Considering 1999 Trooper LS

[cdjordan98]

Howdy Folks,

I'm brand new to this forum, in fact this is my maiden post. Sure could use some help from real no kidding Trooper owners. I'm looking very hard at replacing my 92 Ford Taurus and have may be looking at a 1999 Trooper L. Here is some additional:

Ext. Color- Forest Green

Mileage- 52,000

Engine-V6 I believe that in 1998 they went with the dohc V6 3.5L

Trans- auto.

At any rate, I'm looking for responses from folks that either own or have used this 1999 production year Trooper. I would love to hear your experiences both good and bad. I know the gas mileage isn't stellar and the crash impact testing is average, but it does get big points for 4WD traction, pax and cargo room and antilock brakes.

Can you folks help me out??

Thanks in advance for responding!!!

Chip

[rodeo02]

Chip- I've never owned a trooper, but we have had a few in the family. My cousin had a 1999 & currently has a 2002. Both have been flawless for his family. As you probably know, the troop went out of production in 2002, so resale value on them is down the dumper. This makes them an awesome used buy. Like any other used truck, as long as it was/is maintained, they will go for a LONG time. Weak spots for these trucks is: 1) Running the 3.5L low on oil = almost instantaneous death. They are not forgiving this way. Regular dipstick checks and oil changes are a necessity. 2) the (GM) 4L30E tranny does not last on dirty or HOT fluid, so regular ATF transfusions (every 30Kmi) are a must. 3) Like any all aluminum engine, the cooling system must be kept top knotch, or you have a boat anchor with one overheat. 4) EGR system will eventually carbon up on you. Check Ryan's (from this board and others) isuzu FAQ page. A simple cleaning is all it takes to fix it. Those are the largest items I can think of, hopefully the G-roo's will add some more for you!
G/luck
Joel

[roundigo]

Hi Chip!

I'm not currently an owner, but I'm in the market, too. Here's what I've found out: Awesome offroad, good combination of power, torque, etc., and quite reliable...but here's what to look out for...on either the 3.2 or the 3.5 litre engine, try to find the service history and it's better if it has been serviced at the dealer. It's not that I'm such a fan of dealer servicing, but on these, it is CRITICAL that the throttle body be properly cleaned on a regular basis (which it is on dealer scheduled services)! Why?...because if it's not, it will cause oil to be slowly sucked out of the cranckcase. If left unattended, the engine will run low on oil and suffer severe damage. One Service Manager tells me that if you hear one of these with an unusual ticking coming from the engine, RUN LIKE THE WIND! It's an expensive repair. Otherwise, these tend to be bulletproof...just insist on seeing a solid service history.

Oh, by the way, check out www.carREVIEW.com. It's an owner comment posting site that's pretty easy to navigate, and is a wealth of good info!!!!!

Hope this helps!
Paul