Faults:

Just one oil leak; nothing more than that.

General Comments:

Amazing. I mostly do long distance driving, have got 265/R16 tyres on, and it gets me 12 kms per liter.

In the last 7 years of ownership, it has never broken down on me. It has had most of its major services at the dealer, and it's still going strong.

My son has a KB D-TEQ with about 80000 kms, and has had no problems yet.

I would recommend Isuzu to anyone.

Faults:

I bought the car as second hand, and it had 242233 km.

The car had a crack on the radiator, which I did not notice at the time of purchase, and after driving it for over 300 km, the crack propagated, and the temp gauge rose to 3/4, after which I stopped and topped up the water.

Had the radiator repaired, but after doing 2500 km, the engine started boiling, with subsequent pressure build-up in the water tubing, and air bubbles could be seen when idling with radiator cap open.

All this was pointing to head gasket failure, and I did an engine overhaul, and fitted new big ends and small ends, bearings and piston rings, after having polished the crankshaft and skimmed the head; all at a cost of $700.

Note that these workhorses are very sensitive to temperature changes, and I advise not pushing them too long with a leaking radiator.

General Comments:

KB 280 TD is the car for those who frequently travel long distances.

The car is very economic, and performs very well on offroad, even if it's carrying a tonne.

However of late, I noticed some oils on the front crankshaft pulley; maybe seals fail because of high air pressure build up in the engine crankcase.

Faults:

Universal joint worn out once. Not unusual for a pick-up. Easy fix.

Both hand brake cables broke.

Replaced some front disc pads - no abnormal wear.

Replaced rear brake pads once.

Replaced battery once.

Replaced water pump at 210 000km.

I do my own servicing every 10 000km, and take it to dealer or independent workshop for major services.

No (or very little) smoke at the moment. Little (or no) oil usage between services. Considering servicing the injectors soon.

General Comments:

Comfortable combination between a workhorse and family car.

Easy on long trips.

Although not as refined as newer pick-ups, it works for me, and it will last many more years.

Faults:

Calipers - The calipers have had to be replaced at every service. Yes I drive on a dirt road that is not very well maintained 90% of the time, however I feel this a bit extensive. I would like to know if anyone has had the same result, and what the outcome has been?

Shock absorbers - have had to be replaced before 65 000km's.

General Comments:

I really love the car. It has awesome space, it rides really smooth, although I do find it a bit of a slug when I want to overtake vehicles doing 140km/h. Nonetheless, it is fantastic.

I get an average of 13km/L when driving 120km/h. It runs really smooth, only getting up to three thousand revs when doing 130km/h. I drive the car really hard, and enjoy a smooth ride on really bad dirt roads.

I would have preferred suicide doors to get into the back (it's a cab and a half), but other than that, I love it.