1994 Isuzu Rodeo LS 4x4 from North America - Comments

I bought this car from a local dealership. I have never owned a Isuzu before and heard stories on high expensive they were to fix when something went wrong. I heard they were tough, but I also heard they were pieces of sh*t. I went with my instincts and bought it. It was not a good idea. The truck had 127,000 when I bought it. I had the oil changed the day after and found out I was leaking fuel. Brought it back to the dealership, who thought they had fixed the problem. I filled it up the next day and it leaked again. So I brought it back, they "fixed" it again and by that time I had lost all the gas I put in it before because they had to drain it. I got it back, and found out the next day it was still leaking! Upset, I drove back and they took the truck under investigation again. Thought it was the sending unit, so they replaced it, and was SURE that was my problem. I filled it up the other day and found out the hard way, gas was leaking in my garage. It was not the $355 sending unit. I am buying another vehicle. I had this SUV for a month and I can no longer stand it.

Car leaks no oil.

When you start it up the fan belt squeaks for a minute or two.

Parts are very expensive.

Rear hatch window does not open with the button on the dash.

Seats don't move back far enough for big people, (I am 6'2.)

When you turn the car steering wheel it squeaks, like its dry.

Speakers are crappy.

Not much room.

Back doors stick and are hard to open.

No cup-holders.

Can't shift 4x4 on the fly.

Power windows go up and down very slow.

Drive-train makes a lot of noise at 55mph.

For being a northern car and 10 years old this has no rust and held up very good body wise. The 6cyl's are gas hogs and if you have any problems with the gas tank stay away from buying that SUV.

I am the proud owner of a 1994 Isuzu Rodeo. I bought it new and have found it to be the most-reliable piece of machinery I have ever owned...

Mine has 127K on it too, and has left me stranded, but just once in the 11 years, and that was because of the alternator. No big whip.

The body looks great. I get 19-21/gal on my 6-cyl and burn a little oil. But it's a very small bit of oil, 1/2 court every couple/three months. I expect that from so many miles.

I am going to drive this car 'till it rusts from under me, which by the way, doesn't seem like it'll ever happen.

Maybe I'll keep it until my two-year old can drive. It'll probably make it!!

I highly recommend this car and am baffled by the earlier review.

-EPS, Tampa.

I have owned Two Rodeo's. The first: a 1992 Rodeo XS with a 5-speed and 4WD. Great SUV - fell in love with it immediately and swore that I would never get rid of it... sadly enough, it was stolen and abandoned - pretty much left for dead. It was beyond repair so I had to send it off to the bone yard and pick up another vehicle until I could get my hands on another Rodeo.

A year later I was lucky enough to find another Rodeo: 1994 Rodeo LS, 5 speed, 4WD, PW, PD, AC and Cruise Control. It was in great condition when I found it and I have kept it that way ever since.

It has about 144,000 miles on it now and only routine maintenance has been done on it. It is (in my opinion) as strong and reliable as any other truck on the market (if not more) and the ride comfort of a Ford Taurus. Inside, there is enough space for me and my four kids (one of which is 6 ft).

I have worked in a dealership and have driven many different SUV's (new and used) and I have never found another SUV to be as convenient, useful and reliable as the Rodeo. If you are looking for a solid truck with very little to worry about, then the Rodeo will be the perfect one for you.

I have a 1994 2WD. It has 230,000 miles. It has never left me stranded. The valve do make noise on high maileage engines. If you hear a loud rattle at anything over 100k miles, it is the timing mechanism and you should change the timing belt at the same time.

I did mine twice, but it was under $1000 both times. The body and interior hold up very nice. It is cramped for any drive over 6ft, but ample room for most passengers of any size.

Regular oil changes and air filters are a must. It seems to go through brake quickly, but overall it is a great little SUV. The 3.2 engines appears to be much more reliable than the later 3.6 version. I would opt for an older version. the small bust in power isn't worth the risk in reliability.

Just bought a 95 Isuzu Rodeo with 120K on it. Body had NO rust, and looked underneath with a flashlight at the dealer's, and it looked OK (you expect *some* rust underneath here in Jersey), engine and interior good. But after I brought it home, I decided to remove the surface rust from the frame, and paint it with Rustoleum to keep it in good shape. Well... I soon discovered that *underneath* the old rust protection (which peeled off), there was some SIGNIFICANT rust near the wheels. Now, I have found 2 places where it has rusted completely through the frame. One of these locations is in the front left, where the wheel support bolts to the frame. Apart from a big hole, these bolts are attached to what has now rusted away to mere sheet-metal--dangerous! I don't know if it can be fixed, and I'm not willing to spend a lot on my budget for an 11 year old vehicle. This is a MAJOR problem. My advice: Rodeos can be good depending on the year (avoid the early 90s which had GMC engines), but carefully CHECK THE FRAME FOR RUST!!! Also, the pre-98 models have to have the timing-belt changed every 60K (costs about $300 parts and labor), or you risk the engine self-destructing if the belt fails. I think it is a good vehicle, but if you can, don't buy one that has been through Northern winters because the road salt kills them.