Help me choose my Gen III Overlander!

[MitsuRoby]

Hi all! This is my first post and am excited to join the overland community. I have been looking through this site and have enjoyed the wealth of knowledge everyone has.

On to my Gen III choice. I currently have a Mitsubishi Endeavor and honestly have been surprised at how capable of a soft off roader it is when you put truck tires on it. The car has always been more capable then my friends subarus but the lack of low range gears or any aftermarket has led me to find a new truck. Browsing through this site has led me to think that a Montero will be a great transition from the Endeavor.

I am currently looking across the country for a suitable project truck but need some advice on selecting the 1 out of 10 that is worth it. It seems that most of the Monteros seem to have no service and the owners have a "wait until it breaks" attitude with these cars. The "lower" milage Monteros of this generation seem to have anywhere from 85-115,000 miles on them.

Would you rather get a 2006 with 120,000 miles and an impeccable service record or a 2003 with an ok record and 85,000 miles? Is the 30,000 miles that big of a difference?

Any advice of easy things to look out for in getting a dependable Monty would be great!

I look forward to starting a build thread once I get the truck too! The low price of the truck will leave me with a nice budget for early mods.

Happy trails,

Tim

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Why do you feel the gen 3 will be better than your current gen 2?

 

[Justice R]

Why do you feel the gen 3 will be better than your current gen 2?

He has a Mitsubishi Endeavor, not a 2000 Gen 2.5 with the "endeavor" Package.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

He has a Mitsubishi Endeavor, not a 2000 Gen 2.5 with the "endeavor" Package.

I forgot all about those things, oops.

 

[PajEvo]

Maintenance trumps low mileage, IMHO, although I'd like both... LOL.

Does your endeavour have the 3.5 or 3.8? 2003+ Monteros all had the 3.8 which runs just fine on regular octane gas, a pretty important factor with today's pump prices. Timing belt and associated bits is the single biggest maintenance piece of course, and if it hasn't been done and fails, you may be shopping for some pricey hard parts. I bought my gen3 with 130km (80k miles) but the single biggest condition for purchase was proof of timing belt maintenance.

These things can go a long way with the proper maintenance. Case in point I found a 2005 FS when I was shopping, with 440,000 kms on it. So they can go the distance IF looked after. Ideally, low mileage AND full maintenance records would be great, but if I had to pick one... Well you know my opinion, FWIW.

HTH
Phil


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93 Mitsubishi Pajero turbo diesel with no lift, no lockers, but steering wheel moved to the curb side for better mall-crawling...

03 Mitsubishi Montero XLS: fully independent, monocoque and proud of it. Well it seems proud...

 

[MitsuRoby]

I forgot all about those things, oops.

No worries Jeep_N_montero they are easy to forget about since they were mostly designed for the city.

Luckily it still has the same all wheel drive system that the Gen 3 Monteros have with 9"inches of ground clearance. The capability has been surprising! The downsides of these Montero sport like trucks is that they have no low range transfercase and thats what I needed most in instances when my Endeavor got stuck in the back country.

The 4 speed transmission is also not as reliable as the 5 speed in the Monty.

 

[MitsuRoby]

Maintenance trumps low mileage, IMHO, although I'd like both... LOL.

Does your endeavour have the 3.5 or 3.8? 2003+ Monteros all had the 3.8 which runs just fine on regular octane gas, a pretty important factor with today's pump prices. Timing belt and associated bits is the single biggest maintenance piece of course, and if it hasn't been done and fails, you may be shopping for some pricey hard parts. I bought my gen3 with 130km (80k miles) but the single biggest condition for purchase was proof of timing belt maintenance.

These things can go a long way with the proper maintenance. Case in point I found a 2005 FS when I was shopping, with 440,000 kms on it. So they can go the distance IF looked after. Ideally, low mileage AND full maintenance records would be great, but if I had to pick one... Well you know my opinion, FWIW.

HTH
Phil

Hi Phil,

Yeah the Endeavor has the same 3.8 liter mivec motor and I have loved it.

The timing belt change has been the hardest to prove. I currently am looking at one that has 80,000 miles with fantastic service to 60k and a timing belt replacement, but for the last 20,000 miles there is no service history. This has been the best one I can find. Yet, I am wondering about those last 20,000 miles. Kind of fishy for a 1 owner car!


Most of these are auto auction cars and don't have history beyond a carfax.

The other one I found had major service points done but no info on basic maintenance. Is it ok to get one that only has that proof?

I will likely fly across the country to get the truck and have never negotiated a car from across the country. I am excited for the adventure back though!

My hope is that I can get a mostly reliable engine that will last a couple years of daily driving before it turns into my weekend truck.

 

[FullMonte]

I had both an 03 and now I have an 06 with 54k miles. I really like my 06 gen III better..I think they worked out all the kinks that year and added a tpms. I don't think the high mileage won't effect it one bit.

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[plh]

Have you considered looking for a clean gen 2.5?

 

[MitsuRoby]

I had both an 03 and now I have an 06 with 54k miles. I really like my 06 gen III better..I think they worked out all the kinks that year and added a tpms. I don't think the high mileage won't effect it one bit.

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Thats great to hear! A low mile 06 is very difficult to find! Everyone's confidence in the engines has allowed me to be ok with looking at one that has over 100k. They do make minor computer adjustments from year to year. I have even heard the 06 traction control system is improved from the '03.

 

[MitsuRoby]

Have you considered looking for a clean gen 2.5?

I have! The 2.5 is what pulled me away from looking for a taco or lc. I have driven both and enjoyed the drive of the gen three so I decided to narrow down on one of them.