JDM Montero Madness

I had considered many places to post these pic.  I could have added them to Irish's Montero/Raider build or added them to Obscure Cars You See Commuting or elsewhere but I just decided to give it its own thread...

Friday I stopped at a friends business.  While there, her mailman was there.  It is a rural route where the mailman drives his own vehicle.  I had seen him before and back then he was running a relatively recent Sienna AWD minivan.  He said the space was great but that the stretch for driving on the wrong side was pretty far.  He said in the past he had a RHD Jeep XJ which was great but too small and getting too long in the tooth.  So now...

1994 JDM Montero.  Turbo diesel with 106kms on it which is less than 65k miles.  No rust.  Some cool exterior mods and two-tone.  

I saw inside (but did not get a picture.)  It does not have a "bouncy seat" but it does have an electronic suspension.  

The mailman did comment that the Montero is smaller that the Sienna so on heavy days he has to make two trips.  However he also seemed to be unaware of the Delica when I mentioned it to him.  

Awesome 

in SE Asia, these were all the rage, especially the model before it. Mitsu name in usa sadly doesn't have the cache that it does in rest of the world 

RHD new Jeep Wranglers are driven by lots of personal US mailmen in rural areas. Always a trip for me to see a new USDM RHD vehicle 

That's so awesome, and an excellent way to use import cars.

how about a Hiace?

edit:
looked it up.  $35k to start and  glassdoor average of $55k/year;  and provide your own vehicle.  that's a tight mail slot to fit through

I've recently contemplated replacing my 89 Delica with one of these.  I have a 91 project LWB Montero. It's cool, but I've never driven it so I don't know how they go. I had a 00 Gen 2.5 Montero last year. I liked it, but didn't love it. I think the problem was I have become used to my Toyota Sienna and I was hoping to replace the Sienna with the Montero. It didn't compare for comfort, or build quaility. 

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

That's so awesome, and an excellent way to use import cars.

how about a Hiace?

edit:
looked it up.  $35k to start and  glassdoor average of $55k/year;  and provide your own vehicle.  that's a tight mail slot to fit through

LiteAce Master Surf Wagon with the glass panels, I think is cooler htan. Hiace. 

That said 55k a y ear is plenty for these guys in these SUPER RURAL places, imho

John Welsh said:

I had considered many places to post these pic.  I could have added them to Irish's Montero/Raider build or added them to Obscure Cars You See Commuting or elsewhere but I just decided to give it its own thread...

Friday I stopped at a friends business.  While there, her mailman was there.  It is a rural route where the mailman drives his own vehicle.  I had seen him before and back then he was running a relatively recent Sienna AWD minivan.  He said the space was great but that the stretch for driving on the wrong side was pretty far.  He said in the past he had a RHD Jeep XJ which was great but too small and getting too long in the tooth.  So now...

 

1994 JDM Montero.  Turbo diesel with 106kms on it which is less than 65k miles.  No rust.  Some cool exterior mods and two-tone.  

 

 

I saw inside (but did not get a picture.)  It does not have a "bouncy seat" but it does have an electronic suspension.  

The mailman did comment that the Montero is smaller that the Sienna so on heavy days he has to make two trips.  However he also seemed to be unaware of the Delica when I mentioned it to him.  

Not sure why I need one but it sure is cool.

It's fine, as long as you have something else to drive for your job while waiting for locally unobtainable parts.  I'd call that a toy at best.

Streetwiseguy said:

It's fine, as long as you have something else to drive for your job while waiting for locally unobtainable parts.  I'd call that a toy at best.

Almost nothing on a Pajero is unobtanium. 

I once had my mail at a rural address delivered by a Nissan 180sx.  I almost chased it down the street to figure out how that was happening.  

Streetwiseguy said:

It's fine, as long as you have something else to drive for your job while waiting for locally unobtainable parts.  I'd call that a toy at best.

You do realize they sold those in the United States, right?  Why couldn't you just go to the Mitsubishi dealer?

Nitroracer said:

I once had my mail at a rural address delivered by a Nissan 180sx.  I almost chased it down the street to figure out how that was happening.  

Maui has Levorg STi delivering mail. 

Around here they're mostly JK Jeeps, with a few XJ Cherokees holding on. One of which I saw that had a hitch mounted platform with a bunch of Amazon boxes bungee corded on. He had not one but two Thule luggage boxes on the roof.

The rest use some sort of drive-from-the-passenger-side contraption. Or they sit in the middle of a bench seat and use their left foot to run the pedals.

One of which was this very peculiar fellow who came into the parts store when I worked there. This was during the Japanese Tsunami and he commented about how awful it was that all those RHD cars were being swept into the ocean.

mr2s2000elise said:

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

That's so awesome, and an excellent way to use import cars.

how about a Hiace?

edit:
looked it up.  $35k to start and  glassdoor average of $55k/year;  and provide your own vehicle.  that's a tight mail slot to fit through

LiteAce Master Surf Wagon with the glass panels, I think is cooler htan. Hiace. 

