Rog,

If parts and serviceability are your biggest concern, I'd say go with the 2.8L Trooper. Some won't like this answer here, and many may talk about ugradeability of axles and suspension with parts from newer trucks. They are absolutely right about the Gen I Mitsu rigs. You can upgrade those parts with absolutely no problem, given you can find the pieces you need to do it.

The thing that people don't talk about is ease of repair of a Mitsubishi 3L engine and accompanying transmission. Expensive is the key word in the rebuild process if you use OEM parts. The other issue for me is that the only dealer within an hour of me closed a couple months ago, and we won't be getting another. I'm quite sure you don't have that problem in Portland, but for me, rapid parts availability is an issue.

On to my point...the 2.8 is a gutless bastard, at best, in the Trooper. VERY widely used in a wide range of vehicles, though, and VERY easily replaceable with a 3.4 (60* Chevy V6 family) from a RWD vehicle which there were also a large abundance of when I was pondering this very issue a few years ago. The other great thing about these engines was parts availability. Lots of aftermarket out there, I've heard no issues with parts not able to be found. YMMV, though, as I haven't been looking in the last couple of years.

I answer this way without knowing your wrenching ability or the scope of what you'd consider out of your comfort zone. As always, this is my VERY humble opinion, and I hope you have fun with the decision. That's what it's really about, after all. I truly think you'll enjoy either rig if you know what you're getting into when you buy it. The surprises are what suck and will drive you to despise your rig even if you loved it when you bought it.

Good luck!