Have you decided where you want to install your antenna? If you don't need to thread through any tight holes, you can just buy the cable with both connectors already installed (no soldering required).
It's too bad you don't have a ham store nearby. You really should get a look at an NMO-type connector and mounting system and compare it to the UHFs (PL-259). The NMO is beefier: the antenna base is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter versus the UHF's 3/4-inch or so, so any physical loads are spread out more. When you screw it down, the base clamps directly against your mounting surface, so it seals well against weather.
You can get various types of brackets and clamps, and even magnetic mounts that use NMO. Still, it's tough to beat a simple NMO antenna mounted through a sheet-metal roof. It's strong, gives a good signal pattern, and the cable is protected and out of the way inside the vehicle. And, if you have to remove the antenna, say to go through a car wash or fit in a low-ceiling parking garage, just pop on a plastic weather cap.
Good luck!
(hmm... a bunch of us posted at the same time. Looks like I'm the slow typist!)