1996 Isuzu Touch Up Paint (22 OEM Colors)

The 1996 Isuzu Vibe

Welcome to 1996-the year when everyone wanted to look like they spent their weekends in the backcountry, even if the furthest their Isuzu Rodeo ever went was the overflow parking lot at a Blockbuster. We've got 37 colors on file for this year, and let me tell you, Isuzu was leaning hard into the "rugged sophistication" lie. Between the two-tone Troopers and the Bright Teal Metallic Hombres, they were trying to give you every flavor of the rainbow while you sat in traffic. Whether you were hauling the family in an Oasis or pretending to be an explorer in a Fir Green Pearl Trooper, 1996 was the peak of the SUV aesthetic before everything turned into a silver-gray blob.

Paint Health Check

If you're looking at your '96 Isuzu today and it looks like it's suffering from a permanent, flaky sunburn, don't take it personally-you're just living through the "Peeling Era." By 1996, the industry was all-in on the basecoat/clearcoat system, but they hadn't quite mastered the recipe for long-term marriage between the two. The clear coat on these rigs-especially on the flat surfaces like the hood and roof-tends to give up the ghost and "delaminate." It starts as a little white haze or a small chip, and before you know it, the clear is lifting off in sheets like a bad wallpaper job. If you've got one of those Iron Gray or Pacific Blue Pearl finishes, you're likely seeing the basecoat oxidize into a chalky mess the second that clear layer fails.

Restoration Tip

Listen close: in this era, a rock chip isn't just a cosmetic annoyance; it's an invitation for the clear coat to start a slow-motion escape from the rest of the car. The second you see a nick, seal it. If the clear has already started to lift around the edges of a chip, you can't just "paint over it" and hope for the best. You need to carefully sand and "feather" the edge of the failing clear coat until it's smooth and flush with the basecoat. If you don't lock down that edge, your new paint will just sit on top of a failing foundation, and the whole repair will peel off within a year. Fix the edges, seal the perimeter, and stop the delamination before it turns your Rodeo into a project car you can't finish.