A Tale of Two Troopies

[gilmorneau]

I spent February and March in Australia this year, and, no doubt, there are a LOT of 70 series trucks there. I considered importing one from there, too, but ultimately decided that I really wanted LHD for driving on the roads of America. If it were an off-road only vehicle, it wouldn’t matter to me, but I don’t trailer my rig to the trail, I drive it. I also occasionally go through a drive-through or a toll plaza, which are a hassle in a RHD truck. Pulling out to pass other cars is also problematic, but of course, in a Troopy, one needn’t worry too much about that. Lol! You shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a truck in AU, and you’re right, rust is less of an issue there. Trucks get USED there, and the distances are vast, so just regular old wear and tear take a toll. Hard to find clean, low miles trucks in AU, but if you’re determined you can find a good one.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Thinking I’ll run either 235 or 255/85 tires. Tall n skinny just looks ‘right’ on Troopies in my opinion.

I have been running the 235/85/16 for 6-7 years now. They are the best allrounders

 

[joekatana]

I'm seriously considering a trip to Australia soon to get one. I can import 2002 and older to Canada (1999-2002 are the 78, 1999 and older are the 75). I'll get one with the 1HZ engine. Being there in person I can do a really good inspection. I'm not sure if I will need to get a shop to inspect it since I should be able to cover everything except maybe a compression test. Is this important to check for the 1HZ? I presume that if it checks out OK in my inspection and drives well, and the online history check checks out, it should be in good shape, even though it's from Australia right? The issue with vehicles from Europe is they could have rust from road salt. In Australia they get rusty from driving on the beach but hopefully the owners are diligent enough to rinse it off afterwards, something that isn't really possible in Europe if it's driving around all winter in the salt. Regardless, rust will be an easy thing to check for. The only gambles will be the engine and gear box.

I have seen lately a bunch of 99 to 2002 HZJ75 troopies for sale in Europe,none of them where cheap but they where nice cruisers used for traveling and had ac ,Latin America would be my second choice if I could import 15 years and older.RHD gets old fast and resale value sucks !

 

[OGBeno]

I love my RHD truck!

 

[SNLC]

I have seen lately a bunch of 99 to 2002 HZJ75 troopies for sale in Europe,none of them where cheap but they where nice cruisers used for traveling and had ac ,Latin America would be my second choice if I could import 15 years and older.RHD gets old fast and resale value sucks !

I have located a number of Troopies down south in LHD. With all the goodies, 1HZ, H55, x2 tanks, A/C, ect ect. The thing is are they worthy of picky USA buyers who want every option, zero miles, no rust, original paint and interior in mint condition and pay $15-20k for it!

Extremely difficult to find "mint" work trucks anywhere in the world. And since they are so highly valued as great "work" trucks they hold their value. Lets be honest here folks, that is what a 70-series is, a work truck. That is how 90% of them get used all across the globe. A cheap Troopy for me to find would be $10-12k. It would need $5k or more in work to be up to USA buyer standards. Import costs going to be an easy $5k+. Zero profit for me and I am still over $20k just to get this truck up here and available for somebody to buy. All the while I sit on my more than $20k waiting for somebody to decide it is the right truck for them. There is a big difference in finding good LHD Troopies or other non-USA Cruisers and sitting on the internet buying off certified JDM auction sites. I might look at a dozen Troopies which I check over very thoroughly before one stands out as even maybe worthy. That takes weeks to find those dozen Troopies in another country, boots on the ground kind of time, if not longer and I am inspecting them myself, not internet shopping on a certified JDM auction website no guy I pay overseas to do the leg work for me. I have bought trucks sight unseen before but not trucks over $20k (what I have in an import) and not in another country. I am not about to start buying trucks sight unseen overseas that I will have over $20k wrapped up in either!

Where I am hunting Cruisers there is an enormous amount of ex-government Cruisers since Troopies are used for all the ambulances and pickups are used by the municipalities even more than the Hilux. Thing is it is extremely hard to even get permission to go onto government yards where these trucks are at and look at them. I have gotten chased out of one yard already! Give me more time though, I just need some more time to establish connections.

Cheers

 

[gilmorneau]

Agree with most of that. To be clear, my 'I know a guy' comment was mostly a joke. I had the good fortune to be traveling through Europe for several months this year, and did the legwork of finding my troopies myself. I knew I'd be picky about what I wanted, and I kind of just wanted to try importing my own car to see what it would involve. Not super interested in doing it as a business. I do know someone who was kind enough to transport them to the port and see them off, which was super helpful.
LHD troopies with the 1HZ didn't go on sale in Europe until August 1992, so are only now starting to become available under the 25 year rule. I havent seen any 92's yet. Before that were PZ's for a couple years, and before that BJ's (which both mine are). When was the 1HZ available in central/south America?

 

[joekatana]

I have located a number of Troopies down south in LHD. With all the goodies, 1HZ, H55, x2 tanks, A/C, ect ect. The thing is are they worthy of picky USA buyers who want every option, zero miles, no rust, original paint and interior in mint condition and pay $15-20k for it!

