Shopping for a car from a defunct producer generally is a crapshoot, as elements availability could also be sketchy. That makes at present’s Good Value or No Cube Trooper a little bit of a raffle since Isuzu is lengthy gone from the U.S. scene. We’ll need to determine if its worth is a guess we’d gladly take.
“You gotta give ‘em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang,” You recognize, possibly if VW had named its 181 the “Thang” right here within the U.S. as an alternative of the “Factor,” it could have been extra fashionable. We’ll by no means know. What we do know is that, at $12,000, the 1974 VW Factor we checked out yesterday wasn’t too fashionable round right here. That was evident within the 57 p.c No Cube loss it acquired.
Are you aware what’s fashionable? That’s proper, SUVs and crossovers. Automobile patrons seemingly can’t get sufficient of them. That’s been the case for the previous 30 years or so, ever since Ford launched the wildly fashionable Explorer.
It’s unusual, then, that Isuzu, an organization with a mannequin line steeped in SUVs and an extended historical past of truck constructing behind them, couldn’t make a go of it in such a market. Perhaps it was unhealthy luck or a voodoo curse, however Isuzu’s speedy decline from a car-maker to a vendor of badge-engineered vans made by others to ultimately pulling up stakes is a tragic and sorry story.
On the brilliant facet, the corporate constructed some stable vans alongside the way in which, and we have now a kind of to debate at present. This 2000 Isuzu Trooper rocks 152,500 miles on the clock, and whereas it exhibits some dents and scrapes for these miles, it appears to be in fairly good situation general.
In accordance with the outline within the advert, this Trooper:
has had no accidents, runs and drives very properly. It’s been cared for in and out. Clear California title, simply smog licensed and just lately serviced. The tires are practically new, there aren’t any warning or service lights on. It’s very good and able to go wherever!
Mechanically, this is likely one of the greatest Trooper fashions to purchase because it has the later 3.5-liter DOHC V6 making 215 horsepower. That’s paired with a company elements bin 4L30E four-speed automated, Borg-Warner “Torque On Demand” 4WD system, and a tow package deal.
Every little thing appears authentic right here, proper all the way down to the two-tier manufacturing unit stereo unit and funky ’90s sample on the mouse fur-upholstered seating. For these demanding a minimal of ostentation, there are energy home windows and locks, cruise management, and dealing A/C.
There’s nothing too fancy right here, though the truck does give off Vary Rover vibes with out that marque’s inherent fame for poor reliability. There aren’t all that many different choices for somebody looking for a fairly roomy two-row SUV with a little bit of a unusual nature and a tragic historical past of company failure. The query for us is whether or not this distinctive beast becoming that invoice may be price its $4,650 asking.
What do you say? Is that this clear, if not pristine, Trooper a go at that $4,650 price ticket? Or does that worth make this simply one other Isuzu failure?
You determine!
Humbolt, California, Craigslist, or go right here if the advert disappears.
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