Next 4WD - perhaps a Jackaroo

Let's get this straight.. you have to sell the troopy you love, your wife has just got her license, and you are about to increase your responsibilities by a third!!! Wow, your'e not travelling real well at the moment (:o)... Welcome to the site, hope you gain a heap of good imfo as i have. Let's see what the brains of this site come up with for you..regards Michael.

Depending on where you want to go, the Jackaroo and Forerunner are not as capable as a Troopy. Won't fit as much in either. So if you used your Troopy to its full potential and still wish too then you might be disappointed.

Jackaroo and Forerunner both appear to be good, reliable vehicles though.

Hey JonnoC, I have recently purchased a 92 GQ td42 Manual for $13k and am returning 12.7L/100km and couldnt be happier. I used to work on these when new and still think they are one of the strongest 4bies around. I have trouble getting the keys back from the missus though, easy to drive. -get a GQ-

Hi Jonno
Just thought as a Jack owner I would provide feedback on ours. It is totally different from what you are looking for, but no other jack responses yet. We have a 2002 3.5 V6 SE widetrack, love it, has plently of go, we have a 4m tinny and pull it everywhere and we don't even know its there. The Jack is very comfortable to drive and plenty of room. The later models are a little wider and provide a bit more ground clearance. We love it.
A GQ patrol with the 3L petrol skyline engine is a great combo which you will pick up under 15K or as with the other suggestion 4.2TD would be very good. Have a look on the trader at the 4wd's for sale. Good hunting..
cheers Adam

Johnno,

There was a good thread on this about 2 weeks ago. Check out previous post id = 16547.

For the record, I have a 1998 diesel Jackaroo with approx 160,000k and have been very happy with it. It certainly doesn't have the room, ruggedness or reliability of a troopy but I've been happy with it to date. I agree with Utemad, if you used your troopy to its full potential, you will find the Jackaroo less accomodating. However, if you want your wife to drive it and can accept a smaller vehicle, the jackaroo should be acceptable.

I work in the city so it's a good compromise and my wife certainly doesn't have any problems driving it either. We tow a large boat and find the turbo diesel more than ample.

Within your budget, all the major brands should be considered.

One tip though, JACKAROO diesels from (June?) 1998 onward have a significantly different motor to pre 1998. the 3.0litre motor is much more high tech, much more power, much more sought after (and of course much more to go wrong with!). So if your budget can stretch and you want a diesel JACKAROO, I'd look for post 1998 vehicles. My opinion is that you should be able to get these from $18k upwards if you look around hard.

Hope this helps.

Andrew

Thanks All,

I'm amazed at how quickly advice comes through. That is great. I realise that it will take a lot to live up to the ol' troopy, but we all have to make sacrifices at some stage. I would dearly love an 80 series, but no one wants to get rid of 'em until they've done 300K, and even them they want over $15K for 'em. I have hummed and haared over a GQ, and the feul efficiency you have quoted sounds better than my current 89 diesel troopy (up to 18L/100km). It would be nice to have a turbo diesel, but I'm sure that still slow, a diesel GQ would be quicker than the troopy (2H diesel). CAn anyone verify this.

Then of course there is the age old debate - "what are the benifits/disbenifits of adding a turbo" and "how much". I have heard that the toyota 1HZ's do not like be turbo'ed, but the TD42's love it. Is there any truth to this? What would be the bare minimum I would need if I were to turbo a GQ, keeping in mind I will be towing, carrying a bit of gear and that Summers here in Adelaide get quite hot? I've heard that Turboing a N/A diesel can lead to overheating problems.

One more thing. How about the later model 3.0L surfs. I cringe at asking, but I hear they have the same engine/transmission as the Prado, and parts are interchangeable. Is this true? As I have seen a few around for under $20K.

Once again, I appreciate any advice and look forward to taking the new (used) 4by over the dunes and far away.

CHeers

Jono

Hi Jono, I too am a contented jackaroo owner, (1999 TD manual) and for the size (externally) they have a lot of interior space. Also a little smaller externally than a lot of others around making parking easier. For ease of driving the auto ( my first Jack was a auto) is a real gem, geared to the diesel really well and your Missus would not even know she was driving a diesel. My current Jack is a manual and gets better mileage than the auto ever did. A mate of mine has a earlier petrol V6 version and on a recent trip I was getting 3-5 L/100 Ks better economy.
Whatever you purchase make sure it is a seven seater, I too have 3 kids (11, 14,16) and being able to sling one of the horrors into the very back makes long trips much more pleasant.
One word against the 1998 > jack diesel maual gearbox version is the transfer case does hang low.
Hope all goes well,
Will

Gday mate,

Just recently traded in the ol' GQ. When purchased some 3 years ago, it was a naturally aspirated TD42 motor. Had 135k's on it and I picked it up for 15k. If you have 5 k left, trick it up a bit with a snorkel, some good rubber and aftermarket suspension and if neccessary, a nice hayman reece towbar. Keep it serviced and the bl$$dy thing will never die mate.

I guarantee that the TD42 is much faster than the 2H. The ol' 2H is about as unbreakable as the TD42. I was getting 9.5k's the litre before going a bit crazy.

Look for rust around the window frames ($360 for 2 from Nissan) etc. If you can pick up a non-modified beast, you'll most likely have one that hasn't competed, hence no cracks!

Happy hunting.

Chris.