I’m considering buying a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero (called Pajero in some countries). Has anyone owned it and can tell if they’re satisfied with it.
I’d like to know if its a good reliable car. Another option I was considering was getting a 94-95 LandCruiser for same price I can get a 2001 Montero. But the difference is that LC will have more than 100k miles on it compared to 40-50k on Montero.
I really like LC and think i should be able to put on 200k miles on it without any major problems, but the Montero deal seems more attractive since its a newer SUV with half the miles.
Another option i was considering was LandRover Discovery but i dropped the idea since the maintanance cost on that seems pritty high.
I’ve been to Edmund’s site to see people’s experiences and most of them rated Montero as a good solid SUV. Most of the editor’s reviews seen at these type of sites are those done when they were just introduced. I’m more interested in how it has fared since then.
My budget is between $15k-$20k (leaning more towards the lower end).
Your opinions and advice will be greatly helpful and appreciated.
As funny as it sounds, you may be able to get an older Mercedes SUV for less than 20K. These things last 200k miles or more. I just bought and sold a car through CarMax, and was very pleased. Ford Explorers are a dime a dozen on their web site, and the cars go through a vigorous inspection, and are guranteed to have a clean title.
All old used cars will have to be maintained. And with imported expensive cars like BMD, Audi etc and their expensive parts & labor, IMO, it's just not worth it.
I agree, service at dealers is more expensive, and parts are more expensive. Having just had a MB for more than 200k miles I can tell you that mine NEVER needed major repairs, simply scheduled maintenance, and the resale of the car was actually quite good. I used a former MB technician who set up his own shop to maintain the car, and the cost was very reasonable, the dealers are a rip-off.
I also liked the safety for my family, and it was quite reasonable to insure. All things considered, the total cost of ownership was very reasonable....
OG - I want to stay away from European or American cars because of high maintenance cost associated with them. Jap cars tend to be more reliable and req less frequent visits for repair.
AhmadJee - i agree with you.
hskhan - thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind before i make the final decision. Although I'm leaning more towards Montero because it has a really cool interior and it has a more new feel to it than 94-95 LC. I think LX-450 might be out of my price range, but i'll keep a lookout for it too.
PA - I forgot to mention that I'm looking for a 7-seater, so 4 runner will not work.
Yes the Montero has an awesome interior, but dont complain if the plastic fenders fall off. Mitsubishis are not well made. You might of noticed that there are alot more used land cruisers and lx450s on the road compared to the monteros. A reason behind this is - mitsubishis dont last long, while toyotas and lexus' can last last you generations if you maintain them.
I understand your bias, and tend to agree on the repairs. In a former life I supervised a lot of our leased company cars. Be sure to check the insurance costs, as well as the resale values of the cars you are considering. Some of the cars you are discussing here are among the most frequently stolen, and the Mitsu's are frequently driven by "ahem" younger folks who tend to have less than sterling driving records. While the repair costs can be a big shock all at once, the depreciation and insurance cost of some of the cars you are considering can eat a huge hole in your pocket over the years. Land Cruisers, last itme I checked are very expensive to insure. Year after year this adds up. The MB is driven by a lot of "older" folk, who tend to have much better driving records, so the car is pretty cheap it insure compared to it's peers...
The only reason I mentioned the MB is because the market for them has been very soft over the past year. A four year old MB320 with 50k miles that originally sold for $38k can be had now in the low $20k's. Even if you put another 70k miles on it you will still be able to sell it for $15K or so four years later. The LandCruiser and Mitsu will lose a lot more of their value on a percentage basis over this same time frame. So you pay $18k for the Mitsu, but a few years later you can only sell it for $7or8k. So you didn't incur much in the way of repairs, but the depreciation gets you in the end.
And, if you are single, women love a Mercedes! If you are not single, the wife and kids are very safe, which is not true with some of the other SUV's, and the wife brags about having a MB to all of her friends, and you are the stud of the the week.... :D
OG - Thanks for your input. Your reasoning sound very compelling to opt for an ML. You bring up good point about the resale value too. I was just at the dealership waiting for an oil change when I walked around the dealer's lot to check out the new Montero. It costs $38k, which would sell for half the price 2 years down the road just like the current 2001 model. But I really don't care about the resale since I like to keep my cars until they die on me. I got one which has more than 200k on it and is still going strong. Even though it won't sell for more than 5k now, it is in excellent shape and pure luxury.
