A racist comment? Not at all, when applied to boxy SUVs. Apparently, others think they all look the same, as this isn’t the first time we’ve found a Japanese SUV posing as a Mercedes. Almost two years ago, we featured the Gelandejetero, a wanna-be Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen made out of a Dodge Raider, which was really a wanna-be Dodge made out of a Mitsubishi Montero, which was really a renamed Pajero. Today, we have a wanna-be Gelandewagen based on an Isuzu Trooper, and this one even has air suspension!
Underneath it all is a 160K miles Isuzu Trooper with air suspension and manual trans. If purchased cheaply enough, perhaps, it can be saved? I would assume the Isuzu bits have many miles and years left in them if someone has taken care of this truck.
The seller provides little info, but a couple very good quotes:
- “lound sound system”
- “airbag system (front back side to side)”
Click for Craigslist ad
Anaheim, CA
$2,200
Front end is all (cheaply done) Gelandewagen, but the Trooper profile is clearly visible. That’s not a bad thing to us here at Oddimotive.
Yes, the air suspension can be dumped!
Here’s the tell-tale Trooper door arrangement – one of the coolest ever. Note that this car also has positively hideous wheels, just like the aftermarket ones most Mercedes G-Class owners utilize and which remove most off-road capability.
Here’s the very, very blue interior. Note the cheaply-applied steering wheel badge and the excessive use of screens. What do they do? The good news here is the manual shifter!
The door panels appear to be custom, faux suede with strange blue touches.
Here’s the cargo area, which is completely taken up with a ridiculous stereo system and air suspension components. Note the HiFonics amp – 80s fans will remember that brand!
Three 12-inch woofers firing directly into an air tank. Hmm.
Ad text:
1988 isuzu trooper with mercedes front end. 160,000 miles 4 cylinders. lound sound system, airbag system (front back side to side) custom dashboard new carpet. A lot of custom stuff. Needs engine or heads rebuild, any questions feel free to text me at