1988 Isuzu Trooper Review: One of the Most Overlooked 4x4s?

Joe Isuzu once claimed that the Trooper would be one of the most popular 4x4 options well into the 21st century. He lied. When's the last time you've actually seen an Isuzu Trooper motoring on down the road? Chances are it has been a significantly long time. I'm here to shine a light on this absolutely fantastic truck, in the hopes that other folks will get motivated to bring more of them back to life. #isuzu #4x4 #carreview

[TheMidasMD]

You will not believe me if I told you how I found this video. I actually searched for "ISUZU BIGHORN 2.6 PETROL" and this came up. I wanted to see this engine because I wanted to have an idea how it performed and to see how underpowered it was. Needless to say, you answered all my questions with your video and did a whole lot more than I could have hoped for. I am over the moon! For those wondering why you would love this vehicle - they couldn't understand. The Isuzu Trooper with 2.6 engine is exactly what the world misses today - a straightforward, no nonsense, simple and uncomplicated utilitarian workhorse whose real value is in its utility and reliability. The ability to maintain and service this truck without help or complicated tools is priceless. I love it!!

[HistoricMetals]

I relocated to Costa Rica this month from Tennessee, and I just bought a 1987 Trooper II with 330K on it, rough, but ready, driving it every day up and down the side of Volcano Miravelles from my apartment in town to my property on the mountain where Im building a house. The gravel and dirt road is a straight up goat trail on the side of a mountain and this old bastard rocks it out! Its held together with luck and prayers, but it seems unstoppable as long as you aren't in a hurry. I love it.

[aidangavin]

Ive got a mint 87 here in new zealand with the 2.8l diesel 4jb1t. I absolutely love it

[yyassinee]

mannn there's just something about vintage trucks that these modern ones simply do not have regardless of whatever they offer. GREAT video!

[ygantmedia]

This was my first car, an 88 4 door 5 speed that may parents handed down to me. Same color, too. The Trooper got me through high school and college and off to my first job. By then it was 13 years old and had more than done its job. Mine did have AC and a radio though!

Everything you’ve said is how I remember it. The off the line grunt was actually okay (the 4:56 gears helped a lot) but it was merely acceptable on the highway, at best. The steering required ridiculous correction. I later switched from 31/10.50 tires on 15x8 inch wheels to 30/9.5 on 15x7 and it actually helped the steering quite a bit.

I eventually gave it back to my parents but the rust started to get it and the drivers door eventually stopped working. And we have clutch slave cylinder problems we couldn’t quite fix. But man was it a reliable truck and as my first, it’s my favorite!

[lorikunkle]

I bought a1984 Trooper for $500. After a summer of restoration, it has become my everyday driver.

[keegannoel]

My 89 was 1000 bucks 5 years ago, and it has never left me stranded or stuck on the mountain forest roads

[afalcone]

I'm from Chile, where they were branded "Chevrolet Trooper". My family had a 2-door manual Trooper in the late 90s and early 2000s. My parents sold it because we needed a more spacious and safer family car with a better fuel economy, but selling it broke everyone's heart.

It hasn't been many years since the last time I saw our former Trooper going around the city, and I'd bet it's still running.

We used to go off-roading in dunes and mountain roads, and whenever it was raining during a school day, my dad took a dirt road instead of the usual asphalt road just for fun.
We had family friends with much fancier 4x4s (Mitsubishi Pajero and Land Rover Discovery) and we often went off-roading with them. The Trooper always performed better.

Of all the old 90s 4x4s I still see going around in Chile, the Trooper seems to be the most common. It's not a rare sight. A factor that allows them to endure is probably the fact that they share most of their parts with the Chevrolet (Isuzu) LUV pick-up truck, which was a huge sales hit down here and was even assembled locally, so there's plenty of spare parts.

Oh, and it did have a radio with a cassette player, so this machine provided my childhood's soundtrack. It also came with cheap synthetic leather seat covers that literally burned you if you left the car under the Sun, so we changed them for fabric.

These were the kind of machines that gave core childhood memories like no other.

[DavidNotSolomon]

I have a 86' Trooper (called Jackaroo here in Australia) - it is a great 4WD - I have done a lot of 4WD in old landcruisers and the Troopers are way under-rated - I have taken the Trooper up some tricky 4WD tracks with road tyres, where Landcruisers were stuck - the trouble with the landcruisers is that are too heavy. There are still many Troopers from the 90's around the area I live, and they all still look great, in good condition.

[pojupeekkaa]

We had 2.2 diesel trooper model year 84.My father bought new. 65hp without turbo.Greetings from Finland.

[asphaltmemories]

This and the Mitsu Pajero have always been my favorite of the 80's suv's.

[graemerussell]

Got a 1990 Isuzu Irmscher 2.8lt with 85 000klms only .
Owned it for about 16 yrs....like new.
Love it .

[KABOBkabob]

I bought a 1991 last year for $5600. 188k miles. Well-sorted with a supposed (seemingly true) rebuild at 180k. So pretty on-par with your market estimate. Had a few small issues but with those sorted it's been killer.

I'm still getting to know it and haven't got to trusting it on longer road trips. Not the most comfy thing for longer durations anyway. But no break downs yet!

[danwilson]

Just landed an 88 in Florida
4 door/stick/AC/4cyl for my kids first truck.

[JakubFox-gkpv]

Just finished restoring a 1988 2.8 td Intercooler LWB in Poland. I LOVE THIS

[phildoethedildoe]

I've recently picked up a 1990 Isuzu Trooper 4 door or actually 5-door (due to rear door) with the 2.8L v6 GM engine, 4x4 5 speed transmission and i love it!!! Takes me back to the square and rectangle days of the SUV!!! and somehow its survived Northern Michigan and still runs, drives great. Plans are to fully restore this little tank of a 4x4 so the kids have a real truck to learn to drive when the time comes.

[fahrmboy]

Nice ride, my friend. Happy to see that Toaster sticker on the back window!

[UCmiwlBlRthCtZEojtg]

The last memory I have of my family's isuzu trooper before we got a Jeep Cherokee was after we already replaced one engine it stalled on the road once and I'll always remember my father struggling to steer it into the median to try and get it restarted.

[CodyShell]

Grenaded the supercharged 3.5 V6 in my 98 Trooper last month. Looking to do my first ever engine rebuild for it next year!

[frankdunkley]

I have a 1989 Isuzu Trooper, excellent condition no rust. 4 cylinder 4 door. 134, 000 original miles.