Buy a good used Isuzu Trooper and you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank; reasonably priced when new, they represent an even better buy when used.

The earliest 1987 vehicles change hands for as little as £1,000 and can still be seen loyally serving their owners around caravan sites and local gymkhanas the length and breadth of the country.  Spend about £5,000 and you are in to some really quite smart machinery, a top spec 1992 LWB Isuzu Trooper Citation doesn’t look its age and comes complete with air conditioning, central locking and 7 seats.

If seven seats isn’t a necessity then its worth looking at the  3 door model, at 1 ft 4inches shorter than the LWB, it feels much nimbler in town and still boasts a generous load area of 910 litres even with the rear seats still in place.

Power for the Trooper comes from both petrol and diesel engines.  Over time the petrol engines have grown in size and power, very early cars had harsh 4 cylinder units but since 1993 it has been smooth V6 power all the way.  The 3.2 from 1993 to 1998 produced a respectable174 bhp but try the later 3.5, it kicks out a very meaty 212bhp, enough to push the car to a top speed of 112mph.

Meanwhile fans of diesel will not be disappointed, pick of the bunch is the 4 cylinder 3.0 litre engine introduced in May 1998.  The 159bhp may not sound much but combine that with the 246lb/ft of torque at 2,000rpm and you have an ideal tow car with an ample 3,300KG towing weight limit.  But tread carefully, you will not be alone in realising the vehicles towing potential and more than a few used examples will have worked hard for their living.  Be sure to check for signs of heavy work, such as twin electrics and stabilisers.

Fuel economy and large off roaders are not easy bed fellows but the Trooper does better than most.  Unlike a Land Rover Discovery which is in permanently driven in four wheel drive, the Trooper can be switched between rear wheel and all wheel drive.  The reduced effort of only powering half the transmission system also lowers noise levels and component wear.  Since October 1995 all Troopers have been fitted with a ‘shift-on-the-fly’ system that allows the switch to take place at speeds of up to 62mph, useful if road conditions begin to deteriorate when on the move.

Equipment levels on used Troopers vary enormously dependant on model, but it’s a safe bet to assume that the unbadged entry level model has pretty much nothing in the way of creature comforts, fine if your shepherding in Cumbria but probably a little bit to basic if your doing the school run in Henley.  A better bet is the ‘Duty’ specification which includes alloy wheels, electric windows, remote central locking, twin airbags and an adjustable steering column.  The top spec Citation starts to feel quite plush adding air conditioning, cruise control, leather steering wheel and heated seats to the Duty specification.

On the road, the Isuzu Trooper is quite a quite pleasant place to be with  high seats, large windows and little or no transmission noise.  The velour upholstery of more recent vehicles makes a welcome relief from the itchy tweed fitted to early cars.  Dash boards, even when adorned with some of the slightly tacky wood veneer kits so popular with some owners, are fairly basic but are clear to read even though some of the minor switches are scattered around a bit.

Buying a used Isuzu Trooper need not be a scary prospect if you know what to check, the vehicle is fundamentally sound and has few reoccurring problems but with any 4x4 it’s important to find out how it has spent its early life.  As a general rule of thumb, the more basic the vehicle the harder it is likely to have worked, so the best advice is to find a high spec car with a complete history and few owners.

The Isuzu dealer network tends to deal in the most desirable motors but don’t be afraid to check out the private ads so long as you do an HPI check before buying.

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Check the following

• Third row of seats – were an option on LWB models but they make a desirable addition

• Rear tail gate – asymmetric opening tailgate with 2/3:1/3 split is useful

• Selectable 2wd/4wd – Vehicles since October 1995 have ‘shift-on-the-fly’ system which allows the switch to take place at speeds of up to 62mph

• Dealers – A larger dealer network than you may expect with 117 in total

• Alloys – Since 1998 all except base models come with alloys

• Spare wheel – mounted on the tail gate it adds weight and makes the door heavy to open particularly if parked on a slope

• Diesel engine – Introduced in May 1998 the 3 litre was the first common rail Direct Injection engine in any vehicle on sale in the UK

• Servicing – every 9,000 miles on V6 petrol engines and 6,000 miles on diesel

• Air conditioning – standard on Citation models

• Suspension – Check suspension for signs of damage, particularly scuffs and knocks

• Warranty – new cars have 3 year/60,000 mile warranty

• Seats – tweed upholstery on older cars and base models can wear badly

• Steering –

• Oil leaks – leaks around gearbox and drive line can signal big bills, some 1999 model year cars have an admitted gearbox fault but most should have been replaced under warranty FOC

• Towbar – twin electrics and stabilisers often signal heavy towing work

The one to buy 

• Isuzu Trooper 3.0 TD Citation 5 door LWB

• 5 speed manual gearbox

• 1999 ‘T’ with 50,000 miles

• Pay £11,750 at a dealer with 12 months warranty    £10,500 privately

 

Mileage	20,000miles	30,000 miles	50,000 miles
1999 ‘T’                  Trade	£10,850	£10,350	£9,350
Retail	£13,195	£12,750	£11,750
2000 ‘W’                Trade	£12,200	£11,600	£10,550
Retail	£14,550	£13,950	£12,895
2001 ‘Y’                 Trade	£13,800	£13,100	£12,000
Retail	£16,150	£15,450	£14,350

7 seater LWB worth £300 more than 5 seater LWB  

Duty worth £1,500 less than Citation

Auto worth £500 more than manual

SWB models worth £900 less than equivalent LWB