Isuzu Prices Paid and Buying Experience

wlbrown9

Look under regional rebates, incentives, leases.
Looks to be $1750 on 2WD or $2000 on 4WD in DEALER CASH Incentives. Or it shows 0.0% up to 60 months "Subvened APR" through IMAC. Doubt you can get both. The 0.0% would probably be the better way to go. I did a quick calc... $20,000 for 60 months at 7.99% (my credit union rate) is $405.43. $22,000 for 60 months at 0.0% is 366.67.
Almost $40/mo ...hum.. $2400 over the life of the loan. Seems they had $2500 OR 3.9% for 60 months last June when I bought mine '00 LS 2WD... That worked out to within $1/month. BTW, this is listed as being from 3/1 - 4/30.

darionlow

Actually, I did see the rebate you mentioned (after entering my zip code) but it was on a Rodeo. I am in the market for a Trooper, so of course those incentives/rebates don't really do much for me.
Re: Raydahs, d'oh, didn't even know one was going on - I never saw it advertised in the paper or on TV, I wonder if it was in the Bay Area at all.
Guess I'll play the waiting game a lil while longer...

raydahs

Here ya go.


http://www2.edmunds.com/edweb/rebates/index.html?id=heregincentive1

acola

Just bought a 99 S 23,000mi. w/ auto trans, moonrf, 4x4, cd(not sure if 1 or 6 change, has 6 lights & #'s, but only a single load chamber, couldnt find a "changer" in vehicle), alloys, fog lts, fold mirrors, lthr steer whl, priv glass, AC
for $17,900.
A Good Deal?

please help with A couple of questions;

1. a noise, like a fan motor, near the shifter?
2. "power" "winter" buttons, for what?
3. TOD, can be manually engaged or is auto?
if manual,use it when?
4. any recalls I should know about?
5. what are the major maintenance intervals I need to maintain warranty?
6. what is warranty? 3yr or 5? 36,000 or 50,000?

Thankyou very much,
Cautiously happy owner, so far

paisan

The 6 cd changer only has one slot. Hit the button for the slot you want and when you get 2 blinking lights on either side of the slot, stick in your CD. You can do this for any/all the slots.

Here are the other answers:

1) Not sure of a noise near the shifter

2) Power button moves your shift points to redline instead of around 4500rpms, gives crisper harder acceleration Winter mode can be engaged when in "D" at a stop and starts the car in 3rd gear so as not to spin the rear tires in snow, it disengages after you hit 20mph.

3) TOD can be left on 24x7, it can be used on dry. This will automatically shift anywhere from 15%->50% of the power to the front axle.

4) None that I know of on '99s

5) 30K intervals are the major ones

6) 3yr 50K miles

Welcome to the club, check out http://isuzu-suvs.com for some good info and pics.

-mike

wlbrown9

The details I gave are for the Trooper:

http://www2.edmunds.com/servlets /rebate.RebateDetail?

subp=14875&make=Isuzu&model= Trooper&program=Dealer

http://www2.edmunds.com/servlets /rebate.RebateDetail?subp=14888&make=Isuzu&model= Trooper&program=APR

Well, the above wrapped...if you can piece it together it should take you to the West regional Dealer Incentive and Special financing page...they are for the Trooper. (I also had to add a couple of spaces to the links since the software said I could not post words of over 100 characters :-)

Almost makes me want to go down and see what kind of deal I can get trying to trade my '00 LS for a '01 with the 0.0% financing :-) Sales tax here in Tenn. is only on the difference, I think before the payoff of the old loan, so one of the major expenses would only be a couple hundred dollars instead of $1500+ without trade. Of course, the values of some SUV's seemed to have crashed last fall..Jeep Grand Cherokee's got cheap since there were tons of '00's on the lots at year end.

Bill

darionlow

Ahh, sorry, I was looking at the official Isuzu webpage, and they have nothing on the Trooper listed there, I didn't realize you meant Edmunds.com.
Well, 0.0 financing is nice! I think I'll wait 1 or 2 more months though to wait for the $2500 rebate to come back, which should knock down the price even more. Thanks for the links.

bluedevils

Shouldn't the manufacturers be embarrrassed when the third-party sites such as Edmund's have information that the manufacturers' own web sites don't? Personally, I think that's pathetic. Isuzu is not alone with this problem, though-- it's very common.

bluedevils

Q: a noise, like a fan motor, near the shifter?
A: Could this be the cassette rewinding noise (from transmission or transfer case) that is common on many, but not all, 1998-2001 Troopers?

