So.. We bought a 1986 Isuzu Trooper..

[Eli]

2 door, 4x4, 5spd manual with 195,000 on the clock. This should be fun! Paid 1200$ for it.

It's in excellent condition overall cosmetically for being 24 years old. No interior tears or major stains. Biggest problem is that the driver's side interior door handle is broken off. Ordered a new one for 11$. The exterior is in good condition too. Paint is a little desert faded, and your usual dents and dings, but they are minimal.. especially for a 24 year old car. Parts seem cheap, readily available, and the car is VERY easy to work on.

It does need some work. Power steering pump is out, so I have one on order(90$). Steering at slow speeds takes some muscle.. lol.

Brakes lose pressure slowly as you're sitting at a light, so I picked up a new master cylinder(30$).

Has a nasty oil leak at the front main seal. I'm having a shop take care of that one. One of the CV boots is torn, so will have them address that issue too. Hopefully it doesn't need a new axle.

Other than that, it starts up and runs great, shifts well, and 4x4 seems to work well.

Like this, only that awesome 80s shit brown.. lol

This is going to make an awesome camping mobile!

Will post actual pics and other stuff later if I remember...

 

[BassBomb]

im surprised thats even worth 1200

 

[PhoKingGuy]

1200??? Maybe like 200, lol

 

[Eli]

im surprised thats even worth 1200

I'm not. Priced any 4x4 vehicles lately? It runs and drives, so it's worth at least $1,000 I'd say. The 4x4 aspect makes it even more desirable, especially around here.

Apparently they're solid as all hell, true tanks.

1200??? Maybe like 200, lol

Do you guys have any idea what you're talking about? lol

It's not a rust bucket, the exterior and interior are in good shape, and it runs and drives. Hit up Craigslist and see what 200$ gets you for a car..

 

[JulesMaximus]

Is it a 2 door? Man, I didn't think they ever made that in a 2 door model...kind of ugly in that configuration.

 

[Eli]

Is it a 2 door? Man, I didn't think they ever made that in a 2 door model...kind of ugly in that configuration.

It's a car of the 80s. It ain't goin to be pretty. lol

According to NADA, low retail is $1825, average is $2175 and high retail is $2975.

We did OK. Most of the work it needs is minor, and I can do it myself. And will enjoy doing it myself. Been wanting something to work on for a while, and this fits the bill nicely.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

It's a car of the 80s. It ain't goin to be pretty. lol

According to NADA, low retail is $1825, average is $2175 and high retail is $2975.

We did OK. Most of the work it needs is minor, and I can do it myself. And will enjoy doing it myself. Been wanting something to work on for a while, and this fits the bill nicely.

Well I guess i dont know what im saying then, congrats.

 

[mizzou]

I had a 1995 isuzu trooper 4wd. It was great offroad, but the damn prior owner NEVER changed the oil so the engine went south 1 year into ownership. Dealership accepted blame w/ not catching it and branding it certified and they helped me get a better vehicle. I opted for a mustang, worst choice ever, but what a fun car, sold the mustang and bought a 2002 silverado 1500 4x4. I will own that truck for life.

But the isuzu was sure fun while I had it. It has a terrible roll-over tendancy, but bascially, it is a poor mans landrover.

I liked it while I had it, bad gas milage though, worse then my 5.3l V8

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

My grandfather had one of these. When it worked it was great, but his had electrical problems from hell that could never be solved. Isuzu bought it back. You would have thought it was made by VW or something the electrical system was so bad.

 

[mizzou]

im surprised thats even worth 1200

OP is right in that a functioning 4x4 is hard to find for under 1k, especially if it is in good shape.

That said, I probably would have went for an old school chevy blazer, those were I think SFA trucks not the SUV cars they are now

 

[HarryLui]

Don't roll it.

 

[SSSnail]

James May?

 

[Eli]

OP is right in that a functioning 4x4 is hard to find for under 1k, especially if it is in good shape.

That said, I probably would have went for an old school chevy blazer, those were I think SFA trucks not the SUV cars they are now

I'm sure there are lots of options out there. We looked at a couple of Nissan Pathfinders and a Honda Pilot for 1-4k. We were okay with paying a lot more than 1200$ for a utility/camp vehicle honestly. I don't know why this car stuck out like it did. We saw it, drove it, looked it over and said, "I'm down!".

