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Isuzu Axiom

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Comments

  • budddddyleebudddddylee Member Posts: 10
    so how do i get the invoice? if i didn't want to waste time playing games i could just ask for the invoice? then go from there. i just obviously want to get a good deal. one i can live with happily.

    so 29k before taxes and tags would be good deal. so out the door was 31k is that right?

    i got good credit and would qualify for the same deal you got. what is your monthly?

    also
    whats considered hard to find cool colors?

    thanks a ton i may go driven this weekend.
  • k2rmk2rm Member Posts: 205
    The advertised dealer invoice is the same one that you can get here on the Edmunds site. Of course, that isn't the real cost to the dealer, I actually was able to see that when I was working with the salesperson, I believe it was around $27000. Tax and license in California added an additional $2500 and my monthly payments are right at $400. I worked with the internet sales rep. for the dealer and I didn't need to haggle with the price at all, it was nice. I saw the sale price advertised on the internet(isuzudealers.com), called to see if it was still available, test drove it, and bought it.

    I never saw a 4WD XS in black, Anthracite (charcoal), or Canal Blue, but I saw those colors in either the base models or XS 2WD. The most numerous color seemed to be white, followed by grey blonde. Garden green, which is the color of mine, seems to be a little harder to find than grey blonde.

    Have fun testdriving.
  • mitch00mitch00 Member Posts: 8
    Folks,

    Just for the record, at least in my area Ocean County NJ. I paid 24.2K + (tax & title) for may 4WD Axiom. In general they are not selling very well so you should be able to get these cars for way under invoice.

    Mitch
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Um, I don't think so. Isuzu will take back any un-sold cars @ invoice price. There is no incentive for them to sell them less than invoice (unless there are rebates involved) You should be able to get em for invoice price though.

    -mike
  • mitch00mitch00 Member Posts: 8
    Mark,

    Bottom line is that the Axioms are not selling, period end of story! That you can buy many cars at close to invoice (domestic and foreign). Most Isuzu dealers (in my area) are starting the negotiations at invoice. The price I paid was pasted on the windshield in big large numbers.

    Believe what you like but demand controls prices, and I doubt Isuzu would want to see a their Axiom rust and collect dust just because they being sold for under invoice. There are many cars that sell for under invoice when dealer/manufacturer incentives are factored in.

    This is the 3rd Isuzu I have purchased everyone was bought under invoice.

    Believe and pay what what you wish !

    Mitch
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yes you can get under invoice if you factor in incentives. But without incentives the company WILL let them RUST. There is no point for a dealer to sell it below invoice. They gain absolutely nothing. For them they can just return it to the distributing company w/o loosing a penny. I paid about $1000 below invoice on my 00 Trooper with a $4K incentive which means that in REALITY my dealer made $3000 profit on it. If you constantly beat them down below their cost, then you wonder why there are no more Isuzu dealers and no more Isuzu? :)

    -mike
  • chevycamchevycam Member Posts: 54
    I don't know where you got your info. but my experience has been the manufacturer does not buy back vehicles from dealers. If the dealer doesn't sell a vehicle on his lot after 90 days then it costs him money to keep on his lot. He is making payments on his vehicles (with interest) just like most car buyers are. If he makes a 3% dealer holdback, then he makes money on the vehicle as long as he doesn't sell it below his cost - 3% of MSRP - factory incentives. Right now the following applies: Axiom 4wd XS -> 29,900 invoice - 1500 cash back - 958.35 holdback = $27,441.65. This the dealer's brake even point. I have purchased several new vehicles over the last 12 years and have NEVER paid MSRP. The most I have ever paid is $600 over invoice.Usually I get them a couple of hundred below invoice with no factory incentives being offered. If you shop around you can pay less than MSRP even on hot selling vehicles. Right now I am looking at the Mazda Tribute and Isuzu Axiom. I can get the Mazda or the Ford version for $1000 below invoice at a time when both are selling fast and offer no factory incentives. With 0% financing, the Axiom is looking better!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    One of my closest friends is an Isuzu dealer. The dealer doesn't pay for the cars until they sell them. If they don't sell them they go back to the distributing company. This is for the Northeast. Other areas of the country may have different ways of dealing with dealers and I can't comment on that. But if you truely feel you can get cars for less than the dealer buys them for God bless! :)

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The Axiom is clearly a better vehicle. For one it hasn't had 6 or 7 safety recalls. It's not FWD based with the rear axle added as an afterthought... The list goes on...

