Educate me: Rugged Cell Phone

I hate buying electronics, but my current mobile phone is starting to die. It isn't unexpected; it's about 4 years old and it has been dropped in a lake and run over (twice).

I'm looking to get a rugged cell phone that can take the abuse I give it. All I really need it to do is get and make calls and get and send the occasional text message, so an extensive feature list isn't important. I send about 12 texts a month and never use the 500 minutes I have on my plan. I want to avoid flip or slider phones, since the hinges are weak points that will break.

My carrier is AT&T, so I require a GSM cell phone. I don't want to spend big cash, and I'm willing to buy used.

I was looking at the Nokia 5140. Has anyone used this, or is there a better choice out there?

I am active duty Army (in WA state) and I use the Samsung Rugby when I go to the field. It is very durable and water resistant (actually has a ruber seal around the battery area). As far as user-friendliness for use as anything other than a phone and text messaging device is concerned, it'snot that great, but I only use it for basic stuff. It is carried by ATT and it cost me $99 with a contract renewal. a few months ago.

Reading back over this, it sounds kind of like a canoe, but it's legit, I swear. I'm on hold with the DMV while typing this, so my language skills are rudimentary at best right now.

Nokia brick phones are going to be about the most bulletproof out there.... I think you're doing good. Stay away from the touch screen if you can, that only complicates matters

I have the cheapest Nokia that AT&T offers. It is reliable . After a swim I took it apart and set it on the cam cover of the still warm Miata. 1 hour later it was fine. That has happened 3 times in the past 2 1/2 years.

do you have to stay with AT&T ? the easiest and cheapest is to pay as you go l.e. Net10... no per day charge.. min of use charge only .... call and receive, text, voice mail... if you want it has browser and e-mail capability but nothing says you have to use it that way....

phones are cheap so if something happens to yours ... buy another of the same kind and swap the sims card and away you go.......

Get another of what you have because few phones can handle lakes and drive-overs (twice.)

Being that you are on GSM my advise would be to just keep buying cheap AT&T phones wheather new or used. Often in the prepaid section of the phones at Walmart and Best Buy you will see AT&T handsets selling new for as little as $19.99
Here is $14.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/AT%26T+GoPhone+-+Nokia+2320+No-Contract+Mobile+Phone+-+Black/9502549.p?id=1218115833245&skuId=9502549&st=go%20phone&cp=1&lp=4

Buy this, take out the SIM card from your current AT&T phone and put that SIM card into this AT&T phone and you will be immediately off and running.
When phones get wet, typically the SIM card is unaffected so just swap into a new handset.

Also, I see AT&T has a Tundra available. Well, it has for a while, which tells you how much I care about the latest and greatest phone. It's a flip phone, but it seems to get good reviews.

Anyone have one of these?

(edit- throwaway phones might be alright, too. It looks like I can destroy 5 of those for what I'd pay for a used higher end phone. Great idea!)

www.phonescoop.com
Here you can get indepth reviews on most all models sold in the US.

Here is thier review of the Tundra
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=249

I love nokia candy bar phones. I currently have a nokia flip phone, it's ok, not great.

anything by your carrier + Otterbox

Sanyo pro700. basic phone, soft case, handles abuse and less likely to slip out of your pocket.