The 1994 Isuzu Amigo was a semi-convertible — the rear soft top came off, which made it a genuinely fun vehicle to drive. I had it when I lived in Pasadena, and we went places.
In the same period I also had the 1965 Land Rover 109" Station Wagon — “Kung San.” The two vehicles occupied different niches. The Amigo was quick and easy, good for trips that didn’t require serious off-road capability. The Rover was for when you needed something that had survived five previous decades of whatever.
What we did with the Amigo:
Drove it down to Baja to the Matomi Wash checkpoint — a remote checkpoint deep enough into Baja that you’re committed once you’re there. Took it up to Seattle and back for a computer convention, which is a long drive in a small truck but completely doable. Skiing in Utah. The dry lake camping trip with Guinness and oysters, which was exactly what it sounds like — a dry lake bed, camping gear, good beer, good shellfish. Took it with Kip to Rick’s wedding.
The Amigo and the Trooper before it were underappreciated vehicles in the US. Similar class to the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series utility trucks — capable, honest, unfussy — but without the Land Cruiser’s reputation. Isuzu ran a series of “Joe Isuzu” commercials in the late '80s that were genuinely funny, and the vehicles deserved better recognition than they got.
I sold the Amigo eventually when the priorities shifted. By then I’d been through the Jeep, the Trooper, the 88" Rover, and was deep into the Pasadena Land Rover era. The Amigo was the practical vehicle in a collection that didn’t prioritize practicality.