    -mike
  • fasterthanufasterthanu Member Posts: 210
    Recently travelled to Cali and saw ONE Axiom, probably the 3rd overall I'd seen since August. Just though I'd report in :-)
  • beer47beer47 Member Posts: 185
    "The dealer doesn't pay for the cars until they sell them. If they don't sell them they go back to the distributing company." End Quote. Paisan, if dealers didn't have to pay for cars until they sold them; Why do they need a "floorplan" from the bank to finance the inventory on the lot? Dealers do not sell on consignment. That is why the bank rep has complete accessto the key board at any time. Since the bank finances the sitting inventory they do not want cars unaccounted for or missing. Also, cars are a one way sale. No manufacturer takes car back. Where would they take them back to? There is not enough $ in a new car to ship it around to another part of the country if it is a dog. The auto maker will provide extra "spiffs" to the dealer to move such vehicles such as extra commission or reach out directly to the consumer with special financing/rebate. Cars are not sold on consignment. Where would Ford have put all the Pinto's they would have had to take back. How about all the Chevy Vega's GM would have had to take back. Sometimes cars do get shipped around to satisfy a sale but that is between dealers and does not involve the manufacturer. I t sounds like a saleman's comeback to a customer who asks him what happens to this leftover if you do not sell it. The saleman replies " Oh, you do not have to worry the manufacturer will take it back from us" Nay! Paisan, If Isuzu does what you claim then they do not understand the sales game and how to handle their dealer network. If they take back cars then they will go the way of the Hudson/Desoto. Its a one way sale to the dealer. Hey how often does a bottle of Scotch go back to Scotland! ( I know, a poor analogy, but a tasty one!! )
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well I'm just telling you what my buddy who is a dealer and a close friend of mine has relayed to me about subaru and isuzu vehicles. They may need to pay a fee/interest payment/etc to send em back to the distributing company to then be sold at auction, but they definitely can do it. I've seen them do it. I'm not saying this is universal for all manufacturers but there is no reason my buddy would lie or be mis-informed himself about this. Maybe his dealership has something special worked out with the distributing company, who knows.

    -mike

    PS: Isuzu won't be in business in 5 years IMHO at least not as the Isuzu we know it as.
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    Today, in our daily newspaper, a local dealer is selling ALL remaining 2002 Axiom XS for $24,870. A discount of $3,980 with MSRP of $28,850. Dealer name is Don-A-Vee Chyrsler/Jeep/Isuzu/Suzuki. 888 510-9595

    Another dealer is selling 2002 Axiom for $21,990 with $6,250 discount (MSRP for $28,240). The ad didn't mention if it was an XS model trim. It also states "one at this price". Dealer name is Santa Ana Isuzu 800 835-4441.

    These two dealers are located in Orange County, CA. Since I already own a new Chevy Impala LS, I think I'll head down to one of these dealers and test drive it.

    What I like to know is the 2002 Axiom a second year model, or is it the first production year?

    Someone I know is in the market for an SUV. At this price, it's a total steal with 0% financing!!!!

    Thanks!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    2002 is the first year but...

    It's built on the rodeo chassis with a trooper driveline. the Rodeo chassis was re-designed in '98 as well as the Trooper driveline. So it really has about 4 years of production to work out the kinks.

    -mike
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Please, let's refrain from posting telephone numbers!

    Thank you!

    tidester
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    SUVs
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Don't post phone #s, e-mail addresses, or anything else that could be helpful for future buyers of Isuzus.

    -mike
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Mike,

    You never did email me as I requested. Here I am.

