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Isuzu Trooper

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Comments

  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    Wasn't your windshield covered under your auto insurance? Last one I had replaced I only had to pay a $50 deductible!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I find it is never worth it to claim a $250 windshield even with $0 Deductible glass coverage because it counts as an "incident" and your rates will rise due to it.

    -mike
  • pinoy99pinoy99 Member Posts: 79
    Mine leaked pretty bad;the spare tire was being sprayed with gear oil. With the stinky gear oil smell and the obvious leak on the ground, its really hard not to notice the problem.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    yikes! I think I would notice that. The pinion seal is on the differential? Drain plug, where the driveshaft connects, or where the two halves come together?
  • pinoy99pinoy99 Member Posts: 79
    The seal is in the pumpkin close to where the propeler shaft connect to.
  • dielectric7bbdielectric7bb Member Posts: 324
    how was leaking oil from the rear diffy spraying oil onto the spare tire???
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    My experience is opposite of what paisan is claiming.

    We've had Allstate for about 5 years. Our coverage includes broad-form collision (if it's not your fault, the deductible is waived). Our rates are good (good driving records for me & my wife), blah blah blah.

    We have had several claims in those 5 years, including at least 3 windshields IIRC. A couple years ago Allstate changed from $0 deductible glass coverage to $50 deductible. I think this was a smart cost move by them, but none of these "comprehensive" coverage claims has ever increased our rates. Nor have the "collision" coverage claims increased our rates because they have always been NOT our fault. I've had a $17k claim for my previous Trooper which was totaled, about $900 for a shopping cart-induced door ding on wife's car -- deductible was waived on both b/c not our fault. And just a couple weeks ago we had some minor body work (new left rear fender flare and some minor repainting) on our 98 Trooper b/c some moron tunked it while exiting a freeway offramp.

    My agent has told me re: the collision claims that we can make as many claims as we want and our rates will NEVER increase as long as the incidents are not our fault.

    That's just my personal experience with one insurance company. Your mileage may vary.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I have allstate also, but perhaps the various laws in the states limit what the companies can and can't rate you for. In NYS unless you are rear-ended there is always *some* fault assesed to the other vehicle even if it wasn't your fault. my dad has been rated in several accidents even one where my mom was rear ended. Most likely just a difference of state laws though.

    -mike
  • gtroopgtroop Member Posts: 85
    I think it depends on the state. Kansas is considered a no fault state which means that even though someone rearends you or is at fault it still goes down as an incident on your driving record. Their insurance covers the costs but you and the other driver get dinged for an incident.

    I don't think the claim for a non-colision induced event (tree falling or vandalism) counts against you though.

    Something interesting regarding insurance is that some companies are now running a credit report on you to determine your rates (at least that's what I found when shopping for home owners ins).
  • beer47beer47 Member Posts: 185
    again by my Trooper. I work for a UK Brewery in the states and ocassionally have to carry some heavy items. Yesterday, however, wins the prize. I was helping one of my distributors who needed 50 cases of Beamish Irish Stout cans. Each case weighs 28lbs. After moving the back seats forward, I loaded all 50. 1400 lbs in all. The key was distributing the weight toward the middle as much as possible. I then drove the 50 miles or so to drop off to the Distributor. Of course the weight affected the handling and I had to take it easy. There was that Boaty/Floaty feeling you would have to expect but the trooper amazed me. The engine had more low end pull than I expected and the springs/shocks must be pretty good cause I did not bottom out once. I would not suggest or want to do this everyday but the Trooper again proves it is tough. I wonder what the load rating is for 2000S.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I doubt I'll ever need to transport 50 cases of beer (I'm not even a beer drinker), but it's good to know that the Trooper can handle it if the need arises.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Yes, you guys are probably right that things vary from state to state. Not 100% sure, but I think Michigan is a "no-fault" auto insurance state as well. I still think that with Allstate in Michigan, if I am under 50% at fault for the accident (which means my broad-form collision deductible is waived since it's "not my fault"), I could file as many claims as I want and my rates would never increase.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    A minivan is becoming a very likely scenario for our family, much sooner than I expected. At this point I think we'll still be keeping our Trooper, but the minivan would take over most of the family trip duties (better gas mileage, more room, more comfort, etc.).

    I test-drove the Sedona yesterday and was fairly impressed. The 3.5L V6 (195 hp @ 3500 rpm, 218 lb-ft @ 4500? rpm) felt even peppier and more eager to rev than the Trooper's 3.5L 6. Plus Sedona offers a 5-speed automatic.

