Buy This 1970s Amphibious ATV With Four-Wheel Steering

Modern ATVs and UTVs are incredibly capable, but there’s a decades-old design that can keep up with them—and then some. Recently listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace, this 1970 Coot has four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, and it’s amphibious. A seller in New Jersey wants $3,800 for it.

Coot Inc. was one of host of small manufacturers building amphibious ATVs in the 1960s and 1970s. It was founded in 1964 by Carl Enos Jr., an 18-year-old mechanic, according to a page on the company put together by current ATV manufacturer Mudd-Ox. The neat thing about the Coot is its articulated hull, which is split in the middle, allowing the two halves to pivot laterally. This helps keep the wheels in contact with the ground when driving over uneven terrain.

This 1970 model has a 0.5-liter Tecumseh four-cylinder engine and high and low range for its four-wheel drive system. Conventional single-axle steering was available, but with four-wheel steering, this ATV is basically a miniature version of the U.S. military’s LARC transport. Coot itself advertised it as a replacement for everything from snowmobiles to garden tractors, and backed that up with an owner’s manual full of off-roading tips accompanied by cartoon illustrations.

According to a 1973 price sheet posted on the same history page, a base model with four-wheel drive and two-wheel steering cost $2,065 at the time. Four-wheel steering was a $110 option, and you could get a trailer for $460.

The original Coot company started out in San Francisco, but later moved to Cedar Park, Texas, before dissolving in 1985. In 2006, Columbus Industries of Fairview, Illinois, introduced a modernized take on the Coot called the Coot 2, but it wasn’t as successful as the original. Production ended after the 2008 model year, perhaps in part because fully-loaded versions cost about $20,000. You got get a nicely-equipped compact car for similar money at the time.

At its Facebook Marketplace price, this vintage model might be a good deal. It’s simpler and much more capable than an Amphicar or one-off amphibious conversions that tend to appear from time to time. This is one old Coot that sounds fun to have around.

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