We live at a time when Mercedes-Benz sells every single brand new 1970’s military vehicle with leather seats for over $200,000 that they can make. Crazy, right? Not only has the world SUVs exploded, the luxury off-roaders are in high demand now, too. There are after-market companies that specialize in turning utility vehicles into extremely capable and luxurious rigs. Think Icon4x4, AEV, and East Coast Defender. 
It should be no surprise then that others will try to get a piece of that pie. This 1993 UAZ 469B, a vehicle so utilitarian it makes hyena seem domesticated, has been completely restored and modified with the modern urban explorer in mind. UAZs are known for their comforts and sophisticated, grand touring-like road manners, so this is probably amazing. 


The vehicle is in Ukraine where the I guess the company whose name I can’t pronounce or spell is located. Their website is stets.if.ua. 
From the ad, which appeared on a Polish website:

The car is after general repair. All spare parts are new. Tire R15/33*12.5. The car is perffect for off-road, in excellent condition. It can be delivered in any town of your country. Samochód jest w idealnym stanie.
Iwano-Frankowsk w pobliżu miasta Lwów.
[vehicle is in an ideal shape]

I gotta say, this thing looks bad-ass. The already very capable vehicle is blessed here with a mild suspension lift and 33″ mud-terrain tires. I assume it still has drum brakes all around. Snorkel, winch, steel bumpers, brush guard, fender flares, Hi-Lift jack, and winch add to the off-road theme. Exterior is also complimented with what looks like LED headlights and taillights, and the mandatory light-bar. There also seem to be some undercarriage protection and rock-sliders or steps. Fresh coat of paint, top, and tinted windows finish it off. 

The interior of your typical UAZ is, like the rest of the vehicle, shall we say, utilitarian. It is kind of like a Jeep CJ except not as luxurious. The dash is metal, just straight up metal. There are no carpets. The doors are metal. Everything is metal sans any covering except the seats which are vinyl covered. The windows do not roll down, only the small vent windows open. If you want to open the window you have to unbolt the top half of the door. 

The interior of this dreamy UAZ is where the company spent some serious effort. The windows even open, or shall we say the two halves slide, which seems to be a later UAZ thing. And there are even window shades, or more like drapes, even in the front, which is just awesome. The whole dash seems to be covered in soft vinyl and leather. All gauges appear to be stock but there is an after-market tach. There are after-marker switches and the levers have knobs and booties. The seats look like real seats and I would bet that they’re heated, too. 

Due to the bigger front seats and to increase the rear legroom, the rear bench was moved back. It appears as thought your butt is almost over the rear axle now. That means that the two jump seats in the cargo area were scrapped and the cargo area is somewhat smaller. Keep in mind that this is not a large vehicle.
The soft-top and its supporting hardware seem of higher quality but it does not look like it is a convertible top. Meaning, the soft-top fabric has to be removed separately from the supporting top structure. I am surprised that with all this work they didn’t fit it with a roll cage, even an external one. This would have also allowed the installation of a roof rack, which all the kids have on their 4x4s these days. 

The engine appears to be a stock but cleaned up and with modified intake from the snorkel. But I could be dead wrong but I don’t think I am. Some not some clean wiring around there but who cares. Looks like they added a windshield washer tank or perhaps it comes in newer UAZs. 

So, what is the asking price for this amazing UAZ? How about 49,000 Polish zloty, which is around $12,623 at the current rate. Delivery can made to wherever. Compare that to just about any similar Wrangler or Land Cruiser and it seems like a solid value. Coincidentally there was a 1991 UAZ 469B recently listed on American eBay. The car was slightly restored but otherwise original. The price was $12,499, located in Georgia (American Georgia not Russian Georgia) and it did  not seem to sell.