Faults:

I had to replace the thermal valve on the thermostat housing and the heater hoses.

General Comments:

I am currently (April 08) changing out the carpet and seats. Not the best power wise going up hills but on flat ground, has excelent power. Shifts nicely. I have manual locking hubs.

Faults:

The exhaust and muffler rusted easily.

Various parts under the hood and exterior parts were constantly having to be replaced.

General Comments:

A very fun vehicle to drive around town in.

However its very boxy and when reaching speeds over 50 miles an hour, it feels as if it will tip.

General Comments:

The Isuzu Trooper is the safari bus made for pavement and mud. The cabin is about the size of a hotel room and the snow has no chance against it's 4 wheel drive. It could house a small family in the back/trunk. So storage space is no problem. It is very reliable, this car never seems to quit.

The Isuzu Trooper gets quite bad gas mileage (even for a 4 Cyl) and handles like a two wheeled brick. Plus road noise is quite high.

Faults:

Motor over heated which caused the motor to increase and decrease r.p.m.

Wheel stud stripped from rotor, Missing u-joint bolt and nut, Passenger door lock would not work with key, Cracked windshield, Burned out headlight.

General Comments:

I just purchased a 1988 Isuzu Trooper. 2.6 4L, 5 speed. trans. fuel injected, 4 door. Total sale price of $780.00. The body and drive train is in near perfect condition. Interior is almost new condition. No body rust at all, all doors operate as they should. All gauges work.

I noticed that the motor was ¾ of a gal. low on coolant, and that the motor was 2 qts. low on oil! No wonder it was overheating. Later, after buying the Trooper, I discovered, from careful observation, that as the motor overheated neither the upper radiator hose nor radiator were hot. Thus the thermostat had not opened yet. I promptly replaced it with a 180 deg. thermostat. Now the motor does not overheat at all, thus eliminating several threats; warped head, blown head gasket, pulsating r.p.m.

Now that the machine is on the road, it runs and drives great! I feel that the motor has enough power to do many jobs. Acceleration on to freeways and hill pulling with a full load of passengers is no problem for this machine. This motor will not go 80 in 3 seconds nor will it tow a yacht, or put on a drag race inspired smoke show. It is an economy minded machine.

I like the visibility from the drivers seat. I can see almost 360 deg. No blind spots or hidden spots. The gauges are laid out in an easy to view arrangement. The gearshift is in the right spot, and this particular model does not have any electric options of any kind. Manual operated means less broken stuff later on down the road.

I feel that if I take care of this motor and use it for what it was intended, I will have a great machine for several years to come.