Well, this is my second Raider. My roomate -- whose reckless driving habits made him go through cars like tissues -- bought one in 1986, and I was amazed to when the vehicle lasted six months with him.

So I ran out and bought one myself. At that time, the 2.6 four was the only engine available, and I got it with the five speed.

Great little truck, but a tad underpowered. After 12 glorious years, the engine started smoking like crazy, so I sold it to a canny man who exported Raider/Monteros to Guatemala and had them repowered.

About six months later, I found this Raider on Yahoo at a Dodge dealer's lot. It has the might V6, which makes a big difference -- same gas mileage, but much better performance.

Here's why I think this is the perfect city/country vehicle:
Here's why:

--A rare 2-door model, its 155-inch overall length means you'll be able to squeeze into those small parking spots usually reserved for Mini Morrises -- very nice on those alternate-side days. But it can still carry five in comfort (and more if needed), and it can be camped out in.

--Its Thule racks allow you to carry plywood, sheetrock, ladders, kayaks, etc.

--You can go offroading and get real respect from the Jeep crowd. The short angle of approach (distance between wheels and bumpers) means it can climb anything.

--After snowstorms, you can park on top of those big piles of snow.

--In the city, it's sometimes mistaken for a Land Rover, which is a 40k complement indeed!

--The 3.0 liter V6 provides decent acceleration when needed (e.g., getting on BQE from Atlantic Ave.) but it gets 17 mpg in the city and 20 mpg in the highway on regular gas (I run it on 89 though).

When I purchased it used from original owner in 2000 for 3K (it was my second Dodge Raider), it had only 73k. I sank another 3k into it, replacing every belt, hose, brakes calipers/pads and every drop of fluid and tires. I've been maintaining it meticulously with all synthetics every since (I have all service records; only one master mechanic has serviced it in all this time).

It now has 144k (mostly highway miles), a few minor dings on drivers door and hood, but is overall in very good shape -- the interior is very clean. You can drive it anywhere with confidence.