Extremely difficult to find "mint" work trucks anywhere in the world. And since they are so highly valued as great "work" trucks they hold their value. Lets be honest here folks, that is what a 70-series is, a work truck. That is how 90% of them get used all across the globe. A cheap Troopy for me to find would be $10-12k. It would need $5k or more in work to be up to USA buyer standards. Import costs going to be an easy $5k+. Zero profit for me and I am still over $20k just to get this truck up here and available for somebody to buy. All the while I sit on my more than $20k waiting for somebody to decide it is the right truck for them. There is a big difference in finding good LHD Troopies or other non-USA Cruisers and sitting on the internet buying off certified JDM auction sites. I might look at a dozen Troopies which I check over very thoroughly before one stands out as even maybe worthy. That takes weeks to find those dozen Troopies in another country, boots on the ground kind of time, if not longer and I am inspecting them myself, not internet shopping on a certified JDM auction website no guy I pay overseas to do the leg work for me. I have bought trucks sight unseen before but not trucks over $20k (what I have in an import) and not in another country. I am not about to start buying trucks sight unseen overseas that I will have over $20k wrapped up in either!

Where I am hunting Cruisers there is an enormous amount of ex-government Cruisers since Troopies are used for all the ambulances and pickups are used by the municipalities even more than the Hilux. Thing is it is extremely hard to even get permission to go onto government yards where these trucks are at and look at them. I have gotten chased out of one yard already! Give me more time though, I just need some more time to establish connections.

Cheers

Difference is Ian that the later model troopies you find in Europe where bought as traveling vehicles and daily grocery getters and many of them are in perfect condition with a bunch of options..... now everything comes with a cost and the overland thing becoming a worldwide rage makes these more expensive anywhere in the world.

You are right about the older troopys let’s say from 85 to 95 they where almost all sold new to do a job and are beaten up and abused.

 

[MarkBC]

The RHD thing is a bit of a pain but there are lots of those here in Canada. For me the only downside would be overtaking but I think I could get around that (pun intended). I do long trips to Baja California, Mexico and this would be my rig. Bombing down I5 shouldn't present any problems.

My plan was to head to Perth Australia where they seem to have the highest concentration of what appear to be decent ex-tradie 75's, quite a few in the 97 to 99 range. I don't mind if it's a little beat up if the engine and gear box are good. Tradies probably treat the mechanicals good, just beat up the interior. Hopefully buy one soon after arriving. Then head up to Ningaloo Reef and explore a bit, then drive across Australia to the east coast to have it exported... Haha what a crazy idea, driving across Australia in a car I just bought. I'll get the engine thoroughly checked out before buying.

The thing that worries me about going anywhere else for buying one is the language barrier, possibly getting swindled or it ending up costing a lot to spend the time there to go find them. Europe isn't cheap. You could end up with some unforeseen bureaucratic hassles in Latin America. In Australia I can sleep in a rental car, there are no surprises there, everything is straightforward.

 

[roscoFJ73]

My plan was to head to Perth Australia where they seem to have the highest concentration of what appear to be decent ex-tradie 75's, quite a few in the 97 to 99 range

These will be almost certainly ex mining or outback construction vehicles. They are offloaded at a certain age due to OHS reasons. Not all of them are bad, some of them will have been driven by blasting and drilling supervisors or mining surveyors.
Generally the engines will be ok but the suspension and steering may need a complete overhaul. The corrugated roads really hammer the bearings and shims on the knuckles.
But the 1HZs either start and run good for a long time , or they don't. They are as honest as engines come.

 

[gilmorneau]

Buying an old car then immediately driving it across the country? What, are you crazy? Oh, wait, that’s exactly what I’m doing. Lol! You’ll be fine.

I admit the language barrier in Europe is an obstacle, but it’s hardly insurmountable. I have connections in several countries in Europe, so finding translators isn’t difficult. Same rules apply overseas as they would here: just check the car thoroughly, with your eyes open; take what the seller says for what it’s worth (how do diplomats say it? ‘Trust but verify’).
My Troopies both came from private owners, neither were commercial trucks, neither were from a dealer or middleman. Not saying there’s a lot like that available, but it can be done.

15 degrees F (-9C) this morning. Heading out in a few minutes. Think we’ll go south.

 

[gilmorneau]

Couldn’t resist posting another pic. World’s largest ball of twine. Really.

 

[Tennessee Jed]

Love it - complete with benches for contemplation. I always thought that was just a joke from "National Lampoon's Vacation."

 

[gilmorneau]

Reviving this old thread because there has FINALLY been some progress on Troopy number 2. Seems when we went to go pick it up (the first time), there was a mistake on the paperwork with the VIN. Just a clerical typo, been like that since the title was first issued and nobody ever checked it until me. Never gonna get something like that past US Customs (or the DMV in Colorado), so the owner in France had to get a letter from Toyota with confirmation of the correct VIN, then he had to submit that paperwork to the French authorities, who also had to verify that everything was now correct and issue new paperwork. That all took a few months. Profound and heartfelt thanks to the Frenchman who made it all happen! So now I find myself in Australia and I need to arrange pickup and transport of a car in France. OK--took care of that. Got the car on the ship, and now, finally, it's headed to CA, where my brother has kindly agreed to store it in his barn until I return to the USA. Pics below of the day we picked it up in France, and a screen shot from tonight showing the ship waiting its turn to go through the Panama Canal (might not be this Troopy's only visit to the Canal, we'll see).

In France

Tracking the ship with Troopy #2!!

 

[gilmorneau]

Troopy number 2 safe and sound in CA! I won't be home for another couple months, but I'm already making plans for the build. Gonna try to keep it fairly restrained. We'll see.

Troopy number one, for those of you following along, is now here: Portland Troopy Build

 

[umpqua]

Troopy number 2 safe and sound in CA! I won't be home for another couple months, but I'm already making plans for the build. Gonna try to keep it fairly restrained. We'll see.

Troopy number one, for those of you following along, is now here: Portland Troopy Build

 

[umpqua]

Looks great Steve! Looking forward to seeing it when we do the wheel handoff.....