Tough choice

[1morebike]

I'm thinking about getting a gen 1 and I have found two

The first is an automatic with 160,000 on and seems to have been really taken care of
http://corvallis.craigslist.org/cto/4010473846.html

The second is 5sp with 80,000 on rebuilt. But I'm not sure what the inside looks like

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/4017718838.html

I would use this as weekend camper and to haul some kayaks. It might make some longer trip but nothing crazy.im not going to rock crawl it just fire roads and beaches and that type of thing.

 

[SoCalMonty]

Tough call indeed.

I'd see which owner is more flexible on the price; they are both too high IMHO. Used car prices have been alllll over the map the last few years. I can understand a fuel efficient vehicle fetching a premium, but an old gas guzzling SUV? Odd.

 

[1morebike]

Ha ha some ads for the gen 1s say fuel saver...I kid you not that five speed has my interest because ill get a little better gas mileage and there is a thought of a diesel swap down the road in my head.

 

[plh]

Tough call indeed.

I'd see which owner is more flexible on the price; they are both too high IMHO.

$2000 is the new $500

 

[1morebike]

My mechanic says not to do it. He said the 3.0 has a lot of problems. I thinking if just buying either one and having the top end rebuilt right away

 

[SoCalMonty]

It has 2 common problems.

1, the early revisions of the crank bolt is prone to failure. $7 replacement.

2, the valve stem seals like to go tits up anywhere from 125 to 175k miles. Doesn't affect engine performance, per se.

It's not at all a troublesome engine. I'm not sure where your mechanic got that idea.

 

[GrassCat]

My mechanic says not to do it. He said the 3.0 has a lot of problems. I thinking if just buying either one and having the top end rebuilt right away

You need to find a new mechanic. Run don't walk!

 

[Mudrunner]

Lol the 3.0l was used in so many Chrysler mini-vans and they last forever. I had a friend who grew up in an NS Chrysler, 3 trans later but still the same engine. Sorry I would rather have a mitsu 3.0l than the 3v-ez that Toyota used. I had so many problems with that motor. For being a solid reputation, I will not own another after owning the Sport. Smoother faster and just nicer overall.

 

[1morebike]

How hard are parts to find for these? I read a few threads about not being able to find what they needed. I'm going to mild build so I don't really need a lot of aftermarket just you know the regular stuff like tie rods, ball joints, stuff like that

 

[Mudrunner]

Looks like most parts can be sourced from Rockauto.com which means most could probably be sourced from any parts store. Most of the parts that are hard to come by are things like lifts, ARB type bumpers, aftermarket support is not great for the Montero world. But the normal parts are pretty easy to come by. From what I understand from reading this forum and others.

 

[SoCalMonty]

Looks like most parts can be sourced from Rockauto.com which means most could probably be sourced from any parts store. Most of the parts that are hard to come by are things like lifts, ARB type bumpers, aftermarket support is not great for the Montero world. But the normal parts are pretty easy to come by. From what I understand from reading this forum and others.

What he said!

It's not a trendy truck here in the states, but you gotta remember, it was the winningest vehicle in Dakar's history - so in other nations, it was pretty darn popular. Once upon a time, in other parts of the world, the Pajero was definitely supported by the aftermarket (as the aftermarket was in the 80's).

The basic maintenance parts are still easy to find, and for the aftermarket now, you just have to get creative. My front bumper was from a Jeep TJ, and my rear bumper was from a B2000 pickup...just had a shop cut off the old brackets and weld new ones on. A little creativity goes a loooooong way, and when you're done, you don't just have another modified Jeep or Toyota like every other one on the road. You have something a little different.

I kid you not...just yesterday, I had to run an errand about 8 miles from my house. I started *counting* the number of lifted Wranglers on oversized tires I saw. Are you ready for this? 19. I saw 19 of them. And they allllll looked the same to me. =P

 

[1morebike]

Yeah I could just by another 80 and I liked mine but I'm kinda over them. The price for them is pretty high and aftermarket stuff is pretty exspensive. The guys over at mud are great but you get a lot of only use oem and Toyota is the best. Anyway I really really like the box look and want a fun project. I don't really need a vehicle as most days I just ride my bicycle to work. Gas mileage is slight concern but what you going to do?

 

[SoCalMonty]

Yeah I could just by another 80 and I liked mine but I'm kinda over them. The price for them is pretty high and aftermarket stuff is pretty exspensive. The guys over at mud are great but you get a lot of only use oem and Toyota is the best. Anyway I really really like the box look and want a fun project. I don't really need a vehicle as most days I just ride my bicycle to work. Gas mileage is slight concern but what you going to do?

I wanted a 60 for a while myself, but the price premium kept me away.

 

[1morebike]

I have been looking at them also but the carb would be pain and yeah the price plus finding one that hasnt already been modded is pretty hard. A lot of half resto projects