Isuzu Trooper 3.0TD.... Discuss!

[Beezy]

Evening all,

 

I have had my eye on a 2002 SWB isuzu trooper commercial that I drive by most days, it's a mint condition, one owner from new (although haven't yet heard her running) ex landscapers wagon, with 63k on the clock, a full dealers SH, a new flywheel and clutch, and a years MOT.

 

I have seen that these model wagons have had a few issues in the past, mainly with engine and injectors, some to the extent of diesel leaking into the engine and mixing with the oil with disasterous outcomes!

 

Has anyone got any genuine experience of these, their reliability, how they perform etc etc. Basically Ive Bern warned off it by a mate who had one and was always in the garage. But it's up at £3.5k and seems a very reasonable buy?

 

Advice please chaps!

 

Beezy

[dent]

they should all have the injectors fixed by now as it was a warranty issue and all owners were notified by the dvla

however if it wasn't caught early enough there could still be problems

a new engine costs £2000 roughly i know someone who is getting theres replaced as the oil pumps amoungst other things failed and the engine is now scrap but it is such a superb vehicle otherwise he feels its worth it

its the most comfy car i have been in far beyond landcruiser colarados shoguns l200's and anything landy plus they are so much bigger internally than the equivalent landys

[BTS]

used to have 3.1 swb went anywhere towed everything, brillant work horse could not fault it,

[timtree81]

i have had 3 ,3.1s and 2 30 dohc troopers ,watch out for the later ones as there trouble ,head gaskets and throttle sensors,also injectors but most of them were recalled . the 3.1 is bomb proof but a tad old now days,they all tow like a dream and i mean dream ,loads of power,cluch is super tuff in them all to ,so long as it has been loved you should be ok ,my last 30 dohc had done 20000 miles

[Beezy]

Cheers for all the useful input fellas, good stuff.

 

Guess I am just a bit spooked by my buddies experience and bad luck with his, in hind sight his prob didn't get the recall/in time?

 

I am planning to take it out for a test drive, timtree, it certainly does look to have been loved and money spent and serviced no matter the cost.

 

And Dent, you're right re the space, the internal loadspace area, even the SWB is huge. Reckon me and the missus could cosy up in the back with room for her mate!

 

so do you think £3.5k is in the right park for a 2002, I know it's hard without seeing it.

Cheers again

Beezy

[Stephen Blair]

I bought a 1990 3.1 turbo swb model in 1994 for 4k, and it was one owner from new, 40k miles 1 years mot and 1 years tax and a full tank of diesel. It was a great jeep, i also owned a long wheel based model and it blew up after 50 miles lol.

[Gareth Dalzell]

We had the 3.0 one until it took off in a cloud of smoke one day. Got the injectors fixed (under warranty) but hard to have any confidence in it and couldn't really let my wife drive it with the kids in the back after it "made a run for it" previously. Was always a sluggish starter unlike my mates 3.1 that started on the first revolution.

Apart from that it was a cracking machine to drive and tow with.

Funny thing is we bought a brand new TD5 County Defender after that and it's engine did exactly the same thing and took off one day (only 29500 miles when it did that)- apparently there's been a problem with them also - it was fixed under warranty

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Diesel Bob Tuning - Good Diesel, Bad Diesel

[Gareth Dalzell]

Diesel Bob Tuning - Good Diesel, Bad Diesel

 

Diesel Bob - excellent site - wish I'd seen it before I'd made a few poor purchases - but they all make sense now I've read his review

[cosworth]

dont touch it with a barge pole. if the engine does go wich it wil,it would cost you a fortune I am a mechanic and have changed 4 engines in these what a load of jap crap the 3.1 is a much better engine but has really thin piston liners,