Q: TOD, can be manually engaged or is auto?
if manual, use it when?
A: TOD can be left on all the time for safety and peace of mind. You do have the option of switching it off, though. The Trooper is rear wheel-drive with TOD off. Your fuel economy will be a little bit better, probably 5-10%, with TOD off.

Q: what is warranty? 3yr or 5? 36,000 or 50,000?
A: On 1999 Isuzus, the bumper-to-bumper warranty is 3 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. The powertrain warranty is a bit longer - 5 years or 60,000 miles.

gpm5

The mysterious cassette rewinding noise may be what you hear. I've heard it since it has been mentioned here, but I am not sure where it comes from. Seems like it comes from up front to me, and I only hear it at highway speeds. I can not hear it with the stereo on or even at highway speeds in the rain, due to the rain road noise. I don't consider it a big deal. My Ford Windstar has more engine type noise in front than the trooper.

jcmccants3

Hello Everyone,
I am in the market for a new SUV. Have been considering Rodeo, Tribute, Escape, Exterra, and vehicles $20k to $25K. I really like the rodeo, and I hear Isuzu is running a special this month 0 down and 0% interest for 60 months. This sounds to good to be true? I am wondering if this means the dealers are not going to come down off of their sticker prices? Also, had been quoted around $23,500 for 2001 LS 2WD in Louisiana. I really would like to get a 4WD and wanted some advice on a good price for an LS 4WD and advice on the 0% interest, or at least what loop holes to look out for? Thank you for the help.

wlbrown9

Darionlow...check out the numbers with the 0.0% financing. I looked at the figures last year when I bought a '00 LS, 2wd. A $2500 rebate was within a $1 a month of the 3.9% they had for 60 months.

I just did a quick run on my credit unions loan calculator. 0.0 is better than 2500 rebate:

25000 -2500 rebate 60 mo @ 7.9 = 455.14 27,308
25000 -0 rebate 60 mo @ 0.0 = 416.67 25,000

Hum...
25000 -4400 rebate 60 mo @ 7.9 = 416.71

So, 0.0% for 60 months is equal to about $4400 in rebates! I doubt it will get any better until the 2002 models come out... You should be able to get down somewhere around 400-600 above invoice, then either the rebate OR financing..not both.
I would be interested to hear if anyone out there has actually tried to deal on a Trooper or Rodeo since this came out?

bluedevils

The 0% APR promotion should not hinder your ability to negotiate a vehicle price that is well below MSRP. The 0% APR is provided by Isuzu, so the dealer doesn't care that you're getting it and it doesn't cost the dealer anything to provide it to you; it costs Isuzu!

I'd agree with wlbrown9 that a target price of $500 or so above dealer invoice seems like a good goal.

With 0% APR for 5 years, there is absolutely no reason to put any money down! It's best to borrow as much as you can, if it's interest-free. You can throw your down payment into a CD or money market account and earn some interest instead of using it as a down payment.

paisan

You are gonna have a harder time negotiating a price if you opt for the 0% financing. Because Isuzu is providing it, the dealer then loses the 1-3% that they will make as a kickback from the traditional financing companies or Isuzu if they weren't offering 0%. Also a lot of people can get loans from their pension/retirement funds where they pay themselves the interest back, for those people the cash incentive will be better. Here is my formula for buying a car:

Invoice price (according to carpoint/edmunds/kelly,etc, don't forget delivery charges)
- Holdback (according to carpoint/edmunds/kelly, etc, only if you are ordering the car or the dealer ordered the car, not if a swap)
+ $500-$1500 (dealer profit, $500 for a low end car $1500 for $30K+ MSRP vehicle)
= Total I am willing to pay the dealer for the car.

That's basically how I work it. I understand the dealer needs to make a profit so I factor that in.

-mike

bluedevils

Yes, sometimes the dealer will receive a kickback from the lender/bank because they send a lot of the business the bank's way. But some people arrange their financing ahead of time and/or without assistance from the dealer. This is the way I do it.

