This car is incredibly reliable. The indestructable transmission and drivetrain is more reliable than Landcruisers or LandRover's of this vintage and is second to none. I was recently in Costa Rica during the rainy season on some of the worst roads. The current King of The Road in Costa Rica is the pre-1992 Isuzu Trooper. Keep in mind, that Costa Rica has the worst road conditions in Central America. Thick mud and boulders couldn't stop the Trooper.
It's safe to say that the Trooper II the national car of Costa Rica. Down there, not everyone can afford the latest and most luxurious SUV. I was amazed by the fact that most of the four wheel drives down there were pre-1992 Isuzu Troopers. If properly taken care of, this car will last you for 20+ years, making it more reliable than a Landcruiser or LandRover.

Watch out for the headgasket. It is a common problem in the 1988 Trooper. The problem is more GM's fault. They started building the engines in the 1988 4 cylindars. The pre-1988 4 cylindars and the 6 cylindar engine (not built by GM) don't seem to have this problem. I had to replace the gasket and radiator at about 109,000. This is a costly proposition if your buying used and don't know the history of the gasket. The brakes also had to be repaired which was also very costly. And yes, I could complain about the power, but the engine has all the power it needs when the going gets tough.

If you're in the market for a used sport utility and don't want to spend more than around $5,000, then I highly reccomend and Isuzu Trooper II (pre-1992). With the exception of the head gasket, this car simply will not die. It's only got 111,000 on it. Seeing these trucks go 200,000+ is not at all uncommon. I just know that if I sold it, it would probably be tackling the roads somewhere in Costa Rica or South America. That's how good these cars are! You just have to be willing to take care of them and they will take care of you. It doesn't have the glory or prestige of a LandRover or Landcruiser, but when you come down to it, more people in third world countries rely on this vehicle to transport them on their muddy and boulder happy roads than any other vehicle on the face of the planet. The Trooper Rules!

Similar Products Used:

1999 Toyota 4Runner. It's not really fair to compare it to a 1988 Isuzu Trooper, but to be honest with you, my Trooper could handle anything that the newest generation of 4Runners can handle.

Absolutely everything: smooth ride, great off road handling, rock solid reliability, quality of interior finish, comfort, excellent road view, appearance and price. Thanks to Consumer Reports, this cars depriciate very fast and you can get a beautuful 3-4 years old used Trooper for a very affordable price. As to Consumer Reports - well this car stays really solid on the road and it will never flip over, unless you're going to race a Porshe.

It gets dusty inside if you drive long enough on the dusty dirt road. Also the way the rear sits folding forward does not leave enough space for a 180 cm adult to stretch and sleep as comfortable as say in Ford Explorer. For me this is important since I take my Trooper outdoors a lot. The gas consumption of course and the parts prices, but this car is worth every penny you spend on making it move.

I highly recommend it to everyone. In fact I wonder why anyone would buy any other SUV but Trooper. Designed and built in Japan, it is great, absolutely great car!

Similar Products Used:

1997 Ford Explorer - the new V6 SOHC engine was good, but the car is not even close to Troop comfort vise and the finish really sucked.

This vehicle truly goes anywhere. The pre-92 models are pretty spartan, but the Isuzu-made engine is phenomenal. I've never needed engine work and I've got more than 140,000 miles on my Trooper. I've driven it in snow, sand, gravel, and mud and never worried about getting stuck. Last winter I was out on mountain backroads in a few feet of snow and almost didn't get to go snowshoeing because I stopped twice to tow out other 4WD vehicles that were stuck (a Ford and a Chevy). I've never felt that the vehicle was prone to rollover, but inexperienced SUV drivers might feel like it's "tippy." For the huge amount of cargo capacity, the Trooper is actually a fairly compact vehicle. I've easily hauled everything from a ton of rock to an 8 foot ladder inside the Trooper.

To avoid the rollover concern, you need to remember not to swerve wildly in an emergency even though that may be your instinct. The gas mileage is poor but no worse than other SUVs. The large, upright windshield seems more susceptible to rock chips and cracks than other vehicles. It is rather noisy on the highway. Had to replace the rear transaxle at 110,000 miles. Original brakes are great but haven't gotten good mileage out of replacement brakes - it's probably worth an expensive trip to a dealer to get Isuzu parts. Bucket seats in front don't have very good lumbar support and I have the seat pushed all the way back at 5'10".

