There’s a healthy number of these Trooper II’s still in front-line service hereabouts. But this one caught my eye when I saw the “enviofuel” and “powered by vegetable oil” stickers on it. Not because veggie-fueled cars are so uncommon here, although the peak of that era seems well behind. No, it’s because it’s (obviously) a diesel, which was only offered on 1986 MY Trooper II’s. I’m not sure I’ve seen heard one before; at least not in recent history.
The Isuzuu2.3 L C223T engine was turbocharged, and belted out 87 hp, which was not too shabby for the times. I’m not sure why it was dropped for 1987; perhaps sales were just too weak. The diesel engined Isuzu pickups on the other hand are not scarce, so it’s a bit surprising. These engines are known for being super-durable.
Here’s the veggie-oil tank; a very clean installation.
I’ve always been fond of these Troopers; I liked their no-nonsense styling (obviously influenced by the early Range Rover), tall passenger compartment, big windows, huge rear luggage compartment, and all-round toughness. I’ve often wished we’d gotten one instead of our Cherokee, but that was before the four door version came along. Just don’t mention its successor; the gen2 Trooper that came along in 1991, Ugh!
Look to the windshield for proof of this rigs servicability and ruggedness. This is one of the last passenger vehicles to use a flat glass windscreen, which means replacement glass will always be:
1) Cheap
and
2) Available (a glass house can cut to fit, if need be).
I’ve seen more Jeeps with broken windshields than just about all other vehicles combined. Is it possible that curved windshields are stronger or more likely to deflect projectiles rather than eat them?
Simple, honest vehicle. Minimal electronics and wiring. Not a “home entertainment system” on wheels. My kind of vehicle.
I owned an ’89 4 door with 2.6 4 cylinder and auto for a long time. Bought it used with about 60k miles in about 1996. It was very reliable and useful. Not a good interstate vehicle, but it would get you there. The auto trans in ours was it’s weak point–it just soaked up too much HP. It was a pretty high quality vehicle all the way around. The paint and interior materials were good quality and it stayed looking presentable for a long time. It went to 200k miles with minimal work. It pushed out a head gasket once after my wife overheated it when the radiator split a seem.
I sold it about 8 years ago and still see it occasionally around town.
That hillside Victorian in the background is the real curbside classic here.
And it will still be around long after peak (veggie) oil!
How much would such a place go for in Eugene?
That house is just a couple houses down the street from ours. It sold for $180 in 1993, just before we moved here. We wish we’d have snagged it. Today? I’m not quite sure, but I’d say very roughly $425-$500, The inside has been very nicely kept original. It was one of the first houses in this whole area, which was farm area until the 1920s.
When I lived in Eugene, the oldest extant house in town was built in 1889, if memory serves. They were so proud of it, they turned it into a museum.
that house was built in 1910 for Judge Barnhard
Thanks, Marv. I was going to look it up, but you beat me to it. How did you find us here?
Common as corollas here those old Isuzus, fairly good rep goes with em though the later 3.1 TD is a bit of a lemon these are quite good, The petrol versions are gutless and suck gas but the diesels just keep plodding along providing the cooling system is clean, Also sold as a Holden Jackaroo in OZ
The veggie-oil diesel thing was very popular with various hippie/granolas but it doesn’t work well on anything but an old fashioned, mechanical, injection pump. There are just too many impurities in used freedom-fry oil for it to work with common rail systems.
Any transportation company that has tried it has quickly changed back to regular diesel.
The SVO craze peaked and sputtered out for a variety of reasons.
A) The “free” fuel is none to cheap when you start blowing injectors at $200+ a pop.
B) Most restaurants with high quality oil are now paid $.50-1+/gal by the lard haulers, with the tax credit for biodiesel production its to valuable to give away. Many of the rendering companies now have locks on their lard bins.
C) Its a dirty, smelly PITA to go get the oil. Restaurant trash enclosures can be funky, nasty places.
D) There is a finite and dwindling supply of older Diesel Vehicles that have fuel systems tolerant of a low quality fuel like SVO. 7.3 Powerstroke, older VW TDIs or Mercedes. Having a 10-15+ yr old vehicle is not for everyone.
These Troopers were awesome utility vehicles- adequate performers with a manual transmission and easily serviced. Much time has passed since I’ve seen one on the road. I suspect rust took care of the remaining specimen here in MN. If I recall, the head gasket was an issue, but not too bad of a repair job. I can’t say I’ve ever come across a diesel model though.
A dear friend of mine who died a couple years ago used to have a blue/grey two-tone one of these as his second vehicle. Bought it new in the mid ’80s, loved it, and drove it forever. This guy had an eccentric (read: weed-fuelled) sense of humor, and one day decided to replace his Isuzu badges with Jaguar badges so he’d have “the world’s only Jaguar Trooper II.”
Not that he was actually expecting to fool anybody. In fact, the gag wasn’t even particularly funny. He just liked messing with people’s minds.
What kind of person puts Jaguar badges on a Trooper? You can find out here:
http://hollywoodloser.com/assets/gallery_pix/pages/20.htm
Ironically, the only people I know who bought a Trooper new, in 1983ish, did so because their Jag blew up. They had a boy in cubs with me, and his mother was one of the leaders. They were farmers and had a factory-pink SII Jag XJ6, which got a hole in its sump on their farm track/driveway and expired shortly thereafter. The Trooper had only just been released in New Zealand, and they bought one instead of replacing the engine in the Jag. As a 9-year-old, I struggled to understand how a Trooper (despite being good looking) could possibly be comparable with an XJ6. But I’d bet that Trooper is probably still going!