The 0% may have a minor negative effect on the price you can negotiate, but I doubt it.

Also, I wasn't aware that the manufacturers offered kickbacks to the dealers for channeling customers into manufacturer-backed financing plans. This seems like it might actually not be legal, but I really have no idea.

gpm5

Bluedevils is quite correct. When looking at vehicles if you can get 0% or .9% etc. that is money lent at no charge to you. You need to have top credit though, and that can be a problem. I always look at the total I will pay with interest over the years of the loan. Even if you had $25,000 in the bank for the trooper, you would be better off taking the 0% interest rate.

acola

Thanx to "pat pending" & "paison" for the help
with my last ?'s. But guys PLEASE HELP again!

ALL Highway 15, constant 70-80MPH, NO START & STOPS, and ONLY 15MPG???? IS THIS NORMAL?????

What should I expect around town?? in 4WD???

Any suggestions/advise greatly appreciated.

acola

sdavito

When I was shopping for my 2000 Trooper last year, a number of salesmen told me that they would receive $250 from corporate Isuzu for every 0% deal they put together. This $250 was above & beyond the money they would make on the vehicle sale. They also stated that the dealership would receive some extra $ for every deal. Nobody was sure of the exact amount. So actually, you should be able to get as good or better of a deal (with Isuzu 0%) than if you went with traditional financing.

Late,

David

bluedevils

15 mpg sounds low for a highway trip, but if you provide more specific details that would help us determine why your fuel economy was lower than expected.

There's a BIG difference between 70mph and 80mph in Trooper fuel economy. I've never traveled significant distances at 80, but at 75 my 98 Trooper w/TOD off gets about 17.5 mpg straight highway. At 70, I get about 1 mpg better than that.

If you were changing speeds frequently between 70 and 80, you might even get worse fuel economy than if you had the cruise set at 80 because accelerating uses more gas than constant speeds.

Other questions: What year is your Trooper? Does it have TOD? Was TOD on or off? How many miles on your Trooper? If it's a pretty new truck, you may still be breaking in the engine. What was the air temperature? All of my vehicles, including both Troopers I've owned, do noticeably worse (approximately 5-10%) on gas here in Michigan when the weather turns cold (35 degrees or less). This is either because of the cold weather itself, or because of the reformulated "winter" fuel that I think is sold in areas such as Michigan in the colder months.

Tire pressure also may play a significant role in your fuel economy. I keep mine right at the 30psi front / 35 rear manufacturer spec. You would probably do better if you bumped those numbers up a bit when on highway trips. My OEM Bridgestone Dueler 684 tires say 35psi max on the sidewall, though.

drewsmom1

Hi everyone! I am a stay at home mom who has been put in charge of researching our next car purchase (planning to purchase a 2wd Trooper LS). I am trying to do my homework so that I will not be the typical woman shopper that every dealer is dying to rip off. The info I've read here about incentives, financing, etc. has been very helpful and I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with a dealer in the Dallas, TX area they could recommend.

Thanks in advance for any help!

cmuniz

Laura - In 1996 I bought a Trooper S from Crest Isuzu in Plano. They advertise in the paper all the time and I bought the one advertised for the price they advertised with no hazzles. At first they wouldn't give me enough for the trade-in so I went to the Autobytel website and asked for a quote. They referred me back to Crest and I told them I wanted more for my trade-in and they ended up giving me what I wanted. You can also get dealer quotes by phone by going to the Isuzu website. They had a ton of Troopers at the time and since they are a volume dealer can give you deep discounts. Stand firm on the deal you want.

drewsmom1

Thanks for the advice. I'll give Crest Isuzu a try!

wlbrown9

Just a couple of notes on the current incentives.
I found the info on the Isuzu site. Notes of interest: "Participating Dealers Only" Does this mean that the dealer has to kick in something to be in the "PDO" catagory? Will this change the bottom line of the best deal you can get?