The vehicle of choice for people who want a true 4WD sport utility. If you are buying an SUV as a substitute for a minivan, you will not fully appreciate the Trooper's versatility. Used Troopers are a better value than any comparable SUV (such as the Land Rover or 4Runner).

Similar Products Used:

2000 Mitsubishi Montero - Much more luxurious and car-like than the Trooper, but has an annoying rocking motion. I'd feel uncomfortable taking this vehicle offroad. On the up side, the Montero does have a nifty 3rd seating bench that mounts in the cargo area, so you could carry 7 passengers if two of them are kids. Dollar for dollar, the Trooper is a much better value than most sport utes (particularly used).

The main reason that we purchased this vehicle was because of the advertised warranty. The research that we did before purchasing this vehicle indicated that this was a great SUV. The features and options such as the moonroof and the spacious cargo area were also a plus.

After we purchased the vehicle and drove it for a couple of days, we noticed a loud metal on metal clanging sound coming from the muffler. We took the vehicle back to the dealership and they put on a new muffler - however, this did not fix the problem. After replacing the muffler two more times, the dealership informed us that Isuzu is researching the problem - that it is a characteristic of the vehicle and that it is the muffler rattling against the heat shield. The other major problem is the stock tires that came with the vehicle - they are constantly losing air and at one point, on the freeway one of them blew out, almost causing us to hit the guardrail.

We paid $30,000 for our Trooper. We are so disappointed in this car and the constant rattling that we would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. It is certainly not worth the price.

Similar Products Used:

We also own a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is not as top heavy, feels much safer and we have never had any problems with it.

Has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned!
Comfortable to drive, handles well off road (& I put it through a lot of tough off-roading). Does great in the snow too. Has reasonably comfortable back seat & good room in the cargo area for tools, & necessities. Great ergonomics....you can easily reach & control all console buttons & knobs (except radio) even w/gloves on. All I've had to do is oil changes (easy to get at filter & oil plug) & regular maintenance so far. It has 93,000 mi. on it & I've only had to replace the rear anti-lock brake sensor (about $90.00)at about 80,000 mi. I checked the brakes at 92,000 mi. & the pads still had about 50% lining...haven't had to replace them yet! I would recommend this vehicle to everyone!!

Wish Troopers had a V-8 option.
Parts are very expensive.
Driver's seat won't go back far enough.
Wish it got better gas mileage.

Paid $21,000.00 in 1994 w/most options including tow pkg. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone!

Similar Products Used:

Dodge Ram pickup 4X4....Trooper has much better: ride, reliability,overall construction (w/dodge had to re-align wheels often, & still had excessive tire wear...Have never had the wheels aligned on Trooper, yet the tires get exceptional mileage..70,000 on originals, w/no runout or cupping).
1986 Trooper (also a very reliable & excellent off road vehicle)

I am a tall guy, 6'6", and I fit fine in my 99 Trooper. I like the way you can feel the road in it. More headroom than you know what to do with, it's a good feeling! I bought it used, with 24,000 miles, and I got it for less than $18k before tax.

Haven't found any so far, except I don't have a cd player in it. Dealership didn't give me cigarette lighter either, so when I have lights on at night, little hole where lighter should be is lit up, and annoying. Next visit to dealer, they are giving me my cigarette lighter.

I would recommend it in a heartbeat. So far has been great.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota 4 Runner- Overpriced and not as much leg or head room.
Pathfinder- Didn't like quality of ride compared with Trooper's.

Toughness....well built
Interior space exceeds everything I looked at (except Landcruiser)
Plenty of power.
Great off road.
Looks like an SUV.

Dealer support in Canada.
Easier to find used ones than new ones. Dealers are more interested in selling you a Saturn.

The most important thing about this vehicle is that it is well constructed. This truck saved my life. I hit black ice in Northern BC Canada and rolled this truck five times. Very slight compression on one piller was the only major damage. I walked away. Tow truck driver said if I was in the typical SUV I would be dead. Enough said. I replaced it 3 days later with another Trooper.