    Now, let's not veer too far off topic! :-)

    tidester
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    SUVs
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    I realize that i probably risk being "banned" from the board for saying this but honestly tidester, not wanting people to post telephone #'s or email addresses 'cause they could be the wrong #???? So what if there is a typo occaisonally! Could Edmunds be sued? LOL..i think not! Is a dealer or company going to be offended that someone posted their # in good faith. I think not. The whole purpose of this board (as I see it) is a friendly exchange among people who own different types of vehicles and would like to communicate with others that own or are interested in the same types or brands. Surely someone who (horror of horrors!) inadvertently posts or calls a wrong # or emails a wrong or non-existent address is not going to get their "panties in a wad" over such a small thing! I would venture to say that 99% of the time that the information WILL be accurate and hopefully helpful to someone trying to purchase or obtain informaion on vehicles. One of my pet peeves has always been "rules for the sake of rules" rather than a valid reason. If you do have a truly valid reason for banning phone #'s (and I haven't seen you post one) then let's hear it, tidester. If not, then please lighten up...its only life! Another thing I have noticed...the other moderators on this board...Steve, KarenS, etc. do not seem to be nearly so concerned about contolling every little detail of what goes on here. Why is that? Just a thought. Hope my frankness doesnt get me banned but if that's the way it must be, so be it! I've kept quiet on this long enough! Sure it's a petty thing and that's exactly my point! Thanks! - Dave (arktrooper1)
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Dave,

    Please email me here. Your email address is not up to date.

    Thanks.

    tidester
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    SUVs
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    I am not sure why you want to privately email, but I really do not feel comfortable doing so. I suspect it is because you feel what I said is "off the topic" and if that's the reason I am afraid I'll have to disagree on that and say that since this board is to discuss our vehicles and help each other out I feel that not allowing email or phone #'s to be posted is very much part of the topic. All I would really like to know is why you feel so strongly against posting this information. If it is truly a valid concern then so be it, but if it won't harm Edmunds and the others on this board want the info, then maybe it should be allowed. I realize and appreciate the fact that this is "Edmunds show" so to speak and that this service is free. Nevertheless I'm sure Edmunds gets something out of it too in the form of support from the car manufacturers? Unless I am wrong, it is also supposed to be a service for the owners of vehicles and certainly the posting of #'s and addresses is a valuable service.
    Thanks! - Dave (arktrooper1)
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    Although I will communicate here, if you wish to email me directly, please use dbparsons@hotmail.com. I realize that a valid email address is a reasonable requirement of this board and I didn't mean to overlook it the last time I changed providers. I am going to change providers again soon so the hotmail address is the best one to use for now. Thanks! - Dave (arktrooper1)
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Dave,

    That email address did not work either. Why don't you just drop me a line here?

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    I wholeheartely agree with everything you said. The purpose of this forum is to educate one another on the vehicles they want to buy. I have seen many other forums (sedans, SUV, sports) that cares less about posting phone numbers. Afterall, we are all adults. There is no verbal abuse, just plain good old exchange of information. To me, there's no difference between posting dealer's phone numbers and providing a direct link to the dealer site. Either way, it's communicated to the readers.

    I thing I hate the most is censorship. If it's done in good taste, LET IT GO!!
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    Speaking of erroneous email addresses, LOL, my hotmail address is (correction) dbparso@hotmail.com. You will find that will work. BTW, tidester, and im not trying to be a wiseguy in saying this, but if you want to write me via email, fine. I, however, feel no need to write you at your email address. I feel comfortable saying anything I would say in a personal email right here on the board. I have to wonder why you feel the need to email me directly, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. P.S., please check out post #474. Seems like Mike (paisan) and I aren't the only ones who feel this way. Thanks - Dave (arktrooper1)
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    This is my reply to tidester's direct email to me yesterday. Since he didn't feel that this issue was relavant to our discussions on these forums, and since he did email me privately, I will respect that and not print the contents of his email to me. The following is my reply to him and may (hopefully) clear up exactly why tidester (and apparantly Edmunds, too) do not want #'s or addresses posted -


    Tom -

    Thanks for your reply, and I realize what you're saying, but in a way, I still don't get it. I guess that someone could be promoting a dealership, but since most of the people here are long term posters (and not just myself and paisan), I think it's fairly obvious that we are not a bunch of Isuzu dealers. Heck, paisan even admits that the guys at the place he bought his Trooper are friends, so there's no deceit going on as far as I can see in at least that case.

    As far as Edmunds's policy against promoting dealers, it seems like a very fine line to me. Isn't Edmunds promoting car manufacturers on their website and in these forums? And...don't the links provided to the dealers websites promote the dealers? The reason I say this is that most company websites have a dealer locator.

    Additionally, most people who participate in the boards seem to appreciate the information, so I have to wonder if Edmund's might want to rethink their policy. After all, whether the numbers are posted openly or a participant invites another participant to email them directly for a number or other information on a dealer or company, the end result is the same.

