1992 Isuzu Rodeo S 3.1L V6 4x2 5-speed Manual

1992 Isuzu Rodeo S Description

Well, for sale here is a 1992 Isuzu Rodeo that's been in my possession since 2000, and whose history I know (and oil I changed) since it was only 2 years and 30k miles old. What's so special about it, you might be wondering? Does it have power windows? Nope. What about 4-wheel drive? Nah. A fancy gauge cluster? Not quite. Leather? Sunroof? Delay wipers? Keyless entry? Factory jack? Air bags?? Working A/C??? Negative on all counts. But, what it does have is a little character, and a look about it that says "capable" plus the capability to back it up. Oh, and two 10" Sony Xplod's in the back and a nifty red 8-ball shift knob. I was not planning to let this go any time soon, but a few things have come together to force my hand.
I bought this while I was still in high school and drove it all through college, then when I got another vehicle this became my back-up/bad-weather/hauler option. So over the last 10 years, it's only been driven (and washed) periodically at best, so the sun has done a number on the paint. Until recently, it was mechanically sound and has only had a few things go wrong. So those things that I mentioned that pushed me to sell? Yeah, about that. First, the wife does not drive stick. Second, the wife does not want the kids riding in it for whatever reason (I'm still alive, right?). Third, we have 5 vehicles between us (only one was new within the last 3 years, and guess who's driving THAT one). And fourth, after recently using it as the daily driver for a few months, the engine developed an oil pressure problem and has likely wiped a rod bearing, as evidenced by the light knocking coming from the bottom end. If not for that last point, you wouldn't be reading this right now, and I'd still have a back-up for the back-up vehicle.

So, here are the major systems and their current statuses, in no particular order:
Body - relatively straight, no accidents, some extremely minor dents from hail damage from many years ago on the roof and hood, and typical door dings. Wife recently (since I stopped driving it) took out one of the rear bumper end caps with her van when she got a little too close backing out, otherwise body is intact. All doors close and latch properly and swing easily. Tailgate goes down and back glass goes up. Hood moves up and down slightly when closed, but replacing the bumpers should fix that. This has spent nearly its entire life in the south, so there's no rusty quarter panels, pinholes in the rockers, or bubbling paint. The frame does have surface rust where the undercoating has been worn away, but no significant decay of any sort. Has an oddball 1-5/8" Reese receiver hitch, but will include a 1-5/8" to 1-1/4" adapter.
Paint - very faded on horizontal surfaces, not so bad on the sides, some spots like the leading edges of the roof and pillars have worn through to the primer, but virtually no rust where paint should be.
Engine - light rod/crank knock from one cylinder, likely a wiped bearing, small oil leaks at the front and rear crank seals, otherwise mechanically sound. Still getting same fuel mileage it got 25 years ago - 15-19 MPG. Every so often will give a tiny puff of smoke when starting due to some worn valve seals, otherwise very clean running. Never overheated, doesn't leak coolant. All new ignition parts (cap, rotor, wires, plugs, coil). New air filter. New (~1 year old) battery.
Transmission - Pilot and/or input and/or throwout bearings appear to be worn, sometimes squeals when releasing clutch pedal and feels like the clutch disk is engaging off-center, pushing and releasing clutch pedal once you're rolling re-centers and smooths out the vibration. It's not the original clutch, but it does have about 200k miles on it. Shifts into all gears and doesn't pop out. No unusual or loud noises. Synchros work fine, no grinding. Very slight leak from trans output seal.
Driveline - bearings and u-joints in good shape. Recently (maybe a year ago) installed set of Yukon Gear axle shafts along with new outer bearings and seals. Fresh gear oil in the rear-end with no leaks.
Brakes - Brand-new master cylinder (replaced last fall), pads/rotors/drums (yeah, rear drums) have plenty of life left and don't make noise. E-brake works fine. All lines are in good shape. Rear anti-lock does not work thanks to a flaky speed sensor (hall effect mounted on the differential).
Interior - one tiny hole in front passenger seat where I dropped my soldering iron while wiring up the stereo, besides that upholstery is in great shape. Bolster on driver's seat is a bit...deflated, but it's seen a lot of action. Floor carpeting has a few stains in the front footwell and rear cargo areas, but is all there. Center console is baked and the plastic is crumbling away. All other surfaces are in decent shape, as you can see in the photos. Windows all roll up and down, one handle is broken where the u-clip attaches, so it tends to pop off when you shut that one door too hard.
Instrumentation - All lights and gauges work properly. An aftermarket VDO 8000 RPM tach was added, which has matching lighting and an adjustable shift light.
HVAC - A/C does not work, and hasn't worked for probably 10-12 years. Didn't really need it, so never got it fixed. Come to think of it, not using it often enough is probably why it quit in the first place. Everything else is fine, all levers and switches do what they should, and blower runs.
Radio - 20-year-old Sony head unit, 200W 2-channel sub amplifier, and 2 Sony Xplod 10" woofers in a sealed custom box, plus 4 full-range speakers at the corners. This originally had a Pioneer tape deck and two 4" 2-ways under the dash. And nothing else. It was pitiful. Now it can make it hard to see out of the rear-view mirror from all the vibration.
Tires - Originally had 225/75-R15 Dunlops (spare is the original), now has the same tire size as the 4x4's - 31x10.50 Wranglers. The only time I've ever gotten stuck in snow with this truck is when I slid off the edge of a low-shoulder road and went tail-first into the ditch. Pretty sure a 4-wheel drive would have had to be pulled out, too. Tires have plenty of tread remaining.

I think the photos should fill in any gaps that I left. Sorry for the dirt and junk inside, these were the only pictures I had at the time. I plan to vacuum and wash it and take more photos, but in the meantime, you'll just have to imagine it slightly less filthy. Also, the roof rack is NOT included in this sale, and will be removed for the aforementioned photos. There is, however, a box of parts that will be going with the truck, some new ones that I never got the chance to put on like a clutch slave cylinder and a wiper switch cluster, and some old parts like the ignition components that came off and the old coolant recovery tank, among others. I'll also throw in my service manual and any other documentation that I have in the garage. Original owner's manual and spare tire are still there as well.
Along with the 24 photos that I've uploaded to eBay, I will also have those photos and more in full resolution for you to view here. If you have a question that wasn't answered above, don't hesitate to contact me. If you are local and would like to see this in person, again, please let me know via the Contact Seller link and hopefully we can work something out.
Shipping/transport will be the responsibility of the buyer, but I will reasonably do what I can to help you get it set up.
Vehicle is sold as-is and you have been made aware of all defects of which I am aware, but there isno warranty whatsoever.
Passed most recent (Oct 2017) NC safety inspection and has a clean NC title.