I'll give Banchi105 a prop-up.
He is exactly right. It's not fair to compare Isuzu to Honda or Toyota as they sell 10x more of one single model than Isuzu does of all their vehicles combined in the USA. When you talk problems, you have to talk percentages and we can't do that. If you know two bad Toyotas out of the MILLIONS they sold last year (or two bad ones over the tens of millions they sold in the last decade), then that's pretty damn good.
If you know a few bad Isuzu's out of the
30,000 they sold last year, à..that's pretty bad. You have to give some credit to CNN/Fox/JD Power (but not Consumers Union!) and other sites as they comb all owners and base ratings off percentages. If someone on this board can show me where they used scientific polling procedures to check with thousands of Isuzu, Toyota, and Honda owners, I'll give their opinion a little more wieght.
You also have to look at how the companies respond to problems. How long did Isuzu drag their feet over oil consumption/burning problems before even admitting it existed? What about all the threads saying " Just pull the fuse on the anti-lock brakes since they activate when you don't want them to, and don't activate when you need them." ETC for all the other common problems we discuss like shorted out alternators...and the new 3.5 liter puts it right back on bottom again. Stupid engineering. Problems? ETC.
If Isuzu was at the top of the charts and one guy had a complaint, everyone would be using these same sources as support. Another good example: During the Insurance Crash Test ratings last year, Hondas did average. They took the new data they got and re-engineered their SUV's, rebuilt, and resubmitted in a matter of a couple months. They passed with great results and recalled all old models to upgrade them. American car companies scored low and said, "Eh." Kia was the worst and didn't care at all. You can't beat corporate Honda and Toyota for good quality and service, and dedication to the customer. They wouldn't say "All our vehicles burn a quart every 1000 miles? Just pull over and add another quart. What? Every 500 miles? Make it 2 quarts then."
I love my Isuzu Amigo, but realize I'm on an Isuzu board with guys who are dedicated to Isuzu's and take extra care of their Isuzu's. For the average Joe buyer, Isuzu has had below average quality. We were the bastard on GM's line, now we're being built by Sabaru. Do you really think they try as hard to build the competition's car as they do their own?
On the plus size, sometimes quality also has little to do with loyalty. This is the same board that trounced on Hummers for having the absolute lowest quality on JD Power-ùbelow Kia and Hyundai. Yet Hummer owners are fiercely loyal. But when it comes to Isuzu...well, you can't trust those JD Power guys.
Again, I love my Isuzu, it's a good deal for the money, but you are taking more of a risk. Quality work and extra inspections/review cost more. Paying more for quality is just like buying insurance. Reputations for quality are earned by putting out a superior product over many years, with superior customer service to back it up. I like Isuzu products for the money, but do realize it's a risk and NOT in the same quality level as Honda or Toyota.
And I hope when Isuzu completes their move to Thailand and has their own factory, it includes an increase in product quality.
