Cavaliers of this vintage aren’t exactly getting any more common, and that applies to the Trooper II. I suppose it’s a stretch to say these are about as disparate of GM cars as any, as GM didn’t actually have much to do with the Trooper, which was a 100% Isuzu project, unlike some of its other cars, like the Opel Kadett-based Isuzu Gemini (sold as an Opel in the US).
The Trooper was initially called “Rodeo Bighorn” in Japan, but the Rodeo part soon was dropped. Because Bighorn had been used by Dodge, for its biggest truck ever, that was not going to fly in the US. So Trooper it was, but why the first generation was called “II” is a mystery, especially since the second generation was just called “Trooper”. Needless to say, its boxy styling and very tall green house was strongly inspired by the Range Rover.
The Trooper was one of the first of the more compact SUVs on the market, arriving in the US in 1983, just as that segment was about to explode with the Jeep Cherokee, Chevy Blazer S-10, Bronco II, and the Mitsubishi Montero. Initially, the Trooper was only available as a two door, but wisely a four door soon was added.
The Trooper quickly acquired a rep for being tough, like all Isuzu trucks, although it was rather under-powered with its 1.9 Lgasoline four. A 2.3 L came along in 1986, a 2.6 L version was added in 1988, and in 1990, the Chevy 2.8 V6 was optional. So that version wasn’t 100% Isuzu.
There’s still a few Trooper at work here, as they seem to be nigh-near indestructible. Shall we say the same thing about the Cavalier? Some folks think so, at least after the bugs were worked out in the early versions, in typical GM style. Its rather primitive ohv four and the THM-125 both developed a rep for being rather durable. Pleasant to drive is another matter, but then presumably nobody bought them for their refinement.
So which one will outlast the other one?
It must have been 1988 everywhere: a 4 door Geo Metro drove past my house last evening.
1988? Looks more like 1998 to me, especially as the Cavalier VL is a 92-94 model it the ubiquitous ‘nineties teal’.
Cavaliers are time travelers.
For that you need an ’84-87 Type 10 or RS hatchback coupe. Preferably in
silver for maximum resemblance to a DeLorean…
Amen, hallelujah! See, there is a god!
They are getting more common in China.
http://chinaautoweb.com/car-models/chevrolet-cavalier/
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2016/05/the-chevy-cavalier-is-back-in-china.html
I have less than zero desire to go there, so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Which will outlast the other? Depends on how many head gaskets you’re willing to put on the Trooper.
Those pre-1998 2.2L engines as in this Cavalier were hardly any better. Heck, I can practically smell the leaking coolant from here.
Have not seen any 1984-87 Cavaliers (4 sealed beam headlights amber rear turn signals) in probably 10 years. I do still see 88-84 Cavaliers once in a while.
However, I have not seen an Olds Frienza, Buick Skyhawk, or Cadillac Cimarron in easily over a decade.
It’s pretty rare to see one of the early J-cars nowadays, but the few times I’ve seen one it’s actually a pretty good chance it’s a Cimarron. For some reason, they seem to have a higher survival rate around here. Otherwise, it’s probably a Cavalier or maybe a Sunbird. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Skyhawk or a Frienza in the wild.
The 88-94’s are still around, but are pretty scarce. Even the final generation has become a lot less common the past couple of years.
“Cavaliers of this vintage aren’t exactly getting any more common, and that applies to the Trooper II.”
Surely you meant, “…to the Trooper II, TOO.”
Yes, yes?
Ha, ha!
Silly season over, back to normal. And don’t call me Shirley.
Cavalier’s were junk but they did have nice airy greenhouses which were one of their best features.
I’d be more inclined to say Trooper from a desirability/enthusiasts standpoint.
Next time that Cav needs a starter or something I bet it’s scrapped instead…
I changed my ’90 Cavalier’s starter in my driveway last year. It was a bit of a challenge. I wisely chose one with a lifetime warranty. Now I’m doing the struts – myself.
I’d take the Cavalier, but I’m weird that way.
I wouldn’t mind a nice Cavalier RS wagon or sedan of that vintage.
That’s a 1991-1994 cavalier.
For some reason, Isuzu had a tough time unloading these last US-versions of the Trooper II. I vividly recall fire-sale pricing in the newspaper for both these and the lamented Axiom. I don’t really remember anything outstandingly bad about either, other than maybe some rather dismal fuel mileage numbers which certainly wasn’t helped by the bolt-upright, box shape.
On the plus side, I would be willing to bet that the Trooper II was the last vehicle available with front vent windows.
I forgot about the vent windows in the Trooper! I sure don’t miss them, because they howled like hell on the freeway, closed…
As mentioned, I’m sure having all the aerodynamics of a telephone booth didn’t help the vent window noise on the highway.
