1989 Isuzu Pickup 4x4 from North America - Comments

CV boots on front transaxle rotted.

A/C pressure switch blew apart.

Very rough/low idle when cold-started.

Brake caliper seized crooked, scored brake disc.

I didn't have this truck very long because of my 6'4" height and back problems; I don't think they intended anyone above 5'8" to drive one of these, and the bench seat wasn't very ergonomic, either. After a two hour trip it was unbearable.

However, everything else about this little truck was exactly what I wanted, and it never let me down. It was sharp looking and unlike the GM's and Fords of the era, the paint didn't bake off in the sun. It did have a jarring ride quality, but if you popped it in 4-wheel and went off-road it would tear through mostly anything the 16" tires could handle. I even put it to work one summer pulling out modestly sized tree stumps.

The 2.6 4 cylinder was actually kinda torquey and wasn't that bad on gas, although it seemed like I was always filling it because it only held 12 gallons. It would accelerate decently if you wound it up hard, but the 5 speed tranny didn't like to be shifted fast, and I think the clutch was getting worn out by that point anyway.

I eventually ended up selling it in favor of a newer Hombre (aka Chevy S10) because it needed new front CV's and axles, a new clutch, and a few other nickel/dime items that would have required an investment exceeding the resale value of the truck.

I had bought it for $1,500, I sold it for $1,500 with only $500 invested in upkeep over 2 years, minus fuel and oil changes. Can't complain!

I have an '88 Isuzu Pickup and I'm 6'3". Yeah, it's amazingly uncomfortable for long distances, but what it lacks in comfort it makes up for in reliability. I am an idiot, and when I first bought the truck, out of my lack of knowledge of what living without a vehicle was like decided to test the absolute limits of the vehicle down here in the Florida Panhandle. I drove that thing 80 mph on the sand between telephone poles in second gear to stay afloat and jumped it 4 feet in the air off a jump I found out in the middle of the woods. When I found a 4 foot deep puddle, I gunned it to 50 and barely made it through on the other side. Only damage - water in the distributor.

Not saying any of this is an intelligent thing, but after I did all that, I made it all the way from the Florida Panhandle to New Jersey (1100 miles) in 19 hours straight. That's right. My lanky ass drank a Monster energy drink to do it, but I did it and made it back down in 24 hours with 4 hours of sleep at a rest stop. Other than a rear main seal leak and a quart of oil at every 500 miles, she made it without any problems. If that ain't reliability, then I don't know what is.