At $16,400, Is This 1998 SsangYong Korando An Ultra-Rare Bargain?

You will be excused if you are unfamiliar with today's Nice Price or No Dice SsangYong Korando; it is, after all, one of just two presently in the U.S., according to its seller. Let's find out what it's all about, and what it might actually be worth.

There's a term in Latin American culture, "Caballerismo," that is intended to describe masculinity in a positive light. Its counterpart, Machismo, has traditionally been used negatively, imparting a sense of aggression, sexism, chauvinism, and hypermasculine behavior. Caballerismo, on the other hand, is intended to convey family-oriented, nurturing, and chivalrous behaviors.

With a sturdy base and a fetching striped Surrey top, the 1958 Jeep DJ3A we looked at on Tuesday definitely imparted a sense of Caballerismo rather than the aura of machismo of its military Jeep progenitor. Unfortunately, based on its stated year of manufacture and the seller's vague description of its origin, it appears that the Jeep isn't, in fact, a real Surrey but rather a well-done homage. That sullied opinions regarding the truck and seriously called into question its $32,500 asking price. In the end, few of you were having it, dropping the Surrey off the stage in a massive 94% 'No Dice' loss.

The 1998 SsangYong Korando diesel that has shown up today is an unexpectedly apt segue from yesterday's Jeep. That's because, while this is a second-generation Korando and not overtly Jeep-like in appearance, the preceding first-generation model was a licensed version of the CJ5 Jeep, initially built for U.S. forces in South Korea and later offered for civilian sales.

The smallest of South Korea's automakers, SsangYong began building those Jeeps under the corporate name, Ha Dong-hwan Motor Company. A hot potato of a company, it has since gone under the SsangYong name and today goes by KG Mobility, which offers the fourth-generation Korando in a number of markets to this very day. Over the span of the Korando's run, its parent company has gone through multiple receiverships, several owners, including competitor Daewoo and, at present, Chinese carmaker Chery, and a couple of strategic and very interesting partnerships. 

The most important of those partnerships was with Daimler-Benz, which brought an influx of engineering expertise and capital that enabled SsangYong to design and build the Musso five-door SUV, a model powered by Daimler-licensed engines and sold, oddly enough, as a Daewoo in Germany and as a Mercedes in parts of Asia. The Korando is based on a shortened version of the Musso chassis and shares many parts with the larger truck.

This Korando has a Mercedes-designed 2.3-liter OM601 turbo-diesel four under the hood, mated to a Borg-Warner five-speed manual transmission and part-time 4WD system. As fitted, the Korando has 76 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque to work with. According to the seller, the car shows 74,936 miles on the odometer, though that's a calculation since it reads in kilometers, as the truck was originally sold in Spain. While not common in Southern Europe, I came across another Korando on a trip to Tuscany a couple of years back. It had a parking ticket on it!

It is averred in the ad that the Korando's Mercedes diesel could easily do 200K; it's so sturdy and reliable. We don't have the time nor inclination to test that out. It is also said to run without issue and to be driven with enough frequency that it won't dry up and blow away.

A new A/C system has been fitted to the car, quite the feat on a vehicle never sold in the U.S. from a company no one here has ever heard of. It also has new tires and a fresh battery, and is claimed to be free of leaks and rust. Somewhat comically, the seller—who admittedly has only had the truck for 8 months—doesn't seem to know what the snorkel mounted to the right side does, stating, "The snorkel is really cool but is just for show – the exhaust runs out the back per normal."

As noted, the Korando—nor any SsangYong, for that matter—has ever been sold here. The seller claims to be aware of one other privately imported model but doesn't go into detail as to how they came by that info, nor where this mysterious other Korando might be.

Owing to its extreme rarity, it's a good thing this Korando appears to be in extremely nice shape. The bodywork is said to have received a respray prior to its trans-Atlantic crossing, and it's said to be "looking pretty good." There is a crack in the front bumper and another in the windscreen, but the latter is said to be out of the driver's line of sight and hence not a problem. Aside from that, there are some small dings in the bodywork, but nothing so major that it shows up in the pics (unlike Monday's VW).

Craigslist

The interior is in fantastic shape, with a crazy, possibly seizure-inducing pattern on the seat upholstery, and fake wood trim on the center console and doors. One fun aspect of the Korando's interior is its symmetrical dash. This isn't just a styling feature; it's to facilitate the easy adaptation between left- and right-hand drive models as a cost-saving measure. Happily, this originally Spanish model is left-hand-drive. One last interesting thing to note about the interior is the massive armrests on the back seat. Those are total units.

According to the ad, the Korando comes with a clean Florida title and is coverable through regular insurance providers. As a privately imported edition of a model never intended to be sold here, it may pose a challenge for registration in any state that follows California's emissions standards. Florida, as one might imagine, does not, and it is rumored that you could register your grandma there if she came with a clean bill of sale.

Being fresh out of grannies, we'll have to now focus on this Korando and its $16,400 asking price. Inadvisedly, the seller makes their case for that price by stating in the ad, "I'm not making any money over what I paid and what I put into it." Of course, that's not how any of this works, and it is now incumbent on you to weigh in on this weird little truck and that asking price.

What's your take on this Korando at that $16,400 asking price? Does that seem like a deal to get a one-of-two in the U.S. truck in decent condition and with an oddball backstory? Or is that just too much cash for this Korando?

You decide!

Miami, Florida, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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