Isuzu Trooper

sbcooke · May 2001

is a great point to attach a winch. It bolts to steel extensions, which bolt directly to the frame. You also utilize several more anchor points than the original bumper. I haven't added a winch yet, but the bar first. The winch will probably come next year.

There are pictures of my truck on the photos page and on Paison's page.

tisteve · May 2001

My wife and I have been planning our next vehicle and a new Trooper S is high on the list. We went out this weeekend and test drove several vehicles and the Trooper. We told the dealer we were just starting to look and weren't buying for a few months. He really wanted us to buy right then so starts talking prices, Says right now Isuzu is offering 7,000 off MSRP of $29,750, which would be $22,750. We said nice price, but we weren't ready to buy just yet. He says how about $22,500? Same answer, not yet. He says, OK if you buy today, $22,000! Again, were just not ready, but I asked him about leasing. He said the $22,000 price is only for purchase. I argued with him that the selling price should have nothing to do with purchase vs. lease (unless you took the 0% financing). He knew I right and stopped arguing. But still, we are not quite ready to lease or buy.
I'm just curious how can they sell this vehicle, which invoices for 25k, for $22,000? I know about the $2,000 incentive to dealers, but that would still be $23,000 invoice. Is Isuzu offering some secret incentives that are not listed? After reading the above prices for an S, $22,000 seems like a steal! Am I missing something?
TOD questions. So you can have it in regular 2WD mode, TOD (4hi or 4lo) but you can't force it into 4wd full time? I thought you could.

troopme · May 2001

Need suggestions for hitch installation on automatic 2001 LS. Will pull pop-up, maybe a light boat/trailer, and U-haul type trailer for immediate move. Assuming adherence to weight limits in book, any other considerations? Isuzu package just way expensive...u-haul hitches have been suggested...any pros or cons on types and makes of hitches? How does the trooper pull on the highway?

ghinson · May 2001

That sounds like a great price. The price I have for the same vehicle is $24,600, which sounded great to me. Where is your dealer?

Speaking of pricing, what can you guys tell me about the VIP program that Isuzu has. All I know is that the price is based on dealer's actual cost and not on MSRP. I guess you can become a VIP by simply joining PlanetIsuzoo, but would that change my purchase price that much?

Thanks.

conman2000 · May 2001

Hi,
I just purchased a HiddenHitch from JCWhittney.com for $120 and $27 for a plugin light kit. If you buy over $150 dollars worth of stuff from them, they included shipping for free. I bought the Class III version as it has the 2" hole instead of the Class II which has the 1 7/8" receiver and can tow the max(5,000 pounds) with the Class III one. I checked HH's website and it appears everything is bolt in no drilling for the 2001. Will know in a couple of days when I get it.

Later,
Con

conman2000 · May 2001

Did you look at a 2001 or 2000 Trooper S and was it 4x4,4x2 with auto or 5speed? The 2000s have $4,000 in cash rebates and the 2001 have $2,000 cash rebate as well. The best prices I have seen in the Northeast is Carsdirect.com which list the Trooper S Auto 4x4(TOD) for around $24k w/o the 0% fin. Sounds fishy to me that they can offer a 2001 for $22K. With the 0% fin. it will make your payments just as small as leasing so it might make sense to buy it with 0% and just sell it when you are ready to get a new one.

IMHO, the S auto 4x4 Trooper is the best value out there cause of the 0% fin.

Good Luck,
Con
2001 Trooper LS(I just got mine las week)

tisteve · May 2001

The quote for $22,000 for a 2001 Trooper S 4x4, (only option is cargo tray)was from Checkered Flag in Virginia Beach, VA. They had about 5 of them.
There is also an ad running from another local dealer saying only $19,995 plus freight. It says 4x4, V6, Auto. I am always very skeptical of ads, especially when they sound too good be true, but I haven't spoken with them yet to get the scoop.

tisteve · May 2001

The trooper we looked at for 22k was an auto.

stever · May 2001

GM comes to Isuzu's rescue

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

tisteve · May 2001

I am sure that price is with all cash back incentives and would not eligible for the 0% financing, but still is a great deal at 22K. I'm still trying to figure how they do it, or what the catch is. Like, oh, you wanted the tires with that as well?

paisan · May 2001

The dealer probably wants to blow out his stock. And may be digging into the dealer holdback section of the $.

-mike

paisan · May 2001

Hidden Hitch IMHO is about the best price, best looking hitch around for the Trooper. I have one on my trooper that I got for around $135, I'm not exactly mechanically inclined and it took about an hour to install with an extra set of hands.

