hey yall i have some question i hope you can help me out with
honda passport is a "rebadged" rodeo does that mean isuzu makes all the parts and just the name is changed or does honda produce its own parts that are just copies of the isuzu part?
are passports as good reliably speaking as isuzu or should i really get a authentic isuzu?
i had a 97 honda passport (it was my moms i turned 16 and got it b4 that she drove a 97 rodeo was hit by a log truck flipped 3 times on the interstate came to rest upside down and except for the cooler (and its contents) being thrown all over the cab and my dad getting hit in the head by a 12 pack they were both fine so i know the vehicles are safe
i abused the hell out of my passport (mud riding) i tore up alternators like it was my job, will those still be an issue if im not drowining them in mud/silt/water
are there any issues i should know about? i read about the trannys needing the oil changed even though they look sealed they arent
4x4 is a must have i bought a diesel jetta for that great MPG but its just not worth what im giving up not having 4x4
what kind of mileage can i expect from an automatic v6 4x4? with 31s
(a roof rack if anyone has expierence) maybe more agressive tires?
how many miles can i expect to get out of the vehicle? will they go 300k without major work?
things to look out for?
do anyof them have lockers factory? any years better than others? any insight yall can give me im all ears im here to learn as much as i can, im doing buying vehicles THEN joining the forums and learning about all the "known" issues

 

I'm not an expert (new to Isuzus myself), but I can tell you that a Passport is a Rodeo - made by Isuzu on the same assembly line as Rodeos. Honda made a deal with Isuzu to allow it to sell badge engineered Rodeos as Passports and Troopers as the Acura SLX. This was because Honda wanted to cash in on this market segment, like other manufacturers, but it did not have its own designs ready to go, I believe. The advantage to us these days might be availability of parts through Honda's dealer network, though they did not build the vehicles.

As for the other questions, I don't want to give wrong answers. However, before I bought my Trooper I searched through a ton of ads, both all over online and locally, and saw several trucks in person, and there seemed to be quite a few older, mid-90's and up trucks still on the road in decent condition and with a lot of miles. To get more help, you should probably check out the forums at planetisuzoo.com - they contain a ton of searchable information and are a lot more lively than these boards.

Sean

 

my opinion is stay pure isuzu my 88 trooper has 197000 on the clock and moters never been a partexsept normal were and tear itums . alternators dont like any thing fun i own a dodge as well just so muck as look at a mud hole and alternators toast thats why i get the life time warrinty and make sure alll the mud is cleaned off it when i exschange it lol

 

Are you saying that mud ruins your alternators frequently, or something else does? On an Isuzu or on your Dodge? Just wondering, cause the alternator on my Trooper sure does look like it's in a spot that will be a pain in the *** if/when I have to replace it.

 

the one on my trooper looks to be covered in mud pretty good and it still kicken . the dodge i dont know if its water or mud that takes them out now that i think about it the dodges are the only ones that seem to not like water or mud .

 

Thanks for clearing that up, and I feel a bit better! Unfortunately, my alt might be going. Hopefully the belt is just stretched out and slipping o7r something, but the stock gauge isn't reading as high as it was and my transmission may be going into limp mode or whatever more often now because of it. Gotta check the battery and all the connections, but that's another thread altogether. No mud on my alt, just a lot of miles and years.

 

Not to thread-jack or anything, but my battery and alternator are okay, so that's not it. I found my DMM and got 12v+ from the battery, and no trouble starting, and 13.95v from the alt at idle, and even a minimum of 13.85v with every accessory running - AC, seat heaters, mirror heaters, rear defrost, headlights, fog lights, stereo, etc. Something else is causing my minor transmission annoyances then. All in all, the Trooper seems to be solid considering how old it is, and it is a relatively easy vehicle to work on. If you are up for something that is way out of warranty, is foreign to most mechanics, and gets bad gas mileage, I highly recommend one. My buddy's experiences with a Rodeo are similar - great, sturdy truck that he loved but lost to a drunk driver.