Similar Products Used:

Drove cars before this. This is the SUV I always wanted.

The thing just won't quit! It works well enough to keep me driving it.

Underpowered. Back seat doesn't fold down flat so for spending a night in it in the mountains you can't stretch out straight. The driver seat was shot when I bought it at 175,000 miles but all other OK.

I paid $1900 in Feb 1997. The owner said her Dad put in a new clutch but I suspect didn't replace the pressure plate so it slipped a bit. OK after some adjustment. She also said it used to use a quart of oil per tank of gas (and it still does). Compressions today: 125, 125, 90, 125: not bad enough to rebuild. I've replaced the center universal for $18 including labor! A tail pipe and muffler for $200. The radiator had tons of stop leak and overheated like crazy crossing the Nevada deserts on Highway 50; plugged. Rodding it out for $90 took care of that problem but after a while the reason for the stop leak became apparent: a pin hole leak in the heater core. A new one will cost $167!!!! So I put some Bars Stop Leak in - plugged the pin hole.

I am selling it for $1850 now to buy a 1987 VW Vanagon. Need a bit more horsepower and space. It has 233,000 miles on it but my Trooper has 224,000 miles so it's probably a fair trade.

I recommend the older Trooper II to anyone who wants a never stop, go anywhere vehicle that's not a race car to the next stop light. I'd never pay the price of a new one though! The Japanese know where the money's at - juppies!

Similar Products Used:

I had a 1950s Land Rover 109 with a 4 gas engine running on three cylinders. Drove it from Roch. NY to Canyon Lands and back. The Trooper II is far better all around in comfort and ease of handling.

A great multipurpose vehicle. Smooth ride on highway and lots of interior space. Like the adjustable height driver's seat. Great off-road vehicle as well, but have not done any 'extreme' off road with it... A very good 'road trip' vehicle where you can also check out back roads! Great automatic transmission.

This is a 4 cylinder model and very underpowered. Quick around town, but a slug on hills and highway acceleration... beyond acceptable really because it is also a gas hog! approx 15 mpg in the city... and around 18 mpg on the hwy. Major maintenance done while I have owned it. I bought it with 120,000 km... it was good until about 150,000 but then the cylinder head went, (and apparantly this is a common problem)... very expensive to repair. Front brakes are problematic as well, and need maintenance every year. Motor was replaced at 180,000. I understand parts are cheaper in the U.S. (I guess due to tariffs... what a joke 'free trade' is!)... and the bumpers are garbage... they dent really easily. (aren't they supposed to be bumpers?... not that I go around hitting things). Favourite rust spot on these older models is the back door bottom.

We are currently looking for a replacement vehicle... it is getting old! But with the current market prices for 'real 4 x 4's' at $34,000 cdn., we may just buy a Honda Civic and keep the Trooper for casual use. (3rd Vehicle). We like to have something for off road camping and hauling large whatever! The current value of this Trooper won't even cover the tax charge on a new 4 x 4!. Currently is a good, old truck... but parts can be expensive... You should have deep pockets! Does the good outweigh the bad?... not sure.

Similar Products Used:

Have owned several vehicles, but nothing really similiar... I cannot compare it to other SUV vehicles... I have owned a couple of volvo 240 series wagons, and they were terrific, but rust became a problem.

Huge cargo space, well laid out controls, handles great with aftermarket shocks, good sound system, fun driver,built extremely well(was surprised at all the little things that they took into consideration in building this), easy to see out of, strong enough engine for me, on and on.

Only had it for 5 months but there isn't but one thing I don't like and that is gas milelage (15mpg) but I knew this when I bought it so I can't really complain. Weaknesses? Hmmm. Like I said, I have had it for 5 months and so far none. But, if you are looking for a car like SUV then go with one of the other SUV's to haul your groceries and soccer kids, this vehicle is more like a truck and built like a truck. A great offroad vehicle!!!

$13850 with 55,000 miles on it. I prefer the look of the older Troopers and found exactly what I wanted after a year of looking. Decided on a Trooper after comparing many vehicles and reading reviews. I plan to do some offroading and the Trooper has a great following.

Similar Products Used:

Also have a Nissan Quest. I like the Quest ( some problems with this) that now runs and drives great. But the Trooper is my baby!!!