Our long-term Rodeo came back from the body shop looking shiny and new after its collision repairs. We had Denver Isuzu perform the Rodeo's 15,000-mile service that included an oil change, filter change, tire rotation and axle lube. They also investigated the steering wheel shimmy that had been worsening over the last two months, and carried out the work for the technical service bulletin that we received regarding a faulty mounting bracket and sensor for the antilock braking system.

We were happy to get the Rodeo back after its week in the shop. During its short absence we missed its ability to swallow people and pets, although we didn't miss having to stop to gas it up every few days. We should note that, despite having to stop for frequent fill-ups, our Rodeo's fuel economy has improved for the second straight month posting an impressive (for a sport-ute) 20.1 mpg on a tank of gas. This month's worst fuel economy numbers were better than the best figures for last month.

It is starting to bother us that every time we take the truck in for service it takes longer than expected to get it back. We aren't sure whether a limited supply of parts is to blame or what, but the Rodeo was scheduled to be ready on a Thursday, but wasn't actually available until the next day. If this were a one-time thing it would not be so bad. Unfortunately, this always seems to happen when we take the Rodeo into the shop.

We have started to see a number of Rodeos on the streets of Denver and are surprised that many of them look exactly like ours: silver paint, an outside spare-tire carrier, running boards and a bug guard. While its gratifying to know that we picked the Isuzu most adored by the buying public (or at least that part of it that lives in Denver), it makes our vehicle look a little less special in the grocery store parking lot.

With the steering wheel shimmy fixed and the bug guard tightened, the Rodeo is trouble-free. We hope it stays that way for awhile, because it soon may be heading to the Big Apple. New York is definitely not a place where we want to be stranded with problems.

Best Fuel Economy: 20.1 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 17.4 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $195 (15,000-mile Scheduled Service as per Rodeo Owner's Manual)
Problems: None