In that regard, ironically, the Trooper, like the Jeep Wrangler, seemed to be much more at home off-road than on. To their credit, Isuzu really seemed to try to give their 4WD vehicles amble off-road ability.
Unfortunately, for some reason, the Trooper just never caught on like the Wrangler as a ‘lifestyle’ vehicle. People seem to embrace the lack of on-road drivability of the Wrangler (no matter how hard they try to disguise it, it still drives like a truck from a half century ago), but when it’s anything else, they avoid it like the plague. It’s only after they’re gone that they seem to develop a cult-like following.
As evidence, the Toyota FJ Cruiser, a vehicle that sold poorly when new but, now, is among the best of used vehicles at holding resale value.
You aren’t wrong on all accounts. That Trooper was not what one would call comfy. That said, on hunting trips near the Canadian border, off-road adventures were a breeze for that beast; my uncle’s Jimmy couldn’t dream of trekking into territory that Trooper could venture. One thing I remember now, looking back, was the transmission tunnel in the rear seat. Once 4-wheel drive was engaged, it got insanely hot to the touch. The other (likely) reason these weren’t big sellers was price. I can’t remember exactly, but I think dad paid $15k for his in ’86. No power windows/locks/mirrors, just A/C and AM/FM cassette, alloy wheels, and the two-tone. His other consideration at the time? A BMW 318i… Mom liked the truck better, and thought the BMW was waaayy too expensive for what it was, and I don’t deny that truth for the times. Trooper it was. Just imagine a driveway paird with a 318i and a Cavalier (shudders).
You could get a new, cheap Trooper, but it was definitely a base strippo. We’re talking 2WD and manual transmission here. IIRC, they were the ones with massive discounts. After a year or two nailed to the showroom floor, there were still few takers.
But, then, this was the snowbelt, too. Maybe in a temperate climate that saw zero snowfall, they might have sold better.
This basically was my parent’s driveway for many years; a gray ’85 Cavalier Type 10 coupe, and a burgundy/gold two-tone 86 Trooper II two door. They were both pretty good cars, so each was kept to just shy of 100,000 miles. The Cavalier did require two clutches during that timeframe, while the Isuzu had a cracked exhaust manifold. Not bad in the grand scheme of things. One curious observation was that the Cavalier rusted like crazy after about 4 years (we lived in MN back then), but that Trooper never rusted the whole time they owned both. I’m not sure when it was introduced, but I know Dad’s Trooper had a 2.3 SOHC four / 5 speed combo. I never knew there was a 1.9 in the US (!).
I forgot to include the 2.3, which replaced the 1.9 in 1986. A friend had an early 1.9; it took some rowing to keep it rolling.
I think I see another gold colored Cavalier in the last picture by the Hertz sign.
I just realized I know exactly where that pic was taken.
The Cavalier could be tempting, but so is that Durango!
I hated that teal color back in the early 1990’s! There were so many Berettas, Sunbirds, Escorts, and teal Cavaliers!! Teal had some popularity in the mid to late 1960’s and looks great on a De Ville, Continental or New Yorker.
The Trooper is somewhat a cult vehicle – at least it was to friend of mine who went out of his way to replace his Trooper II with a ‘new’ used low mileage Trooper. His Trooper II was the better SUV.
Be glad you didn’t live in Jacksonville, Florida during the 90s. The city finally got its NFL team, the Jaguars, and their team color was….teal. Teal…everyfreakingwhere. For years. Gawd, how I hate that color….
Ahh, the humble Cav. I remember when I was a Chevy service advisor, I was just shocked at how bad the last iteration of the Cav was. The materials were cheaper than the cheapest and the cars creaked and groaned like banshees on Halloween. The 1988-1994 weren’t bad cars for their era. The final generation of 1995-2005 was the epitome of GM garbage. I remember my GM store selling them for $5995.
There was one exception to the bad, final generation Cavalier, and that was the convertible versions. It’s only because they weren’t actually done by GM but were converted at ASC. While the factory GM Cavalier parts were all still their hoary old self, the top and other related components and trim were all top-notch quality and installation. Specifically, the top operation in and of itself was way better than one would expect to find in a bottom-feeder GM vehicle.
The other night, our local news in San Antonio ran a story on a guy getting carjacked in his apartment complex parking lot. The thief made off with the victim’s ’99 Cavalier, thereby getting jacked as bad as the victim.
I always liked the Trooper II (forgot about the “II” part). The cavalier? Not so much. They seemed to sell decently here in northeast Florida back in the 80s, at least until the second generation came out; by then the Explorer was in full sales mode, as was the downsized Grand Cherokee; both of which were more refined. The Trooper II established a reputation in these parts as being somewhat of a snob vehicle, derided by some (the Bronco and Blazer crowd) as a “yuppie-mobile”.. I would venture to say the Trooper II’s biggest flaw was being an Isuzu, in that while mechanically solid, they certainly weren’t overbuilt, and were somewhat flimsy. Which attests to the dearth of them on the roads today.
