Fancy a genuine off-road icon, but aren't prepared to pay the prices being asked for some of the other cars here? Splendid. We might just have the answer here.
Yep, there's the heritage
The Jeep Wrangler has been around for donkeys' years, though for the sake of brevity, we'll concentrate here on the models which were officially imported from 1993 onwards. Imports started with the square-headlight YJ, converted to right-hand drive here in the UK, and looking back now these have all the makings of a particularly PHey off-roader. Think about it: within that short wheelbase sat a grunty 4.0-litre straight-six engine, particularly vast in a car about the size of a bean can.
Of course, the Wrangler was built for trucking up hills off the road rather than going round corners on it, and consequently it was rather wobbly, but show it a steep, mucky incline and it'd hoon up it like nobody's business.
You can now get hold of one of these early examples for the very tempting price of just £2,000; spend a little more - £5,000 should be enough - and you'll pick up one of the best right-hand-drive YJs around.
By 1997, the Wrangler had made its mark, so when Jeep launched the round-headlight TJ version, the model range was expanded to three: the basic 4.0-litre was joined by a posher 4.0-litre 'Limited' version, and a 2.5-litre model which made fuel consumption a little more modest.
OK, it's not exactly butch
A high-mileage TJ in decent nick can now be had for somewhere between £3,000 and £5,000, a lovely, late low-miler will set you back even more - expect to pay anywhere from £7,000.
Beyond that point, your money is best spent on a JK Wrangler, which replaced the TJ in 2007. While wider than the TJ, meaning it won't go through such tight gaps off road, the increased wheelbase and decreased body length mean the approach and departure angles are actually better - in other words, whether it'll be better off-road depends on the situation.
Notably, the TJ brought the first diesel Wrangler to be available in the UK. The 200hp 2.8-litre unit is rather noisy, but provides a decent amount of grunt, and it's probably the engine of choice if you're on a budget or looking for an easy buy. There are plenty available, with prices starting at £10,000 for a high-miler, or around £13,000 for one with low miles.
Fancy something petrol-powered instead? Well, you'll have to work for it. The 280hp 3.6-litre V6 is quick enough, but so few were sold that you'll struggle to find one. If you do, expect to pay at least £20,000 for it.