The Isuzu Impulse on a budget known to us as the Geo Storm has all but faded from the streets, becoming about as rare as your average 1930s car or a Brodozer driver that’s polite and courteous to everyone surrounding him on the road. Yet here we are, both stuck in traffic on a Monday morning last week.
A product of its age, there are very few cars that shout “Nineties” quite as loudly as this one. It was an Impulse that had been stripped of most of the cool features of the genuine Impulse/Piazza; things like a suspension tuned by Lotus, a 160HP Turbo 1.6L engine, four wheel steering and so on. What was left, along with its smooth curvy body and you end up to a car that one can only describe as “cute”, unless it happens to be the rather rare GSi version. You can almost look at the High School cheerleader driving the yellow example above. Of course all the cheerleaders shopping for a Geo were more tempted by the Wrangler-on-a-budget Tracker, if the ‘90s movies I’ve seen have been accurate.
Still, there actually was one thing that the Storm had over its Japanese-Branded brother. Sales, lots of them. In fact, in what can only been called shooting yourself in the foot, the Storm sold so successfully it may have actually eaten on the Impulse’s sales, dooming it to cease production and killing itself along the way.
There was even a shooting brake version, for those of us that like our cars weird and interesting. It seems that whatever they had in cuteness they might have lost in durability, considering the numbers you see on the road these days. I had even forgot they existed until I saw this battered example creeping up on the next lane that day. The reason of the roof racks will forever be shrouded in mystery. It even took a minute to register what it was and even then unsure about its name until I saw the telltale globe on the rear. Hopefully it’ll live to surprise me another day.
Very nice cars for the money back in the day. And a stylish way to get someone who wouldn’t be caught dead driving a Chevrolet in to a Chevrolet dealership. And, after purchase, you find out that the hood may say “Geo” but the title says “Chevrolet” after all.
It is a pity that the car killed off the Impulse. Then again, the previous generation Impulse was a much more impressive car, and taking the name and putting it on to a tarted-up Storm wasn’t exactly the best marketing decision.
It really went the other way around; the Storm was a content-stripped Isuzu. Here in North America, even the cheapest Impuse had many more features than the Storm GSi, but obvioulsy that came at a price. Many are unaware that you could get the “wagonback” 3 door bodyshell with the DOHC engines over at Isuzu, for example.
In Japan, these cars came in a myriad of variations, most all very much above the level of the Storm’s sophistication:
Pa Nero coupe and hatch: Essentialy the Storm clone, going up to 1.6 DOHC spec. Includes the semi-hideaway lamps
Gemini OZ coupe and hatch: Including AWD Irmscher R Turbo models, different front end with exposed composite headlamps (not the refreshed Storm front)
Piazza Nero coupe: The 1.8 DOHC 4WS model with Lotus tuning, same front as the North Anerican Impusle
I nearly forgot; these cars, along with the Stylus 4 door, were supposedly rejected design proposals for the original lineup of Saturn automobiles.
No, I owned a Geo Storm GSi (1993) when I was a Sophomore in High School (1995). The title and registration both stated Geo. Nothing about this car was GM, it was all borrowed from Isuzu.
The title on my 1992 Tracker said Geo.
Just imagine if you found a Storm Shooting Brake.
They still exist as a good college kid car. It’s the only GEO storm I see, right in the parking lot of a university.
It’s yellow too
My dad still has his 1990 Impulse. Hoping to get around to writing about it someday soon.
It’s actually a really nice car, with a nice interior.
I’ve seen more Storms than Impulses though. Usually in poor shape.
The Turbos have a following.
A good friend’s mother had a Storm in the 1990’s, then his sister inherited it after Mom upgraded to a Mercedes SLK (her financial situation having changed for the better). His sister tried valiantly to kill it (at one point she brought it in to the mechanic, claiming it had been running “a little rough” for “a long time”, and he found it was only running on 2 out of 4 cylinders) and eventually succeeded, but it took a clueless high school/college student’s punishment for about 4 years before succumbing.
To say they are thin on the ground these days is extremely accurate.
Confession: I bought a new cobalt blue ’91 Storm 2+2, the base model, 12 valve SOHC, 1.6, 5 speed. Seems like it was a little over $10k. I was on an extremely tight budget, with a Tech-4 S-10 that was a huge lemon to trade (loved to quit on the side of the road, usually in bad neighborhoods). The Storm was actually the only good GM-labeled vehicle I’ve ever owned. Tinny body, small rattles in the doors, some NVH on acceleration, and a chattering clutch from new, but never missed a beat, never leaked anything, or failed to start in 5 years, 85,000 miles. 38-42 mpg on the freeway, performance (95 hp, maybe??) was on par with other entry level 1.5 liter cars at the time. Not bad handling with the Potenza RE-92s (compared with the S-10). Handy little car, with the big glass hatch, a mountain-bike would fit in the back with the rear seat down and bike’s front wheel off, so it met most of my needs at the time.
