While vintage Toyota pickups are still commanding top dollar – upwards of $30,000 for one with 4WD and low miles – you can get into a survivor Isuzu Spacecab pickup like this one for just $5,500. The Isuzu pickup was a conventional Japanese workhorse that somehow has escaped the rapid rise in values that Toyota enjoys, much like the Nissan Hardbody that can fetch a fair number but still trails the Hilux/Tacoma rigs. With a dependable 2.6L four-cylinder engine under the hood and the preferred 5-speed manual, this Isuzu listed here on craigslist for $5,500 looks like a winner.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the tip. If you were around in the 1990s, you may recall that Isuzu used a terrific front man named Joe Isuzu. These were the glory years for automotive advertisements, in my opinion, with straight talk and self-deprecating humor the norm in large front print media. Joe often talked down the Isuzu brand while also highlighting its many attributes in doing so. Isuzu was known for building affordable but durable vehicles with excellent off-road abilities and decent driving dynamics. Its Spacecab design incorporated a large passenger window that dipped down into the beltline; it’s still an interesting design today.
Isuzu interiors weren’t all that different from Mitsubishi, Toyota, or Nissan interiors; they were functional but hardly luxurious. The seller’s truck looks like it’s held up pretty well, but the driver’s seat bolstering is certainly a bit worn out. The passenger front buckets and rear jump seats appear to be in mint condition, however. The five-speed manual is a nice bonus, in addition to the truck ticking all of the other boxes like four-wheel drive, the torquey and powerful (for a 4-cylinder) 2.6L gas engine, and a nice assortment of features including power windows and locks courtesy of the LS trim. The seller notes the cruise control is inoperative.
As I’ve mentioned previously, I have a 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS with the same engine seen here, and it’s really a treat to drive. It moves out well and makes the most of its power and torque, which was rated at 120 horsepower and 146 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s fairly closet to some other trucks’ V6 output at the time, and it will still feel downright sprightly with the stick-shift. The seller notes that the Isuzu has just under 140,000 miles so it’s hardly broken in, but you’ll still want to prioritize a timing belt replacement as these are interference designs. I doubt this well-priced Isuzu survivor will last very long!
Great write up Jeff. You hit close to home with me on this one. We had a 1990 Trooper base model 2.6 5 speed. That was one of the best trucks we ever owned. Rust unfortunately was the big killer with it. It got over 20 mpg on the highway ( which is impressive since it had the aerodynamics of a brick). I’m sure the 2.6 is even better in the pickup. The seat cushion wear looks identical to many of my trucks ( including the Trooper) from the past that had a stickshift. I think the side bolster wears out on that side from working the clutch. Also, not to mention during many years of my life it wouldn’t have hurt to be 40 pounds lighter as well. I loved the Joe Isuzu ads as well. “HI…. I’m Joe Isuzu ( he’s not). The Impulse Turbo comercial where he says “Faster than a speeding…….. crunch ( bullet in his teeth) well……… You know…….. Isuzu had a great ad campaign with him. Great find Barney. Great write up too Jeff, I enjoyed it. And I personally think Isuzus were just as good as Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi, and Mazda too. They are very well built trucks.
They had a better ad campaign than dealer network. In the mid 80s most of their car quota was absorbed by the Chevy Spectrum so they opened pickup/SUV only dealerships, some of which ended up selling exactly one generation of cars – the Stylus and fwd Impulse – between the VRA lapsing and Isuzu in Japan getting out of the car business.
When I was growing up, Geo Storms seemed to be almost as common as grains of sand. Ironically, I can think of only 1 Isuzu Impulse that existed in town. The Impulse was IMO much better looking, especially the hooded front headlight treatment. It’s almost like the parent car didn’t exist tho.
Isuzu has always been a bit of an enigma to me. Really good looking products & had the goods on paper but reliability could be hit or miss. I would imagine some of that has to do with intermingling with GM at the time.
As a side note, I think I’d rather be waterboarded than fool around with rear drum brakes on an NPR.
I’m curious how smooth or rough that 2.6L runs; that’s pretty huge for an inline-4, wondering if it has balance shafts or not but couldn’t find any sources saying it does.
The Mitsubishi 2.6L Astron engine in my Ram 50 has balance shafts that make it impressively smooth, almost hydraulic or turbine like with little sense of individual cylinders firing at all.
My best friend had a 1989 single cab Isuzu 4wd with this engine. I do believe remember the Mitsubishi being incredibly smooth. The Isuzu was not as smooth but had a nice growl going through the gears
Great looking little rig. Proper 2 sticks on a 4wd. Isuzu makes some good stuff from Trucks to Marine.
I agree 100% with Driveinstyle. Our ‘89 Trooper was one of the best vehicles we ever owned. Rust from four wheeling on the beach compelled us to pass her on. Our experience with the Trooper influenced our buying a 2002 Rodeo which was a great vehicle and was my wife’s daily until 2016. We sold it to our friends and neighbors who still drive it. Joe buddy, ya built some darn good rides.
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Please fix this glitchy site. I’m tired of writing comments and having them disappear 😬