    For $24,100 MSRP you get leather, moonroof, power front seats, good-sounding CD player, etc. It lacks some class-standard options (power sliding doors, factory TV entertainment system, side airbags, traction control) but it provides some neat tricks of its own (front windshield-wiper area electric defroster, additional dash-mounted glovebox ala Subarus, folding front-row table ala Odyssey, etc.) and overall it seems like a great bargain. Fit and finish seems good and it just received a 5-star government crash-test rating across the board (front and side impact). I'm sure the 4700-pound (!) curb weight helps.

    I never would have considered a Kia vehicle 2 years ago, but they and Hyundai both seem to have improved quality dramatically the past couple years. Still, I wouldn't be considering this van without Kia's 5yr/60k mile bumper-to-bumper and 10yr/100k mile powertrain warranty.

    I worry about depreciation with a Korean product, but these vans are hot-- selling from MSRP to $1,000 below-- so I think that bodes well for future resale. I think MSRP is likely to rise in future model years, which will help prop up the resale value of earlier models.

    Sorry for rambling. Any thoughts?
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I would be concerned about the dealership network. How many kia dealers are there around? Will they be near where you live in 3-5 years? A warranty isn't very good if you have to drive an hour to only hear that is "normal". If you have a dealer you like nearby, I would have them put in writing they will provide warranty service, even of they sell their franchise. I got screwed where I purchased my trooper, they told me they would honor the warranty no matter what. They sold their franchise and told me to get lost when I came in for warranty service 3 months later.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    It's something to think about, although I think Kia will probably be around for the long haul. There are about 600 dealers currently, including 5 in the Detroit area and 2 in the Grand Rapids (Mich.) area, which are the most likely places we'll be living in 3-5 years. Like its parent company, Hyundai, Kia has been expanding its dealer base rapidly in the past 5 years. I would expect the number of Kia dealers to be greater in 5 years than the current number.

    That stinks about your Isuzu dealer selling their franchise. I hadn't really given that subject much thought until reading your email. The one thing I don't get is, if a dealership sells its franchise for a certain brand but continues to do business selling other brands, how could they provide you with warranty service? If a dealer is no longer an Isuzu dealer, they would not be getting reimbursed from corporate Isuzu for warranty repairs, so there's no way I would ever expect a dealership to honor a warranty at its own expense no matter what assurances they made to me during the selling process.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    We don't have any Sedona comparison topics going yet, but there's lots of posts discussing the Kia over in the MY2002+ Kia Sedona board.

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Yeah, well I went into the deal thinking that the sales guy was telling the truth. Fortunately I was able to find another dealer who was very good. They ended up closing recently too. I am now on my 3rd dealership for service. They are OK. But anyway, that would be my biggest concern with puchasing a Kia. The crash tests scores look promising. I may even go look at one!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The sedona is really just an in-expensive version of the windstar. Like you said it has less of the gimmicky things found in other mini-vans. I'm a fan of the Hyundais and the Kias are "ok" So long as you don't load up on the high-end items like leather they are great cars to get as commuter cars or basic transportation.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Hey guys i finally got a chance to check out an trailblazer in-depth this past weekend. I went to a dealer and they were closed, but there was an unlocked trailblazer in the lot, with the keys in it! :)

    So I started her up, I tried to rev the engine but it wouldn't rev much past 3K rpms! It had tons and tons of buttons and knobs all over the place on the steering wheel, the dash, the doors. The front seats were ok comfort-wise, but not nearly as good as the captains chairs in the trooper. The moonroof was more like a roof vent compared to the trooper's roof. The dash did have full guages so I'll give it that. Here is the worst thing about it, with the front seat in a comfortable spot for myself, I could not fit in the rear seat without pushing my knees deep into the front seats. Also in this position, the rear folding seat would not fold down, I had to move the front seat up to get it to fit. Then underneat the rear seats were all kinds of computers, and fuse panels! I'd hate to have a kid drop a soda on the rear seat and have it leak onto these computer ribbon cables covered by very thin platic snap-off covers. Rear seats don't recline, and rear storage is pittiful. The Assender is not likely to get any improvements exept possibly the rear seat moved back slightly due to the longer wheelbase. Width was also no where near as wide as the trooper I could reach over to the passenger door, which I cannot do on the trooper. When I was done messing with the car, I locked it and tossed the keys into the back section of the truck :)

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    Do you mean the sedona is a windstar clone? If so I'd be very careful about such a purchase. The main thing about many of the minivans is their trannys and how they hold up. Most don't seem to make it to 100 k.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It's not a 1:1 clone, but it's close. I believe Kia gives 100K warranty, and if you pick it up cheap it should be worth it. IMHO.

