- While some modified Jeeps look like they want to murder you, the Isuzu Amigo wants to be your off-road friend.
- The Amigo is a small but capable SUV, slow but gutsy with a four-cylinder engine, four-wheel drive, and a two-speed transfer case.
- This one is offered at no reserve in an auction that ends on Wednesday, April 3.
Sold in the U.S. starting in 1989, the Isuzu Amigo wanted to be your dirt-slinging pal, a chunky little three doored mutt with a retractable canvas rear roof for getting the most out of sunny days on the trails.
This brightly colored 1994 Amigo with some sweet ’90s graphics is like an Easter basket just waiting to be filled with camping gear. It’s up for auction on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos).
The Amigo was called various by various names around the world and was essentially a two-door version of the four-door Isuzu Rodeo SUV. (Incidentally, the Rodeo had the rather excellent nameplate “Isuzu Mystery Utility Wizard” in its home market of Japan.) The Amigo was pitched as the fun younger sibling to the Rodeo, perfect for the California lifestyle of driving around on beaches and whatnot. Isuzu even went so far as to make a parody of the commercial jingle for the Slinky to emphasize that the Amigo could go down stairs, alone or in pairs, and was fun for a girl and a boy.
This example comes with a 2.6-liter four-cylinder engine, which carried a modest power rating of 120 horsepower but had plenty of torque. The gearbox is a five-speed manual, and the part-time four-wheel-drive system features a low-range transfer case. Total mileage shown is just 59,000 miles, and the condition seems to back this up. There are a few dents here and there, but the interior especially is in good shape. The Amigo didn’t have a lot of optional extras when new, so it’s nice to see that this one comes with air conditioning and a cassette deck.
Recent mechanical refurbishing includes a service for the fuel injectors and new sparkplugs and wires. There’s no note about the timing belt being done, which should probably be on your to-do list for peace of mind.
With that sorted, this little Isuzu would be ready to be your adventure Amigo for the upcoming summer. It’s a shame that rugged but small SUVs seem to have been a fad that has faded away over the years. Head on over to Bring a Trailer to get back to a time when four-wheelin’ was more about having fun than giant tires and tactical-style bumpers.
The auction ends on April 3.
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.