    A good example of this is "cliffy" on the Toyota forums. "cliffy" is apparantly a Toyota salesman (and a good one at that!) whose advice and information is regularly sought by other participants on the board. Although I can't recall ever seeing him give a number or mention the dealer's name that he represents, I'm sure he's gained some business that way (via direct email) and if the other participants on the Toyota forums feel that they have benefitted in their dealings with him, then that's a good thing...right?

    Also, why would you need to verify the phone numbers? As I said in one of my posts, if there's a wrong number posted occaisonally, so what? If the "verification" is to find out if the poster works for that dealership...well....you might find out, you might not. Seems like a waste of time to me.

    I also don't understand why you just haven't reminded everyone of Edmund's policy. I feel that it is a valid "public" issue since more than a few people seem to feel the need to post numbers. I may still disagree with you and Edmund's on this matter, but at least I do understand where you are coming from now and am less frustrated now that I know it's not some arbitrary rule.

    Again, I know it's Edmund's show, and I do appreciate the service that you guys provide, but I also believe that this is one rule that Edmund's really should rethink as the benefits outweigh the negatives in my opinion. Thanks again for your reply and have a great "rest of the holidays"!

    - Dave (arktrooper1)

    BTW- As far as my "invoking paisan's name", I was referring to his comment in post #467 in the Axiom forum which was a comment re: posting of phone #'s and email addresses. As far as slamming Isuzu's, I really don't know enough about that matter to comment.

    I will TRY to make this my last post on this matter as I'm sure that this has been frustrating to Edmunds and tidester, but please understand guys, it has been frustrating to some of us who participate in the forums as well. Thanks again!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    That is strange cause in the Owner's club we actually have a whole board dedicated just to dealers...

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I only found 1 post in the 300s showing that he was "bias" against Isuzu, so I shall retract my comments. Unfortunately on this system if a poster deletes their post, then you can't see any evidence of it.

    -mike
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    Isuzu Owners Club, "Dealers and Pricing"....hmmm...I had forgotten about that!...Is there a contradiction going on here?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Who ripped on the Axiom, which in my world translates to you ripping on the Axiom... But lets not get down to semantic and continue on the Isuzu topics here.... And to bring it more on topic, if anyone needs an Axiom, my dealer SI Subaru/Isuzu has them in stock, contact Mark 718-979-9595

    -mike
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    The author made some valid points and I pointed that out. If you want to call that "ripping" then that is your choice.

    I am sure glad we resolved that!

    Happy New Year!

    tidester
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    SUVs
  • k2rmk2rm Member Posts: 205
    After two weeks, I like my Axiom even more. It drives so well, and the gas mileage is a little better than I expected. On my first highway trip I got 21 mpg cruising mainly at 65, granted, it was on a flat highway. Hard to believe it is still a new engine. It is also great because I still have not seen another Axiom on the road since I bought mine. Before I got mine, I had only seen one on the road and that was at least 6 months ago.

    Some minor issues though, the leather is already showing some dirt. Anybody recommend a good leather cleaner/protectant? The cargo cover rattles, the only rattle in the Axiom so far. It should be an easy fix though. When the back seat bottoms are folded up, they hit the back of the front seats, I already have some stretched leather because of this. I now know to move the front seats forward a little to avoid it. My biggest complaint is the slow steering, it just seems like I have to turn the steering wheel too much around town. On the highway it is fine.

    All in all, I am happy with my Axiom and I look forward to playing in the snow in a couple of weeks.
  • squiredogssquiredogs Member Posts: 87
    I test drove the Axiom last week. I an considering the Pontiac Aztek, The Pontiac Vibe, and the Nissan Xterra so far. The 0% financing and the slow Axiom sales, along with the end of the year souned like a winning combination for me.

    The local dealer blew off my comment about the Axiom not selling well. Then he went on to blame it on advertising, and said how THEY were selling them well. Of course the exact XS has been there for quite a while.

    The seats were a little short, but so am I (5'8.5"). The leather, although not the nicest color, was cool looking in two-tone. The exterior looks great. I love the big wheels/tires. The engine rips! Road feel is a little loose, and more "trucky" than my '93 Pathfinder. The CD changer dumped in the center console is stupid - a waste of space. Should be a 6 in dash design. The 80's info center isn't good looking either, but not a deal breaker by any means. Brakes were a little slow, but that could have been because the engine gets this thing moving quicker than you think.

