Isuzu NPR as landscaping truck?

[SyicoIDI]

I was thinking about picking up a Isuzu NPR and having my guys drive it to cut lawns. Currently they are driving my 06 F-350 with a 6.0 and the are kind of beating it up. I am looking at a 96 box truck that I am going to convert into a dump. Truck has 175,*** on it and owner says its a 3.9L diesel. It is stupid cheap IMO owner wants $3000 or best reasonable offer. Was going to offer him $2500- $2800. The bad part is all the gauge clusters in this truck do not function and the truck has been sitting for a year, but still runs and drives. I basically have two questions:

1. What do you guys think could be causing the clusters to be dead?

2. Does anyone have any experience with these trucks, what should I look out for?

I could not find a whole lot on the internet about these trucks and have read mixed reviews seems like everyone either loves them or hates them.

 

[79jasper]

Let me start by saying I have zero experience with them.

But I've heard they're pretty good.

Around here, most of them are used for landscaping.

On the cluster, really you'd just have to check it out.

That seems like a good price.

Sent from my USCC-C6721 using Tapatalk

 

[towcat]

I have Isuzu experience in the towtruck realm. they are though as nails but the maintence parts are out of this world expensive. god help you when it breaks down, the major parts price is out of this universe. i've tried bringing interior parts from the china version of the isuzu back here to see if it fits in the us version....nope. not a drop-in. much fab work needed. electrical is pretty simple, but I still have aftermarket gauges in it

 

[SyicoIDI]

Yeah me and a buddy of mine where thinking it might be a bad ground on the cab or something stupid like that.

 

[SyicoIDI]

That's basically what I've been reading is that the truck is tough but hard to get parts for. Any after market parts, market for these trucks?

 

[towcat]

That's basically what I've been reading is that the truck is tough but hard to get parts for. Any after market parts, market for these trucks?

yes there is. all you have to do is go to China and bag one of the knockoff parts from there.
as far as hi-po parts.....there is no such thing.