1989 Troopy

John,

Thanks very much for your reply, it is a diesel 4.2, and the asking price is $6000, the rust is pretty much superficial, round door seals and arches etc. the leak is definately from the front seal of the gearbox, so is that not such a problem? myself and my girlfriends father especially are fairly automotive minded. The bloke who is selling it is very trustworthy and it has got a very comprehensive service history, basically we have 8000 to spend in total so we were thinking to buy one which needs work for 6000 and have 2000 ish to start doing it up may be a better option, finding a troopy with no work which needs doing for 8000 is increasingly seeming impossible?,
any more of your wisdom would be much appreciated,

Thanks, Chris

Chris,

Just backing off a bit - why a 4WD? It's a bigger vehicle, much more thirsty than a 2WD, but if you want to go remote and leave the multitudes behind, it's great. Suggest talk to a local 4WD club, (not the cowboy types) who can give you a lot of valuable advice and support. When you buy your 4WD, I can't recommend too highly the benefits of some 4WD training. A good club will have good training for its members. I've been driving for half a century and didn't think they could teach me much - wrong! I learned more in the 3 day 4WD course than in the previous 40 years! I now know a lot more about what a Troopy can do, and I now know that it is the driver that is the limitation, not the Troopy.

Why a Troopy? It's big enough to live in. Full double bed in the back and room for all your gear. It has the ground clearence and pure grunt to go anywhere you would want to take a 4 wheeled vehicle. (That said of course, when you go remote, you should always have a second vehicle with you. Even Troopies can get into trouble and a second vehicle can save a lot of effort and angst. Also - clubs again, before you go bush, know how to get yourself out of trouble, know how to safely use recovery gear, know about adjusting tyre pressures to suit different conditions, etc, etc)

What to look for in a Troopy of mature age - Mine's petrol, so I can't be too specific on the diesel - by 400,000 km, the engine will be feeling its age, a compression test will tell you lots about the state of wear. (Which engine does it have?) With reasonable care, 400,000 km is nowhere near end of life for these engines. Weak points in the body - look for deep rust in the roof gutters, especially if it's had a roof rack fitted for years. Also check very carefully for cracking at the top of the windscreen pillars - this is a major strain point if the roof rack has been heavily loaded. If the spare wheel hangs on the back door, check for wear on the door hinges - real nuisance if it's badly sagged due to wear. Most Troopies have a sagging back door - if it will close and latch without a big slam you're in luck.
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To get some idea of how much corrugation and heavy jarring the vehicle has experienced, check for cracks in the bash plates under the radiator and front of the engine. These vibrate and develop cracks due to metal fatigue (not a serious problem, just an indicator of a hard life.)

HTH

John