I just bought a 87' isuzu trooper II for $1800

[sean_incali]

I'm pretty happy with it even though it doesn;t have air conditioning and poer windows. It has 70 K miles. 5 spd manual.

How much will it cost to install the air conditioning and power windows into this?

Also, I noticed that the cigarrette lighter doesn't work. is that a bad sign?

And the gear stick handle seems to shake a bit while I'm not in gear. Is that normal? Like when I'm at a light and in neutral, when I'm holding on to the shitfer stick I can feel it shaking quite a bit. I wasn't sure if that's normal for the car.

Thanks for any info.

Sean

[Tryumph]

Congratulations on becoming a Trooper owner. I bought my 1989 new, and it's still a valuable contributor -- in fact, it is the most reliable, trouble-free vehicle that I have EVER owned.

re your questions:

--How much will it cost to install the air conditioning and power windows into this?

My comment: forget about the power windows -- expensive and often cranky (no pun intended). re air conditioning, call auto air conditioning specialists in your area and see if there is a "kit" they can install -- and then I'd try to find a fellow Isuzu owner who had one installed, to see how well it worked for him/her. In my experience (having a kit installed on a Mazda 626 from the '80s) the cooling was NOT as good as it would have been with factory A/C, although the reliability was fine. I converted my Trooper to the new R135 coolant and the result has NOT been satisfactory ... it works, but doesn't put out cold enough air when the weather is really nasty in summer (Washington, DC area).

--Also, I noticed that the cigarrette lighter doesn't work. is that a bad sign?

No, that is a good sign. Your Trooper is already starting to bond with you, is concerned about your health and well-being, and doesn't want you to smoke.

More seriously, it could be as simple as a blown fuse. And the lighter is on its own circuit, so its operation ... or lack of ... won't affect anything else. (Also, at least on my Trooper, the lighter only works when the ignition is on.)

--And the gear stick handle seems to shake a bit while I'm not in gear. Is that normal? Like when I'm at a light and in neutral, when I'm holding on to the shitfer stick I can feel it shaking quite a bit. I wasn't sure if that's normal for the car.

This could be loose engine or transmission mounts, or worn bushings inside the shifter mechanism. Do you feel any vibration otherwise when idling in neutral (which would tend to confirm loose mounts)? That said, my shifter has always been fairly floppy.

Good luck!

[sean_incali]

Thanks for the comments. I also noticed that the horn doesn;t work either. How much will it cost to fix that? What causes the horn to not work??? It seems to me like the trooper has a few problems.

As for shaking when idling, I can feel a light shaking in the car in sync with the shifter shaking. What do you think is the problem? And how much will it cost to fix it?

[Tryumph]

re the horn, nothing to do with the other problems. Check the fuse first, and if it's OK then see if power is getting to the positive terminal of the horn (using a 12v test lamp -- about $3 at an auto parts store), when the horn button is pressed. If you're getting power at the terminal, check to make sure the horn has a good ground. If it does, the horn is bad. If the terminal isn't getting power, it's either the horn button itself on the steering wheel or the wiring, which will require troubleshooting.
Regarding the shake at idle -- frankly, I wouldn't worry about it unless it is severe enough to be annoying, or starts to get worse. It could be bad/engine tranny mounts as mentioned in my first reply, or simply a rough-idling engine, which is an entirely different issue. One suggestion: buy an Isuzu repair manual (new or used) put out by Haynes (about $20 new, hopefully easy to find on Web. It is fairly easy to understand, and I think would help you a lot. Whenever I buy a new used car, the first thing I get is a shop manual.

Finally, re "the Trooper seems to have a few problems." Well, almost ANY used car has a few problems ... and yours all sound relatively minor.

Regards.

[speedracerles]

why cant I find deals like that LOL...