Comments: 1-15, 16-19
The seats in the vehicle have shown a lot of wear along the seam lines.
The radiator became clogged at 140000 miles.
The water pump is now out at 150000 miles.
The sunroof mechanism broke at 145000 miles.
The oil pressure is very erratic on this vehicle.
Very noticeable valve train tick since 130000 miles.
This vehicle is not a serious performer for acceleration.
This vehicle has an excellent 4 wheel drive system.
Handling is above average for a SUV.
At higher miles this vehicles has definitely started to show its age.
Not to sound harsh, but you were not the original owner of this truck, you purchased it at over 100K miles. Course it probably aged faster then you'd think, because it doesn't sound like the original owner took very good care of it.
Timing belt, water pump, tensioner supposed to be replaced every 60K; radiator flush should be done every 30K. Doesn't sound like these items were ever regularly performed; thus leading to a clogged radiator.
I have 135K on my 97 Rodeo, and I have none of these issues; in fact it runs and looks better then most newer cars.
I have a 1994 Isuzu rodeo and the only problem I have with it is that the alternator belt squeals when I first start the vehicle. I'm sure it is a minor problem and with replacement of the belt, this will stop. other than that I am very happy with mine. it has 75,000 miles on it. I would difinitely buy another one!!!
I have one, and I've had more problems with it then I have had with any other car. Transmission, after filter and fluid change went out. Belts shreiking weeks after being changed. I'm not the oringal owner of it, but I know the orinigal owner of it and he took basic to above basic care of it. These are not a good affordable ride. My experience with this car drove me away from buying the impulse as well... But I love the 4 wheel drive system, winter drive and powerdrive were very nice as well.
Ah, very interesting! This is the umpteenth comment that I've read where the transmission fluid and filter were changed, and shortly thereafter the transmission failed. These people are attempting to do the right thing by changing it, but I wonder if the correct type of fluid is being used to refill it. Some transmissions are very sensitive to the correct fluid type (Type II, Type III, etc.).
My Isuzu has lasted 292,000 miles I got it at 286,000. The only things that seem to go wrong are, when it's cold (Under 15) it won't start and the rust. It's a 94 and still has a decent amount of power.
I too own a 94 rodeo.. I must say that I do love this truck. My 19 yr old has been rear ended, the car took a major hit, no injuries..1 week after it's out of the shop.. she loops it into a guardrail on black ice.. once again the car took the hit, no injuries.. tough little truck. Here it is in my driveway, the insurance co. totalled it this time, we cut away the damage so I could drive it home, still running, about 3/8 inch difference centerline hub to hub, still ticking, still fuming, still gobbling oil, no leaks. What would you do?fix it and drive it till it dies or part it out?It needs new rotors, right front fender, grille, fan housing, headlight etc.. a lot of miles on it.
Yes the Rodeo. I am just turning 18 years old, and the Isuzu Rodeo is my first vehicle. My dad was the second owner purchasing the vehicle at about 74000 miles. The S.U.V. was nice (everything was factory) rims etc. My dad used it as a vehicle to get him from point A to point b. He bought the vehicle for about 6,000 dollars. Then after 2 years of driving it, his job contract ended and he stopped driving the rodeo. It had 181000 miles on it. He had then given the vehicle to me. I was still only then 15 years old. So the rodeo sat for a year, and when I was 16 I started driving it. I was not enthusiastic about my rodeo, it looked like a piece of crap. The paint was faded in the hood and roof, and the valve lifter clicked loudly when you turned it on and then the belt were squealing like dying mice. I spent a total of three thousand dollars restoring the rodeo, paint job, 5 new rims and tires, new belts, tune up, and a new transmission. I am not bragging, but I think the rodeo is like a hummer; tough and not usually breaking down. It's relatively fast for an S.U.V. and it's a very nice looking truck!!
To the person from January 31st with the totaled truck: If you want my 2 cents (and you must, since you asked), I say "Drive it!" As long as you have a vehicle that is moving under its own power, it is money in the bank because it can still fulfill the purpose of getting you from here to there. That beats any argument that you can make that would entail buying a new car and taking on a car payment.
