Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

Nicest One Left? 1984 Isuzu P’up

This 1984 Isuzu P’up looks like about as nice of an example as I have ever seen. I haven’t noticed one this well-preserved in years, maybe decades. Isuzu is known for making rugged trucks and great engines and this really looks like a winner. The seller is located in Cream Ridge, New Jersey and they have this truck listed here on eBay with a buy-it-now price of $5,500.

This truck is graphics-heavy which I personally like, but I know a lot of readers aren’t into graphics all over their vehicles. One thing I don’t care for is that the darker gray stripes seem to end at both front fenders. That makes it look like the fenders have been painted but maybe that’s just the way it came from the factory.

This truck doesn’t have a diesel engine or 4WD, unfortunately, but with that relatively long bed, it should be a great hauler for most people. These trucks were known as the Isuzu Faster in their home market and many others. We got them in the first-generation of the Isuzu Faster but they were known as the Chevrolet LUV. Chevy continued to offer the LUV on these second-generation Faster platforms for a couple of years. The Chevy S-10 put an end to the LUV here. The bed/box looks good.

Gray, gray, gray. Everything is gray here, man it could use a pop of color somewhere. But, the interior looks as nice as the exterior does. This is a 5-speed truck so that’ll make it fun to drive, or more fun than if it were an automatic. The seller says that there is absolutely no rust anywhere, but there sure is a lot of bedliner-type spray underneath. That’s always disappointing to see, at least for me it is. It’s a quick way to mask things and I’d much rather see what it used to look like under there.

The engine is Isuzu’s G180Z, a 1.8L inline-four with 80 hp. The company is known for making good engines but another 20 hp would be great. Have any of you owned an Isuzu P’up?

Comments

  1. Avatar ken tillyUK Member

    I had a 2.8L Turbo Diesel, I think it was about a 1990 model, and I used it for a 2500 mile return trip from sea level to 6000ft and it was loaded to the hilt and never missed a beat until I was served diesel with water in it. That meant that it would run perfectly until the filter was full of water, then I had to manually pump it out. I did this about 5 or 6 times until it cleared then all was fine for the remaining 400 miles. One great truck.

    Like 4
  2. Avatar Will Fox

    Not only is this Isuzu the first of it’s kind I’ve seen in years, It’s the first one I’ve EVER seen where the bed-sides weren’t rusted clear up to the rails!! Where the heck has THIS thing been mothballed?

    Like 2
  3. Avatar Superdessucke

    What an odd name. “Pu’p, chief!”

    Like 2
    • Avatar Car Nut Tacoma

      I think it was a shortened version of “pickup”.

      Like 3
      • Avatar Superdessucke

        Yo, don’t mess with my p’up, LOL!!

        Like 2
  4. HoA Howard A Member

    Nicest one, because it’s the ONLY one left. Some folks, like me, thought all Asian pickup trucks were the same. T’aint so. I think the Isuzu trucks, were the best. How this one escaped being trashed is nothing short of a miracle. As these began to age, like all these, rust appeared right away, and became unloved beaters. I think this is a good find, not great, even though these were the best, we can’t forget their shortcomings over a full size pickup.The seats, in true Asian fashion are terrible, they ride rough, no room, lousy heaters, and on a Asian vehicle this old, I’d still be concerned about parts.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Car Nut Tacoma

      I agree. My stepfather had a 1978 Toyota truck. Although not much by today’s standards, I loved it. It had more cab room than people give them credit for. If only the seats themselves were comfortable.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Raymond Smith

        When we were young we used to say we had “Toyota Butt” after driving long distances.

        Like 3
  5. Avatar Steve

    Had a Chevy LUV diesel … must have been a 1979 or 1980 …. The thing was horribly slow … but I liked it. Put over 100,000 miles on it with only basic maintenance. Was a fun truck to drive. Was in the south … so no rust issues there. LOL you didn’t want to merge onto I-85 in Atlanta unless you had a LONG gap in the merging traffic!

    Like 2
  6. Avatar PaulG

    Woah, no shortage of pictures on the eBay site!
    Nice survivor, but someone did get a little carried away with the undercoating…

    Like 5
    • Avatar Car Nut Tacoma

      The more pics, the better.

      Like 3
  7. Avatar ace10

    Who knows what’s lurking under that mess of mystery goop on the underside.

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Skorzeny

    I could go to DQ and pick up pup cups for my pups in this P’up…

    Like 2
  9. Avatar bone

    Amazing that everyone here thinks these were great .Of all the import trucks of that time, Isuzu trucks had to be the worst -Here in New England nothing survives the tin worm ,but these disintegrated nearly as fast as a 71 Vega . Not only did the bodies rot away, but they (and the sister LUV trucks) had frames that would literally break in half where the rain water would run down between the cab and bed . The motors may have been good , but so were the Toyota 20r and 22r and the Datsun L20B engines but in a much more durable platform . Theres a reason why Isuzu pulled out of the U.S.market !

    Like 0

Leave A Comment

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.