Test drove a 70 series...

[hoser]

I rented what I believe was a 78 series Land Cruiser while in Australia. It was a 2003 model year with the 4.2 diesel and 5 speed. Great vehicle, had 180k hard KM and never skipped a beat in the 1000 KM that I had it. The diesel putted around nicely at 1100 rpm in 3rd gear. The 20 year old (looking) interior kinda threw me off, with the roll down the window so you can adjust the mirrors.

It was very basic yet had all the bells and whistles. Pop up camper, stove, sink, dual batteries, duel fuel tanks, 55 liter water, curtains and a fridge/freezer. Overall, I very much liked it. Just wanted to share some pics.

 

[hoser]

...

 

[roscoFJ73]

Looks like a 75 series to me but as you say its a 03 so it must be a 78
The 7# are a bit basic on the interior but its to keep them reliable.

Were you in a convoy with the other troopys or are they all just going in the same direction ?
Hope you had a good time and that you were more comfortble than some of the others in the rear of the other troopys

 

[denis]

Looks like a 75 series to me but as you say its a 03 so it must be a 78

5-lug and front radius arms mate

 

[bigbrowndog]

It looks a comfy set up for a few days, hope you had a good time. Do the cupboards and fridge etc seem to make the troopy a bit more top heavy especially on one side? Good pics, cheers

 

[roscoFJ73]

5-lug and front radius arms mate

 

[David*BJ70]

The pink one is Barbie's Cruiser ?

 

[archie]

Thanks for the info and pics! How much for the rental? Would you recommend the rental company?( Website/links) .What route did you use with the LC? Thanks!

 

[beanz2]

Great pics, keep them coming!

Dave

 

[lshobie]

Was there any serious wheeling - or was it just dirt/bumpy roads etc.?

 

[hoser]

It looks a comfy set up for a few days, hope you had a good time. Do the cupboards and fridge etc seem to make the troopy a bit more top heavy especially on one side? Good pics, cheers

I don't know what a troopy drives like normally since we don't have them here in the States (for the most part). But I'm sure there's a compromise. Iit drove fine and didn't feel dangerously top heavy. I think the layout was well thought out to maximize space. There is also a center table that isn't pictured. I wish they had something like this conversion in the US. The 4.2 Diesel was slow but had good power between 1-2k rpm.

The rental company (Britz) replaces these LC's every 4 years so this one will probably be sold after next year.

 

[hoser]

Thanks for the info and pics! How much for the rental? Would you recommend the rental company?( Website/links) .What route did you use with the LC? Thanks!

The rental company was Britz and they are one of the biggest rental places out there, I am told. They require a minimum 5 day rental and it was something like $100-120US/day plus you can pay extra to reduce the insurance deductible. Our US car insurance doesn't cover overseas vehicles (normally). They also consider an overnight rental as two days and 4 nights is considered 5 days. Yes, I do recommend this company. They even have sleeping bags, sheets, towels, tables and chairs that you can rent. The facility also has a shower you can use when you get back from your excursion. I flew most of Australia since I only had 3 weeks and only rented the LC from Brisbane to Fraser Island and back... about 1000 Km.

http://www.britz.com/

 

[hoser]

Great pics, keep them coming!

The rest of the pics are in chit-chat....

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=91368

Ishobie, there isn't any rockcrawling on the island as the entire island is made of sand--the biggest sand island in the world. It is still great fun to drive through the rainforests. Some of the trails get into fairly loose terrain where you can get high centered. I had to pull one guy out. The trails are very bumpy. I'm surprised I didn't blow out any shocks. One day, I must have driven a total of 6 hours--3 hrs of which I didn't see anybody else at all.

Rosco, I was not on a convoy but almost all the vehicles that were brought on the same barge were 70 series--I think 10 out of 13 vehicles. The picture of me following the other LC's was when we first got off the barge. There is one 5-6Km trail to get to the other trails where it then gets narrow. Some of the trails would be too narrow for my 100 series. I'm glad the LC I rented was white as there would have been a lot of visible pin-striping upon return.