jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
I've also owned my share of vehicles.(I'm at about 25-30 at this point.) For me, early Montero's and Troopers are solid rigs and I have no real feedback on those.
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The newer Montero's and Troopers 1995-2001 have some pretty clear differences.
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Motor
1. Firstly, the 2001 trooper I have has a smooth, powerful, reliable timing belted, non-interference motor. The 3.5l sohc in Montero SR's are interference motors. Snap a belt, and there goes the neighborhood.
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2. Montero motors have butterfly valves that can fail and basically turn the motor into a paperweight. No such failures occur with the trooper 3.2. or 3.5l motors
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3. Both motors use oil. that's a wash. In the trooper it's improperly designed pistons, in the Montero, it's valve guide seals. Neither are a big issue if you keep eyes on levels.
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4. Spark plug replacements on the Montero are ridiculously complicated. see this 6 part video for a taste of what's involved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMtWHiPnISY
The reasoning is that one can use lifetime plugs. The thing is with an oil-burner, I'm not okay with more than a 1-2 year plug change interval. Trooper plugs are $2.50 each, and installs are a non-issue.
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Seating
1. Montero's are a 2 in front, 2 in back, 2 in 3rd row, if equipped, rig. I have 3 kids, which means that simply transporting my clan means that I lose my cargo space. The trooper has MUCH more headroom and shoulder room in the front, and in the 2nd row has more than enough room for 3 adults. The cargo area is boxy and cavernous. I've never once regretting not having the factory 3rd row seat.
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2. the 60/40 reclining rear seats in the trooper are very useful for cargo carrying. I think the Montero rear seat is 50/50. might be a wash, but I remember them being more cumbersome.
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Aftermarket
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1. Aftermarket for both is nothing like a jeep or Toyota, but the trooper has locking hubs from warn, lifts from ARB/Calmini/independent4x, and bull bars and snorkels from ARB, too. I have yet to install a snorkel, but it's on my list along with a dust pre-cleaner to make sure my motor is breathing clean.
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2. I didn't find the same type of support for the Montero from ARB when I was looking though other vendors might have popped up to fill those voids.
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3. Parts are readily available for the trooper, and is a blend of Aisin, Isuzu, and Denso/GM parts. Very affordable. My rig has literally needed almost nothing as far as repairs, though I DID make an effort to research the parts I might need like starters, alternators, fuel pumps, bearings, axles etc. Montero parts are not super scarce, but my research resulted in parts that were more likely special order items, and at higher cost. This may just be my area or simply my experience and not the same for other owners.
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Check out these two websites for info:
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http://www.independent4x.com/Isuzu-Store_c_8.html
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http://www.planetisuzoo.com/index.php?sid=3d3a87d038299c425ee8275d57c7e857
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That's about all I have that I can remember that pushed me over towards the Isuzu lineup. I know a bunch of folks at my work who run Amigo's, Rodeo's and troopers and all report the same findings. Comfy, reliable, easy to work on, and a good value if you put minimal regular maintenance.
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I would look around this site at my trooper build thread, as well Montero builds. There's quite a few troubleshooting threads about Montero's where lockers don't work, solonoids have failed, etc, etc.
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The big weak point on the trooper is the oil consumption, and an auto tranny that can be troublesome, though mine is doing fine at 188,000 miles. If you want a 5 speed, the early Troopers are good to go with their 3.2l motors and strong 5speeds.
Okay, let me address a few things:
1. Many vehicles use an interference engine setup with a timing belt, a quality belt used at proper intervals eliminates any issue of engine damage, but some folks do not do things properly and the end result can be negative. Try to find a thread where someone lost their engine due to this on their Montero, it does not happen very often and is usually due to neglect.
2/3. Only the 3.5 DOHC Montero engine used butterfly valves and had oil issues, the 3.5 SOHC engine used 97-on was about the best you will find and do not have oil or butterfly issues.
4. I didn't really mind doing the spark plugs on mine when I bought it, the original iridium plugs I pulled out of it showed no fouling or oil residue after 155k miles, put it back together with new valve cover seals and is good for another 100k miles.
Seating:
1. Montero is a 2 front, 3 middle, and 2 rear setup that fold up out of the way, but most will remove the rear seats completely. I know of several guys over 6'4" tall who have no issues with front seat fitment. My dad who is 6'2" has ridden in the rear seats when they visit and has plenty of room. Rear cargo space allows for plenty of gear, if it doesn't fit you probably don't need it anyway.
2. Rear seats in the Monty are easily moved forward and can recline, and the entire seat setup front to rear can be laid flat to form a bed.
Aftermarket support is not vast for the Monty or Trooper, but with the Monty you can run 33in tires bone stock and junkyard gear swaps are plentiful and cheap, OME offers a great suspension upgrade for either rig. Manual hubs, bull bars, and a snorkel can all be had for the Monty.
I have never had an issue getting parts for the Monty whether it be from junkyards or online vendors, many of the sensors and engine parts are shared by a lot of other Mitsubishi vehicles.
As for the factory rear air locker "issues", 90% of the time it's due to lack of use by the previous owner(s) and is easy to troubleshoot simply by using it or cleaning the solenoid.
As far as axle strength goes, the Monty uses a 9.5in rear axle that very few people have managed to break even on 37's, it was over built and will last forever. The Trooper uses a slightly smaller rear axle but is still plenty strong for 33in tires. You can't really find many people who have ever had transmission issues with their Montero, they are amazingly reliable.
