Isuzu NPR Service rig?

[mattjohnston]

Anyone got any insight in servicing with one of these mean machines?

Late 90's are about the same price as equal year diesel vans.. But they have alot more room, better gas mileage, and seem to be more reliable.

+ Neat cab over design!

Anyone used one before?

http://i8.ebayimg.com/01/i/01/f7/b1/c8_1_b.JPG

[VWRX]

I drove a stake bed version of that truck for a couple of years while working as a scenic carpenter for a theater in Boston, and enjoyed every minute of it. We had a gas engine, and it was a shockingly zippy truck -- powerful, with fabulous turning radius -- but I would be concerned about gas mileage when hauling a load over hilly highways.

In related news, there are a lot of intersesting used trucks for sale on the Mitsubishi FUSO site:

http://www.mitfuso.com/usedtrucks.htm

Scattered all over the country, and some OK deals if you choose a common model, with high mileage. Caveat: safety recalls due to hub and brake problems?

-Isaac

[mattjohnston]

I would only be interested in Diesel...

Right now I get 6mpg :(

Thanks for the mitsu link!

[fieldthis]

I don't have any experience with the trucks, but the engines are also used in construction equipment we sell at work. Very dependable. We have excavators with Isuzu engines that routinely reach 10,000 hrs without anything but routine service. Fiqure an average of 35mph, and your talking about 350,000 miles. But, keep in mind an excavator runs at full throttle most of the time, the truck would not. It should last longer in a truck.

Fuel economy, an Isuzu will get better fuel mileage than a Cummins engine of the same horsepower.

Rob

[J Cox]

Matt,

I looked at these when I bought my service rig (used medium duty Freightliner FL70). The problem I found with light duty commercial stuff like the one pictured is they were designed/specd. as "city trucks". That means they have power and gearing for 55-60 mph top speed. I wanted to be able to do 75-80 if need be. The difference in power required to push that extra 20 mph is amazing. Even buying the medium duty I did, I still had to re-gear, to get it over 63 MPH. Even now with the pump turned up it's working pretty hard at anything over 70.

Jim Cox
#558

[mattjohnston]

Hmm, thats one of the things I was kinda worried about.

I have found a couple that are used as medium haul interstate trucks though...

I cant seem to find the gearing specs, and if there were multiple choices..

Hmmm.

Just a choice, I want something Diesel, with a 16ft or larger box, for 8k or less :)

[SagSert]

Matt,

Did you know that I'm the General Manager of an Isuzu Commercial Truck Dealership ???

Even though we don't have any used ones, I may be able to help you find a used one or entice you to go with a shiny new one.}>

Cheers

M.Samli