiser will run far longer than any of my internal organs will. It may require more maintenance than the Slate to get there, whether regular oil changes or irregular alternator replacements, but at least Toyota is certain to be around in five years. Probably even still making parts. 

The Land Cruiser makes up for all of the Slate's detriments, seating up to eight and sleeping at least two, probably three full-grown adults in the back. Its cargo space is more limited than the Slate, but at least it's covered in a way that can serve as a tent on cold nights — and keep the rain off my crash pads in the wet, at the cost of carrying fewer pads to begin with. The Land Cruiser would be tougher to park in the city, being a full foot and a half longer than the Slate, but four-wheel drive means it's less likely to get stuck in some muddy campsite, "My Cousin Vinny"-style.

On the one side, a truck that can haul all the lumber, climbing gear, and bikes I could ever want — but only one friend, and I can't crash in the back with them. On the other, an SUV from a trusted brand that's a mainstay in the outdoors world — but one that still costs nearly what it did new for clean examples, and unclean cars will only need more and more maintenance as they approach 30 years old. 

I may not be able to afford either of these cars in real life (the few Land Cruisers in my budget invariably need entirely new frames thanks to New England rust), but they both very nearly meet my criteria in interesting and comparable ways. So, in the event I win the lottery before Q4 of this year, give me your advice: Which car should I buy with my imaginary $25,000? The easy-to-park and cheap-to-charge barebones electric workhorse that I can make a project out of, or the stalwart from a storied brand that's only getting longer in the tooth?