So I currently drive and xterra on radflo coilovers and 33s. The only other mods are some white knuckle sliders and a Yakima roof box. The thing is...I don't love it. I never really have. I don't know what it is. I think it's that all my buddies drive toyotas and the Nissan feels like a cheap copy that missed the mark. I'm tired of seeing toyotas all over this industry, and the price they carry is insane. So my question is what do I need to know about monteros? I found a first gen near me that looks to be very clean. It's got 150k on it and the motor only has 50k. I have never driven a Monty, but I've always hd a thing for them. Will I miss the horsepower of the xterra, how does the Monty ride, what should I look out for on first gens, should I look at another gen, am I crazy for even considering going from a modern SUV to a much older one?
Am I crazy?
- Thread starter BigOrca
- Start date
I don't know anything about the 1st generation, but if its clean and a good price, go ahead and get it and keep your Nissan as a backup. 1st generation Montys are getting hard to find and I would pick one up just to have it. I have a Gen 2.5, which has more power, but there is nothing like the early ones, especially for their simplicity and personally I think they are rather cool looking. I am sure there will be others here that can speak more to the issues you have raised. Stay awhile and learn from some of the best here. I am sure you will be enlightened.
Best of Luck!
Best of Luck!
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Explorer
im a gen 1 nerd. got a diesel and 2 gas. the gen 1 with the v6 is killer dependable.
exceptionaly well balanced off road, even in puckerbutt conditions. this is , i feel her finest attribute. she never gives you the feeling that maybe you should not have tried to do what you just did do.
on road , stable kinda noisy and economical. 19mpg on hwy.
snow conditions; she dont even notice. honestly.
over built components to the point of ridunkulous the control arms in front match my chev for heft and beef.
parts are really cheap.
funky interior that is of the highest quality components but is kinda spartan. nothing like the much sexier gen 2 interior.
i have the chrysler v6 in mine, i do not sense a lack of power if you do not ask too much of her.
the 3.0 v6 it stupid rugged and overbuilt. its a non interference design. i think the chrysler cams have an edge on the mitsu cams.
someday id like to degree mine and see if there is emissions retard hiding in the timing of these cams.
i love nissans and that great company has lent a lot to off road travel, and just general awe inspiing automotive design; consider the patrol, the skyliner and the lovely early z cars.
they have great engines.
i have a friend a fellow heavy equipment mech. who loves his exterras for extreme duty .
we were at training center for the union where they were foolishly trying to teach mechanics how to operate ( thank god they werent trying to teach operators how to mechanic), he asked about the the gen 2 air locker axles i had in the back of my old ford. i said " oh that just some air lockers i got to go into my montero" WHAT???!! TF are you talking about? i kinda slid past the subject by replying" oh they came from the factory that way". i didnt want him going out and buying all the junk monteros to beef his nissan
exceptionaly well balanced off road, even in puckerbutt conditions. this is , i feel her finest attribute. she never gives you the feeling that maybe you should not have tried to do what you just did do.
on road , stable kinda noisy and economical. 19mpg on hwy.
snow conditions; she dont even notice. honestly.
over built components to the point of ridunkulous the control arms in front match my chev for heft and beef.
parts are really cheap.
funky interior that is of the highest quality components but is kinda spartan. nothing like the much sexier gen 2 interior.
i have the chrysler v6 in mine, i do not sense a lack of power if you do not ask too much of her.
the 3.0 v6 it stupid rugged and overbuilt. its a non interference design. i think the chrysler cams have an edge on the mitsu cams.
someday id like to degree mine and see if there is emissions retard hiding in the timing of these cams.
i love nissans and that great company has lent a lot to off road travel, and just general awe inspiing automotive design; consider the patrol, the skyliner and the lovely early z cars.
they have great engines.
i have a friend a fellow heavy equipment mech. who loves his exterras for extreme duty .
we were at training center for the union where they were foolishly trying to teach mechanics how to operate ( thank god they werent trying to teach operators how to mechanic), he asked about the the gen 2 air locker axles i had in the back of my old ford. i said " oh that just some air lockers i got to go into my montero" WHAT???!! TF are you talking about? i kinda slid past the subject by replying" oh they came from the factory that way". i didnt want him going out and buying all the junk monteros to beef his nissan
Certainly not crazy to want a different vehicle that better fits your expectations. I've been down that road and built up a car to try to better match my expectations, only to find disappointment. Much happier now that I have vehicles that in passionate about.
