First Gen Driving Comfort?

F

Fenrir

Observer
Hello all,

I'm SERIOUSLY considering getting a Gen 1 Montero, as soon as the right one pops up. I know that the 2-2.5-3 generations are more comfortable on the road, but I'm smitten with the older styling and simplicity of the first edition.

Primarily im looking at LS models with AC and cruise control, strays away from the simplicity but with an infant and 2 dogs I'll take the potential hassle.

How are they on the road for extended periods? We tend to make LONG pushes to a region on our trips. Few years ago we went from Seattle to Salt Lake in a day, then SLC to Prescott the next (in out defense it was winter in the PNW and we kinda went nutty). Am I gonna be in sheer at utter pain doing that in a Gen 1? Any feedback would be appreciated.
 
IncorpoRatedX

IncorpoRatedX

Explorer
Earlier this year I drove one across the country, 5 speed, pretty comfy, i would suggest getting the bouncy seat though. I'm 6'3", being a little shorter would help. Lack of cruise control was the only thing I didn't like. Otherwise, comfortable and quiet.
 
MARKSMONTE

MARKSMONTE

EXPLORER
We have a 90 monte LS. We love it. My wife has a bad back, several surgeries, she always reaches for the Monte keys. Mine has the suspension seats , driver and passenger,
We also have a 99 Montero and it's not as comfortable.
 
Y

yugo308guy

Observer
I really enjoy driving mine. It is comfortable, although I wish it had an armrest, I find myself resting my hand on the gearshift lever(auto). The A/C really does a great job and I very rarely need to put it on full blast. Plenty of heat in the winter. Cruise Control is somewhat of a joke in that, when you hit any significant bump, it causes it to pop off and makes you reset it, also, I have to hold the Set button in for a good couple of seconds, then release it, it will slow down for a second or two, then finally it acknowledges and speeds back up to the original speed. Just kinda quirky. lol. I would not hesitate to take mine cross country and I drive it daily with 205,000 miles on it.
 
M

Mudrunner

Adventurer
You could always buy an aftermarket Cruise system as well. If you couldn't find one with it. I know the exist I had one on my 4Runner, (at least I think it was aftermarket)... It worked like ******t but it was old I think they guy who owned before had it installed when he bought it new.

Also might want to check change over capability to R-134a because an older model might run R-12, and you have to find that as they don't make it anymore, that can break the bank.
 
Cruisn

Cruisn

Adventurer
I do long drives on rough "roads" haha, my first gen is great to rock around in, put money into good shocks. I run 41mm tough dogs. and get bouncey seats like everyone else has said.
 
Martinjmpr

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
My memories are now about 14 years old but I was pretty happy with mine. I owned a 1990 4 door from 1992 -1999 which is both the longest I've ever owned a vehicle, and also the greatest number of miles I put on a vehicle (about 140,000 total.)

Mine was a 5 speed with no AC. The no AC part was kind of a drag, especially since I drove from Pecos, TX to Tuscaloosa, AL in a single day in late July. It was miserable but that was because of the lack of AC. That's the only time I've broken 1,000 miles in a single day of driving, too.

Except for the lack of AC I thought it was a very comfortable vehicle to drive. Of course, I've driven much newer vehicles since then, so if I went back to one I'd probably find it less than optimal. That's one thing you have to consider - vehicles that were "suitable" 20 years ago might not be now just because we've gotten used to having so much more. For example, the 3.0 V6 puts out around 150 hp. Now, in 1990 that was pretty much par for the course but now even Subarus have more power than that. With an AT you would probably find it pretty anemic. Another thing to remember is that the 3.0 is notorious for having valve guides go bad, so make sure your top end has been rebuilt because there's a better than even chance you'll have that problem too.

As much as I liked my 1st gen Monty, I can't think of a good reason to have one as an all-around vehicle now. The platform is really dated and you can find a better platform for the same money. The 2nd gen is head and shoulders above the first in terms of capability, too.
 
4D55 Performance

4D55 Performance

Explorer
I liked so many things about my Gen I but the thing was terribly uncomfortable on longer trips. It made my shoulders and back really sore on trips longer than 1 hour. I can typically drive 1000 miles before I have issue but that Montero and I did not get along. I had the bouncy seats and everything. Otherwise it was a decent ride when I sold it 18 months ago. I upgraded to a gen 2.5 and it was a huge upgrade but unfortunately I totaled my Gen 2.5. Recently I upgraded to a Mercedes G500 because it has the great looks and simplicity of a Gen 1, but all the comfort and power of a modern SUV, not to mention solid axles and lockers. The down side is they cost considerably more than a Gen I Montero.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
189,909
Messages
2,922,071
Members
233,083
Latest member
Off Road Vagabond

Members online

Total: 496 (members: 10, guests: 486)
Top