- Jan 16, 2001
- 31,528
- 3
- 76
After much debate (I like to argue with myself :rolleyes; ) I just couldn't picture myself in a pickup truck. Also, the appeal of "totally enclosed cargo area" won me over as well.
I purchased a 2001 Isuzu Trooper LS 4WD. Alpine White. Monotone exterior. It actually looks pretty darn smart with the chrome rims and the black mudflaps/black grill guard.
I got one heck of a deal. The 2002s are already out and all manufacturers/dealers want to get rid of the 2001 inventory, and therefore are offering MAJOR incentives right now. I spent almost 5 hours hammering on....um, negotiating, yes, NEGOTIATING with the Sales Manager. Heheh, I went thru my salesman in about 15 minutes...pansy!
I am the most cynical, sarcastic, non-trusting person I know and I can honestly say that they didn't screw me around one bit and the service I received was excellent. I do not give out compliments like that everyday. They were straight up with me...quite contrary to the usual treatment I get when buying a vehicle.
I got them to "throw in" the grill guard (they call it a "brush guard" but it's not guarding the brushes, it's guarding the grill, so it's a "Grill Guard", dammit) as well. It's a really nice one. Made by Manik, a popular P-up/SUV accessory manufacturer that I'm sure a lot of you have heard of. I'd even heard of 'em before this event. The guard itself is $350 and another $60 to install it, so that's another feather in my cap.
Believe it or not, I paid almost three-grand under invoice! That's from Edmunds.com, not the dealer....so actually they lost a few bucks. Gotta love those end of year deals. They made money on my trade; that I know. After the papers were signed I was chatting with the Sales Manager, who was surprisingly very young. Usually, new car Sales Managers are old, grizzly, chain-smoking season vets. This guy was younger than I. Only 31! Sharp guy, though. Anyway, he said "you do know that you got one hell of a deal on the new truck, right?" I smiled and said "I do believe I earned that good deal with many hours of discussion, yes?" We both laughed. He admitted that "I'll make a little money on your trade, but I took a beating on the new truck." We chatted about "well, everyone's gotta eat, right?" And things like that. Overall a very positive experience.
Oh yeah, the truck! All I can say is "wow!" It's got power everything. The only things that the Limited (top of the line) has that mine does not are; Leather, Moonroof, Talking Compass, Gold trim. That's it. I've got cloth seats, but they are power (driver and passenger) heated seats, too! Don't think I'll be using those much here in South Texas...but I may use them during the winter. All 2 weeks of it.
The stereo is OK for a stock system. It's no high-end Bose, but it'll do. 6-disc in dash changer, separate tweeters mounted in the mirror pods. I'll prolly replace the fronts with a quality aftermarket set of separates. I do miss my 400 watts of dual 12-inch bass I had in the Accord, though. I took the system out, but won't be putting it in the truck. The whole point of buying the truck was to be able to haul stuff. With a system back there I wouldn't be able to fold the rear seats forward nor be able to fit anything back there anyway, so nix the system.
And it's a genuine 4-wheel drive w/a low-range transfer case. I won't be doing much off-roading, but I may want to get into it a little...something new and I'm a crash-and-bump kinda guy anyway, so we'll see. I'll prolly take it down to the coast (Gulf Coast/Corpus Christi/Padre Island) after the holidays and hit the sand dunes. I'll bring a tow strap, J.I.C.
Thanks for listening. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
I purchased a 2001 Isuzu Trooper LS 4WD. Alpine White. Monotone exterior. It actually looks pretty darn smart with the chrome rims and the black mudflaps/black grill guard.
I got one heck of a deal. The 2002s are already out and all manufacturers/dealers want to get rid of the 2001 inventory, and therefore are offering MAJOR incentives right now. I spent almost 5 hours hammering on....um, negotiating, yes, NEGOTIATING with the Sales Manager. Heheh, I went thru my salesman in about 15 minutes...pansy!
I am the most cynical, sarcastic, non-trusting person I know and I can honestly say that they didn't screw me around one bit and the service I received was excellent. I do not give out compliments like that everyday. They were straight up with me...quite contrary to the usual treatment I get when buying a vehicle.
I got them to "throw in" the grill guard (they call it a "brush guard" but it's not guarding the brushes, it's guarding the grill, so it's a "Grill Guard", dammit) as well. It's a really nice one. Made by Manik, a popular P-up/SUV accessory manufacturer that I'm sure a lot of you have heard of. I'd even heard of 'em before this event. The guard itself is $350 and another $60 to install it, so that's another feather in my cap.
Believe it or not, I paid almost three-grand under invoice! That's from Edmunds.com, not the dealer....so actually they lost a few bucks. Gotta love those end of year deals. They made money on my trade; that I know. After the papers were signed I was chatting with the Sales Manager, who was surprisingly very young. Usually, new car Sales Managers are old, grizzly, chain-smoking season vets. This guy was younger than I. Only 31! Sharp guy, though. Anyway, he said "you do know that you got one hell of a deal on the new truck, right?" I smiled and said "I do believe I earned that good deal with many hours of discussion, yes?" We both laughed. He admitted that "I'll make a little money on your trade, but I took a beating on the new truck." We chatted about "well, everyone's gotta eat, right?" And things like that. Overall a very positive experience.
Oh yeah, the truck! All I can say is "wow!" It's got power everything. The only things that the Limited (top of the line) has that mine does not are; Leather, Moonroof, Talking Compass, Gold trim. That's it. I've got cloth seats, but they are power (driver and passenger) heated seats, too! Don't think I'll be using those much here in South Texas...but I may use them during the winter. All 2 weeks of it.
The stereo is OK for a stock system. It's no high-end Bose, but it'll do. 6-disc in dash changer, separate tweeters mounted in the mirror pods. I'll prolly replace the fronts with a quality aftermarket set of separates. I do miss my 400 watts of dual 12-inch bass I had in the Accord, though. I took the system out, but won't be putting it in the truck. The whole point of buying the truck was to be able to haul stuff. With a system back there I wouldn't be able to fold the rear seats forward nor be able to fit anything back there anyway, so nix the system.
And it's a genuine 4-wheel drive w/a low-range transfer case. I won't be doing much off-roading, but I may want to get into it a little...something new and I'm a crash-and-bump kinda guy anyway, so we'll see. I'll prolly take it down to the coast (Gulf Coast/Corpus Christi/Padre Island) after the holidays and hit the sand dunes. I'll bring a tow strap, J.I.C.
Thanks for listening. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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