THE MAIN CONTENDERS FOR TEXAS FISHING TRUCK PROJECT

THE VENERABLE TOYOTA LAND CRUISER FJ-60









THE EQUALLY FORMIDABLE TOYOTA FJ-80 LAND CRUISER








THE BARGAIN BUT RELIABLE AND STOUT ISUZU TROOPER

The Trooper is right now at the top of the list, for many reasons. First off, it's a rugged 4x4 vehicle that's seen service all over the world under a variety of model names. Basically, the way I see it, is if a vehicle line such as the Trooper or the Land Cruiser have rendered, and continue to render, reliable performance under conditions I will rarely if ever approach in my off road fishing treks, then I'm in good shape.

But in the same breath, let me say I'm finding some very reasonable prices in my local searches for used FJ-80's, a thousand or two more than the comparable Troopers I've looked at but as I explain further on, I'm still weighing the up-front add on price for a bit larger and more powerful vehicle.

The Trooper offers the best cost benefit features. I'm not exactly sure on the cutoff date, but basically Troopers were known as awesome and tough 4x4's in the early to mid 1990's. After that, they got fatter, heavier and more laden with yuppie luxury features. There are still a lot of relatively low milage ones around, in varying conditions.

Shrimper Dan, a friend of Billy Ray and myself, made his Texas Surf Fishing Truck from an early 90's Trooper in excellent condition. With an Auto transmission, it's 4x4 has yet to be stuck on some very treacherous stretches of both Matagorda and PINS.

The FJ-60 series of Land Cruiser was as brutal to drive on the road as it was effective off road. They've had cult and collector status for well over a decade now, and tend to be overpriced for their condition. Still, not much comes close for a light yet serious 4wd system for use in Texas. The cargo area is a bit bigger than the Trooper and damn near cavernous. This model was made for a few years with an Auto transmission, otherwise it's the four on the floor.

The FJ-80 Land Cruisers have been around nearly 20 years, and you can get a much better deal on one of these in better condition than you can an FJ-60. A very serious off road vehicle, I read somewhere where the FJ-80 has some sort of serious off road feature in it's transfer case that only a few serious vehicles like Land Rovers have. Although it's considerably heavier than both the Trooper and the predecessor FJ-60, it also supports a far more serious engine, transmission and transfer case.

If things go well, and a screaming deal can be found, the FJ-80 is the upgrade from the Trooper. The FJ-80 is consistently available for far less than an FJ-60, and the FJ-80 can and will still be worked on by many Toyota dealers. And it's a big upgrade, in terms of road driving and trip taking.

Parts for all three are readily available. The Trooper parts again are the cheapest, but then parts for the FJ-80 are more readily available and generally cheaper than those for the FJ-60.

Each vehicle has it's histories of model issues, for instance, FJ-80's are quite well known for "eating brakes" with heavy driving. It has serious off-road brakes that will stop that bohemoth well and that type of performance comes at a price, meaning more frequent brake jobs than a lighter vehicle.

Safety, with the larger size, also swings toward the FJ-80. It's just a better built tank of a vehicle. For traveling, driving around town or venturing off the road, it's solidly built vehicle whose doors give an altogether different THUD when shut than the thinner doors of the Trooper and FJ-60.

The picture of the FJ-80 above really marks what I'd like to initially achieve with phase one of the Texas Fishing Truck project. A 2" lift, some nice tires for off-roading and a nice serious roof basket for carrying a multitude of items, including alternatively a kayak or canoe, a small cartopper boat of about 10', bicycles or a cargo carrier, as well as things like shoves and a high lift jack and other sorts of getting unstuck stuff.

That's the thoughts right now, anyway. Suggestions are always welcome.