-mike

http://isuzu-suvs.com

paisan · May 2001

Because Isuzus have poor resale value, you are gonna get hammered on any leases unless there is a factory incentive to lease. The residual value will be low, which in turn will cause higher lease payments....

-mike

keepontroopin · May 2001

Are these Troopers Brand new or are the Isuzu Rep cars which already have 4 or 5k miles on them?

tisteve · May 2001

Is your computer sending in those posts over and over and ...
$22,000 price is for a brand new 2001 S 4x4 w/auto. The one we drove only had 164 miles on it and still had all the seats still wrapped in plastic. I too was concerned about the low resale of troopers and thought that might make for a bad lease, even with a low purchase price of $22k. I never got any lease payment figures, but think they won't be that great. If we could do that price and the 0% financing, that would be great, but either/or will probably be over my head.
We also drove the CRV and RAV4 and after driving the Trooper and all it's standard features, I just couldn't see shelling out the same money for one of those little muggers!

toddswagner · May 2001

22K is not bad for that trooper. I paid 20,700 for mine, 22,5K all in. I have yet to figure out why they depreciate so much. Mine listed for 27,500 and I got them to knock off almost 7k without trying. I also got free oil changes. I got a draw tite hitch for it as well, but not from the dealership.

mlurvey · May 2001

I have a 98 trooper and live in Flagstaff AZ (7,000 ft) we never have trouble starting the trooper in this tempature zone but several times when we have gone to Phoenix or Yuma during the summer (100 degree plus) we have had trouble starting the trooper. It seams to happen after we stop and the trooper has sat for awhile. You turn the key and it acts like it is not getting any gas. the tach goes up and down. You have to give it gas to make it run and then it will run rough and then it will idel fine. any ideas. The shop cant reproduce the problem as it does not get hot enough in Flagstaff. They have no Ideas. I have to go to Palm Springs this summer and dnot want to get stuck.

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

try loosening the gas cap or add believe it or not gasoline anti freeze

88trooperguy · May 2001

Can anyone help me here? I went to two dealers to price a new Trooper limited. Dealer one quoted me for aMSRP of $35358 a Trooper at "dealer cost"of 31851. This does not sound right. Edmunds quotes a Invoice of 30286 for the same MSRP. The Dealer says ( of course ) that the "internet prices are not correct". His breakdown:
"Base dealer cost" 30286
advertising fee 300
"holdback" 1046
"floor plan" 349
total cost to me 31851
Needless to say I asked what is the justification for these added fees is. They said that is to cover costs of financing the vehicle, interest expense , dealer prep, etc. I replied the rest of the world defines holdback as a payment from the manufacturer at the end of the year , for these costs. I never paid these before and I have bought Hondas when they were in high demand and never paid these fees. They were adamant that the customer pays these. I booked out of there.
The second dealer quoted a price of $250 above "dealer cost" . For the same MSRP he quoted a price 32276 as $250 above "dealer cost", meaning his stated cost was 32026, which is about $2000 higher than edmunds invoice cost or kelley blue book. What gives? Have these Troopers become such a hot item that they can get these prices, or do they both think that people are idiots and will pay anything all of a sudden. Both dealers had lots of Axioms and some Troopers on the lot, so I dont think they are flying out the door. Or are the dealers trying to subsidize the zero percent financing offer. Reading posts I dont see anyone paying this much. Help?

ghinson · May 2001

88trooper. There are places where they are giving these away. I say take Edmund's TMV offer, offer it to the highest priced dealer as a this or nothing offer and be prepared to walk. They'll come around. If they don't, www.carsdirect.com will get you one.

cwmoser · May 2001

.... if you can wait until around September you should be able to get that Trooper right. Then, it will be near the end of the model year and Isuzu in the past had put out $6,000 off MSRP. I got my 1999 Trooper Luxury (same as Limited) for under $29K in the fall of 1999.

In any case, the Trooper is a nice truck and you will enjoy it no matter what you have to pay for it. Course, it's nice getting a good deal too.

toddswagner · May 2001

You can always come to Atlanta and shop. Lou Sobh and Horton Isuzu are having a huge fight for marketshare and you can get a hell of a deal. I know another person from this board in another forum that paid 25 and change for a limited from a dealer in Atlanta.

conman2000 · May 2001

I would suggest trying them too as they were $300 lower than what I paid for my LS w/Moonroof. I would have went with them but I had a trade and this dealer gave me a good deal on the trade and was worth the extra $300 cause he gave me more than $500 on my trade than anyone else. Plus they were a "low" haggle type of place so it was easy to do business with plus no hidden "fees"

If you are in the NY area http://robertchevyisuzu.com/ is where I bought mine. Please stay away from ValleyStream Isuzu too(IMHO).