 

That said 55k a y ear is plenty for these guys in these SUPER RURAL places, imho

I would take any HiAce. I had some very job site/Middle East bare bones spec HiAce the last time I was in Qatar with a 5-spd. That thing took so much abuse and kept asking for more. I would think those would make great mail vehicles as well. 

Toebra said:

Streetwiseguy said:

It's fine, as long as you have something else to drive for your job while waiting for locally unobtainable parts.  I'd call that a toy at best.

You do realize they sold those in the United States, right?  Why couldn't you just go to the Mitsubishi dealer?

I kinda forgot, because they were never sold in Canada.  I did see a Dodge Raider once twenty years ago.

I'm just too used to the fanbois and their partsless junk.

Awesome find! The Gen2s drive so much nicer than a Gen1 Montero, I think a 4door auto diesel is a really desirable overlanding and mild offroading truck.

In response to streetwiseguy:

Parts are extremely cheap for these and very plentiful, they were made basically the same from 1992-2000 and there are tons of parts cars available in junkyards (mostly outside the rust belt of course).   I replaced ALL the suspension components and brakes on our montero for less than $300, and parts were from RockAuto, not "unobtanium" by any stretch of the word. You're going to spend more on tires then you would on maintenence parts for the entire life of the vehicle.

The Diesel components are all that would be difficult to source parts for, since that was never sold in the US.  However, that particular engine was in service for decades, so it wouldnt be terribly hard to find parts.  They are plentiful in Canada due to the popularity of Delicas, which share the same engine.

Bottom line, these are probably the best JDM truck to buy right now; low-cost, lots were made, and cheap parts are readily available. Vintage Mitsubishi trucks are also rapidly growing in popularity, lots of auto journalists are buying them up and making their presence more known. Get one now while they're cheap, these can be imported for $3000-4000 vehicle cost at most.

engiekev said:

Awesome find! The Gen2s drive so much nicer than a Gen1 Montero, I think a 4door auto diesel is a really desirable overlanding and mild offroading truck.

In response to streetwiseguy:

Parts are extremely cheap for these and very plentiful, they were made basically the same from 1992-2000 and there are tons of parts cars available in junkyards (mostly outside the rust belt of course).   I replaced ALL the suspension components and brakes on our montero for less than $300, and parts were from RockAuto, not "unobtanium" by any stretch of the word. You're going to spend more on tires then you would on maintenence parts for the entire life of the vehicle.

The Diesel components are all that would be difficult to source parts for, since that was never sold in the US.  However, that particular engine was in service for decades, so it wouldnt be terribly hard to find parts.  They are plentiful in Canada due to the popularity of Delicas, which share the same engine.

Bottom line, these are probably the best JDM truck to buy right now; low-cost, lots were made, and cheap parts are readily available. Vintage Mitsubishi trucks are also rapidly growing in popularity, lots of auto journalists are buying them up and making their presence more known. Get one now while they're cheap, these can be imported for $3000-4000 vehicle cost at most.

This one pictured has the 4M40 2.8 litre diesel. Leaps and bound better than the 4D56T 2.5 litre in the Delica. I test drove a SWB 95 Pajero my friend is selling with this 2.8 litre, and a 5-speed on Monday. I was blown away with how much more power the 2.8 had over the 2.5. Now I need to figure out how to come up with some money to make him an offer while convincing my wife we "need" another JDM truck in the family. She did say it was cute when we went to see the Pajero, so that helps.

I drive past a Mitsu Raider pickup every day on the way to the office.  Those are VERY uncommon in the US

I know Mitsubishi has a sketchy rep, but my wife has been very happy with her Montero Sport

Mazdax605 said:

engiekev said:

Awesome find! The Gen2s drive so much nicer than a Gen1 Montero, I think a 4door auto diesel is a really desirable overlanding and mild offroading truck.

In response to streetwiseguy:

Parts are extremely cheap for these and very plentiful, they were made basically the same from 1992-2000 and there are tons of parts cars available in junkyards (mostly outside the rust belt of course).   I replaced ALL the suspension components and brakes on our montero for less than $300, and parts were from RockAuto, not "unobtanium" by any stretch of the word. You're going to spend more on tires then you would on maintenence parts for the entire life of the vehicle.

The Diesel components are all that would be difficult to source parts for, since that was never sold in the US.  However, that particular engine was in service for decades, so it wouldnt be terribly hard to find parts.  They are plentiful in Canada due to the popularity of Delicas, which share the same engine.

Bottom line, these are probably the best JDM truck to buy right now; low-cost, lots were made, and cheap parts are readily available. Vintage Mitsubishi trucks are also rapidly growing in popularity, lots of auto journalists are buying them up and making their presence more known. Get one now while they're cheap, these can be imported for $3000-4000 vehicle cost at most.

