2001-2002 vs 2003-2006 Gen III Montero

[beison8000]

Hello All,

It's my first post, but I wanted to thank everyone for all the information that's been helping me out the last few weeks!

I'm in the market for a Montero, have definitely narrowed it down to a Limited, Gen III model. Seems like the body style, offroad capabilities, onroad manners, and interior space/styling all match what I was hoping to get in my next vehicle! I'm not planning to do anything too off-roady like rock crawling or heading to Moab or anything--mainly just a rock solid camping/daily driver for the family (Fiance and Dog) but I do have a hard time resisting to explore an unknown road or dry creekbed in the Rockies when I come across one.

I know that in 2003, Mitsubishi changed the engine from a 3.5 --> 3.8L, as well as removing the LSD and adding a new traction control system that gets rave reviews by everyone on here. So obviously the best choice for the best Monty would be to get a 03'-06'. On the other hand however, I'm trying really hard to keep the purchase price as low as possible and there are very few of these around. It also seems that the only ones I can find in the right year with lower miles (think under 130,000) are selling at around 6,000-8,000. I would ideally like to spend closer to 4,000, or a little more if it were extremely clean. I think I can find 01's and 02's for this price range.

So my question is this: Are there any of you who have first hand experience with BOTH of these models? I'm not so much worried about an underpowered engine, and can definitely make due with the 3.5 instead of the 3.8, but I am concerned about not getting the newer traction control system. Is it worth spending almost 2000 more for an 03-06?

Thanks very much for any info you have!

Danny

 

[earljuic3]

We own a 2002 Limited and a 2005, I prefer to drive the 2005 on trips because of the extra power freeway driving. We have babied that truck more than the 2002 but if I am running out the door or just riding around town I always grab the keys to the 2002. I have never felt like it was underpowered for how we use it and it has never let us down on or off road. Hope this helps. I think either way you are getting a solid truck, save yourself some money and get the 2001-2002.

 

[jhill15]

Hey beison8000 welcome to the forum!

I have an 03, its an awesome rig for what i use it for "dd, light offroading, winter, camping etc..." the traction control works amazing. However, I will say there have been a couple...and only a couple where I lost all traction and the traction control wouldn't send any power to any of the tires, it was like total power loss, which left me to put it in neutral back down a hill...both times were on ice, and I was going real slow in 4h. I put in 4hlc and proceeded to conquer the icy terrain with no problems. In those situations I think the lsd would have pulled me right through with no issue... but it could have been driver error on my behalf, I probably didn't get up enough speed.

Here's a thread that can explain alot of the difference's between the gen3
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133780

On a side note, of all the suv's my wife and I have owned the montero is the only one my wife has loved and loves to drive. We've had a subaru outback wagon, land rover d2, nissan xterra, all of which she hated. The subi had starting issues, the land rover...too big "wouldn't fit the parking garage at her work" the xterra...she hated during the winter cause of shifting into 4wd....the montero...perfect! Not too tall, reliability is great, she can shift into 4wd no problem.

Hope any of this helps

 

[PirateMcGee]

Might consider a Sport. Plenty of room for 2 + a dog and significantly less expensive. For your price range you could find a pretty minty one with the 3.5.

 

[KyleT]

Yes don't discount the sport especially if you don't need the third row.


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[beison8000]

Thanks for the replies.

W/respect to the sport, I had sort of assumed that the sport was smaller on the inside as well. Is this not the case? Our last car was a 2002 Mercedes E300 wagon. That thing had a 3rd row we never used, but it was so big that when you folded down the second row, you had ~75+ inches of space to stretch out and sleep in.

I do like the leather and luxury feel of the Limited, but I'd definitely consider a really low mile pristine sport for the right price.

 

[PirateMcGee]

The sport came in a limited as well with heated leather and such. The sport is smaller inside but how much crap are you really carrying?

 

[beison8000]

I suppose I'm more interested in sleeping in the back. Is the space in the back of the sport much smaller to the extent that it might make sleeping back there more difficult vs. the full size Montero?

On a side note, in all my searching for the Montero Limited, I haven't seen if, after you stow the third row, you could fold the 2nd row forward in the direction of the first row, thus increasing the length of the rear even more for when you want to sleep in the back. Is this possible? If so, does anyone know the total length of this after all the seat folding and whatnot?

Thanks!

 

[clmrt]

I have an 01 sport with the 3.0, and a 2005 LTD. Back seat folding in the G3 is stupid - they ball up and sit there, taking up all kinds of room. And they have a learning curve - not intuitive at all.

In the sport you get a flat floor but a much lower ceiling. I have an athletic 40 lb sheltie and she fits great in the sport, and at 6'2" I can lay down -impossible in the g3 unless you remove the seats. But, the G3 lets you recline EVERY seat, making a huge, lumpy leather platform, so that might be worth a shot.

Find maintained 3s with a real service history. I recently bought a clean 05 but it immediately required $3000 in maintenance and repair, an alignment, a headlight at $300, lots of hidden things. If they both got stolen tomorrow, I'd miss the Sport the most.

 

[PirateMcGee]

Only some of the Montero Sports have a flat floor but it's very easy to make a platform if yours doesn't have the nifty storage floor in the back (you can see my build thread). I can sleep fine in the back of my sport with my fiance and still have room for gear. You could make a loft and have even more room. The sport also has a cool seating mode that I don't think people realize very often.....basically the same as honda fit "relax mode" very comfy for having some beverages and reading or watching a movie. The Sport is a really robust vehicle for it's size, blows the 3rd gen 4runner out of the water in my opinion. Always buy the smallest and most efficient vehicle to meet your needs. Heck you could throw a roof box on top of the sport if you really felt the need for more storage and still come out ahead on mpg vs a full size montero.

 

[BOPOH]

Sport guys where were you when i was researching monteros? lol

PirateMcGee it's your fault if i have to sleep on the couch, XS is still for sale and i'm really considering it now

beison8000 Gen3 looks awesome, so if i were you i would really consider price difference for your needs. Sport maybe not be as great but for the price of Gen3 you can easily buy two sports

 

[PirateMcGee]

The full size montero is a beauty don't get me wrong......it's just way more vehicle than people need unless you are hauling tons of stuff or people. The 3rd gen Montero is cushy and I love the way they ride/drive especially with the 5spd (which I wish the Sport had gotten). I don't love the weight and size though. I would rather have a Sport + honda civic for daily duty than a full size and that's really the difference in cost.

 

[clmrt]

I'm lucky - I have an 01 sport, an 05 G3 and a Marauder. Like I said, the Sport is way underrated for how well it's built and the utility it provides, and the 3 can run with dune buggies all day without spilling the coffee. Great trucks.

 

[BOPOH]

I'm lucky - I have an 01 sport, an 05 G3 and a Marauder. Like I said, the Sport is way underrated for how well it's built and the utility it provides, and the 3 can run with dune buggies all day without spilling the coffee. Great trucks.

Like at this recent event?

 

[beison8000]

Haha that's a great picture!

Thanks for the info on the Gen 3 vs the Sport everyone. It's definitely a difficult choice to make. I'm coming from a very utilitarian SUV that you've probably never heard of... a 1999 Kia Retona. Terrible little underpowered ute, but looked pretty good. The interior was a bit too boring for me. Also it was way too small. The vehicle before that one was a 2002 Mercedes E300 wagon. The back was really really huge, but no off road capabilities to speak of.

How does the Sport drive versus the full size Montero? Even if the sport is smaller, due to it's body-on-frame construction and (I think) leaf springs, wouldn't it drive a bit more like a truck and feel bigger than the monocoque/unibody + coil springs full size montero?