Cheers,

Con

2001 Isuzu Trooper LS with 155 miles on it!

zman21 · May 2001

what are the vents on top of the rear speakers for? also, i hear some sort of wind noise as if from inside the side body panels of my "00 trooper.

ANSWERS:

keepontroopin · May 2001

No clue on the vents above the rear speakers and I hope someone answers this cause I too am curious. As for the wind noise give a little better description. Do you have a bug guard on the hood? Might be th cause since air is being redirected!

raydahs · May 2001

I believe they are exactly that "VENTS". Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you didn't have ventalation and you went to close your doors with the windows up, you wouldn't be able to close the doors due to pressure build up. The air has to go somewhere, also I've noticed in some cars when you roll down the back windows you get this buffeting sound....maybe that's another reason?

paisan · May 2001

Yep they are vents. If you look behind the side rear windows, that is the outlet. It prevents your car from building up too much heat and pressure, especially in very warm climates.

Not sure about the wind noise in the body panels are, could you give us a better description?

-mike

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Canyon/3185/

raydahs · May 2001

After posting #976 I left work, as I was on my way home it hit me, if you didn't have ventilation to atmosphere and you had the A/C or Heater fan on, the cabin would get over pressurized. So when I got home, I sealed the whole cabin put the fan on high and cut a piece of tissue into a 1" strip and put it up to the outside window vents. It's amazing how much air is going outside, almost too much. You can actually hear it coming out with the engine on....try it!

paisan · May 2001

That's nifty! I guess that means the rest of the cabin is pretty well sealed? If the exit air-flow = the intake air-flow

-mike

raydahs · May 2001

I've got 2k left on my B to B warranty, so I've been scrutinizing the whole truck to get anything fixed before it expires. The only thing I could find, was the two back door (passengers) wheatherstriping needed to be replaced. Right side had a crack in the top right corner, the Left side had some double faced tape was peeling off where the fender flare corner is. It's probably because these doors never get used, only to dry the doorjam after a wash. Anyway just something to keep in mind.

Oh by the way, my local dealer bailed on me! they quit the dealership, saying they don't sell enough to make it worth while to keep. Now the closest one is 25 miles away, what's the average distance for you all? Maybe I just got spoiled, but 25 miles seems far for living in a metropolitan area.

paisan · May 2001

Do you want to know where my closest dealer is? or the dealer I use?

My closest dealer is about 10 miles away (and I live in NYC) then I used one about 15 miles away which is decent. But the best service in the area is about 45 minutes away from me in central NJ. I've used them once as well. The nice thing about the good dealer 45min away is that they have service on saturdays, and they are only a subaru and isuzu dealer so they actually care about their customers.

-mike

conman2000 · May 2001

Hi,
I got four within a 10 miles distance to me and add atleast 3 more within 25 miles(Long Island, NY). I think I have atleast 14 in a 100 miles radius which would include CT, NJ, and even PA. Just lucky we have so many people in NY but not good on getting around.

We even have four Daewoo Dealers near me too and two Ferrari dealers(lots of yuppies here).

Cheers,
Conway

ghinson · May 2001

Try 30 miles of ocean and a 2-hr, $150 ferry ride away. That's my closest dealer. I'm looking forward to needing to use roadside assistance.

paisan · May 2001

Nantucket?

-mike

john303 · May 2001

mlurvey, the problem is the "cold engine sensor" which allows the engine to start warm. If now it is making for a hard warm weather start it will only get worse until the car will not start hot at all.

The sensor itself isn't expense, but the labor is. This is because the intake manifold has to be removed to replace the sensor. To replace mine cost me around $400.00.

ghinson · May 2001

Nantucket.

sbcooke · May 2001

Nice. Do you have an automatic or manual? I ask because last time I was out there, I had some interesting results with TOD in deep sand. Sort of a thumping while the transfer case switched power front to rear back and forth?

