1990 MTC Sachem Tradesman
A hard nosed utility vehicle from Australia, the Sachem has been popular in third world countries for two decades now. Its rugged construction, excellent offroad capability, and low starting price have over the years made it the light truck of choice for markets where those attributes are especially important.
The Tradesman takes that offroad utility and encloses the bed, turning a pickup truck type vehilce into a van which retains the same capabilities, but is better suited to delivery applications. It’s not as barebones a vehicle as one might think, with up-to-date safety features, power steering, and ABS. However, to keep costs low it retain its outdated 3-on-the-three manual transmision and drum brakes all around. For the 1990 model year, it offers an all new 3.0L single cam boxer six with 3v per cylinder. It uses a 3-way catalytic converter, cast iron construction, and cast log headers. For certain markets including this one, it makes use of a two barrel double carburator setup, producing 91 hp@4800 rpm and a healthy 147 lb ft of torque at 2200 rpm.
The Tradesman retains the 4x4 setup paired to a manual locking differential with a two speed auxiliary gearbox. Indeed, many reviewers and customers alike have found that the truck performs best when it starts off in low range. With its 2000 lb payload capacity, it should be able to meet the needs of the delivery drivers.
Starting at a base price of $14000, it offers a lot per dollar.
