Is a 200k Gen 2 worth buying?

[nonuniform]

So, I missed out on the Gen 1 that I was looking at.

After I did all that research, I'm totally sold on the Monty. Looking at this one:
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/d/capitola-mitsubishi-montero-ls-for-sale/6871420054.html

200k miles. The ad seems to say it's had some basic maintenance in recent years, will probably need more. Seems decent to me, except for the high mileage. If that were an FJ100 I'd probably buy it with that sort of mileage. Any thoughts?

 

[nonuniform]

Any Montero you buy .. any of them no matter what the miles or condition - is decades old and will require a lot of secondary maintenance.

The miles don't even matter at this point. What matters is whether the new owner is willing to take on a quarter century old vehicle and spend the time and money that any vehicle of that age requires to become & remain reliable.

Yeah, that kind of goes without saying, however, there are some cars I wouldn't buy with 200k miles, and some I would. For example, I bought an 89 BMW 325is with 240k miles, and drove it another 50k without any major repairs. Sold it to a friend, and he put another 50k on it before it needed anything. Just did fluid changes and belts.

So, that's really what I'm asking. Is this one of those sort of bullet proof cars, or something more like an Audi that I owned that practically needed an engine rebuild every 75k miles. Or a Land Rover with the 4.6 that will burn through an engine core every 90k miles.

 

[nonuniform]

Fair enough. I'm not really asking about mileage I guess, just what are the weak points.

Good to know about the heater core. I had an 89 Suburban that was my burning man vehicle for years, had to bypass the heater core during a trip. Replacing it required removing almost everything under the dash. Had to drill out bolts because they were put in backwards at the factory. That was fun.

I've read about the valve guide seals.

As to electrical, nothing can beat the Grand Cherokee I owned. Pretty much anything electrical would fail as soon as you left the pavement. Or better yet, the 75 XJ6 my parents owned when we lived in England. Can't tell you how many times that car just stopped running for no reason.

I fixed an e28 BMW ECU, which aren't actually meant to be repairable and replacements don't exist.

So, I can handle repairs, just like to know if this is Land Rover level of failure, or more Land Cruiser.

 

[plh]

Closer to Land Cruiser, but any vehicle 25+ years old is going to need to be freshened. I'd hold out for an SR as well. 3.0l is gutless in this years series (I've owned 2). Kinda expensive for an LS unless you can get it under $2K. I know a lot of people here say that KBB is crap for an old / uncommon vehicle, but this one is $850 tops in that rating system.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

We bought our 96 SR with 214k miles on her to replace our 98 with 172k miles because it was a much nicer one owner rig with complete service history, age doesn't matter as much as the vehicle's history.

 

[nonuniform]

Yep yep, I definitely choose vehicles with solid service history over ones without. Agree that age is the factor here. Good points about the SR vs LS and what people think they're worth. Though, something to note, most vehicles on Craigslist are fantasy pricing.

 

[Toasty]

I just got one with 211k not worried a bit, already been driven into the ground (PO ran it out of oil) so this is an ideal starting point for me. I'll go through everything and it'll be all mine mechanically.

 

[nonuniform]

I just got one with 211k not worried a bit, already been driven into the ground (PO ran it out of oil) so this is an ideal starting point for me. I'll go through everything and it'll be all mine mechanically.

Nice!

 

[Motovet45]

Just finished rebuilding the motor on a 95 SR with 265k miles I picked up for $500. It had all the typical oil leaks and the cooling system was terribly neglected but now I’ve got 200 miles on the rebuild and a great off roader that isn’t a Jeep. Now on to all the other things that were neglected in the front end.

 

[brad2274]

I wouldn't pay that much for an LS, thatd be a decent price if it was an SR. I bought my rough LS for $1200 with 160k, had some previous front end/frame work, but now it's almost fully built with locker and still under 3k

 

[nonuniform]

Cool, that's pretty much what I was thinking too. I almost never see an SR show up for sale, so, was thinking of the LS.

 

[Salonika]

For what it’s worth, if I ever sell mine, I’d probably be asking 3500 and I’ve got a 1998 with a rebuilt (original) motor that has 20k on it, 210k on the odometer, rebuilt front end, everything works, no CEL, it needs nothing but upgrades. Routine maintenance is current, has some minor body rust, the only thing that doesn’t work is the seatbelt chime LOL.......as others have said, I think the price is too high on that listing.

 

[Swank Force One]

I paid $3000 for my 98 Winter Package with 170k-ish miles. I wouldn't do it again. My personal anecdote is that a $3k Gen2 Montero costs as much as a nice Land Cruiser and is a much larger pain in the ass to work on.

If you LIKE Monteros enough to get close to or into Land Cruiser price range with one, then go for it. If you like working on things and making them yours, they're great. I DO love mine. But more than a little bit of my initial purchase decision was "Wow, i can get THAT for $3k?" Which.... is a fallacy. I don't like wrenching much. I'd much rather buy a sorted Gen2 for $7-8k than a $3k basket case.

 

[SONICMASD]

I paid $3000 for my 98 Winter Package with 170k-ish miles. I wouldn't do it again. My personal anecdote is that a $3k Gen2 Montero costs as much as a nice Land Cruiser and is a much larger pain in the ass to work on.

If you LIKE Monteros enough to get close to or into Land Cruiser price range with one, then go for it. If you like working on things and making them yours, they're great. I DO love mine. But more than a little bit of my initial purchase decision was "Wow, i can get THAT for $3k?" Which.... is a fallacy. I don't like wrenching much. I'd much rather buy a sorted Gen2 for $7-8k than a $3k basket case.

I agree with the sentiment here that if you're not wanting to work on it yourself, buy a mechanically sorted Montero for a little bit more - timing belt & valve stem seals being the main things. But as for a $3k Montero being the same price as a nice Land Cruiser I'll disagree. A $3k Montero turns into a $5-6k Montero with lots of maintanence right off the bat - cooling system refresh, vss, timing belt, maybe some suspension work, etc. That'll get you a LC with no maintaince history, 100,000 more miles, and usually many years older. LCs are usually double to triple the price of a similar condition Montero, hence why so many of us first bought Monteros ;-)

 

[SONICMASD]

PS - lots of Gen2.5s for sale on the Mitsubishi USA Garage Sale group right now.