The Sportsman's Vehicle

Last fall I made the biggest purchase of my adult life. I bought my first car. Granted my father has given me two cars, both in better condition and worth more than my latest edition, this four-wheeled piece of heaven is titled and insured solely in my name.

After my father and I flipped a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 the year before, I developed a business model and decided I would try my hand at flipping desirable cars on my own. However, I made a huge miscalculation. In searching for my first project, I happened upon what has been a dream car of mine since childhood.

The Range Rover County Classic.

This particular car was found on Craigslist, and at a price way above what I could feasibly spend. But I gathered what cash I had, and convinced the owner to sell me the classic Rangie for half of what he was asking.

I accidentally fell in love. Where my family and girlfriend saw 6,000 pounds of poor judgment from 1993 with unsightly clear-coat damage, I saw an Aegean blue British bombshell batting her brush guards and begging me to bring her back to life.

My family has now accepted her into the family, and even my mother admits she is a very cool car, even though I have decided to keep the last car my father gave me, a 2004 Tahoe.

The Tahoe has been a great car, and will continue to be for a long time. I've enjoyed throwing a load of gear and friends into the back and going camping or paddling for years. But what the Tahoe will always lack is any sense of passion. If you were 12-years-old, you wouldn't have a picture of one on your wall. And for me, that was the original Range Rover.

Beyond all of this, in buying my Rover I stumbled upon what is perhaps the greatest sportsman's vehicle ever made. Honest mud seems befitting on the Range Rover, even on your way to a nice dinner. The four-wheel-drive, after 17 years, still outperforms anything in its class. It's spacious enough for guns and dogs and the functionality of the tailgate and parcel shelf are ever present.

It has likewise been surprisingly reliable. Despite its 170,000+ miles, it being a pre-BMW Range Rover, even the factory six-discs-player, sunroof and heated seats work

It really is the perfect meeting place of form and function. And all that is not to mention that you look good in it. Toss on a Barbour jacket and tortoiseshell sunglasses and look out Savile Row.

My girlfriend's mother recently bought a 2010 Range Rover and it is an absolute technological triumph. It is stunningly good looking, unbelievably powerful and more comfortable than any 4x4 I've driven. The interior is its decadent showpiece, where brushed aluminum, soft leather and solid timber meet to create a unique and pleasant place to sit.

However the classic is just more masculine. The steering and brakes are heavy and industrial feeling, and the radio has a button just for the NOAA weather band, so anywhere in the lowcountry you can pretend you're in the Coast Guard. Beyond that, it's more exclusive. I almost never see another County in Columbia, and therefore people constantly commend me, even if it's just a smile from a passing pedestrian.

With all that said, it has become obvious to me that there is one car for the modern dignified sportsman. New or old, nothing tops a Land Rover.

I truly love my Range Rover. In recent months I've made a few upgrades including all-terrain tires, a Yakima rack and even a union jack plate for the front. Oh yeah, and of course a proper British name: Mildred.