DREAM TOURER: A Toyota Land Cruiser Troop Carrier called Chewie

In 2020 we pulled the trigger and ramped up our planning on a long term dream to travel Australia full time.

Selecting a Vehicle

We started researching and scouring Carsales.com for the perfect overland / touring vehicle. Touring is an incredibly personal experience, and no single vehicle or setup can be universally ideal for everyone. People have different outdoor lifestyles, cultural backgrounds, budgets and interests, all of which influence the way they travel.

In our travels we’ve seen every setup from fast moving, inexpensive and light setups to more cumbersome, fully loaded, slow moving touring setups. Everyone has their own unique needs and priorities when it comes to their travels.

We wanted to go down the path of agility and the ability to tackle tracks less traveled, but still be an all round touring setup. If you look around at any blog or youtube video on the topic of global touring you will see two stand out vehicles that dominate this category.

The Landrover Defender and the Toyota Landcrusier Troop Carrier

We ended up choosing the Troopy because of it had some sentimental connections, (with Angela’ father having one when she was growing up), its legendary reliability, its smaller form factor and its ability to modify the interior space. Whilst the VDJ engine has its own issues / risks, being a Diesel Toyota in Australia means serviceability is good from anywhere nationwide.

Whilst there is no immediate plans to travel overseas with the vehicle, it is a form factor capable of being transported globally.

Now to finding a vehicle

Options were limited in an over inflated market at the time.

A new 2020 model was going to cost circa $70k +ORC but there was a long wait list of over 18 months due to the spicy cough, combined with the need to undertake significant outlay to complete a build for touring. However second hand vehicles were now selling at a 40% premium.

With our desired departure date in mind we opted to source a second hand troopy.

After a few months of searching and shortlisting vehicals we found a clean low km 2009 VJD78 GXL locally in Newcastle.

After what felt like an interview from the reluctant seller to make sure his pride and joy was in good hands we took delivery of our Troopy in January 2021. Our first few shakedowns were some shorter local day trips followed by a trip out Western NSW to White Cliffs and Broken Hill.

This was the start of our relationship with Chewie and the lead up to a fit out to that suited our touring needs.

Modification included at purchase:

Barwork: ARB
Suspension: Bilstein Off road Suspension Kit + Airbag Man Kit (Rear)
Wheel & Tyres: ROH Steel Rims / BF Goodrich A/Ts (33s)
Winch: Warn
Other: Tint, Radio, Basic Draws, Second Battery (Under Bonnet)

SPECS

Engine: 1VD-FTV single turbo, diesel V8. Common-rail EFI
Capacity: 4461cc
Max Power: 151kW @ 3400rpm
Max Torque: 430Nm @ 1200-3200rpm
Gearbox: 5-speed manual.
Crawl ratio: 37.29:1
4x4 System: Part-time 4x4 with dual range transfer. F&R diff locks
Construction: two-door wagon on a ladder chassis
Front suspension: Live axle coil sprung
Rear suspension: Leaf sprung live axle
Wheel and tyre spec: Steel wheels with 225/95 16C tyres
Kerb Weight: 2325kg
GVM: 3300kg
Payload: 975kg
Towing capacity: 750/3500kg
Seating capacity: Five
Fuel tank capacity: 180 litres
ADR fuel consumption*: 10.7L/100km