Isuzu Trooper

[muffinino]

Has anybody had any experience of them as a towing vehicle? They seem to be relatively cheap compared to other 4x4s and I'm wondering if there's any reason for this. I need a new car and would really like a Shogun or Pajero (essentially the same, I know) but they're thin on the ground at the moment. Actually, I'd love a Defender but don't think I could afford to buy or run one!
I have seen people recommend the Trooper on here and have found a decent looking one - '99 T reg, 3L, towing capacity of 3500, just over 85k miles, long tax and MOT - but it seems cheap for the amount of car you get at just over 2k. I've checked the insurance and it's slightly high but not stupid money and the tax would be the same as my old car due to its age. I probably won't be using the new car everyday as OH has a 2.1 Fiesta that's much more economical, lol, but would like to know if they're particularly thirsty, compared to other 4x4s, although I realise they're not exactly economical no matter what the make! This particular one is quite far from me so I'd like to know if it's worth the trip.
Any opinions would be great, thanks.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I have one - its a SWB 3.2l diesel and about 15 years old. It will happily tow just over 3 tonnes. I only use it for towing and dogs etc as I am lucky enough to have a company car. I don't know loads of technical stuff about them but Troopers are workhorses and last forever. I got mine form my RI who had had it for years and had looked after it and my local garage gave it the once over and gave it the thumbs up as was in good condition and will last for years - I paid £800 for it.

I'm sure someone on here will know but my garage did say that one of the models (slightly smaller than mine - so a 3l maybe) wasn't as good a car as the model I have as there was some inherent fault with it.

I'm sorry that probably doesn't help much as I know nothing about cars - but I do love my Tommy Trooper! It does the job and is reliable and over the winter I would have been totally stranded without it.

 

[Izzwizz]

I have one, its a 3.1 turbo diesel N reg (1995) and shes fab. !!! Have towed an Ifor 510 with 2 big horses in and you would hardly know that the trailer and horses were on the back.Have had mine for 5 yrs now and she had done 100,000 miles when I got her. OH is an RAC man and looks after her general service needs. She had a new clutch in Dec which we got and a local garage fitted as any bigger jobs are too big to be done at home. Suzi is a proper workhorse and I use her for my rugwash business, have had 47 rugs in at once. Good on diesel and quite economical. Tyres last ages and last 2 cost £155 fitted on Oct last year. Dont know how good on fuel the petrol ones are so cant help there. I do know that the ones a bit newer than mine had a problem with the fuel injectors and they were recalled to have replacement ones fitted. From what OH says Troopers are the better of the older 4x4's and he should know!! Love mine and the day she dies will be a very sad one. Hope she goes on for another 5yrs, no intention to swap her atall.!!!!

 

[muffinino]

Thanks for that, slinky, sounds like you have a real keeper there! I had the impression that they're generally pretty good, just wondered why they're cheap, it makes me suspicious, lol. I'll try and see if I can find out which one has the fault. I put the details of the one I found up because it seemed cheap compared to, say, a comparable Shogun

Izzwizz - it's a diesel so no worries there. It's a bit far away, really, but worth it if it's a good car. Sounds like the sort of thing I want - not bothered by aesthetics, just want a good workhorse. I love that yours is called Suzi, lol!

 

[Izzwizz]

P.S. was ace in the snow, never faltered atall. Mines a short wheel base too (SWB) and loads of room inside. Have 2 labradors and they love it in the back.

 

[Flibble]

I have one I am on my 3rd its a 2002 SWB 3.1 tdi Citation.
Its MPG is ok and the best bits about it - in my opinion.

It is not as large as some 4 x 4 so parks easily on drive.

It has a really good lock on it so manouevering a trailer is sooooo easy. Its turning circle is far better than a shogun.

The gearbox is excellent and when going down steep hills you can feel it helping slow the vehicle down I really really rate mine and why have I had 3.

Loved number one to bits but it had not been looked after by previous owners and engine blew up!

Number 2 was great was a Duty and I had sever problems wth hay fever so traded it in for one with Air conditioining and a pollen filter.

 

[Dolcé]

We have the 3l TDI S reg and apparently the older 3.1 engine was much better, they have had quite a few recalls so make sure if you buy that you check all the outstanding stuff has been done. It is good for towing and I loved ours until we got the Maverick which puts it well and truly in the shade! I always tell Martin that it is the poor man's range rover when he goes on about it being 'prettier' than the mav which is big and ugly but like an old series landrover to drive and much better in deep mud/snow than the Isuzu!!

 

[0ldmare]

I've had 2 troopers and I would say it all depends on the model as to whether I would recommend it.

Had a 3.1L 'original' trooper which was unbelievably good. It never had anything wrong with it in the 5 years I owned it. Sold it to some friends as I fancied one of the new ones and I know for a fact that its now done over 200k miles and still hasn't had anything at all wrong with it

So I bought the new one, a 3.0L updated body shape and oh dear... Massive problem. There was a problem with the fuel injectors and mine had the problem. Had the new modified ones fitted and those failed 300 miles from home. Had the modified modified ones fitted and they failed to. Turbo charger blew and other assorted problems. Sold it

On the plus side isuzu have good customer service and helped out with most of the problems, but it doesn't help when you keep getting stranded!
If its the new shape ask if its had the modified fuel injectors. You can also ring isuzu and as long as you know the number plate thet will tell you if all mods have been fitted.

