96 trooper should i buy?

[ptc1625]

hey everyone, this would be my second isuzu if i bought it, check my sig

anyways, heres the only specs i know of, its a 96 trooper, stick, has 165,000 miles, 4x4, advertised for 2000 from a used car dealer, dont know much more than that, i havent actually gone to look at it yet, debating on whether or not to take the trip. i know everyone says with proper maintenance these things can last, but w/o knowing the previous owners, am i just buying a headache?

i know if the t belt, tensior, water pump havent been replaced, it would be a good idea to do these. how hard would it be to do myself, i have some mechanical ability, did a bunch of work on my rodeo check my sig,

is this a good buy? with these kind of miles? are they slow? do they come with maunal hubs, or auto locking?

thanks everyone

[ptc1625]

wow 22 views and not a single reply

[Ramblin Fever]

"Are they slow?" - are you referring to the vehicle in general?

Let's just say you're not going to win any awards, you are talking about a heavy SUV, truly built on a truck frame - not your newly typical Unibody SUV.

And that heavy SUV is only powered by a 3.2L 24V V6 engine - 190hp, IIRC. It'll get the job done, but it won't be all that fast, then again, I can't say they're all too slow either.

I currently have 165k on my '97 3.2L V6 Rodeo; I'm not 100% sure if the head's the exact same as the 96-97 Troopers, but I do know for sure it's the same beast on the bottom-end. And these engines are VERY stout!

BUT, definitely be sure to thoroughly check out that truck.

Check the cooling system, that's pretty much the only thing that'll hurt the engine's on the 95.5-97yrs in terms of headgasket failures. Engine issues in general, on these years, are rare - unless they're severly abused (including neglect in checking oil) or allowed to overheat.

Definitely will need to do the timing belt package if it's not been done; in fact, if the timing belt tensioner is original, don't be surprised if it doesn't sound like a rod knocking in the near future. Many people dump these trucks when they hear this sound, when in fact, it's simply the timing belt tensioner giving up ghost.

Don't know what else to tell you; I'm the original owner of my '97, wouldn't trade it for nothing. 165K miles of not too easy a life, and it's still running/shifting strong, hasn't skipped a beat for more then a day, when the waterpump failed last February.

It's been the cheapest vehicle to own in terms of maintenance; but it has NOT been the easiest to work on, by far. They stuffed a good sized engine in a small engine bay, and it's VERY crowded.

I too am on my 2nd Isuzu, my 1st was the '91 Rodeo with the 3.1L GM engine; she was a good truck too.

[excessdetail]

i had a1996 trooper i loved it. wish i wouldnt have gotten rid of it. They go anywhere excpet dont get drunk and try to take it through a pond i would definately recomend one they dont get the greatest gas milage because there heavy. you know that there the same as the acura slx or something and if acura is willing to pt there name on it it had to be good. also they are 6 lug chevy lug pattern so real easy to find some aftermarket wheels. i had some 18 inch niche's that i got off a 1997 tahoe. looked killer