60 month financing is stated as being "60 monthly payments of $17 per $1000 borrowed" At that rate my loan calculator show this to be 0.782 % interest... NOT 0.0%. Even the Isuzu loan calculator show $16.66 /$1000 @ 0.0%. Of course, you need to see an Isuzu dealer for details. So, if anyone tries to make a deal using these incentives, check your figures carefully...make sure they are giving you what they advertise :-)

Bill

gpm5

I've notice low pricing (22k) on some 2001 troopers that appear to not have a painted bumper. What's up with these? Also, I've seen troopers (don't know the year 2000 or 2001) with an unpainted door strip. What trooper trim level has that? Just wondering.

paisan

Are they un-painted? or is it moonmist color? The S models in 00 and 01 get moonmist on the bumpers and lower portions of the doors. They could also be fleet vehicles.

-mike

gpm5

Maybe they are that color on the bumper. One I've seen in the parking lot here 2000 or 2001 does not have a painted door strip--just flat gray. Also, black window trim. Mine is black but its painted the same as the truck.

bluedevils

The Isuzu ads are probably just rounding up to the nearest dollar.

It's still good advice, as wlbrown9 says, to check the numbers carefully on any transaction with a dealership.

drewsmom1

Hello again! My husband how now decided he wants an automatic 4WD Trooper S. I checked on edmund's, which I thought said invoice was $25,086, and I was prepared to negotiate from that price. My husband apparently did not trust my research and did some of his own and the sites he looked at showed an invoice price of around $26,700 for the same truck (I'm not sure where he looked.) Can anyone help me figure this out? I may be missing something really obvious here.

Thanks a lot!

wlbrown9

It looks as if the invoice (including dest.)for the S 4WD w/auto is about 26,772. With manual it
is about 25,378. Wait, that was on KBB.COM. The prices on EDMUNDS are what you looked at, 25,086 (+ 520) destination. Carprices.com shows the dealer wholesale to be 26,253 + 520 dest. Not sure who is correct. Has there been an increase that Edmunds does not have in their pricing yet? They all seem to have the same MSRP of 29,170 that shows on the Isuzu site. Anybody out there know what the deal is?

paisan

I use carpoint.com found it to be the most accurate, and it has a nice interface. You go through click on your options etc. and then look in the dealer invoice column, they add delivery as well in there. Here's my formula:

Invoice - holdback (3% for isuzu) + delivery + $1000-$1500 profit for dealer = Price I'm willing to pay.

Happy hunting. Where are you looking? My dealer here in NYC has a Black 2000 LS with Moonroof going for around $26,500.

-mike

drewsmom1

I'm looking in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Thanks for the information everyone. This has been very helpful.

fgrieco

I think you should be able to get even better deals on Troopers and other Isuzus than those you are mentioning. The formula with the dealer holdback is fine, but according to the Edmunds site, there is a $2000 regional customer rebate ~and~ a $2000 national dealer incentive (4WD 2001 Troopers). There is also the 0% financing.

Our local dealer (Sheehy of Springfield, VA) has an ad for 2001 Trooper S 4WD models for $22000 on the weekends. I called the dealer. First, this is a weekend only deal, and in order to get the 0% financing you have to give up the $2000 rebate. I assume this would bring the "weekend price" up to $24000. I may test this at the end of the month!

The invoice on this truck is $25,000, so at $24,000, the dealer would still be getting $1000 in factory incentives plus the 3% holdback.

The 0% financing is worth roughly $4500 in vehicle cost vs. 7% financing.

Fred

paisan

Forgot to deduct any incentives, just be sure that you realize most of the cash back OR 0% financing but not both.

-mike

gladiator636

Is this for real???

Seems to good to be true. Do you just take the negotiated price (forget taxes, trade ins) and divide by 60 (12 months)?

Is Isuzu that hard up for business?

How do they make money, just on the mark up?

gpm5

Chrysler and Ford are coming close to 0% and/or 0.9% as well. They are also hard up. Usually it only applies to the 2 year loan. The 5 year Chrysler loan incentives are 1.9-3.9% which is very good as well.

gladiator636

Anyone...

These list for $33,995. This seems to be true. I've gotten this figure from just about every dealer.

With 0% financing, my best offer so far is $30,995.

Without 0%, if been quoted $26,540 (But that guy was over 250 miles away)

I've been reading at other boards that you can have one or the other, not both(0% financing, or discounts). Just don't want to spin my wheels if this is true...

I'm not interested in visiting 19 dealerships (I read on another board where someone did) I've got better things to do, and my time is worth more than that. I'm just trying to figure if there is anymore room for negotiation with the 0% financing. If I'm within $500-750 of best deal, so be it.

