Friendly Isuzu?

"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
08/28/2014 at 00:29 • Filed to: None

Anybody think then Amigo could be a fun little rig? Better yet anybody have any first hand experience with one?

DISCUSSION (9)

Goggles Pizzano > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/28/2014 at 00:37

Had a hankerin' since the first time I saw this ad.

I've never actually seen one though.

911 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/28/2014 at 00:44

First hand experience as a passenger. My friend had one in white with pink Amigo script on the side and absolutely loved it. I can't describe how embarrassed I was being a passenger. Thankfully, I didn't allow him to ride with the top down. As far as the performance goes, it was horrible. From the one time I drove it there was no acceleration, terrible handling, I'm sure prone to turnovers and seemed as if it weighed as much as a tank. The day before he sold it to his mechanic I was riding in the back and after hitting a dip in the road, I swear to god, I thought the back seats would get left behind. As much as I hate fucking hate this car I must say: Long Live the Amigo!!!!!

Ducky > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/28/2014 at 00:45

my dad had one when I was a kid, a 5 speed . beat the shit out of it and it took it like a champ, except the top. The top leaked so bad you might as well never keep it on. As a result the interior always smelled like mold and shit

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Goggles Pizzano
08/28/2014 at 00:47

I've seen a few. There was a lifted one on CL like a year ago. My sister had a rodeo. It was a great truck until trans started slipping. Worst part was nobody wanted to touch the trans. I guess Isuzu used an odd automatic trans on these or something because no one wanted to fix it, and she couldn't find a replacement. My Dad had to trailer it to a transmission shop 5 hours away to get it rebuilt.

But I wouldn't buy an automatic one anyways.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Ducky
08/28/2014 at 00:48

That's a bummer, and why I'm afraid of ever owning a soft top anything.

Goggles Pizzano > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/28/2014 at 00:51

A friend of mine also had an Isuzu pickup with transmission troubles and dealer headaches. Not buying an automatic sounds like a great idea!

Spoon II > Goggles Pizzano
08/28/2014 at 03:13

I saw my first one the other day, it looks really good in person

YesItIsOrange > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/28/2014 at 08:51

I had a '94 which I drove for 7 years. 5 speed manual, 4 cylinder, sunburst orange I think was the name of the color or something like that. Put about 140k on it. Drivetrain was completely reliable and the engine compartment was open enough to actually work on things if needed. Admittedly, horsepower wasn't huge with the smaller engine but acceptable. It handled hills in New England just fine as long as you managed your speed at the run-up. In 4-Low it was virtually stall proof.

For it's short wheelbase the car was fairly wide. I found it to be stable and entertaining without excessive body roll. It did have a tendency to buck rear passengers who wouldn't use their seat belts when going over larger bumps. The rear seat was over the axle and behaved accordingly. Their fault, I warned them.

Front hubs were manual locking, so plan to get out in snow storms or wade the puddles if you forget to lock them before hand. Ground clearance was pretty good with nothing hanging in harms way that shouldn't have been there. It had the usual stamped metal skid plates that did their job more than once for me. Although changing the oil filter required folding your arm into a praying mantis like position to get around the plate under the engine compartment. The tires were large for the car's size, aired down they had good traction and would float over a fair bit of soft terrain. Overall, I would say it wasn't quite as good off-road as a Jeep but as something to explore old fire roads and such, it did an admirable job. The solid roof over the front cab actually provided great protection from brush and branches coming in on you on trails. I found it good in cities. It had a small turning radius and enough suspension that it didn't give a damn about what you drove it over. Giant potholes, curbs, those concrete stops in your parking spot? Pop up and over and keep going. It was good in Winter. I never had to shovel it out of a parking spot.

The stock soft top was a sieve. The whole thing mounted with a series of snaps and turn-lock posts. The sealing on it's leading edge was handled with a rubber lip that pressed into a groove in the car's facing weather striping. Think of a ziplock bag and how it seals and you get the basic idea. Unfortunately, it never worked as well as the bag. Wind would work to pull the top's seal apart. It would stay together but water would work it's way through at a steady pace. In downpours I had the top let go several times and soak the back seat. Eventually I found a company that made a hard top for it. It wasn't water tight either but it was far better that the OEM option. It only channeled a trickle once in a while down the sides and not into passenger's laps. It was a fun car to drive with its top down but the thought behind the top itself was half-baked at best. The body held up pretty well despite all the water so there's that. It did sometimes get wet for periods near the tailgate and it could get musty because of that if you left anything that would trap water like a cardboard box or a blanket in the back.

Overall, I had fun driving the Amigo. That said if I were going to look at buying something today, I'd probably just get a Jeep. But if you want something that looks a little different it's an option.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Goggles Pizzano
08/28/2014 at 10:27

not buying an auto is always a good idea.