In the pantheon of Japanese SUVs, the Toyota Land Cruiser reigns supreme. Vintage examples, however, have exploded in price, making them almost unreachable. With the Toyota ship sailing, many have jumped on the Mitsubishi Montero boat as it hastily leaves port. Fear not. There is still a chance to get on board with the Isuzu Trooper, like this 1989 model for sale on eBay in Tulsa, Okla.
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Trooper—or Isuzu Bighorn as it’s known in its home market—predates more popular models. It hit the market in September 1981, before the Toyota 4Runner, Nissan Pathfinder, and Mitsubishi Montero. While other marques have always outshined Isuzu, the Bighorn is somewhat of a pioneer in the Japanese SUV world. It came in long- and short-wheelbase variants, and metal and soft-top versions, serving a multitude of customer needs. In the US, we only got the long-wheelbase with fixed roofs. The short wheelbase was imported in 1989 for a single year.
A Bowtie Heart
American market Isuzu Troopers had another quirk. Many of them, like the 1989 model for sale, came with a V-6 that wasn’t available in Japan. This was the first year a V-6 was offered, and came as a result of Isuzu’s majority ownership by General Motors. The V-6 was the same 2.8-liter pushrod engine found in the Chevy S-10. In this application, it generated 120 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque. This was a significant bump from the four-cylinder models available in 1988 and earlier.
Here, the V-6 is mated to a five-speed manual transmission, the preferred gearbox for this model. It’s also originally from California and thus rust-free. All the paint is said to be original. There are some age-related blemishes and slight dents on the passenger-side door and fender. The interior is amazingly clean and undamaged. With 137,097 miles on the clock, this Isuzu Trooper is no spring chicken, but the Chevy 2.8 can last 200,000 miles or more with regular maintenance.
Gone but Not Forgotten
Isuzu ended US sales of the first-gen Trooper in 1991, but it was immensely popular elsewhere. In Australia and New Zealand, it was known as the Holden Jackaroo. In southeast Asia it was the Chevrolet Trooper, and in South America the Caribe 442. Ssangyong Motors of South Korea continued to build them under license until 1996, exporting them to Scandinavia and Central America. In India, locally-built examples existed until 2002.
At an asking price of $13,000, this Isuzu Trooper’s not cheap, but the seller is also taking Best Offers. Isuzu withdrew from the US passenger car market in 2009, so collectors with an affinity for orphaned brands can pair this with an Impulse sports car for a very unorthodox collection.
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