I have seen a red ’92-’93 recently parked on a city lot where seniors hold a Saturday flea market. It didn’t look too bad, to be 20+. It moved occasionally, so it must still run. Parts must be a PIA when it does need some work though.
What car were you in when this picture was taken? Looks like an 80’s Mopar dash?
Oh, that’s my trusted beater, you were right about the decade though.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/coal-capsule/coal-capsule-1983-toyota-tercel-4wd/
I really should write my other car, but I can’t make it justice at the moment.
Uh huh… driving your uh, Chevro-legs? I had a 1993 Geo Storm GSi when I was a sophmore in high school. I am 6’6″ 215lbs, I thought it was a joke, but my parents were serious. It was my 16th birthday present. It was white with all available options and even a power sunroof (which I would later find that less than 150 of them were produced). It was a zippy 5speed and though it wasnt much for “racing” it got me to school and my part time job. I drove her until 1997 when I deer ran out in front of me (I grew up in Montana) and it totaled the car however, I walked away from the accident (and was traveling almost 65mph when I hit said deer). I graduated (pun intended as it was my graduation present) into a 1993 Mazda MX3 GS (with the worlds smallest production V6). Another tiny stylish sleeper. My storm had blacked out windows and big chrome rims in the summer, and studded tires for the Montana winter. I remember one winter I had to keep it parked in the garage because the snow and ice build up in the wheel wells would make her undriveable. I loved that car and several other kids at my high school had them. We would all park in the same row, one red, one dark blue, one yellow, there was an ugly teal one. Sure there were the people with Honda civics and one girl (who’s family owned the local auto parts store got the redesigned 95 Eclipse Spyder) but still, for the $5k my parents paid for that car (it has 11K miles on it when I got it, and 59k when the deer killed it) it was great fun. The backseat was for show, but the hatch housed two Rockford 15″ subs, the dashboard was a very futuristic design and had the cowl intstrument panel. If I could find another decent GSi today, I would snap it up and restore it. I suppose you were the kid that was driving his Mom’s old Chevy Citation. Sorry you didn’t get to have a nice car in high school… or clearly as an adult.
First ones I have seen and I like the shapes,especially the wagon version.Isuzu usually manufacture strong and long lived drivetrains.
I just remembered a moment at the 1992 DC auto show… I was 15 and was just learning to drive with my dad in his ’82 Berlinetta (or at least, that was the understanding – having secretly snuck in quite a bit of seat time by 15)
I wasn’t really a Camaro guy, but rumors about the next generation replacement were escalating (this was pre-mainstream Internet, of course), and I was curious. The only thing at the show was the last-gasp “25th Anniversary Heritage Edition” third-gen model. No mention of the replacement at all even though it was only weeks away from breaking cover. So I politely asked one of the reps if there was any new info.
“The next Camaro? Oh yeah… I’ve seen it already. And you know what?” his voice raised sharply as he started pounding his fist on the Storm GSi he was leaning against… “It looks EXACTLY LIKE ONE OF THESE! I mean… I don’t know what they’re thinking… I don’t even know what they’re doing anymore. Hell, just buy one of these. I’ll probably last longer anyway,” and he walked off.
Sounds like the sales man from Vacation lol.
Though in reality, that upcoming Camaro did resemble the Storm a bit. The front specially and the rear too, you can see a resemblance.
As a high school freshman, I had a neighbor that drove a teal green base model Storm. She was not a cheerleader, but quite attractive nonetheless, and liked to wash it while wearing a bikini. Our lawn was very well tended that summer.
Haven’t seen one in several years, was just thinking about them today
this made me think of all the cars that will probably go extinct, because they simply were never desireable and were just used up and scrapped. who’s going to carefully save a LeCar? who’s going to spend 15k restoring a Paseo? not me. 🙂
I’ve seen both a LeCar and a Paseo in regular use.
The common cars are the ones that will go away. How many people will keep a mid 90s Riviera? Now, how many will keep a Century or LeSabre?
These always looked like they had a full diaper, especially the white ones.
I hadn’t thought about these cars for a long time. I do remember that when we were looking for a Civic for the daughter to drive it was hard to find a good Civic, but it seemed that every used car lot had a Geo Storm or two.
Sister car to my Isuzu Impulse RS!