Montero vs Trooper

[scrubber3]

So if you drop a SR rear end in an LS ... does that make it a SS or a LR?

AN SLR!!! WHOOOOT!!!

 

[BigSwede]

While a some Montero's burn a little bit of oil because of the valve seals, this issue pales in comparison to the oil burning issues the Troopers have.

You are overgeneralizing, inaccurately. The Trooper was sold in the US for nigh unto 20 years...maybe 3 of those years have potential oil burning issues. And they do not include the 92-97 years the OP is looking at.

 

[NH Moto Expo]

Thanks BigSwede for your input. I'm really not scared by the oil issue, the biggest trouble I'm having is finding one with little or no rust. Do you think the troopers have more room than the Montero's? I'm really down to a 95=97 Trooper or a Montero SR of the same vintage. It looks like there are not many manuals to be found in the Mitsubishi's so it looks like it will be an automatic. MPG seems to be better with the Montero as well. Am I right about the MPG?

 

[4D55 Performance]

Thanks BigSwede for your input. I'm really not scared by the oil issue, the biggest trouble I'm having is finding one with little or no rust. Do you think the troopers have more room than the Montero's? I'm really down to a 95=97 Trooper or a Montero SR of the same vintage. It looks like there are not many manuals to be found in the Mitsubishi's so it looks like it will be an automatic. MPG seems to be better with the Montero as well. Am I right about the MPG?

I am not sure about the 95-97 Montero SR, but my 2000 averages about 21 mpg with mixed driving. On the open road I get around 24mpg if I keep it at 65 mph. The gearing in mine is 4.27 which is a little higher than the SR Montero's which have 4.6 gearing.

 

[NH Moto Expo]

ok...I found a 2000 Montero Base. One question...how can I tell if it has the rear locking differential? They posted the VIN in the description, is there something in there that I should be looking for? Will the shifter tell me? Where is the switch to turn on or off the rear locker? Sorry for all the questions but the car is 300 miles away.


Thanks,

Jim

 

[red87]

It doesn't. The Gen III Monteros only had an LSD

 

[4D55 Performance]

The 2000 is going to be a Gen II.5, so it will have a solid rear axle and a body on frame construction. The 2000 Model year did not offer a rear locker in the full size Montero, but it can be retro fitted with a locker. You just need to find a donor vehicle with a locker from 1995-99.

 

[NH Moto Expo]

Thank for the info. Fitting it with the SR locker looks like it could work but thats part of the problem...finding an SR seems to be a little tough around here, but I haven't looked in the junkyards yet. Does ARB offer a locker? if so you could do both front and rear and have on board air.

 

[Chief]

...Does ARB offer a locker? if so you could do both front and rear and have on board air.

YES, ARB offers a front and rear locker.

 

[scrubber3]

YES, ARB offers a front and rear locker.

AND on board air!!

 

[fatrat]

AND you will have a gen II.5!!!

 

[red87]

Apparently my Google-**** is weak

 

[Tango Zulu]

The unibody vehicles were first sold here in the states back in 2001. The 1998-2000 Montero's are considered to be a Gen II.5. The Gen II.5 had the largest wheel openings of any Montero and it is possible to fit 35-37" tires with little effort.


1983-1991 Gen I Montero, very spartan and no safety features, but my 1991 was a blast to drive.

1992-1997 Gen II Montero. The Gen II Montero came in many different configurations but the 1994-96 SR model is the best choice because of its 215hp & 228ft lbs. DOHC 3.5L engine, 9.5" locking rear axle and 4.63 gears. The 1997 came with the detuned 3.5L SOHC 200hp engine and 4.27 gears, but retained the Gen II sheet metal. If you are Looking for a manual transmission, look for a 1995-1996 LS because they were rated at 177hp, which is 34 hp higher than the previous models. The rear locker was not offered on LS models but a rear LSD was offered on the LS model.

1998-2000 Gen II.5 Montero. The Gen II.5 Montero had the largest wheel wells of any Montero and it is possibly the most desirable because of this. It featured a 200hp & 228ft lbs. SOHC 3.5L engine, 9.5 locking rear axle and 4.27 gears. While the SOHC made 15 less hp it still made the same amount of torque as the DOHC 3.5L. The SOHC also seems to be more reliable because it does not have butterfly valves. The Gen II.5 is by far the rarest of all the Montero's. With there very unique styling and limited production numbers, they seem to demand a premium, but good deals can still be had. If you want a nice low mileage Gen II.5 expect to do a nation wide search for several months. The Gen II.5 also features driver and passenger air bags which can come in handy.

2001-2006 Gen III Montero. The Gen III Montero seems to have two basic variations. From 2001-2002 you had the 3.5L and from 2003-2006 you had the 3.8L. Many members swear by the 3.8 and say the add hp is well worth it, but the 2003-2006 was not offered with the LSD like the 2001-2002 model was. So there is a trade off. You also need to be aware that there were two automatic transmissions and two transfer cases which were used. I would look for a 5speed automatic with the select-able sportronic over the venerable 4speed automatic. I would also look for the tcase with 2wd, AWD, 4Hi, and 4Lo, but thats just me. Some like the tcase with out the AWD mode found on the XLS model because it has a shifter that directly shifts the tcase.

I am going to resucitate this thread because 1, I have an opportunity for a GEN II.5 and 2, because it's a good thread that deserves to live on.

I have been looking on and off for what must be years now for a gen II.5. Now there is one is my area. It appears to come with problems however. So my questions are:

1. How easy is it to get OEM engine parts in case a major engine overhaul is needed.
2. What do some of you around here think about potential appreciation of this particular model. I don't think you can do much wrong for $1500 but I'd like to hear if there are people who think this particular version might actually go up in value due to its rarity.

https://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/6032108403.html

 

[Swank Force One]

That truck is a scam listing. It's been discussed a time or two in the "Monteros on Craigslist" thread.

 

[AZPAJERO]

What Swank said......total scam. I wish someone would catch these fockers and take em out at the knees.......ugh, people.....

https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/6021116331.html

I was curious because the Montero pictured is the same exact picture of a Montero from a used car company in Missouri and this CL is just posted in Central Florida. I contacted the owner and got a text that the person who posted the ad is the son of his mother who owns the car and told me to email his mom. I got a email from the mom and it said this:

"My name is Monica,I'm happy to see you're interested in my SUV. First,a few details about this 1999 Mitsubishi Montero automatic, 155,000 miles,it is in good condition,with nothing mechanically wrong. No accident history,clear title,no dents or dings and no scratches.The reason for selling is that my unit will be sent back overseas to replace the troops scheduled to come home this year,and I don't want to keep it in a storage garage for 18 months.The deal includes free delivery as you may know we can ship a car/bike/etc from home to the base and back one time in a year for free.I've reduced the price at $1.500, because I want to sell it before March 3nd when I am scheduled to leave. I have everything arranged with Amazon so we can both be 100% protected and insured by them. If you are interested in purchasing it please send me your full name,phone# and shipping address so I can register the transaction with Amazon and they will reply you with more details and information about this transaction.
You can see more photos at: http://imgur.com/a/6Pt0u

Have a good day!"