Buying a new 4X4 is an incredibly personal thing for me. I get attached. Really attached. Scary ex-girlfriend attached. I still to this day bemoan about the loss of my Land Rover 109, affectionately named Ralph, which I sold only to inevitably finance an incredibly ill-advised off-road Vespa – but that’s a different story.
I had been on the hunt for a project vehicle for some time, with thoughts along the way ranging from a Land Rover Defender (sexy and slow) to a Lexus LX470 (comfortable and fast) or a Landcruiser 105 (capable and stout). Naturally, I did what any unreasonable eccentric person would do – I bought a Troopcarrier and proceeded to name it Snoopy; a name initially suggested by our very own Evan Spence, which I’m attempting to steal all of the credit for. It’s slow, top-heavy, and a bit cumbersome, but I like it.
Snoopy was born in 1997, and from what we can tell, went into service as a 4X4 ambulance in NSW. Needless to say, he’s seen some shit … but all is well, as he’s now in the hands of an owner that will care for him and love him until a more exciting vehicle comes along. Snoopy the Troopy has relatively low kilometres for its age, no rust, and a well-maintained drivetrain. Paired with an affordable purchase price, it was the ultimate starting point for a can-do budget build that aims to show you don’t need to spend six-figures to get a nice touring 4X4.
I’ll be the first to admit that the Troopy needs a bit of cosmetic work on the outside. The rear bumper is bent, but that’s no worry as we’ll be replacing it with a dual wheel carrier, and the front bumper resembles some kind of 18th-century boat anchor with a rusty winch to go along with it. But that’ll be gone faster than you can say … um … Snoopy?
On the plus side, since it was an ex-ambulance, it came fitted with Paratus (now Paradrive) seats, which rank somewhere between a lazy boy and an Eames chair in terms of comfort. They’re a bit ratty but I’m told the covers can be replaced, saving me some coin while giving my rear-end a comfortable place to seat in the meantime. Just watch out for the duct-tape holding them together right now if you’re wearing shorts, as Laura my co-conspirator in this project found out the hard way.
Now onto some serious and sage advice — the first and most important thing you should do when buying a used 4X4 is to go through it with an even finer tooth comb than when you bought it. Replace what’s broken or worn and give the old dog a bath. I took advantage of a super cheap deal that a certain auto parts store had on engine degreaser and metaphorically drowned Snoopy in the stuff. Combined with a few hours with a power washer and the help of Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures Editor, Sam Purcell, we managed to get the old 4X4 looking as close to new as it ever will. I even spent a little bit of time waxing Snoopy to bring the paint back, but I won’t chat too much about that, because as you know, it’s wax-on, wax-off.
Now that the boring stuff is done, I get to take it out and get it dirty again, but at least this time it’s my mud, dust and sand.