This particular specimen could end up being a mistake, I don't know. We'll see when our mechanic goes over it with a fine toothed comb & have him fix what I can't. We're prepared to spend another $1,000 in routine maintenance and repairs to get it into excellent mechanical shape. The way I see it $1,000 in preventative maintenance could essentially save the car's life. We don't know any history, so all fluids will be changed, timing belt and water pump replaced.. Plugs, wires, PCV, and vacuum lines.. Oil leak and CV boot fixed, etc, etc.

This is what we ended up with, and we're going to make the most of it. The more research I do, the more I like this thing. Never given Isuzu much thought, but they seem to make some solid models at least.

Yeah, fuel economy is a little lacking for a 4cylinder, but it isn't too bad. We managed 23.6mpg from Albuquerque to Santa Fe(a 2,000 foot climb over 60 miles), which is higher than it's rated for.. (Method: filled it up, drove and filled it up again when we got home - 66 miles, 2.79gal). The air filter looked like it was 10 years old, too.. so we were hoping this figure would actually improve?! Dunno.

 

[Throckmorton]

It's a classic. My dad had one in the early 90s

 

[slag]

looks like a trooper II

 

[Arkaign]

I'm gonna go against the grain here and say that's not a bad buy with the caveat that of course it's not gonna be a daily driver (right?).

I'd say '85-'95 was the golden age of truly great Japanese vehicles.

Something awesome you could do (provided you found a good source)

Do the 2.8L Diesel swap. Gobs of torque at low RPM, good fuel economy, reliable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Isuzu...ZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item27aeb6aa02

^^ That's a brand new one, as apparently that motor was used forever, but if you were very very patient, you might find one cheap someday, and it would be a worthy heart for what that is.

 

[Eli]

I'm gonna go against the grain here and say that's not a bad buy with the caveat that of course it's not gonna be a daily driver (right?).

I'd say '85-'95 was the golden age of truly great Japanese vehicles.

Something awesome you could do (provided you found a good source)

Do the 2.8L Diesel swap. Gobs of torque at low RPM, good fuel economy, reliable.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Isuzu...ZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item27aeb6aa02

^^ That's a brand new one, as apparently that motor was used forever, but if you were very very patient, you might find one cheap someday, and it would be a worthy heart for what that is.

Oh believe me, when I learned there were diesel engines that would fit, it's the first thing I thought of.

 

[Fenixgoon]

It's a car of the 80s. It ain't goin to be pretty. lol

According to NADA, low retail is $1825, average is $2175 and high retail is $2975.

We did OK. Most of the work it needs is minor, and I can do it myself. And will enjoy doing it myself. Been wanting something to work on for a while, and this fits the bill nicely.

in many ways it is highly demoralizing that this car is worth more than my 1999 VW passat (based on its KBB value of $1000)

 

[theblackbox]

nice, should be fun. it's just like people poopooing the old suzuki samuri, and today they still show how capable they are offroad. go figure. i picked up an old k5 blazer a while back for a grand that was in great shape. nothing better then getting a cheap and fun truck.

i would love to pick up an extra 4x4 truck, just to have around if i needed it.

i got two projects right now to work on this winter and i think my wife would be mad if i showed up with an old trooper or the like:

 

[theblackbox]

oh, and there was a nissan patrol on sale up in denver, even came with a parts car. very rare and fun 4wd, up in the league with the defender 90, fj, and the other world tough 4x4's.

my next thing once i finish with the body and paint on the fj is a safari tent for the top of it, since we spend a lot of time around here camping.

 

[herm0016]

awesome. a buddy had a 4 door version in highschool, we beat the crap out of it. broke a half shaft and he just drove it like that for a long time. I think the truck ended up sitting in his parents back yard for a few years after he moved out. so many great memories.

 

[Tristicus]

Nice, good buy.

Planet Isuzoo is a great community for enthusiasts/help, etc. too.

 

[AMCRambler]

A guy I used to catch a ride to high school with used to have a Trooper. It was a cool little truck and I kind of liked it. They used to rust out pretty quick though I think. It'd be hard finding one in NY with no rust.

 

[EricJette]

Eli, this a real old thread but I own an 86 Isuzu Trooper 2dr. full stock, 2.3L/MSG-5 , restored to "runs like new" condition, and is my reliable daily driver.

pics and build;

http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=61131

How's your trooper doing?

Happy New Year!

 

[Eli]

Wow, old thread indeed.

We ended up selling the Trooper not long after we got it, it became clear there was just no time to work on it. It would have been fun though.