If I didn't have a need for 7 passenger SUV, I would have taken ML into consideration. I absolutely don't want to get a mini-van bc it's just not cool.
I've been passionate about LC and Montero all along and would prefer to keep my choices narrowed to these 2.
Whoa! big family, or a really big car pool, or soccer coach?
When I need something that big I call Enterprise, and rent it for the day.
Frankly, the SUV's that I have seen really don't do 7 passengers nearly as well as a mini-van.
But talk about Anti-Studly!
You are right, cars today can go 200k easy, but some wear the miles better and still look and sell good at the end. I drive my cars the same way.....
At any rate, the CarMax thing may be of some help if you have one near you. The screening they put the cars through seems very cool, especially if you are buying a car with some miles on it. I would still think twice about buying a car with more than 100k miles on it, as the durability of the car depends so much on the driving habits and maintenance of the prior owner/s.
for 7 seater SUVs, the old montero’s seats were pretty uncomfortable. I am talkign about the jump seats in the back. The newer model has teh third row seat but if you look at it teh seat is pretty small, good for kids or for shorter trips.
These may be out of your price range, but if you dont have an immediate need, I would look at the acura MDX, sests seven, or the Honda Pilot, seats 8. but teh pilot is new so u will nto find a good deal on a used one quite yet, the used mdx get picked up like hot cakes, hard to find in general.
I have driven the Montero and think its a great SUV handling, overall feel etc, but if seating 7 ppl is a big factor for you it will nto work.
Here is a link to edminds review of the 2001 montero. Will give you expert opinion.
OG - Once in a while when the grandparents want to come along with us along with sis and parents we can sure use 2 extra seats. Plus I want to get something safe for my wife since it is her first car and she recently got her drivers license.
Yeah I was thinking on the same line that I really dont' want to dish out $20k on a LC with more than 100k becasuse parts start getting worn off after that. We got carmax close by and i think they maintain high standards for all cars they sell so probably will get something from them. Plus the staff over there seems pritty straightforward compared to other dealerships and I like the no haggle transaction.
Mr. Fraudia - yeah you're right, the 3rd seat seems a lot smaller than the previous model. I currently own a 96 montero and its seats are wider and more comfortable, but only for short people or small kids.
MDX and Passport are pritty cool but def out of my price range. I don't want to go above 20k at all including tax, title etc.
And yeah I don't want a minivan...even though they are really comfy, but they just aint cool.
sky so what did you end up deciding? I have 2 friends who are ina similar situation as you right now and they are stuck between the minivan and SUV decision because they need soemthing that can seat 6.
I recommended the Pacifica to them, but the chrysler name scares them away.
what did you decide, what did you learn along the way..please do share and I can pass on your experiences to my pals to help them make a good choice.
Fraudz - after some logical thinking, I decided not to get an SUV. The reason being that we have 5 people and therefore a car would do for us. And when our grandparents want to go with us which is not too often, we can take two cars.
A practical advice for those needing a transport for more than 5 people would be to get a mini-van. They're usually more comfortable, easy to handle, roomier, low on gas consumption and have a quieter ride.
I have acquantances who own these and that's what I've observed:
For good comfort, quality, and looks - Odessy
For quality, not so comfort, and not so cool look - Previa
For more comfort, good looks and low quality (in terms of maintenance) - Chrysler minivans.
But for those who cannot compromise on being cool and would rather get an SUV (like me) - I would recommend Sequoia, full size Montero, or LandCruiser. They're all a very comfortable ride and good on quality. I've owned a Montero for few years and was very satisfied with it. I know someone who owns a Sequoia and the ride, comfort and quality is superb.
there are a few good minivans out there, the odyssey and sienna were mentioned already, but one of my colleagues just got a nissan quest and that thing is amazing.
Now you have to understand, I dislike minivans.. but after seeing one relative's odyssey, i had said oh thats not too bad, even drove it and it was pretty good, better handling than majority of SUVs i have driven, but then i saw and drove the quest, and that thing is just too cool.