I've had a few Isuzu trucks. Actually, now that I think about it, I've had Isuzu trucks in my life since I was a kid. My dad loved the things, and so by extension, I grew to love them too.
After watching the Netflix show, Narcos, for the first time, I had an insatiable desire for a 5-speed Bronco. Finding a 5-speed Bronco, though, is almost as hard as finding a clean Porta-Potty at Coachella.
Credit: imcdb.org
Now, a few years ago I had an almost-Cherry 2nd generation Trooper. I say "almost", because it would have been a nice truck had it not been for an unbelievably-stubborn rod knock and a bad clutch. Oh yea, and a rusty frame. (I never claimed to know what I'm doing!) Anyway, that truck was nice to look at, but even when it did drive, I never got the experience I was craving.
It wasn't until I flew home for a week of day drinking that I found what I was looking for. I got off the plane carless, but within an hour, my buddy kindly offered up his '91 Trooper. By the end of the day one, I realized I needed it. It wasn't a Bronco, but that didn't stop me from feeling like Steve Murphy.
See, it wasn't the actual capabilities of the truck that I was after, but an unquantifiable feeling of badassery. A simple trip to the store in the Trooper made you feel like there might be danger lurking around every corner. Sure, some of that could be attributed to its propensity to roll over. Still, the moment you slip behind the wheel of a 1st-Gen Trooper, you become a giant question mark, an unknown factor. The world is your playground, and you might just drive over that median because you fucking can.
It took us three minutes of drunk negotiation, and the truck was mine. The only problem was that I lived across the country. That's what happens when you drink I guess. I just pretended that I'd find a solution. By the end of the week, however, I'd accepted that I couldn't take it with me, and my buddy agreed to take it back. Sigh.
I still long for that truck. In fact, my buddy still has it...and I'll be headed his way soon. Maybe this time around I should shell out for a rental--I don't know if I can take any more heartbreak.
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