1998 Isuzu Trooper

I currently own a 1986 and 1998 Trooper. I generally agree with most other comments I have read on the new 1998 to 2000 models. I bought my 1998 because it was a great alternative to the usual competitors. I almost bought the Toyota 4Runner but the dealer's list price was much higher and they would not bargain at all.

I feel the main issue with the Trooper is the sloppy handling. I think that the engineers have gone too far in the "smooth" ride category. The new vehicle has vague handling compared to the original '86 "box" that I also own. Especially on the highway, I find the handling to be annoying in cross-winds or when the road surface conditions vary.

I would think firmer shocks will help a bit. Also, tires with firmer sidewalls or lower profile may help a great deal. That's something to think about when you need new rubber.

Often the factory selects a soft tire/shock combination that impresses with "smoothness" you when you go for the 1st ride at the dealership. Very few people will push a SUV when driving it for the first time, especially if a salesperson is with them. So they don't notice the sloppy handling.

Other than the handling issue, I am very pleased with my '98 Trooper. So far I have had no serious problems.

I pray that Isuzu has properly engineered the new cylinder heads on the aluminum 3.5L V-6 (or the original 3.2L V-6 used on earlier '90s models). As all veteran Isuzu owners of the 1985 to 1991 Troopers know, the original 2.3L and 2.6L I-4 cylinder heads were prone to cracking! And it can be expensive to fix. Spare cylinder heads are rare in junk yards and the dealer head (with no valves or springs) costs 3X what a Chev Blazer head costs. Luckily I found a $200 wrecker head and fixed it myself.

Incidentally, a lot of dealers readily knew about the head problem, yet never offered any factory warranty program. I once had a parts person tell me that he was surprised if people had not repaired their cylinder head before 100,000 miles.

But I liked the darn truck and came back again. My only reason for buying a new model was appearance ... I needed a nicer vehicle for work and my '86 with 177K miles is running well but is looking rough. I am keeping the old one for abusive off-roading.


Anyway, this time, I hope they got the engine design right. I trust that with their past experience, that if anything, they have gone the other way and may even have a better engine than Toyota!! Time will tell.