Isuzu Trooper 2.8 XS

I've put nearly 200,000 miles on my first 3 Troopers, an 86, 87, and 88. They all ran strong until the day I sold them. The first had to go to the car graveyard because of frame rot. But it had over 200,000 miles on it and the engine and transmission were still going strong. It had not been treated with undercoating.

The other two kept on going. I sold them with much more than 100,000 miles on them. I think one was close to 250,000 miles. I've taken these beasts on very tough back roads, with big rocks and mud. I've also driven 200 miles in heavy snow using the 4 wheel drive.

I'm buying another one now, 1992 4 door automatic, 4 by 4. It's got so much room in it. I really think this vehicle is under-rated, so you can get them cheap on the used market. If I had to go across a remote area, I'd take one of these guys, a few tools, extra tires, fan belts, and I'm sure I'd make it.

I bought this vehicle with 38K already on it, 10 months ago and it now has 62K. I let my girlfriend use it to drive through the mountains in bad weather in southern Oregon and she feels safe in it. I wanted a good vehicle to travel with my dog in. Putting the rear seats forward allows him to have the whole back to himself and to hang his head out the window. When the rear door windows are open, the a/c works better up front.

The performance of my '99 Trooper has been more than adequate but it's fun to travel in rating is off the screen.

We have a 1991 Trooper XS 2.8L V6 with 211,000 miles and it still runs great. Has loud lifter noise but I'm starting to realize that this is par for the course. It seems to have no negative effect on engine performance. We've only had to do basic maintenance. We just now need to replace the exhaust system. This vehicle does awesome in the snow and the 4WD works very smoothly. Rear brakes howl when backing up; two shops say that every Trooper they work on does this and that aftermarket brake shoes would probably cure the noise. This is a great vehicle with classic styling that gives the old Land Rovers a run for their money. The Trooper offers amazing rear vision with no blind spots. My wife says that no amount of money would make her give it up. If anyone is considering buying an older Trooper, I say go for it! (as long as its a V6)

The Isuzu Trooper is a great truck. Great motor with rock solid reliability despite noisy lifters. The lifters noise is annoying but dosesnt pose any reliability problems. The motor is a great one but is asked to pull a heavy vehicle for its relatively small amount of displacement. Good top end power but needs a bit more low end grunt. 4 wheel drive system works well off road. despite its lack of low end power, it more than makes up for it cause of its reliability and great off road performance. Low gear has lots of torque for off roading