Are Montero Sports reliable?

[PrecisionX]

I am in the market for a cheap daily driver 4x4 with some space. I need something that isn't prone to anything catastrophic. I have owned both XJ Cherokees and 5.0L 2nd Gen Explorers which are both bulletproof but hard to find in good shape now at a reasonable price so I am considering a Montero sport as an option but how reliable are they? Are they any good off road? What should I know before considering one?

 

[montypower]

Maintenance is key with them and costs more expensive than Jeep or Ford. It will outlast either of those. Find one that has been properly maintained or plan to do it yourself. No real huge failure areas. They do tend to wear out the valve stem seals around 130k or more. You'll see some oil burning and possibly some blue smoke after idling. Not overly expensive to replace (especially if you do the work).

Off road, they are not great with open diffs. 1998 you can get a locking diff. Or swap a SR rear differential. Parts are overbuilt so you probably will never break anything. Limited aftermarket requires fabrication or creativity to modify.

 

[PrecisionX]

Can you elaborate on the valve stem seals? Cost etc

 

[plh]

Valve stem seals are roughly $20 for the set, Valve cover gaskets roughly $10. Are you planning to do the work?

 

[PrecisionX]

I wouldn't be doing that kind of work on it no

 

[montypower]

I doubt you'll be happy with a Montero. You want something cheap, aren't willing to do work, expect it to have no issues or cheap repairs. Not going to happen with any vehicle. And Mitsu are more expensive for parts than American stuff.

Mitsu are great if you love them and are willing to research, learn and be dedicated to them. With any vehicle over 10yrs in age you are going to deal with repairs and maintenance. I'd venture to say most of us own Monteros because we value their build quality, durability and reliability.

 

[PrecisionX]

I doubt you'll be happy with a Montero. You want something cheap, aren't willing to do work, expect it to have no issues or cheap repairs. Not going to happen with any vehicle. And Mitsu are more expensive for parts than American stuff.

Mitsu are great if you love them and are willing to research, learn and be dedicated to them. With any vehicle over 10yrs in age you are going to deal with repairs and maintenance. I'd venture to say most of us own Monteros because we value their build quality, durability and reliability.

I said none of that... That was a massive conclusion jump. Just because I said I wouldn't be doing my own valve stem seal work it means I don't do any work? When did I say I expect nothing to go wrong? When did I say any of that really? I said cheap as in I paid $2,000 for my gem of a 5.0 explorer and I threw another grand into it to make it perfect.

I'm looking to get into something solid that isn't going to leave me stranded.

 

[vanatee2000]

Maintenance is key. Timing belt kit will likely be required unless you've got records of previous work. Off road they will be similar to other 4x4s except more durable and not as well geared for rock crawling. The parts are a little more spendy but not like a Euro or anything. Make sure the transfer case functions properly, test the locker of it has one, smell for gas in the oil, it's summer but don't forget to check the heater along with the a.c., they are very well engineered and will likely last 250k miles to 300k mile with proper maintenance.

 

[clmrt]

If it is not maintained, and if it needs maintenance, and if you are not willing to do what needs to be done yourself, it will be expensive.

They are "reliable" in that I bought a 2001 XLS with 229k on the clock. I did the water pump / timing belt, brakes (discs x 4, calipers x 2, all pads) and a few other small maintenance items myself. I went with Rock Auto for the parts and spent $500 for all of it, plus or minus, and did the work myself. Have that work done for you at a shop and it goes up to over $2000.

I am now at 240k and it has never, ever let me down or failed to get me where I needed to be.

Everything works except the power antenna - it got ripped out somewhere along the way.

Whatever you buy, always budget $1000 for emergency maintenance and another $1000 for less important things over the next 6 months.

 

[PirateMcGee]

I've found mind to be very reliable. Only failure I've had is the 4wd vacuum switch but almost all newer 4wds have some sort of failure in the 4wd system at some point.....mostly from a lack of use and being overly complicated because people don't want to manually lock their hubs. I by passed it and it's been great ever since.

They're really well built vehicles. I think you'll be happy with one but take the time to find as few of owners and lowest miles with the most maintenance records.

 

[EmersonHart13]

To be short yes. I have only had to spend money on normal maintenance or small repairs that have not left me stranded.

 

[BEG]

Any reason you prefer the Sport over the regular Montero? The build quality on the Montero is generally accepted as being higher than the Sport, there's more room, higher GVWR etc. and you'll probably get a lot more input from other members. Sports are fine vehicles on their own and I'm not trying to dissuade you, but you could expand your search to include full-size Monteros without having to increase your budget very much, if at all.