Am I close???

cmuniz

Laura - Look in Friday's or Saturday's new car ads for the Crest Isuzu ad. They will usually feature oneTrooper vehicle id# at a "special" price for a limited time only. Compare that price to the best price you have computed from your sources( invoice+destination+dealer profit - holdback - customer incentive) and then decide whether you want the 0% financing or any dealer incentive available. If the advertised price looks good go in and talk to them. I now live in North Carolina but travel to Dallas occasionally. Crest has consistently had very good prices compared to other ads I have seen in several cities. I think the 4WD with the TOD is a much better vehicle than the 2WD and worth the extra money.

fgrieco

I think the low financing may be possible because these trucks are built in Japan, and Isuzu is based in Japan. Interest rates are ~very~ low in Japan (the prime rate used to hover just above 0).

I have no idea how much an anniversary edition should be. But I am almost sure that the dealer gets an incentive from the manuf. separate from the choice that the customer gets. So for S and LS models, buyers should be looking at $1000 or so off of invoice.

Fred

dk667

I'm shopping for a 2001 Rodeo LS 4WD 4-auto in the Kansas City area. With the options I want the factory invoice price is $26642. Info on this site indicates the dealer gets a $1500 incentive for this vehicle. The dealers I've talked to so far tell me that if you take the 0% financing, they don't get this incentive. Is this true? Or are they feeding me a story so they can pocket the $1500? Are there any other dealer kickbacks I should know about (besides the the $1500 and the 3% MSRP holdback)?

Any feedback on the lowest prices you have seen on this model or what you think a fair price would be is appreciated. Once again, I'm looking at the 2001 Rodeo LS 4WD 4-auto w/ Value Pkg, Appearance Pkg, 16" aluminum wheels, color-keyed body molding, and cargo tray.

Thanks!

bluedevils

18 months ago when I was considering a new 1999 Trooper purchase, I wanted to find out "for sure" whether the dealers were truthful when they said you could get either the manufacturer-sponsored low APR financing OR the manufacturer-sponsored rebate incentives, but not both. The folks at Isuzu's 800#, like most manufacturers, will not provide this sort of information. It's hard to believe why manufacturers don't feel that should be a part of their obligation to inform the customer, but they always refer you to the dealers. Well dealers are often clueless and/or unscrupulous, so getting an answer from a dealer does not make me feel informed.

I was able to get ahold of the manager of Isuzu's midwest operations, a nice guy in Chicago. He confirmed with me over the phone (he returned my message, actually) that you cannot have both. I'm sure that this is still the case with Isuzus; no reason to think it would have changed since then.

cmuniz

I confirm Bluedevil's comments. A dealer last November showed me the instruction sheet from Isuzu. It clearly said either/or, but not both.

radmd

I need some advice as to whether this is a good deal or not. I would appreciate any input. I've just put a refundable deposit down on a 2000 Rodeo LS 4wd demo with the Ironman package from a dealer with 5,512 miles on it. In addition to the Ironman edition package, it has the audio upgrade w/ 6-CD changer, power moonroof, cargo mat, 16" Aluminum Wheels/Locks, and Tube side steps. According to my calculations, including freight, the subtotal on the invoice including options is $26,543. If you add the other dealer costs on the invoice faxed to me of $418 for the advertising fund, and $301 for something designated as the "floor plan," the total invoice is $27,262, not including the holdback. Also, leather seats were placed for a customer who subsequently did not get approved for financing. They tell me that the installation of the leather seats and door trim cost $1400. They probably paid around $1200. So including the cost of the leather, the true dealer cost would be $28,462. Now it's hard to get true figures for a brand new 2000 model, since you can't really use edmunds used car figures, as this car has never been titled, as it is a demo, but the figures I used for the price of the options was from an invoice that was faxed to me that included the dealer cost column on a similar Ironman Rodeo.

So as far as I can tell the true dealer cost is $28,462 with the holdback subtracted, but I was able to talk them to letting me have it for $28,100 plus a $200 "dealer prep" charge, while still allowing me to use the 0% financing. Am I missing something here? Did I miscalculate their cost? Should I have been able to negotiate cheaper?

