Thoughts on Isuzu NPRs?

"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish)
06/20/2019 at 22:05 • Filed to: Worklopnik

At my work, we currently have an 06 or 07 GMC Savana 1 ton with a 16' van body. Despite only having 138k kms on it, it’s pretty rough. There isn’t much desire to do any work to it since the plan was always to replace it with a truck with a gate. We’ve starting acquiring a lot more inventory, and I’ve starting driving the truck more, so I’ve started the ball rolling on a new truck.

What we currently have, except ours looks like it’s been hanging out at the bottom of a lake

The best option I can find is an Isuzu NPR, with the 6.0 Chevy motor. I want to stick with a gasser since we hardly put any miles on it, I think we only spent $1200 on gas last year. Don’t need DEF or a DPF to worry about, or pricier oil changes. Even better, since the gas NPRs aren’t nearly as desirable to most people, the few I can find are like 10-15 grand less than a diesel. The other big bonus is since it’s a cabover, we can get a 20' van and only gain a foot or so of overall length. I’ve found a nice 2015 with a 20' van, the 6.0 gas, and a nice tuckaway gate that I’ll be checking out in the next little while.

So what says Oppo, any better ideas? I don’t really know much about this sort of thing, I just know more than my bosses, so it’s my job to get us a truck.

DISCUSSION (28)

wafflesnfalafel > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 22:29

I have several clients that really like them... mostly contractors

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 22:35

I like the izuzu. Good trucks

DipodomysDeserti > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 22:36

I had one for a while that I used for a delivery truck and maintained myself. I had the diesel and loved it . The DEF reservoir is huge, so you don’t really have to worry about running out. We got 11-13 mpg, so I’d imagine single digit fuel economy with the gasser.

PS9 > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 22:36

So this is the only way to get a mid engine LS vehicle with a factory warranty on it. For now, anyway.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 22:39

I like them a lot, especially with the bigger 5.2 motor. They’re mechanically very tough. I’ve never actually seen a gas powered NPR , although I’m told they exist. I’m not sure what the advantage of a gas powered one would be over the GM or Ford chassis except the shorter cab.

AestheticsInMotion > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 22:40

I managed a small fleet that included 2 24' NPR’s and 3 20' GMC box trucks. Roughly the same length for what it’s worth.

The NPR’s were diesel and the GMC’s were gas. All bought with less than 50,000 miles and 2009 o r newer.

Overall the GMC’s had minor issues seemingly every week, the kind of thing that takes $10 worth of parts and 30 minutes to fix. Mirrors would always get loose and need to be retightened, manual window levers would snap off, foot brake would get stuck in the engaged position, etc. The NPR’s didn’t suffer the same frequent minor issues, but on the rare occasion that something did go wrong, parts were exponentially more expensive, and fixes were more time consuming. It was also a major pain finding shops that were willing to work on the NPR. Out of 10 local heavy duty diesel shops, all but 2 refused my trucks. I never had a single truck shop turn down one of the GMC’s. Might be less of an issue in Canada?

Water seeps into the battery area on the NPR’s and can lead to some annoying problems, I’d address that before it becomes an issue.

The NPR’s feel much more refined to drive. Braking and accelerating are quicker and smoother, but with the diesel at least, you won’t be able to hit freeway speeds unless you hit the overdrive button (I got calls from multiple guys on the crew saying “our new truck won’t top 50mph, help!”)

Tl:Dr - The GMC’s seemed to be designed well and put together poorly, whearas the NPR’s were put together quite well b ut had some v ery questionable design choices.

BJ > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 22:41

I have no experience with these trucks (or any trucks really) , but I do wonder about one thing: Can oil changes and repairs be had anywhere, or only at a “truck” garage? Will this cost significantly more than a regular truck?

Also, does your current truck look like ass because it was a piece of shit destined to fall apart, or has it been seriously abused?

Oh, and another thing: driver’s licenses. Is the Isuzu still in the same class, or does it require more driver ed and different licensing?

jminer > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 22:41

I worked for a cleaning and restoration company and we operated a fleet of 15 of those gas cab-over Isuzus. They handled the abuse awesome and held up much better than the Chevy 1 ton box vans we had. Ours would have a 15-20 year lifespan of hard abuse with regular maintenance but they were almost never out of commission .

DipodomysDeserti > AestheticsInMotion
06/20/2019 at 22:57

How old were your NPRs ? I could easily hit 70-80mph in ours loaded up with 6k or so lbs of mail. Got like 9mpg, but I made it to the post office in time.

DipodomysDeserti > BJ
06/20/2019 at 22:59

Oil change is the same as any vehicle, just a lot more of it because it is a diesel. I did the oil, fuel filters, and transmission fluid all myself on ours. It uses a proprietary transmission fluid that is expensive, but everything else was pretty standard. The cab over design makes engine work very easy.

fhrblig > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 23:00

I never had one in my work fleet but have always heard good things about them. At my last job we leased all our trucks, so it was mostly Kenworth and International. We did have a couple small Hino trucks and they were pretty reliable, though holy 90s- and 00s-Toyota parts bin, Batman. All the switches looked looked they were out of a mid 90s Camry.

gmctavish needs more space > AestheticsInMotion
06/20/2019 at 23:06

Nice, all good things to know.