This one pictured has the 4M40 2.8 litre diesel. Leaps and bound better than the 4D56T 2.5 litre in the Delica. I test drove a SWB 95 Pajero my friend is selling with this 2.8 litre, and a 5-speed on Monday. I was blown away with how much more power the 2.8 had over the 2.5. Now I need to figure out how to come up with some money to make him an offer while convincing my wife we "need" another JDM truck in the family. She did say it was cute when we went to see the Pajero, so that helps.

Wow you are not kidding!

Intercooled Turbo Gen 1[edit]

• Compression ratio — 21.0:1
• Power — 92 kW (125 PS) at 4000 rpm
• Torque — 294 N⋅m (217 lb⋅ft) at 2000 rpm

Applications:

• Triton/L200 Sport 4x4 1998-2003
• Pajero 1994-1999

That's really not bad compared to modern diesels like Chevy's 2.8L LWN with 181HP and 369 ft*lbs. I wonder if it would wake up with opening up the exhaust.

Guy I go to church with has a Raider. Were they all short wheelbase two doors? Seems every one I've seen has been. His is black.

There used to be a Daihatsu Rocky running around here.

DirtyBird222 said:

mr2s2000elise said:

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

That's so awesome, and an excellent way to use import cars.

how about a Hiace?

edit:
looked it up.  $35k to start and  glassdoor average of $55k/year;  and provide your own vehicle.  that's a tight mail slot to fit through

LiteAce Master Surf Wagon with the glass panels, I think is cooler htan. Hiace. 

 

That said 55k a y ear is plenty for these guys in these SUPER RURAL places, imho

I would take any HiAce. I had some very job site/Middle East bare bones spec HiAce the last time I was in Qatar with a 5-spd. That thing took so much abuse and kept asking for more. I would think those would make great mail vehicles as well. 

No disagreements. I drove a Hiace for 3 years. I personaly prefer the LiteAce. They are both great. 

Toebra said:

I drive past a Mitsu Raider pickup every day on the way to the office.  Those are VERY uncommon in the US

 

I know Mitsubishi has a sketchy rep, but my wife has been very happy with her Montero Sport

Only in the USA. Rest of the world, they are revered. 

mr2s2000elise said:

Toebra said:

I drive past a Mitsu Raider pickup every day on the way to the office.  Those are VERY uncommon in the US

 

I know Mitsubishi has a sketchy rep, but my wife has been very happy with her Montero Sport

Only in the USA. Rest of the world, they are revered. 

This is 100 percent true. Mitsubishi gets a bad rap for their give anyone a loan on a car they can't afford, and then the resulting repos. That, and the boy racers doing all sorts of stupid E36 M3 to the DSM's which were really good cars in the wrong hands. The Pajero is every bit the equal to the Land Cruiser everywhere else in the world except for here in the USA.

Toebra said:

I drive past a Mitsu Raider pickup every day on the way to the office.  Those are VERY uncommon in the US

 

I know Mitsubishi has a sketchy rep, but my wife has been very happy with her Montero Sport

Uncommon yes, but really only a rebadged Dodge Dakota. Nothing super special. Like seeing a Suzuki Equator. Rare again, but only a badge engineered Nissan frontier.

Mazdax605 said:

mr2s2000elise said:

Toebra said:

I drive past a Mitsu Raider pickup every day on the way to the office.  Those are VERY uncommon in the US

 

I know Mitsubishi has a sketchy rep, but my wife has been very happy with her Montero Sport

Only in the USA. Rest of the world, they are revered. 

This is 100 percent true. Mitsubishi gets a bad rap for their give anyone a loan on a car they can't afford, and then the resulting repos. That, and the boy racers doing all sorts of stupid E36 M3 to the DSM's which were really good cars in the wrong hands. The Pajero is every bit the equal to the Land Cruiser everywhere else in the world except for here in the USA.

As a boy racer who owns a DSM I resent that comment! ;)

But seriously, Mitsu had such a great repuatation from the 80s thru 90s and then made terrible business decisions that killed the brand.

engiekev said:

Mazdax605 said:

mr2s2000elise said:

Toebra said:

I drive past a Mitsu Raider pickup every day on the way to the office.  Those are VERY uncommon in the US

 

I know Mitsubishi has a sketchy rep, but my wife has been very happy with her Montero Sport

Only in the USA. Rest of the world, they are revered. 

This is 100 percent true. Mitsubishi gets a bad rap for their give anyone a loan on a car they can't afford, and then the resulting repos. That, and the boy racers doing all sorts of stupid E36 M3 to the DSM's which were really good cars in the wrong hands. The Pajero is every bit the equal to the Land Cruiser everywhere else in the world except for here in the USA.

As a boy racer who owns a DSM I resent that comment! 

But seriously, Mitsu had such a great repuatation from the 80s thru 90s and then made terrible business decisions that killed the brand.

No offense intended. You get what I was saying though, correct?