Faults:

Replaced clutch twice, but this is expected with a fairly high torque manual truck.

General Comments:

Extremely reliable mechanically. Body is still excellent. Paint still bright. The plastic interior has worn well.

The 3.1 V6 has adequate horsepower, and lots of torque. Excellent on rough unsurfaced mountain back roads. Serious 4 wheel drive (high and low ranges). Starts easily in cold weather. Ride is stiff & agile for a truck (unlike the Explorer and other domestic SUVs). Easy to drive. 5 speed manual transmission shifts well.

Great visibility. Noisy cabin on the highway, but it gets you there & is not tiring to drive.

Easily passes emissions testing after all these years. Gas consumption has increased about 20% with age.

I also have an AWD Mazda CX9, but the Rodeo is noticeably better in the snow.

This vehicle was a terrific value. Shows how well they last if you look after them.

Faults:

The clutch just went out, but has been slipping for the last couple years.

Partial fade in the paint, driver's side, roof, and tailgate is oxidized. Otherwise near perfect.

General Comments:

Extremely dependable truck; has never left me stranded, except when the clutch finally went out.

It's not the Tahoe I'm temporarily driving full time, however it's handled well off-road, in the rain, snow, and gravel; whatever it's been put up against, it's been the champ.

Faults:

The brake booster was leaking fluid, easily repaired.

Transmission shaft joint worn, easily repaired.

General Comments:

Good, comfortable and roomy family car, with a touch of an off-roader, despite being a 4X2.

It had been modified and lowered by a previous owner, and it looked and rolled wonderfully.

Had the LPG system installed, and the running costs after that were even cheaper, almost like having a 1.6 engine.

Sold it because I was travelling out of the country, but have regretted it ever since.

Faults:

Nothing major has gone wrong except for the ticking engine noise and lack of extra power, probably caused by running it for a while with the spark plugs wired in reverse firing order due to teenage incompetence.

There is an extreme amount of rusted through metal on the rear body panels, fenders and doors.

The gas tank was suspected of leaking 3 times, but nothing wrong ever found and now is fine.

General Comments:

I am very fortunate to have purchased this vehicle from the original owner, who being an excellent quality work mechanic rebuilt the engine at about? 130,000km?

It gets 16 mpg / 18L per 100km very consistently, which is quite normal for a 18-yr old 4x4.

I REALLY like this vehicle and have used it extensively for hauling pop bottles, garbage, deliveries, whatever.

The interior is very good quality and there is lots of space due to the exterior mounted tire.

I am really curious to try rebuilding an identical engine and switching it out to see what it handles like under REAL power.

Faults:

Hahahaha this thing is a piece of crap, but not a bad deal for $300 bucks. its got 204000 miles, and still runs great. at this point I don't even bother to get oil changes. why change when you can add? it starts ticking aabout a month after I top it off. I don't really care that it leave a huge oil stain everywhere I go; I think it's funny. eventually its gonna die, and I'm gonna take my plates off and leave it where it stops.

Later.

General Comments:

Awesome.

Faults:

First alternator changed at 160000km.

Another alternator was installed at 260000km. Mechanic said something about potential shortage that caused high stress on the alternators.

Aside from the alternater, I've also replaced the block heater twice. At 210000km and 270000km respectively. No serious damage. Appeared the individual who performed the first replacement over tightened the part.

Staring at around 250000km, the main engine control module fuse started to burn out rather often. Mechanic tried tracing the wiring but failed to find the problem.

At 270000km, I got stranded at the middle of nowhere. This is the only time the car failed me. Turned out the wires connecting the fuel pump were too corroded to continue its service. I spent a $1000 to replace the entire assembly, and it took over a week to get the correct part. Parts for this car is getting hard to find. This also appeared to fix the engine control module fuse problem.

At the 270000km inspection, it appeared both CV boots were torn. Mechanic suggested replacement of both boots and half shafts. He warned that it's not going to be cheap, considering if I can find the parts for it. The mechanical components for this particular year is unique from the 3.2L V6 of the newer models.

Special thanks to the Al at the local Isuzu dealership who tried everything to get me the correct parts.

General Comments:

Extremely reliable until 250000km. After all, it's 14 years old.

After the few repairs, car is still running strong.

Best compact SUV at that price range. Very roomy.

Very little maintenance required.

However, be reminded that parts for the car is getting harder to source, and even if you can source them, it's not cheap.

Uses too much gas! It's powerful, but came at a price.