The gen 1 looks cool and I know nothing about them to be quite frank. I know others here will be better resources on the subject, however I can contribute pictures. Fuel to the fire.
Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
The gen 1 looks cool and I know nothing about them to be quite frank. I know others here will be better resources on the subject, however I can contribute pictures. Fuel to the fire.
Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
I've driven a modified 87 4runner, modified full-size chevy, modified Samurai, etc...
Somehow my gen 1 LWB performs as well if not better then the more popular trucks. Just took her 1600mi to go camping and rock crawling and it was unbelievable. Reliable and a brute in the low rpm range.
I do miss my 4runner tailgate tho!
Somehow my gen 1 LWB performs as well if not better then the more popular trucks. Just took her 1600mi to go camping and rock crawling and it was unbelievable. Reliable and a brute in the low rpm range.
I do miss my 4runner tailgate tho!
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
You're comparing apples and oranges. Your 2007 Xterra is at least 2 generations ahead of a Gen 1 Montero.
I owned a Gen 1 Montero from 1992 - 1999 and over 150k miles. It's the vehicle I owned the longest time and greatest number of miles, by a long shot.
.
Very good vehicle for it's time but understand in terms of tech it's very, very, VERY old tech compared to your X. OBD-1 engine, 150hp max out of the tired 3.0. 3.0 V6 is notorious for valve guide problems that lead to excess oil consumption and eventually will require a top end rebuild. By the time I had mine rebuilt at 141k it was burning a quart every 800 to 1000 miles and was making it's own smoke screen. Expect 17.5 MPG on smooth freeways with factory sized tires (235/75/15.) Go up in lift or bigger in tires and expect to see a serious drop in MPG.
For it's day, the Gen 1 Montero was a very good vehicle, but it won't hold a candle to your 2007 X that has almost 100hp more and is beefier in almost every respect. The torsion-bar suspension is not easy to lift and I don't know that there are that many options in the aftermarket (there weren't when I had mine but that was almost 20 years ago so I don't know if it's changed since then. Given that the newest Gen 1 is now 27 years old, I can't imagine that it has improved.)
With enough money, I suppose you could add power and capability buy at the end of it all, you'd still be stuck with a nearly 30-year-old vehicle. It all comes down to this: Do you want a cool collector car for a project, or do you want something reliable that you can drive without having to repair stuff? Old cars ALWAYS have something that needs to be repaired. That's one reason we got rid of the wife's old Jeep. Seemed like every time we took her out to the trails it was $400 in repairs.
I owned a Gen 1 Montero from 1992 - 1999 and over 150k miles. It's the vehicle I owned the longest time and greatest number of miles, by a long shot.
.
Very good vehicle for it's time but understand in terms of tech it's very, very, VERY old tech compared to your X. OBD-1 engine, 150hp max out of the tired 3.0. 3.0 V6 is notorious for valve guide problems that lead to excess oil consumption and eventually will require a top end rebuild. By the time I had mine rebuilt at 141k it was burning a quart every 800 to 1000 miles and was making it's own smoke screen. Expect 17.5 MPG on smooth freeways with factory sized tires (235/75/15.) Go up in lift or bigger in tires and expect to see a serious drop in MPG.
For it's day, the Gen 1 Montero was a very good vehicle, but it won't hold a candle to your 2007 X that has almost 100hp more and is beefier in almost every respect. The torsion-bar suspension is not easy to lift and I don't know that there are that many options in the aftermarket (there weren't when I had mine but that was almost 20 years ago so I don't know if it's changed since then. Given that the newest Gen 1 is now 27 years old, I can't imagine that it has improved.)
With enough money, I suppose you could add power and capability buy at the end of it all, you'd still be stuck with a nearly 30-year-old vehicle. It all comes down to this: Do you want a cool collector car for a project, or do you want something reliable that you can drive without having to repair stuff? Old cars ALWAYS have something that needs to be repaired. That's one reason we got rid of the wife's old Jeep. Seemed like every time we took her out to the trails it was $400 in repairs.
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Explorer
tis only an opinion i hold and can not really be anything more than subjective, but the only real advantage of the gen 1 is is weight and balance off road. newer SUV rigs got heavier , wider, and i believe moe bulky generally
and to correct 2 points of the above writer. gen1 was 91 and earlier not 92-99. and the newer rigs are not beefier in any particular way. indeed my gen 1 was so overbuilt that its just now crying n pain on every bump all these years later.
and to correct 2 points of the above writer. gen1 was 91 and earlier not 92-99. and the newer rigs are not beefier in any particular way. indeed my gen 1 was so overbuilt that its just now crying n pain on every bump all these years later.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
I think you misread my post. I OWNED. A gen 1 (1990 4 door) from 1992 -1999.
