Hi DL,
I went thru the same decisions 5 years ago as to which truck to buy. Looked at NPS, Fuso & Iveco Daily. The daily was quickly eliminated as didn't have the size/payload I was after, very glad in hindsight given the problems they have had.
This forum is Fuso dominated, due to the unavailability of the NPS in the US, so you would be forgiven for thinking that was the better/more popular choice.
With no disrespect to all the current Fuso owners here, when I put all the specs down on paper it was really chalk and cheese, the Isuzu was streets ahead. Don't get me wrong the Fuso had a big following in Oz at the time but that appears to have waned since then. Most of the local body builders, for this size, seem to be largely NPS based now, some have gone towards the Iveco, and Kym Bolton has stuck with the Fuso.
You mention wanting to put ATW parabolics on the front only. I would caution against this- suspension is really an all of vehicle approach. No point having extra wheel travel on the front if you have to drag the ******** end thru still.
Good luck with this and the hundreds of other decisions to come, I'm off to pack for the Oz Day long weekend.
Cheers Steve