    -mike
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    just means that YOUR insurance company has to fix you back up after an accident, regardless who is at fault. Then it is between the two insurance companies to establish fault and settle up accordingly.

    The main goal of no-fault is to speed up the claims process, rather than making you fight with the insurance company of the guy who hit you...
  • ramblinonramblinon Member Posts: 80
    I called the Virginia Beach Isuzu Service Department and asked if they carried synthetic oil and if so, what brand. Asking what vehicle I had and replying a 2001 Trooper, the Service Advisor stated "the Trooper is not designed for synthetic oil. Use regular 10W 30 oil. I then asked if they could install regular 5W 30 oil and he replied "stick to the 10W 30 oil. In that I also want to get my tires rotated 10K miles and get an auto door opener they owe me I guess I'll get regular oil...although I will insist on 5W30. Wonder what this guys problem is?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    But I use Mobil 1 5-30 w/o a problem in mine. And it's total BS that you can't use synthetic.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    They don't want to change from their standard protocol. For our sequoia, we asked about Mobile 1 at the toyota service dept. They said fine bring it in and they would put it in for us.
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    When our trooper was hit in the parking lot (back bumper and under the light), I made a claim on our insurance even though around here people do the deal of haggling with the insurance company of the person at fault. I told my insurance to get the money from them and that I wanted the trooper fixed to my specs--i.e. a new bumper. I had not made a claim to them in years and I told them I didn't want to see an increase in our rates, which we didn't.
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    saw an add in the paper this week for a 2001 Trooper with 12200 miles on it priced at 16,950. Just had to check it out! Got over there and looked it over good. Looked like a new truck. It had a couple things I thought I liked about it (4WD , favorite color scheme and tinted glass) so I took it for a test drive. It started perfect, idled perfect. Got out on the highway with it and WHAT?? If you guys with 4X4 haven't driven a 2X4 Trooper you might be surprised. This 4WD had nowhere near the pickup my 2WD has. I couldn't believe the difference. It barely performed noticeable different than my 97' Limited. Actually, I can't say it was any quicker than my 97'. I was really disappointed. Now it did handle and ride much like my 97', a bit softer than my 2001 2WD. But I wasn't about to give up the quickness I've got, for the 4WD and the tinted windows. I'll be getting the windows tinted in mine, and hanging on to it. Anyone else out there driven the 2WD vs. the 4WD and done a comparison??

    Oh, by the way, when questioned about the price the dealer said the paper had mis-printed the price. It was actually 18,950!!
    Happy Trooping!!!
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    Finally solved the mystery with the vibration in my 97' Trooper at high speed. I've mentioned it before in this board, experiencing vibrations at about 75-85 mph. Turned out to be a Goodyear Wrangler with internal tread separation. I had the tire replaced a few weeks ago and had my 1st opportunity to drive on interstate this weekend at speeds to check out the result. Sure enough, smooth as silk through this speed range. Sweeeeet.
    One more issue to resolve. I believe I've pinned the buzzing noise in the exhaust system down to a bad MUFFLER. I thought it would be heat shields of something like that but not the case. Can you believe it, how many bad mufflers have you heard of?? That should be fixed sometime this week.

    Happier Trooping!! ;-> ;->
  • dielectric7bbdielectric7bb Member Posts: 324
    I've driven a '02 TOD Trooper and I have my own '95 part-time automatic Trooper. Huge difference in power from my SOHC 3.2L to the 3.5L DOHC. Same tranny (minor changes) from the two. The differential ring and pinion gear is a different size from '95 to '02. I wonder if the 2WD newer Troopers have the same rear ring & pinon as the TOD models? IIRC they do, but sometimes you never know.