    I carry long surfboards, and I prefer a liftglass, so I can slide them in and hang them out the back for short trips. Unfortunately there is no liftglass on the Ax. No roof rack either, but one can always add a Thule.

    The dealer called me back the next day with an offer of $900 off fo the sticker. That's enough. I'll look elsewhere while they delude themselves over the Axiom's popularity.

    Pro's:

    Looks, engine, cargo room

    Con's:

    No liftglass, folding down rear seats is a chore, not great road feel, seats a lillte short, limited dealers in my area (Atlantic City, NJ) Priced way too high for an Isuzu

    Oh well, at least some of you are getting good deals!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The X-terra isn't going to be any better. I'll admit the pricing isn't great at only $900 off. The Vibe and the Azteck are not SUVs basically they won't be going anywhere that the X-terra and Axiom go. The AWD system is also far better on the Axiom than the Aztec and X-terra, not sure of the Vibe's AWD system. No liftglass on the X-terra and not sure of the Aztec or the Vibe. But hey at least you gave it a shot.

    -mike
  • squiredogssquiredogs Member Posts: 87
    the Axiom handles way better than the Xterra, if memory serves. I drove the Nissan when it came out. The only thing it has over the Axiom is the price, CD in dash, and local dealer.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The X-terra is still selling near MSRP at most dealers. Like I said earlier you hit a bad dealer, most are dropping the price on the Axiom significantly and this brings it in much cheaper than the X-terra. Also chances are you won't need an Isuzu dealer cause they rarely break! :)

    -mike
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    We put over 3,000 miles on the Axiom over the Holidays going from NC to Tx then to Fl, Al and back to NC. We averaged about 19.5 MPG. It was a very comfortable trip. Both my wife and I felt we could drive long distances without getting overly fatigued. I noticed that the MPG dropped about 1 MPG when you went from 65mph to 75 mph. On the way back we had to skirt the big snowstorm that hit the east coast. The outside temp gauge was very helpful in telling us when it might be cold enough outside to have ice on the roads. Luckily we had mostly clear roads coming up on the Tennessee side. The six CD changer also makes the trip more enjoyable.
  • tgif888tgif888 Member Posts: 351
    What is a good price on the Axiom 2wd base or XS model?
  • sgf5sgf5 Member Posts: 5
    We are in the market for another car and one of our choices is the Axiom XS. Would like to know if any safety tests have been recorded on this type of car?

    Like the above poster we would also like to know what's considered a good price.

    Thanks.
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    Look up the invoice and MSRP prices on Edmunds. You should be able to buy any Axiom for about $1,500 below the INVOICE price without their financing incentive. I am not sure what price you can get with zero % financing, but I think you should still be able to at least the invoice price. If you are trading in a car, make sure you knoiw what the Edmunds trade-in value is so they don't juggle the figures on you.

    See post 359 for a link to the IIHS rating for the Axiom. It got an" acceptable" rating in the offset crash. Not sure what other safety tests have been run on it.
  • k2rmk2rm Member Posts: 205
    I was driving with cruise control for the first time over the weekend and was shocked that on steep downhill grades, the Axiom was able to hold the set speed. On every other car I have driven on these hills, the car just accelerates and can't hold the speed. With the Axiom, I could feel some sort of off and on braking that held the set speed. Does anybody understand how this works? I remember reading that the TOD system did this, but I would just like to know how it works. It didn't seem like the engine RPM's changed much at all when the braking occurred.

    Oh yeah, with the cruise set at 65, I was able to get 22 mpg. When I have driven the same route without cruise on, I averaged just under 21. The highway mileages seems better than what I expected, but the city is worse. So far in town I have been getting below 13 mpg.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It's the Grade-Logic Transmission. On the Axiom and Trooper the transmission will actually downshift to apply engine breaking with cruise control or if you are just regularly driving and take your foot completely off the gas it will do it also. Great feature especially on icy roads or if you are towing.

    -mike
  • k2rmk2rm Member Posts: 205
    That makes sense, I was just surprised I didn't see the tachometer jump when I felt the breaking. Definitely seems like a nice feature to have. Overall, I am more and more impressed with the drivetrain and TOD the more I drive it.