I don’t see getting it serviced being an issue. There’s an Isuzu dealer not too far away if all else fails, but I’m 90% sure the shop we currentl y go to work s on them. Especially with the 6.0 chevy in it.

AestheticsInMotion > DipodomysDeserti
06/20/2019 at 23:06

One 2009, one 2013.

I don’t have exact weight specs, but I’m guessing they were around 6-10 k depending on how full various water and chemical tanks were. But yeah, throttle pegged to the floor on flat ground, they wouldn't go above 50—maybe 55—without that overdrive.

gmctavish needs more space > BJ
06/20/2019 at 23:08

Anywhere that it’ll fit in the door I assume, but we take ours to a truck shop that’s close by anyways.

It hasn’t been maintained super well, and it never gets clean so it’s covered in mildew/moss. Honestly it’d be fine for years, but we want a power tailgate.

gmctavish needs more space > jminer
06/20/2019 at 23:08

That is excellent to hear

gmctavish needs more space > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
06/20/2019 at 23:09

The shorter cab is a big advantage, we’re in tight areas, so a 20' van on a truck that’s only a foot longer than our current one would be awesome. Plus they’re cheaper than a diesel.

AestheticsInMotion > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 23:11

Well than I’d definitely get an Isuzu over another GM work vehicle. If you’re not limited by parking s pace/tight metropolitan areas maybe even check out a 24'. Some room grow into isn’t the worst!

The best mod I ever did was set up a wide angle backup camera viewable at all times. Camera was centered above the tailgate, and a 7 inch tablet was attached to the dash. That rear visibility m ade driving much for pleasant for myself personally, and went a long way towards keeping new recruits from backing into things.

Under_Score > gmctavish needs more space
06/20/2019 at 23:19

Nah, my mom likes WSB Radio.

Wait, trucks, never mind.

gmctavish needs more space > AestheticsInMotion
06/20/2019 at 23:21

We are often in tight areas, and our loads are bulky but not heavy. By that length I can only find 5 tons, and that would be a pretty rough ride with how light we usually run, but mostly it would just be pretty tight for a lot of the areas we’d be in. Realistically we’d be fine with another 16’, I’m just thinking we should have the extra room of the 20’ since it’s only a foot longer than our current truck.

DipodomysDeserti > AestheticsInMotion
06/20/2019 at 23:59

Probably depends on road conditions. It was pretty much all downhill with no traffic from our shop to the PO.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > gmctavish needs more space
06/21/2019 at 03:27

If it is any help, the N Series Isuzu trucks are the most popular light truck models in Australia... exclusively diesel and some of the Ready-To-Work models are cheaper to drive away than a mid spec dual Toyota Hilux or Ford Ranger...

Some of ours come in either full time AWD or full tilt selectable 4x4 too...

Khalbali > gmctavish needs more space
06/21/2019 at 07:18

I drive a couple old NPRs for work, they suck. I never knew you could even get a gas, we have diesels. I used to think cabovers were great space efficiency but unless you do 100% city driving I don’t think it’s worth the ride quality. An f450 isn’t that much harder to manuever and rides a million times better, I’m trying to get my boss to buy one of those right now lol.

pip bip - choose Corrour > gmctavish needs more space
06/21/2019 at 07:21

TIL Isuzu NPR have a petrol engine, diesel only here

gmctavish needs more space > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
06/21/2019 at 10:43

Oh wow, that’s pretty wild.

4x4 would be cool, but we definitely don’t need it, unfortunately

gmctavish needs more space > Khalbali
06/21/2019 at 10:49

How old? It’s possible the newer ones have a better ride I suppose. We do like 90% c ity driving, and we probably only use it like once a week at most. If not the NPR, we’d most likely just get a newer Savana with a 16’ box. Ours does ride surprisingly nicely. A pickup based truck would look a lot cooler, but I don’t see any for sale locally

gmctavish needs more space > pip bip - choose Corrour
06/21/2019 at 10:49

It might only be a North America thing since they’re usually sold at GM dealers here

Khalbali > gmctavish needs more space
06/21/2019 at 18:55

Newer ones are definitely nicer, my weekend got has a 2017ish NPR that's a huge upgrade from my mon-fri 99 and 04 NPRs. But still, personally I would take pretty much anything over a cabover although it does sound like it would work for you. Cabovers are nice in theory but in reality, you're sitting directly over the front wheels of a heavy duty truck with a solid axle. Also I saw a pretty gnarly crash a few weeks back where a cabover rear ended a semi trailer and it did not look good for the driver, in a cabover you ARE the crumple zone and as far as I know even brand new NPRs still don't have airbags, I don't think the 2017 does.

Nate > gmctavish needs more space
06/21/2019 at 21:23

I have 4 99-04 NPR diesels in my fleet. Dead nuts reliable, only major issues I’ve had with them is due to driver stupidity (one drove half a day on gasoline, smoked a pump) and abuse (driver neutral bombed and d to r shifted often and shredded a tranny). They’re great city trucks, not so much highway though. I'm 6'1" and change and fit comfortably in them. Isuzu parts are expensive. Gm parts aren't too bad. I frequently rent new ones from the big yellow company with gas 6.0s in them. They feel like you're gonna do a wheelie when you hit the throttle. Expect 11-13mpg out of the diesels and 9ish from the gas motors.