I’ve never seen an old diesel Trooper up here in Canada – most of them wore the V6 badge, which means they had the Chevy 2.8. Personally, I’d take the Isuzu gas 4 or the diesel. Good find.
Interesting, between the S10 Blazer, Early XJ Cherokees and the Trooper the GM 2.8 was the go to mediocre engine for SUVs.
While not as common as Toyotas and Jeeps from the 80s and 90s there are still a decent population of these puttering around the Truckee/North Tahoe area.
Paul, why no love for 2nd generation Trooper? I loved my 1996 and wish I still had it: low belt line, reasonable size, very durable. All in all a great SUV.
And even available as an Acura, if the Isuzu brand didn’t carry enough panache!
Perhaps because I loved the gen1 so much; it seemed like a sell-out to the fad at the time. But I suppose it was inevitable; can’t really blame them.
Didn’t they have an iffy rep for certain issues? Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me. FWIW, there’s more gen1 than gen2s on the streets here. It’s a classic.
My Gen 2 Trooper was solid as a rock and ran like a sewing machine when I sold it at just under 200k miles. Much more solid and fun to drive than the Explorer or Blazers sold at the time. However, when Consumer Reports cautioned readers not to buy them due to rollover risk that pretty much killed the brand and their resale. After that a lot of them became “buy here-pay here” fodder and were beaten and neglected to death so it is hard to get a read on their actual durability.
I personally thought Consumer Reports wanted to go after SUV’s in general and picked a weaker brand to hammer; I don’t think GM and certainly Fords were any less tippy. However, I also put slightly wider street tires on my Trooper (kept the OEM wheels) and it definitely did improve handling and stability.
Actually, the whole Isuzu Trooper vs. Consumer Reports affair would make a good Curbside Classic…
I always had a soft spot for the ’92-’02 Trooper, but don’t see many left. I guess the bad rap did them in.
I saw this Trooper in Corvallis last week. The advertising makes me wonder if it belongs to someone associated with Enviofuel.
Love these Troopers also, Paul. These early ones are basically an SUV body on a LUV/KB chassis, hence the durability
I had one of these for a couple years. A ’91 4-door, bright red, 2.6, manual. Bought it used in late ’94. Only problem I had was a fuel pump relay.
It was not particularly enjoyable to drive and was pretty thirsty (with the aerodynamics of a barn door), but had lots of room and great utility. I eventually decided it was a little too agricultural for my tastes, and found myself driving my ’85 Jetta more often. I sold it to my brother; my SIL drove it another 4 years and had no issues.
Nice find. I’ve seen plenty of these with the gas engine, but never with the diesel.
“Just don’t mention its successor; the gen2 Trooper that came along in 1991, Ugh!”
Heresy Paul! I love my ’01 – great sight lines, holds a ton of stuff, very comfortable. At 210k, I’ve started shopping for it’s replacement, and there is no mixture out there of reasonable footprint, tons of room, comfort, simple design lines…..
True I’m on my 3rd transmission…..
Can anyone offer any insight into the name? I can find roughly zero evidence that there was a Trooper I. The first Trooper was this Trooper, and it gained the Roman numeral when it was exported to the US on its second birthday. Was the name supposed to provide reassurance to the public that Isuzu hadn’t started making trucks that morning? The Chevy LUV and Isuzu Opel by Buick certainly didn’t point towards any level of competence. George Rennick Buick-Isuzu cluttered the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia with these in the early to mid-80s, but they were not long lasting in the land of salted winters, curvy roads, and hot summers. Any of them that weren’t rolled over either rusted out or overheated fatally. They were as rare as Maseratis by 1989. The internet is a lesson on varying perspectives. I wonder if there is a PNW admiration for the Rodeo, which also sold like hotcakes in my home town only to vanish like turbocharged Fox Mustangs.
I thought “Enviofuel” was simply “Envirofuel” with an ‘r’ missing; once again CC and Google show me the error of my ways!
I bought an ’88 Trooper 5-speed from the original owner with only 17K miles and drove it for about 5-years to 85K. I had the dealer install factory AC into it which worked well. I had it on the highway at speed on many long trips including hard rain and snow. I never felt the Trooper was unsafe at all, at least not anymore so than rolling other SUVs. Enjoyed the ride, sitting up high, interior space,5-speed shifted nice, good in the snow and great cargo area for my Labrador Retriever on trips Weaknesses were the high maintenance costs for simple stuff like brakes, started to rust around the wheel wells, not great on gas, and head gasket weaknesses were notorious and, unfortunately, covered up by Isuzu. Mine blew, but engine was burning a quart of oil a tank of gas before, which for over a year Isuzu corporate and documents sent to me said was “within normal limits for a Trooper”. When the head gasket blew, the truck was off warranty by a thousand miles and Isuzu corporate wouldn’t help, denied the escalating/notorious problem, and ran away. Finally, an honest Isuzu dealer, then the biggest in New England region, went to bat for me with regional and headquarters (he knew the problems were serious and hurting his business but also dishonestly covered up by headquarters), and his shop re-built the engine top-end for me and replaced the head gasket, at no cost. This was after 6 months of battles with Isuzu and deception. Soon after getting the Trooper back, I sold it while it was running perfectly. I sold based on my distaste and distrust of Isuzu corporate practices, rather than the vehicle, which I enjoyed.
I am about to go look at one of these from 87. However I heard that the initial c223t engine had issues with overheating and the connecting rods breaking if got above 3500 rpm?