Sorry to be negative, I loved my original Rupert Troopert, but my second one was called names that couldn't be printed here!

 

[muffinino]

Thanks everyone, I've just found one literally down the road from me so I will give them a ring in the morning and see if I can have a gander. This one is a J reg which seems very old, but from what people are saying, the older ones seem to be better cars. Hmmm, worth a look as it is very cheap.

The Maverick is another I'm looking at as everyone says they're fab but again, they're quite rare around here and I will be very lucky to find one. Will keep my eyes peeled though!

 

[Izzwizz]

Suzi stuck to the roads like glue in the snow and was fab. OH cant stand Fords, sorry hch4971, he swears by the Japanese build and reliability. Love my car but then she is one of the older ones and even the Dealers said dont swap her for a newer one. Bodywork is still really good. Sorry but am as attached to my car as I am my horses but she has been seriously good for towing. Long live Suzi!!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

muffinino you also need to take note that ALL the Troopers on this thread have a name.....Suzi, Tommy and Rupert

 

[Dolcé]

Suzi stuck to the roads like glue in the snow and was fab. OH cant stand Fords, sorry hch4971, he swears by the Japanese build and reliability. Love my car but then she is one of the older ones and even the Dealers said dont swap her for a newer one. Bodywork is still really good. Sorry but am as attached to my car as I am my horses but she has been seriously good for towing. Long live Suzi!!

Ah, but the mav is a nissan in disguise! We paid £750 for ours and it earned it's keep this winter. We bought it whilst the Isuzu was off the road on yet another recall and intended selling it on as soon as the other came back (the garage was busy and we need 2 cars on the road!) but decided to keep it cos we really can afford to run 2 4x4s (not). It is huge inside and with 3 small kids and a mastiff we need the room, the girls were getting fed up of Murphy trying to sit on their knees. Murphy dog loves it and since getting it has taken to barking madly every time anyone walks past.

 

[muffinino]

muffinino you also need to take note that ALL the Troopers on this thread have a name.....Suzi, Tommy and Rupert

Sounds like my kind of car, lol. My old school Mini was called Florence, or Flo for short. It broke my heart to sell her in all her rainbow glitter covered glory but old Mini suspension and yard roads are sadly not a winning combination...

Thanks for the inpuot, everyone, sounds like I should look for the older ones in good nick or if they are newwr, check out that the faults that have been mentioned have been fixed. This is why I love this forum; these are the things you need to know and when everyone says roughly the same thing, it's best to listen, lol.

 

[skint1]

I have an R Reg Trooper SWB 3.1 Duty, has 153k on the clock. Paid well too much for it because it came with a year guarantee
Good points:
It is a part time 4x4 and is easy to get into 4x4 mode
Relatively economical for the size of engine
Quite easy to manouvre for its size
Really excellent performance off road (in fields and stuff)
Tows like a dream
It has sailed through 2 MOTS

Bad Points:
I feel that it could corner better on the road
Make sure you check the volt-meter to see that it is fully charging even with all the lights, radio, wipers or whatever on at the same time, if it is not, don't touch it with a bargepole imho

Troopers are indeed known to be reliable, mine is however an exception to this rule. It is the car I paid the most money on and the one that I have found myself on the side of the road waiting for the RAC to recover me more than any I ever owned.

Since buying it in Feb 08 the following things have gone wrong
-alternator
-1 battery, followed by the 2nd battery
-another alternator
-another brace of batteries
(finally diagnosed as a wiring problem by the garage and sorted out with no further problems)
-starting motor
-4wd prop shaft sleeve (or whatever it is called)
-gearbox and clutch replaced after suspension on trailer collapsed thus causing a series of events leading to this end so technically, not the fault of the Trooper but still annoying
3 flat tyres (not repairable, I guess not really due to the car being **** but grrr anyway)
-slave cylinder
-being over filled with oil by well meaning RAC man and also a back yard mechanic and having to have the engine jet washed
-fan belt
-another set of batteries
anndd... now there is a small leak in the radiator somewhere

 

[QUICKFIRE]

The 3.1 trooper tdi Duty was the best,then the new 3.0 was rubbish lots of problems with them, in fact the local Isuzu dealer put me off buying a new one. One thing to watch with the older ones is over heating as it melts the head, and you may be talking £1000-1600 to fix, to check, when the car is slightly warm take off the radiator cap carefully ( not the expansion bottel)while the motor is running and if the water has any sign of air bubbles leave well alone, also there are a lot of imports which will be lower milage, but more expencive on insurance, the way to tell if they are imports is they will only have 1 battery, British cars will have 2 and start up on 24 volts then drop to 12 volts, this is because the engine is so big, but you will have less trouble starting, by the way did I tell you that I love Isuzu's and would swap my Discovery for one any day, the swb will do about 38 to the gallon and tow a house side ways on. oh and only use fully synthetic oil.

