1989 Isuzu Trooper LS review from North America

Cost more than I expected to do a simple tuneup.

GOOD: Tough truck; good value for the money.

BAD: Underpowered even with a V-6; it eats more than I do (awful fuel economy).

I bought my Trooper a month ago from the original owner, and my complaints have been few and fairly far between. All in all, I adore this big beast of a vehicle. It was in extremely good condition; only a few rust spots which I think I can repair myself, mar the looks. This truck looks great; I love the older utilitarian feel the Trooper has.

It handles what limited emergency or whim off-roading I've taken it on fairly well; a few hills for the hell of it and a few grassy knolls in traffic jams to get back to exits I missed. The feel was not especially rough, which shocked me.

While I love Truckasaurus, she's not without her flaws. A tuneup ran me more than I thought it would, and the truck still almost didn't pass emissions. Also, the fuel economy on this thing is rough. Supposedly a factory-new Trooper got 17 mpg & change; suffice it to say that my Trooper at its current age/mileage is not making even that underwhelming number. While I do like my trucks to be of a fairly spartan level, the A/C stinks. It was switched to a modern, non-freon system, but while it's cool, it lack adequate pumping power. I still end up having to drop the windows if it's hot.

I do want to clarify, though. I adore my Trooper. While a wee bit underpowered, she does have enough giddy-up to do most of what I'd want it to do. It looks great for its age, and looks like it will be fairly reasonable to maintain once I get more familiar with its guts.

I paid $1,200.00 for it so I ave been quite pleased.