Even though it seems like it's within their dealer cost, it seems steep for a Rodeo LS even with these options, but the Ironman package is exceedingly more difficult to find anymore, and I feel pretty lucky to have found this one in the black color I wanted. So should I get it? Any input would be appreciated.

gls2

I have a 1998 Rodeo LS loaded.
IN 1998!!!
My leather seats surfacing cost $995, moon roof $ 700, and I don't see anywhere on my information about 'floor plan' or 'advertising costs' the only thing that I can see is a 'Destination and Handling" charge of $445.
The aluminum allow wheels are standard equipment
I don't know what the Ironman package is, but the total vehicle cost was $31,480 and I paid $28,000 out the door for my SUV fresh off the truck.
I also got limited slip differential for $250 and California Emissions cost of $180 in that price.
I hope this was helpful??

radmd

Thanks for the reply. That was my other consideratin is that I could probably get the top of the line trim level, now the LSE for close to the same price, but I really like the looks of the Ironman Package, which includes Titan Gray overfenders, bumpers, and side moldings, hybrid tire cover face, aeroroof rack crossbars, and intelligent suspension control, and iron man graphics/floormats. It's a $1052 option (dealer cost $894). They only made a very limited amount of these to commemorate their sponsorship of the ironman events, and that's why they're not available anymore. And after calling about 20 dealers, I've only been able to find 2, one white and one black. The only thing I'm missing from getting an LSE is the wood grain trim.

The advertising fund is what the dealer has to pay the factory for each car to help cover costs of national advertising, and the "floor plan" is what the dealer pays each month to keep the car on the lot. It's basically the interest they have to pay for the car. That's what the holdback is about. It covers this cost for the dealer for 3 months, and that's why after 3 months, the profit from the holdback is usually "used up." Does anyone figure these into the dealer cost invoice, or is that just considered the cost of doing business, and not included in the invoice price you negotiate from?

Anyone get any better deals on an ironman Rodeo?

teacherjim

I just bought a new2001 Trooper(black)LS. I got it for $200 over invoice and the 0% finacing for 5 years. I'm very happy to get back into a Trooper, its been a long time since I bought a 1984 Trooper when they first came out. Look forward to getting some good advice as I run into problems. I have already ordered some Rancho 9000 shocks to help the handling.

gpm5

Welcome to the trooper group. That sounds like a great deal. I really like the looks of the black trooper. I have a black '99 trooper S. Is the LS in black a solid color or have two tone paint?

sdavito

Can anyone please provide me with a link to the old Edmunds Incentives & Rebates web page? The new style web page is about worthless. If someone has any other sites that provide the Incentives & Rebates, please post the links.

BTW I was trying to find a invoice price for a Honda CRV for a friend on Edmunds. Their invoice price for a manual trans was about $1500. more than what carpoint.com came up with for the same vehicle with a automatic.

When I purchased my Trooper last year, Edmunds was invaluable, but as of right now, I have no faith in them. :-(

Did the car manufactures get together and buy Edmunds?

TIA

David

mhiggins2000

Try this:

http://www2.edmunds.com/edweb/rebates/index.html

jcmccants3

I am in the process of buying a 2001 Rodeo LS 4WD and was looking for some advice on the price I have received. The dealer has located a LS 4WD with the appearance pkg., value pkg., and the 16 inch alloy wheels. He has quoted me a price of $27,243.00 which he says is two percent above invoice. Wanted to know if this sounded like a pretty good deal. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

dk667

Well, jc, you raise a good question. I, too, am in the market for a Rodeo just like the one you mention. The factory invoice for this model given to me buy a dealer shows a grand total of $27018. So if that's the actual dealer cost, then the price you mention would be a good deal. However, included in that invoice total is an advertising charge of $375, a floor plan charge of $284, and a holdback CHARGE of $851. Now, I thought holdback was money received by the dealer to pay for things like advertisting and floor plan. Why holdback is a charge, I don't know. Can anybody shed any light on this? Are these normal invoice charges or are these added in to confuse people?

Because if you subtract those three charges out, the total is $25508, which is what edmunds.com lists as the actual dealer invoice cost. If that's true, then your price isn't as good of a deal. FYI, one dealer has offered me this model at invoice price ($27018), which makes me think they got it for a bit less than that.

Any enlightment would be appreciated...