I will be one of those annoying tourists again this year.

zman21 · May 2001

the wind noise "seems" to come from the side. like if you were driving & sticking your ear on the side metal body frame. it sounds like air is moving "through" it???? i do have the isuzu bug deflector in front if that helps.

paisan · May 2001

I'd take the deflector off and see if the noise changes (the bug deflector is a 5 minute job to take off) if it changes due to the bug deflector removal then it's the "unclean" air that the deflector creats that is causing the noise. YOu may also get flapping of the bug guard against the fenders as well. We have documented the bug guard problem at http://isuzu-suvs.com

-mike

ghinson · May 2001

I'm getting an auto. I have really debated back and forth. From what I've read here and in other forums, it sounds like neither a manual transmission nor the TOD system is ideal. But, it sounds like the latter is probably the lesser of the two evils. At least, I'm told, you can lock the TOD system down into 4LO when you need to. Hopefully that'll do.

conman2000 · May 2001

Did you contact that person with the used 99 or are you looking at a new one? Just curious.

Cheers,
Con
2001 Isuzu Trooper

bstreet · May 2001

do most dealers compensate for the 0% financing by bumping the price of the car? i'm having a hard time understanding how edmunds says invoice is one thing, and the dealer says something $2k more.???

conman2000 · May 2001

Yes,
Edmunds and the dealer are correct. You get either $2,000 off or 0% Isuzu Fin. not both. For 2000 models, there is up to $4,000 off.

Some people on the board seem to be geting great deals from their dealers lower than invoice with the 0% fin! The best prices I have seen so far is carsdirect.com. Good Luck

Regards,
Con
2001 Isuzu Trooper LS 4x4 with only 250 miles on it

bstreet · May 2001

Thanks Con! so bottom line, if i want 0% financing, I should expect to pay at least $2K over invoice?

tntmyth · May 2001

I am considering purchasing a 2001 Trooper S 2WD with the current 0% 60 months financing. Best price I have so far is $25,480 or perhaps carsdirect.com for $24,912. But I suppose there is no trade-in program available if you deal with carsdirect.com.

What I am suffering over is whether to jump now and go for the 0% 60 months, or wait for the 2002 models to see what I am missing. Perhaps Isuzu will drop the upgraded 230hp engine they have in the 2002 Axiom into the 2002 Trooper. Does anyone have any knowledge of what, if any new features the 2002 Trooper will have? Does anyone know when the 2002 model hits the streets? Would hate to know that I missed a new more powerful engine by a couple of months.

I tend to think that Isuzu will still offer some sort of discounted financing, perhaps 1.9% or even 0.0% 60 months early next year. The competition is fierce. Most of the manufacturers are offering between 1.9% and 3.9% for 60 months. I wonder if the value of a 2002, one year newer will offset any increased amount or interest I have to pay. Also are there any great deals to be had at the end of the model year? Better deals than 0.0% interest?

Also I wonder if Isuzu will raise or lower current MSRP.

The Trooper seems like a solid truck that I will be happy with. Lots of positive comments here. Advice from you experienced Trooper shoppers is greatly appreciated on the "Buy 2001 Now or Buy 2002 Later" question.

ghinson · May 2001

I am looking at getting a new one, most likely through PlanetIsuzoo's VIP deal. I can get dealer cost (25236) and the 0% or $2K off and my own financing. But, the VIP dealer is not going to come through for me on my trade (anyone want a great Miata?), so I'm hoping to sell it local before the weekend.

ghinson · May 2001

I've seen paison's rear step/bumper protector, but I've found another one. Anyone know anything about these: http://www.gorhino.com/documents/hitchstep.html? Look pretty good.

paisan · May 2001

I believe the reason that Edmunds Invoice price is $2K less than what the dealer is quoting is due to the fact that Edmunds doesn't include:

Delivery
Dealer Holdback

Basically I'd look at carpoint.com, so far I've found their invoice price to always match my dealer's invoice price.

You should be paying around $500-$1000 over the carpoint.com invoice price if you are taking the 0% financing, and about $1000-$1500 under invoice if you are taking the $2000 cash-back. Then add in Tax, Tags, Title...

-mike

paisan · May 2001

If you check out the "future models" section in the Isuzu owner's club, there is a lot of info there about the new trooper.

Here is what I know from various sources:

MY2003
V8 engine
3 rows of seats
Longer, wider, a bit curvier
Built in Japan.

The 2002 Trooper will not get the 230hp engine of the axiom (they are the same engine, the axiom is just tuned to 15hp additional) They have the same torque so you'll not notice a difference except at 5400 rpms in the acceleration of the 230hp v. 215hp motor. Unless you drive the truck @ 5000+ rpms all the time, that extra 15hp is purely for advertising purposes, much like the 240hp produced by the Pathfinder @ ~6000rpms.

-mike

Isuzu Trooper

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