This almost completely flawless G-Wagen is one of the more recent vehicles to benefit from the 25-year import rule; it was just introduced to our shores after being bought from a dealer in Italy, of all places. Especially in contrast to the newly and completely updated G-Wagen, this ’93 is an exercise in simple utility, as the military vehicle was originally intended to be.

The recognizable, boxy exterior (note that there are some hood dents) belies a cloth-upholstered interior bedecked with a manual gearbox that controls a 3.0-liter diesel straight-six. As is custom with the G-Wagen, three locking differentials manage torque and power to all four wheels, which are laden with knobby road tires from BF Goodrich. Everything is in working order, and over its 25-year life, this truck has traveled only 103,000 miles. One aftermarket modification: a CD player. Click through to see more pics than you could possibly need, including a multitude focused on just the undercarriage, and to learn a few more details of its history.

SUVs have had a strange trajectory, from being utility-only trucks to ranch-luxury vehicles to boring consumer behemoths to unethical gas guzzlers to, once again, luxury flagships. This G-Wagen is, as far as I’m concerned, exactly what an SUV should be: a straightforward, extremely capable machine operated (hopefully) by a knowledgeable and equally-capable driver. Something that can be worked on, something that will take you anywhere and something that doesn’t need massaging seats and rear entertainment packages to be viable. At $17,000, it’s a steal compared to the dorky, lame, charlatan “SUVs” on the road today. Plus, it’s just so clean. And this vintage G-Wagen, despite sharing looks with any other example in a 20-year range, has such chiseled presence. Someone, please buy it, drive it and love it.

Note: as this is an auction vehicle, price is subject to change after publish.