2005 Isuzu Ascender 7 Passenger from North America - Comments

-Fender Bender: Had to replace the rear bumper and 1 tail light.

-Tranny had to be replaced.

-Exterior side mirror came loose and fell off (my fault)

NOT TOO MUCH!

This is my fourth Isuzu product. I have owned a Trooper, Rodeo and Axiom before buying my Ascender. My Axiom's re-sale value was incredibly low, and I was disappointed with the car overall. Nonetheless, I trusted Isuzu and was pretty satisfied with the warranty and price, which was much lower than Trailblazer and Envoy. Just after buying this car, the Isuzu dealer in my town shut down, so I had to drive 40 minutes to the nearest Saturn Dealer, which could make any repairs to it and service it. The car is not like Past Isuzu models, it is just a cheap mimic of the Envoy, which I don't really like. Isuzus overall don't have anything special about them since the time I got my Axiom, well atleast that one was a bit exciting and sharp-looking, but this one is boring. The reliability is pretty good, there have been little engine woes, but the back seats are very hard to remove.

First of all... Why did you buy this SUV?? You said it is boring and you don't like the Envoy upon which it is based. Also, you didn't seem too happy with your old Isuzu. Not a good buying decision overall I would say. As far as the tranny failure... Were you pulling anything? If so were you in drive or 3rd gear. If you pull a trailer in overdrive it will surely fry the transmission on these trucks. We have almost 50K on ours and we pull a boat and snowmobiles with it, but only in 3rd gear and so far so good. I think it is much better looking than the Envoy/Trailblazer (other than the SS of course) and the warranty was much better than both at that time (2004). Been a great truck so far...

The Ascender is one of a tiny number of Isuzu's I would ever realistically consider buying, especially now that a certain bit of news has become official- Isuzu is pulling out of the U.S. car market, leaving only their commercial-level and diesel engine division, meaning that the average consumer will have no more Isuzu's to buy, and that there may soon be serious problems for servicing and parts obtainment. How can you possibly get servicing and parts but so easily if the company literally isn't there anymore?

But the Ascender and the I-series pickup truck are different. They are like the Honda Passport, Pontiac Vibe, Isuzu Oasis, and Chevrolet Prizm- somebody else's car under another name. Being GM products mechanically and Isuzus in name only, owners won't have to worry about parts or servicing as much as owners of mechanically Isuzu-built cars.