 

[SmallHunter]

Loved ours never had any problems, towed like there was no weight attached at all. Then some **** did a dukes of hazard into the side of it while it was parked out the front of our house and killed it there was much swearing and crying.

 

[perfect11s]

Avoid the 3 liter diesel, avoid tatty looking ones that have been worked, the jap imports are often in better condition and have higher spec but called a bighorn!!!!!! ive had a 3 liter one when they first came out it spent alot of time in the garage I sold it quickly.. the 3.1 is very good as long as the oil is changed regulaly and coolant is looked after but that aplies to any engine synthetic oil is a waste of money in older diesels better to change more oftern and get rid of the carbon and dirt, remember clean oil = long engine life .....

 

[ThePony]

troopers are ace!
Ideally you want the slightly older 3.1 deseil, they duty is the basic model so have often been rather knocked around, the citation is the smarter model and the better one to go for. The 3.1 although older will often be a bit more expensive than newer other engines as it is widely recognised as the best one to go for - it is possible to buy a newer one and have the old 3.1 engine put in it even!!

 

[MartinB]

Muffinino buy my SWB Pajero you know you want to

Martin

 

[Geegeesarah]

I have the 3.0ltr automatic diesel and it is brill. I have had no problems with it other than the exhaust dropping off. Mine has been in for a couple of recalls. I wouldnt swop it for any other vehicle and we tow two full up 16.3hh Irish draught horses quite easily. Good luck in your search

 

[muffinino]

Thanks for taking the time to reply everyone, that's very useful info. I will have a scout around for an older 3.1L Citation, methinks, that seems to be unanimously praised. I would insert a smiley hre but have no idea how to!

 

[Sophiesmum]

Another thumbs up for the Trooper here - we too, are on number 3!

In 1992 we bought a 1988 SWB 2.8 Tommy Trooper. Absolutely brilliant car, loved it to bits, drove it for miles and still my husbands favourite! The body work was getting quite shabby and our family had grown so in 2000 we changed to a 1996 3.1 LWB - duty with air con! Again an absolute work horse and had it until 2009 when we part exchanged it against a 2003 3 litre LWD citation. I am touching wood here, it had to have the injectors changed under a re-call, but other than that, so far, it has been great. All of them have towed firstly a Rice Beaufort, then an Ifor Willians 510 with 2 horses and have never struggled.

If you get one you will be hooked - unfortunately I believe I am right in saying they stopped bringing them into the country in 2003/4, so we won't be able to change this one for a newer model when the time comes

 

[listerharris]

I have had Troopers for the last 15 years - 3 in all. I have towed all over the country with mine and they are brilliant. They are cheap at the moment cos they stopped making them in 2005 although there are still lots around. I toally reccommend them for towing. I used a long wheelbases car with the large size Ivor Williams trailer, always with 2 large horses in and never had a problem at all. My second one "died" recently after 175,000m and was on its first clutch. New tyres every 40- 45,000 miles or so. I have just replaced that one with another the same age 2002 model Insignia [top of the range] with 50,000 miles on the clock for about £6,500 and consider myself very lucky indeed to have found it. Good luck!

 

[debsflo]

just to add the vauxhall monterey is a rebadged isuzu trooper,exactly the same though.i have a 1996 3.1 diesel and love it.

 

[Pampera]

Watch out for RISING oil level on this (& other diesels).

Caused by injectors leaking fuel into the engine.

When the oil level gets high enough, the engine will race uncontrollably all on its own. It will only stop when it blows up!

Switching off the ignition key makes no difference: this switches off the fuelpump, but the engine is now running on the contents of the sump.

Remember: watch the oil level & change regularly (twice yearly min) irrespective of miles covered.

 

[muffinino]

just to add the vauxhall monterey is a rebadged isuzu trooper,exactly the same though.i have a 1996 3.1 diesel and love it.

Thanks, I'll have a look at them if I can't find a Trooper near to me.

Thanks again everyone, I'm all excited now!

 

[BigRed]

They no longer make Isuzu Troopers and the last few that were made; the 3.1 engine had a serious engine problem. I search hard to find one of the last 3.0 engines, mine is on an R plate - a 97 model. It is my 3rd Trooper. They are fantastic tow vehicles, very reliable and economical for the type of vehicle, but don't buy one of the 3.1's. Even the mechanic at the Dealership told me that the one's that had the modification done, were still bad news - such a shame. The Rodeo Pickup is a fantastic machine. I believe it has the highest tow ability of all the pickup's.

 

[Izzwizz]

OH says its the 3.0 that had the problems not the 3.1 like mine. Mine is the SWB 3.1 Turbo Diesel Duty and as previously said, Suzi has never let me down. Only had a new clutch and 2 new batteries which after 153,000 miles isnt bad, probably no different to any other car. Still going strong and I use her every day to go to and from work as well as going up the yard and doing my rug washing. Shes a little worker. Shes about to have a pampering (service) by OH soon and I hope to have her for another 3 yrs at least. Would be nice anyway!!

Good luck in your search for one, dont think you will regret it.!