Also you didn’t mention the notorious valve guide issue that plagued the 1st gen V6 models. Leaving a blue cloud of smoke every time you drive off and having to add at least 1qt every 1000 miles or so is common on older 3.0v6 models.
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Explorer
guides are an issue for some , the seals are the real culprits to oil consumption , the seals deterioration often were linked to excessive heat /poor maintenance.
one effective upgrade to the 3.0 is a larger oil cooler, depending on your climate, where you live. the 3.5 cooler is about a third larger than the 3.0. getting it to fit in the 3.0 location is another challenge.
and yes i did misread your post and you have clarified quite nicely this time, but just stated in the event others read it the same as i did.....
one effective upgrade to the 3.0 is a larger oil cooler, depending on your climate, where you live. the 3.5 cooler is about a third larger than the 3.0. getting it to fit in the 3.0 location is another challenge.
and yes i did misread your post and you have clarified quite nicely this time, but just stated in the event others read it the same as i did.....
Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
The thing about the X-Terra is that it's a "Modern SUV body" on outdated suspension, you can very easily make ANY USDM V6 Montero ride better on and off road than an X-Terra. As far as power goes they are sluggish with the exception of a few years, keep the gear to tire ratio correct and it's not bad but it's also no X-Terra 4.0 in the power department. Montero's are definitely the more solid vehicle in this comparison.
Best of luck in your decision, I personally recommend a 1994-2000 Gen 2 for best stock equipment
Best of luck in your decision, I personally recommend a 1994-2000 Gen 2 for best stock equipment
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im going to resolve this " lack of power " issue for good. its been decided that for next season my montee , my companion, is getting re powered. shes getting a....gasp, 4.3 v6 with auto.
not just a 4.3 she is getting the most stripped down, weight reduced , simplified 4.3 i can build. that will still turn an ac compressor.
mechanical fuel pump, fish carb, aluminum "this an that", headers, a 700 r4 and my rubicon t case. so simple it will leave astonished at my own accomplishments.
a new radiator; staggered tube, louvered fin, brass work of art, 2 electric fans
then next winter after this happens,,,an exoskeleton.
not just a 4.3 she is getting the most stripped down, weight reduced , simplified 4.3 i can build. that will still turn an ac compressor.
mechanical fuel pump, fish carb, aluminum "this an that", headers, a 700 r4 and my rubicon t case. so simple it will leave astonished at my own accomplishments.
a new radiator; staggered tube, louvered fin, brass work of art, 2 electric fans
then next winter after this happens,,,an exoskeleton.
'round n' back again
Explorer
space, a man needs his space. and the montee gen1 dont have the space for a 5.3, if i could go v8 i would -an aluminum one.
I gotta disagree about the space, I was actually surprised myself but it fits rather nicely. It's not much larger than the v6 and the entire drivetrain is only about 12" longer than the stock 3.0.
For the price nowadays it's worth it, lq4s are going for around $400 for a complete swap.
For the price nowadays it's worth it, lq4s are going for around $400 for a complete swap.
'round n' back again
Explorer
hold a second... u got a 5.3 into a gen1?!.
with a radiator, and a fan? a/c and goodies?
im your huckleberry if you accomplished that. tell me your just kidding b4 i get all twisted up about a 5 liter ....
today , curiously, i got a call from fred the mechanic down at the marina, (i winter over between work seasons, on the Columbia). he has a 50 hour marine 4.3 with freeze damage to the manifolds.
the dam pirate wants 750 but its a new engine....
nope not 4 me, weight of the aluminum version is well over 500 pounds that weight gonna fiddle with the delicious balance of my gen 1 with that much weight, and my bumper, winch brushguard etc... too much and just for an extra 75 horse power....
with a radiator, and a fan? a/c and goodies?
im your huckleberry if you accomplished that. tell me your just kidding b4 i get all twisted up about a 5 liter ....
today , curiously, i got a call from fred the mechanic down at the marina, (i winter over between work seasons, on the Columbia). he has a 50 hour marine 4.3 with freeze damage to the manifolds.
the dam pirate wants 750 but its a new engine....
nope not 4 me, weight of the aluminum version is well over 500 pounds that weight gonna fiddle with the delicious balance of my gen 1 with that much weight, and my bumper, winch brushguard etc... too much and just for an extra 75 horse power....
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