I bought a 1994 Isuzu Rodeo with the manual tranny back in December, 2005 from a dealer who had serviced it for the original owner who traded it in. The vehicle had 112,000 miles and cost me $2700. It came with custom chrome wheels and 4 brand-new 235/75X15 ELDORADO SPORT FURY tires (I've never heard of these before, but they're new which saves me bucks). So far, all I can say is GREAT! It's been in snow here in Pennsylvania and off-road a bit. I know others who own this same year and model with the automatic tranny who wish they too had the manual tranny.
As I said, it was dealer-serviced and maintained and lived in a garage... and it shows it. The original owner really took care of this vehicle. It uses about 1 quart per 1200 miles (no smoking at all except under hard acceleration) doesn't leak anything and now has 119,000 miles. It was last inspected by the dealer in November of 2005 (PA has an annual inspection law requiring a vehicle to pass a mechanical test and an emissions test.)
So far, I'm quite pleased.
I bought my '94 Rodeo for $1500 and it had 180,000 miles on it already when I bought it. It looks great considering it has been used for hauling commercial landscaping equipment and was really dirty inside when I bought it. But the price was right, and it has been amazingly reliable. It almost has the sound of a diesel engine, or a tractor, and it rides a little rough (Rodeo seems an appropriate name).
I also had a squealing belt that continued to squeal shortly after replacing. There was a crack in the bracket that holds the belt, and it turned out to be expensive because the part was a sort of fake water pump. Replacing it took care of the squealing though!
At 215,000 miles it is still running great, but I am starting to have electrical problems and the windows are off-track. Thank God the AC works really well. Overall, I love this car and will hang on to it as long as I can.
I just bought a 94' Isuzu Rodeo with 180,000 Miles for 750 dollars. So far it has been excellent in gas mileage and performance. It handles better than more new cars I have driven. Overall I would suggest this car to everyone. It is a great car and I got an excellent deal on it. Even though its mileage is so high its condition would tell you otherwise.
My 94 Rodeo is my the second rodeo I bought the first one was a 91 and was invensible, but it burned a lot of gas so I got rid of it. BIG MISTAKE!!. So I Bought my 94 to replace it. It has its problems like any other 94 but it always goes were I want it to no matter down the high way or through the lake.
1994 isuzu rodeo, 235,000 miles, still going. Still looks great. I have only 2 things wrong with this truck, other than routine maint. It has the worst suspension of any vehicle. And, no cup holders. Other than that. The timing belt tensioner gives it the diesel sound, and make sure you replace the water pump when you do the belts and the tensioner. It handles great, rides nice, it's not a cadillac, but when I pull up next to an Escalaide, I want to flash the bumper sticker that says, "don't laugh, it's paid for".
1994 V6 rodeo with the manual transmission and 2WD here..
Just now in the process of replacing the radiator and thermostat. Great little truck. Definitively has better acceleration and handling than other SUVs I've driven. I've had it since 176,000 miles and its up to 198,000 now. So far, I've replaced the alternator 3 times (2nd time was mechanics fault for installing wrong model), both front windows no longer go down, very noticeable tick in the engine that is especially loud on cold startup (45 degrees or lower), and it has a bit of smoke on startup and hard acceleration. Also, whenever I drive to the beach (40 minutes, HWY), the check engine light comes one, but immediately goes out once the I come to a stop, dealer said they were not able to diagnose b/c it goes out before they can get a code out of it. : (
Everything else is original (including the clutch ;) )
Its been stolen twice, and likely ragged hard during those times. Yet, she always starts right up whenever asked to. Couldn't ask for more for my first truck. There's something to be said for Japanese car and trucks from the 90s, they're just built right.
I have had mine for a month or so now. Bought it for $1500 with 221xxx miles on it, I've put 6k on it since then. But now with 227k the clutch just went out, but that's kinda expected with 227k on the original clutch. It does have the common tick, the 4 wheel system on this truck is amazing and the locking rear-end is great. overall this suv is great and fun off road.