Heh, nice card.
And yeah, I think the lower-tech and simpler the better. But getting hands on that kind of stuff is hard. And I think you are on to the answer - building your own from what you can scrounge.
I'll have to talk to my BIL about starting a project. He is pretty handy with most tools, and while he hasn't gotten around to learning welding himself, there are people we know who can do that, as well as people who know engines we could contract with as needed.
I think something along the lines of a poor-man's M3A1 Scout Car (WWII era half-jeep/half-truck light armor (only 6-13mm thick), but it was AWD and simple suspension.
I'll pester my BIL and keep on pestering.