1994 Isuzu Trooper S Sport Utility 4-door 3.2l on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1997 Acura SLX

When I'm prowling wrecking yards, I'm always on the lookout for obscure examples of badge engineering, and the weirder they are, the better I like them. While I haven't managed to spot a junked Suzuki Equator yet, I have photographed such rarities as the Saab 9-2x and Isuzu Ascender. A few weeks ago, I encountered one of the real oddities of the Honda-Isuzu dealmaking of the 1990s: a 1997 Acura SLX, a luxed-up Isuzu Trooper that sold very poorly and is now mostly forgotten today. Plenty of Acura SUVs designed and built entirely by Honda roll out of American showrooms today, but the 1990s SUV boom caught Honda by surprise. The first MDX wasn't ready until the 2001 model year, so Honda made a deal to take Isuzu Troopers, apply wood and leather inside and Acura badges outside, and cash in on North Americans' increasing disdain for minivans, sedans, and station wagons. Americans were very familiar with the Trooper, which was sold here from the middle 1980s until the 2002 model year, when the Chevrolet Trailblazer-based Ascender went on sale. The Isuzu name stuck around on these shores until 2008. The SLX was a decent enough truck, but there was no disguising its proletariat Trooper roots from status-conscious SUV shoppers who wanted to look more oligarchic while conquering a half-inch of snow in the mall parking lot. It didn't help that the 1997 Trooper L listed at $27,800 and the SLX Premium cost $38,300 (that's about $44,200 and $60,900 in inflation-adjusted 2018 bucks). SLX sales started off weak and plummeted after that. After 1999, the SLX was done. I spent years trying to find one in California and Colorado wrecking yards, but the few that were sold seemed to be sturdy enough to stay alive for a couple of decades. Finally, this high-mile '97 appeared in a Denver yard. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Future Classic | 1990-1993 Geo Storm and Isuzu Impulse

You don't see a lot of Geo-branded cars on the road these days, despite the fact that the General Motors' captive-import brand was actually pretty successful for around a decade. Perhaps the most recognizable vehicle to roll into Geo showrooms was the Prizm, which basically amounted to a rebadged Toyota Corolla built in California (which means General Motors was competing against its own Chevy Cavalier in the compact sedan market). And then there were the Geo Metro sub-compact, known for years as the most fuel-efficient vehicle you could buy in the United States, and the spunky Geo Tracker SUV that carried on for several years wearing Chevrolet badges after Geo's demise. Those are all interesting vehicles, but for this article we're going to focus in on the sporty Storm model. Like the other Geo vehicles, the Storm was sort of a joint venture, in this case with Isuzu, the Japanese automaker best known for making SUVs and big commercial trucks. Back in the day, though, Isuzu had some legitimately intriguing little cars in its showrooms. The Storm was based heavily on the second-generation Isuzu Impulse (known as the Piazza in other markets). And, well, you see even fewer Isuzus on the road these days than Geos. MotorWeek | Retro Review: '90 Geo Storm GSi Why are the Geo Storm and Isuzu Impulse future classics? They may never actually be "classics" in the same way a Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro may be, but they are still interesting cars. And for potential buyers of a certain age, memories of gawking at sleek-looking Geo Storms everywhere you looked mean the nostalgia factor is high. If nothing else, we're pretty sure a nicely kept Storm or Impulse would draw a certain crowd at a local car show. While the Storm was way more popular with American buyers in the 1990s, the rarity of the Impulse means it's probably the more desirable option if future collectibility is a factor. What is the ideal example of the Geo Storm or Isuzu Impulse? The most valuable version of the duo is surely the rare Isuzu Impulse RS (the silver car above) with all-wheel drive and a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that spun out 160 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque. According to reports, only about 600 of these machines were sold in the States — complete with "Handling by Lotus" badging (General Motors held sizable stakes in both brands at the time) — which means they aren't very easy to find for sale.

GM SUV window switch recall urges owners to park vehicles outside

It's not unusual for there to be a lag between an automaker announcing a recall and the official documentation showing up on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. So it's no surprise that a recent GM campaign took about a month to appear in its official capacity. However, there appears to be some big differences between the two reports with potential safety implications.
In late June, GM announced that it needed to recall 181,984 examples of the Chevrolet Trailblazer, Buick Rainier, GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7x from the 2005-2007 model years, plus the 2006 Chevy Trailblazer EXT and 2006 GMC Envoy XL. The new documents paint a slightly different picture with 184,611 needing repaired and different model years listed.
The reason for the fix is still the same, though. It's possible for fluid to contact the master power window switch module in the driver's door, which can corrode the part. Eventually this could cause a short circuit, leaving the buttons inoperable and potentially leading to a fire. But the new NHTSA documents add an important note: "A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made."