    I am also surprised by all of the attention I get in the Axiom. Many people will come up and ask questions about it. They know what it is, but haven't seen one in person yet, and they all say they are considering one themselves. Weird that they aren't selling very well.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I love the TOD system. Drove for 3hrs through a snow storm last night on the NYS Thruway. The TOD worked perfectly along with the grade-logic and I never felt out of control. Plowed through tons of snow up in the adirondacks too.

    -mike
  • k2rmk2rm Member Posts: 205
    Yeah, I am looking forward to testing the Axiom out in the snow soon. That is the main reason I wanted 4WD. I was tired of having to pull over to chain up my FWD while all of the AWD and 4WD vehicles just went on by. Not very fun to be kneeling in the slush and have your hands freeze while fighting tire chains, hoping they won't fall off while driving. I want to take it to the Sierras skiing soon, but I still haven't gotten a ski rack for it. Haven't decided on whether to install a permanent rack or get a temporary yakima or thule. I am also considering a hitch mounted rack, but haven't seen a ski rack I really like yet.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I found my trooper to handle better in snow with slightly dropping the Tire Pressures. I usually run em at 3-5psi over reccomended PSI. During Snow I drop em to about 1-2psi below reccomended level and they handle better.

    -miker
  • nferrnferr Member Posts: 32
    Test drove an XS 4WD on Saturday and was quite impressed. Has great power and I liked the handling. We've owned a 96 Grand Cherokee, a 98 Bravada, and now have a 99 Expedition Eddie Bauer coming off lease in April. The Axiom is definitely more fun to drive than any of these. We've also test driven the Qx4 (nice but too small in the back seat), the Durango (very truck like and cheap interior), the Montero (slowwww, and my wife hated the handling, and the Buick Rendevous (my wife loved the interior, but it was slow and too soft). We still may look at the Explorer and Grand Cherokee but are worried about reliability. My wife hates the new Blazers (I like em)and she loves the Tahoe but we were quoted $700 a month to lease. The Axiom seems like a real deal at the current lease offer. Unfortunately the lease offer and 0% financing expire today so I'll have to see what Isuzu replaces them with. The other SUV's cost quite a bit more when you load them up to the Axiom's equipment level and I like the performance of the Axiom better than any of the others I've driven. The MDX and RX300 are a couple of hundred dollars more a month to lease and are probably the only 2 I would consider over the Axiom. It's a mystery to me why the Axiom isn't selling better but I think it comes down to doubt about Isuzu in general and lack of dealerships.
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    While at a Toyota dealer recently I noticed that they are coming out this year with a new model (can't rmember the name). It's an awd cross-over vehicle based on the Corolla chassis and it looks very much like the Axiom. Some of the new concept cars also have similar shapes, so maybe Axiom was a little ahead of its time. I also get many looks and compliments on the Axiom which I never got on the Trooper.
  • tgif888tgif888 Member Posts: 351
    Maybe is tbe Matrix.
  • k2rmk2rm Member Posts: 205
    I think people aren't giving Isuzu enough credit for being able to build a quality product. I wonder if that is because they only sell trucks or the hype that only Toyota or Honda is capable of building quality vehicles. I haven't even seen a full write up about the Axiom in some of the more popular car magazines, just a first drive column before it was released. I think the Axiom just needs more press and a good advertising campaign. I don't think I have seen an Axiom commercial in more than two months. The first time I heard about 0% financing for 5 years was on this board. It seems like Isuzu just needs to get their marketing act together. The dealerships I spoke to all said that once somebody drives an Axiom, they usually buy one because it is more than they expected. I believe it, that is what happened with me. I thought I would drive it while I was comparing vehicles just for the heck of it not expecting much, but was so impressed that it made my decision much easier. I wanted a dependable vehicle with good road manners but rugged enough to take to the trail. In this price category, I don't think anything else really compares. I guess I don't mind that the sales are poor for the Axiom, I like driving such a unique car.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yep Isuzu has possibly the worst marketing strategy (do they even have one?) than anyone. They have won Consumers and JD Power reliability awards, usually 2nd to the Toyota 4-runner several times. These are tough vehicles that pack a lot of punch for the $ and Isuzu should have capitalized on it before they were in the sad state they are in now :(

    -mike
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