    Glad to hear you solved your vibe problem and that it was the tires not the Trooper :)
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    Interesting. Mine buzzes too: I thought it was a loose heat shield and ignored it. If it's in the muffler, I wonder if it could also be restricting the flow and resulting in the lower fuel economy I get (compared to what most of you claim)?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Conway a guy who used to post on here also has had his muffler replaced as well.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    Sounds to me like there may have been something wrong with the 2001 4WD trooper. My '99 has a lot more pickup then our long gone Windstar van (3.8 L with200 hp) and may be off the line as fast as our sequoia with a V8 and 240 hp.
  • wildbucwildbuc Member Posts: 88
    Today I encountered my the first problem with my Trooper after 20K miles. A loud rattle has occurred in the center of the dash when I go over any rough stretch of road. Unlike other rattles I have had with other cars, this one is rather loud and objectionable. The rattle varies directly with size of the bump in the road: small bump/small rattle, large bump/large rattle. I have tried varying all heat and air adjustments but these measures have had no effect. (Banging on the dash has no effect either.) What to do? I wonder if my warranty would cover such a thing but I am reluctant to have some novice take apart the car's dash. (Many mechanics I have encountered often do more harm than good.) Anyone with a similar problem?
  • dielectric7bbdielectric7bb Member Posts: 324
    It sounds like it would be rather obvious if one was to take apart the dash. You could do it yourself. Since it's in the 'center of the dash', I'd take that off. I believe there are only 3 screws that hold it on, atleast on my '95. Is the radio/tape/cd??? secure? What about the ash-tray, or is there even an ash-tray on the newer ones, I can't recall. If you can use a screw driver, I would try looking for myself first.
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    I have a write-up for replacing the head unit in the '99 on Paisan's site that involves removing the part around the head unit and loosening the dash. There is a tricky screw in the dash, that I comment about. I'd be careful about pounding on it. I split a vinyl dash in a FORD once by doing that when it was cold.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Head Unit/Dash Removal:

    http://isuzu-suvs.com/howto/troopheadunit.html


    Off-road Event This Sunday:

    http://isuzu-suvs.com/events/pb02-17-01/index.html


    -mike

  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    before you take apart your dash, I would check the exhaust and heat shields. I had a rattle in my nissan, that I swore was in the dash/heating system. Turns out is was a heat shield right under the that part of the car.
  • wildbucwildbuc Member Posts: 88
    Yesterday as I mentioned my Trooper dash rattled big time. Even slight movements down the driveway leaving my home caused it to rattle. Well today---different story. I can't get the thing to rattle no matter what I do! Go figure.

    Very sorry I have bothered you guys with this question. If it happens again, I will definitely investigate your suggestions. Thanks!
  • dielectric7bbdielectric7bb Member Posts: 324
    Sounds like maybe something was trapped under the vehicle, between drive-train/exhaust/..., and fell off. I hope it doesn't come back for ya :)
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    I seem to remember a discussion on this board a couple months back that discussed a rattle in the dash at length. There was someone on here that took their Trooper to the Dealer several times and they eventually found something specific causing it. Any of you guys remember that discussion?

    Happy Trooping!!!
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I remember that discussion, but I don't remember what the solution was. Does that help ;)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I think it was a loose screw under the steering column on the driver's side.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    I thought it had something to do with the fuel line hitting inside the firewall.
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    I rememer it being a loose screw too.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Yesterday we left a deposit for a new Kia Sedona minivan. Good van, good price, great value. I was hoping we could keep our 98 Trooper, though it makes economic sense to sell it and keep our other car (95 Contour). Get this: on the way home from the dealership, my wife states she is emphatic about us keeping the Trooper! That was music to my ears. I knew she liked our Trooper but I didn't realize how much.

    Our Trooper is approaching 61,000 miles and I am so pleased (not surprised, though) with how solid it still is, inside and out.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    What would posses you to keep the contour? Gas milage? My bet is that in the long run the Trooper would cost less to operate from 61K->250K miles than the Contour will cost for sure. :) Glad you are staying with the Trooper!

    -mike
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Contour is fun to drive and has all the stuff - leather, moonroof, ABS, traction control, etc. The V6/manual trans combo in that car is fun.

    Gas mileage would be one of the few financial reasons to keep the Contour instead of Trooper. Insurance on Trooper is cheaper, and you're probably right that overall maintenance and repair costs will be lower on Trooper.
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    With a kid/kids keeping the trooper makes sense. Easier to get car seat in the back. Someone can actually sit back there comfortably with a baby on a trip--a must on a long trip. And, you can throw all the crap you need in the back without a problem, including the stroller, the tot-along-bed, the diaper bag, the food bags, etc etc. and they are all readily accessible from the back seat. Maybe not a question with the van, but its nice to have two versatile vehicles. Furthermore, open the back doors and what do you have, a nice changing table.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    all good points. We've used that "changing table" in the Trooper a couple times already.
  • wildbucwildbuc Member Posts: 88
    Today I got an insurance bill for my 99 Trooper which is about $100. more per year than last year. Last year, the North Carolina insurance rating for a 99 Trooper was "10," but this year it has become much higher---now a "15." When I called the insurance company and asked for an explanation, they professed not to know, but said that the rate increase was statewide in N.C. regardless of insurance company. The question is why? Why is it that an insurance rate that has been created over the years involving thousands of vehicles now is dramatically increased? Is the reason perhaps the result of political winds instigated by SUV haters?
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