The idea to change the headlights to rectangular was a poor marketing decision, in my opinion. Isuzu wasn’t bashful in their blatant attempt to mimic the Land Rover/Range Rover. They looked great round, and the rectangular headlights made it look more like “just another face in the crowd”.
I had just noticed that the early Trooper II was powered by the 1.9L four. I’m always chuckle a little bit when people claim a certain vehicle/drivetrain is “underpowered”, but in this case I’ll believe it. I’ve never driven a Trooper II, but did own an ‘83 Isuzu P’up (LWB, top of the line LS model) for two years. It was powered by the 1.9L, also. It was incredibly slow, but adequate. I’m certain I’ve recounted in the past about it, but it sat on a dealer’s lot for about a year before I bought it. In that time, the secondary on the carburetor had seized, which made performance even worse. I distinctly recall top end on our pancake flat Florida I-95 was 77mph in 4th, 72 in 5th, with a tailwind; just enough to keep up with the slow lane. In fact, on our tallest bridge here (I don’t know the grade, but it’s steep by Florida standards), top end was 45mph, in 3rd gear, emergency flashers recommended as the speed limit is 65 on that bridge, I believe. I can’t imagine what it would of been like in hilly terrain.
Funny thing about that truck, even though the carburetor had no secondary, it ran great, like a sewing machine. However, it did have some top end clatter. It was noticeable enough that while idling in a drive-thru que one day, some kids skateboarded up to me, and one asked if it was a diesel. “No, it isn’t. Scram, kid…”
I have to agree with the post by Eric above that it’s more like 1998 than 1988…..only because in 1998 I was a senior in HS and had been bombing around north eastern PA in a 1986 Trooper II 2 door LWB battle wagon (round headlights FTW!) since I turned 16 in ’96 and had bought my best friends 1990 Cavalier coupe to take with me to college. My Isuzu only had the front 2 buckets as I realized it was the perfect vehicle to transport band equipment for the female fronted speed punk rock band I played in at the time named Super Unleaded. The cavernous greenhouse also provide a great place to crash after gigs and,…um…partake in extra curricular activities with the lady fans who were “Like really digging the band, kinda…..” Long story short the punk band parted ways after HS and the lead singer and I (bass/guitar) went on to form a typical late 90s-early aughts emo-ish band (think Jimmy Eat World or Sunny Day Real Estate) called Vinyl Cottage, active until ’05, and the Trooper did follow me to State College…..
The Cavvy was purchased for $50 after it was involved in an accident and the $50 covered the parking ticket after my buddy abandoned it downtown. A new hood and grill from the pick and pull and I drove this car for 6 more years until I transferred to grad school in VA.
Thanks for the great photo to remind of some great times in my past!
My sis in law and hubby in Idaho had an 89 TrooperII. Very capable off-road, tolerable on-road. Had the 2.6 liter engine; sure enough, the head cracked.
Mrs. Tom had 86 and 90 Cavs. Not bad cars for what they were. Not great, but had strong a/c (needed here!) The 86 had a good stereo radio as I recall.
Mom’s ’85 Type 10 coupe had the digital Delco stereo, and it indeed was very good for the times.
The Cavalier is a thing that says much about the Brazilian car market and overall car culture. It’s a car that’s a laughing stock in pretty much every market where it was sold, and yet most people here thinks this car is one of the best vehicles ever made. That’s sad, because this car is average at best…
I have a 1986 Chevy Cavalier 2.2 RS station wagon for sale if anybody wants it. You can contact me at optionmannn@gmail.com
I have a 1986 Chevy Cavalier 2.2 RS station wagon for sale if anybody wants it. You can contact me at option m a n n n at gmail.com
That is a 1992-1994 Cavalier. That teal color did not come out until 1992 if I recall correctly and it has the plastic wheel covers, the 1991 version still had the steel wheels. I agree with the other poster. The 1991 – 1994 were decent if not the greatest cars. The latest models were horrible. A coworker bought a 2005 based on it being among the cheapest new vehicle she could get and it was just that CHEAP – one of the ugliest tackiest all plastic dashboards I have ever seen. Also. tacky seat fabrics.
Theres still a few of those Isuzu Bighorns around mostly ex JDM Big Horns the locally sold version was Holden Jackeroo badged the 2.8 diesel engines in them go it seems for ever,
I’d always thought the Trooper II was the 2-door version, since at some point the badges were redesigned to just read “Trooper”–like the ones on this truck if you enlarge the photos.