Jackaroo or similar

Re the Jack....the whole rear seat setup comes out readily by undoing a few bolts. Negatives on the petrol Jacks ? Nothing huge I'd have thought - very robust chariots in general (we had a 99 TD SE). TechSpecs for the Jack and the intended van will tell you the towing ability.

My Jackaroo was a very good car. You will use around 17 -18ltrs per 100k towing wtih the v6 motor. 14-15ltrs around town

Not sure about the lack of power, unless you are driving the diesel.. The v6 has ample and will tow a van with ease.

You can take the rear seats out easily, I did and stored them until I sold it.

I have no negatives about the car mine was good all the time I owned it. I had the Olympic Model with the V6. Cheers Tony

Hi Luckymum,
I own a 1999 SE 3.0 TD Jackaroo, but knowing what I know now, would only recommend a petrol engine model.

They are a bit thirsty, but quite sufficient power. Towing capacity (in my manual) is 2250 kg. Possibly the one you tried was out of tune.

One of the selling points of the Jackaroo's when they were released was their towing ability, compared to similar size vehicles.

I have removed my rear fold up seats, 10 minutes at most, 4 small bolts in each, however, if you need 7 seats.........

Can't think of any great negatives, quite frankly, I really like my car, even if the diesel model is renowned for unreliability motor wise. Petrol Jackaroos are known for reliability, long life if treated properly, but yes, a bit thirsty. A Pajero is the closest option, but you have said you don't want one.

My wife is only 5' 2" in the old scale, and has no trouble seeing over the bonnet, and driving it in general. Top car, in my book.

Happy hunting, Dave

Hi,

Until recently, I had a 1995 Jackaroo with the 3.2L V6 in it. I sold it with 396,000km on it and never had to do anything more serious than scheduled servicing (except for a problem with the fuel pump assembly which stranded me once). I doubt you'll find many cars that are more comfortable for endless hours and hours touring on the highway or on dirt/gravel roads. I never got sore driving it (I think 12 hours was the longest day) and I even had passengers comment about how comfortable it was to travel in (though the centre seat in the centre row left a bit to be desired).

A good low-range and great wheel articulation also made it great for rough off-road tracks/trails although the ground clearance (beneath the transfer case and IFS) let it down a bit.Image Could Not Be Found

The car was rated to tow 2,250kg and a few times I towed my brother's small 750kg van. It always managed the task and felt very much in control (ie. not pushed around by the van) but in terms of power there was never a doubt we were pulling something behind us! - particularly on the hills (although we were driving through the Snowy Mountains/Vic Alps). We weren't in a hurry so it didn't really bother us. The later model (from 1998) had a larger 3.5L V6 and this had heaps more power, and maximum torque was produced lower in the rev range (3,000rpm instead of 3,750rpm) which would make it more suitable for towing.

Personally, I'd have no hesitation recommending them, and would seriously consider buying another one myself (especially if they still sold them new). You should be able to get a good 3.5L V6 with less than 200,000km for less than $10,000. Let me know if you have any more questions...

Luckymum,

Some very accurate replies above. But then again I'm biased as I own one.

Which State are you in?

It just so happens that my Jackaroo is up for sale.
I intend placing it in the Trader section very shortly and have just listed it in Carsguide.

Bill.

The Jackaroo was thought by some to be the "Japanese Range-Rover", in a good sense.....

Serious Isuzu Truck Reliability combined with comfortable and capable suspension....

Hi all,

Thanks so much for your replies.

Hopefully it will help to convince my husband that this is the car for us. I have heard very very few negatives associated with the Jackaroo so Ill be pushing for it! The car we tested the other day had everything we could possibly want in a 4wd of that price range but as I said he didnt think it was gutsy enough.

See you

Hi lucky Mum,
we have three Jacks in our Family, a 98 se man, and my wife has on 03 Nullarbor auto and my son has a 02 se man.
As others have said great cars. In 47000ks in my 98 I have replaced the timing belt, and the inlet manifold gasket, and had the egr, iac motor and trottle body cleaned due to the check engine light being on.
They are not really suited to gas.
If you are worried about economy and power get a manual 98, or 99 or early 2000. These cars are lighter and have free wheeling hubs. Best economy I have seen from mine on the open road is 10.63/100 and arround 13 to 14 towing our 4.2 boat. Sals auto uses 2 to 3l/100 more then mine under the same conditions.
Recently on a trip from Bathurst to Thornleigh (near Hornsby) and back using the Bells road and encountering heaps of lights I used 42l to cover 370ks. But I keep mine in top tune.
You will not get better value then a 3.5 v6 Jack. The earlier 3.2s where lacking in the torque .
Jacks seem to vary in their engine performance according to how they have been serviced. Mine goes like a scalded cat, ie will break traction on dirt roads in 2nd gear id to much trottle is used. But I did drive some dogs before I found mine.
Sal also loves her auto Nullarbor, it is so quite compared to hers previous Paj.
An easy mod on any v6 for more power and economy is to remove the restrictors in the exhaust y piece. You will get a bit more noise under full throttle. Sal wants hers left in.
What State are you in?
Any more qquestions just ask.
Good luck Pete

As another Jack owner I can only echo the good sentiments of fellow owners
above. I bought my 3.5 2000 auto with 87k on it ,3 years ago for $14k.
Havent had any issues at all, now has 114k & has towed a C/t to the
Kimberley & back. I get 15L/100 towing the C/t but must keep it under 100kph. Not ideal city car but mine is for holidays only. Plenty of $5k runabouts
around for daily driving. I use Peugeots. That one in Goulburn (close to me)
sounds good. Also one on eBay at the moment at a Sydney dealer for $10k
may be worth a look. Best value full size 4WD wagon at the "Budget" end
of the market IMHO......oldbaz.

I really appreciate everyones replies. Its given me lots to think about. Im really impressed that all the owners of Jackaroos in this forum have very few negative comments.

Here is the one we checked out the other day:

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automotive/Used-Cars/4WD-Wagons-SUVs/AdNumber=TP002525265?BackToResult=true

It looks good doesnt it? Its done very little 4WDing and has all log books. We may go back for a second drive and take our mechanic to check it out.

One more question......could you fit a cargo barrier if we took out the rear seats?

Sorry Pete.....trading post, blue colour, nsw, SE, northern beaches, 2000

Hi all,

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

Update: We bought the Jackaroo and are picking it up this week. Negotiated $9250.

Very exciting and it just means we are 1 step closer to our trip next year. Im sure I will have many more questions re travelling around OZ so Ill see you all around the boards.