Fuel economy

Stop driving it like it's a GTS Monaro, ie put an eggshell under the throttle and don't break it.

It'll never be "economical" even then. Might be worth getting your O2 sensor checked, after 14 years it could well be operating poorly, if at all

Shawthing,
You sound like a sensible bloke for 17.
I am 60. I still remember the shock and expense of my first car a vw which was a heap of proverbial etc. I put absolutely no thought into buying it.
Firstly service it regularly(more expense) and try to drive like you have all the time in the world. Most young people have a heavy foot and need to get there before anyone else, wherever "THERE" is.
Finally accept that you have purchased something that is called a "black hole" and it will need to be fed.
IE dollars poured into it.
My mate has a lovely boat he is also 60. But the boat can be likened to a "hole in the ocean" that he pours money into.
Hope this advice makes you "feel" better.
No offence mate but at 17 you are on the way to being smarter.
Regards
JimDi

Maybe let us know what you are getting out of it. My sister has a 03 V6 Jack auto. I think from memory they are happy with 16-17 lt/per hundred.

Unfortunately a V6 petrol 4WD is never going to be economical. Maybe try and stretch for a LPG conversion if you plan to keep it for a while

Cheers Stefan

Hi Shawthing - as already said you will never get an older petrol 4wd to be very economical even at the best of times. I wouldn't advise a gas conversion if you are at all keen on going off road as gas is strictly a "city driver" thing. Best suggestion I have is to save your pennies till you can get a diesel.

First let us know what your currant fuel economy is. Pump up tyres to 45lb will give a rough ride but better economy, check your air filter or replace it. Check o2 sensor. The milder your tyres are the better economy you will get. eg ht give better economy than mts,
Is it auto or manual as the autos in this model were known for poor economy. My 3.5 will get down to 11.4l/100 on a trip unloaded.Try not to rush off from the lights as this just burns money. Has it got a roof rack? if so take it off. Do not put on gas as the heads were not designed for the extra heat.
Cheers Pete

Hi Shawthing.
I am the co-owner of the 3.5 V6 Jack that stefan P mentions in his reply ,while the 17 litres/100km can happen .What he didn't say was. that was fully loaded inside, with roof racks loaded as well on trip of 4000 km.
I guess what I want say is, that maybe you should look at it like this.
If you take a 3.2 V6 petrol auto sedan of 93 vintage and look at the expected fuel consumption might be, say 10 or 11 litres /100km average. Then take into account the weight of a 93 Jackaroo maybe another half a car again at least, Then probably double the wind drag of a sedan and you might not be so critical of the fuel consumption. Particularly compared to other petrol 4wds.
As others here have said, being a 17 year old male driver may (read will) have an impact on fuel usage.
I say this because I wonder what you may be expecting, might be a bit optimistic as you have not stated your fuel usage.
Just try to be smooth in your driving style around town, keep your tyre pressures up, and your motor in tune.
Cheers BoldJack

Welcome to the real world Shawthing.
Petrol is expensive and you've bought a drinking machine. LPG is the only way out, but you'll need to hang on to the truck for a little while to justify it. I've had 2 Disco's on LPG and my son had it put on his '97 Maverick. Both use more LPG than petrol, but at 50cents a litre we get great economy (except when towing, and 4WDing in low range, but that's usually only for relatively short bursts) It'll cost you about $1500, after rebate. And if you're like my kids were at 17, that's won't be easy to find.
Here's the economics. If you're getting, for the sake of a round figure, 10litres/100kms, at less than half price LPG will give you the equivalent of around 5litres/100kms.
If you do the "average" of 20,000kms a year ..thats
2,000litres of petrol @$120 = $2,400
2,200litres of LPG @55cents = $1,210
We get about 10% less kms per litre on LPG