Montero sport or Toyota harrier or Montero

[Lahiru Sammika]

I'm thinking to buy a 4x4 SUV around 6-8 million rupees.  I would like to get your ideas on below vehicles

 

1. Montero Sport 2008 diesel 4x4 4d56 2500CC engine

2. Toyota harrier 2007 RX300 petrol 4x4 2400cc

3. Montero 2003 petrol 4x4 V6 3000CC

 

Actually, I dont have any experience in driving any SUVs yet. I really appreciate your ideas and experience on the above vehicles in following areas.

maintain cost, reselling value, fuel consumption, durability, spare parts availability etc.

Thank you. 

 

 

 

[tiv]

On 3/8/2023 at 4:46 PM, Lahiru Sammika said:

I'm thinking to buy a 4x4 SUV around 6-8 million rupees.  I would like to get your ideas on below vehicles

 

1. Montero Sport 2008 diesel 4x4 4d56 2500CC engine

2. Toyota harrier 2007 RX300 petrol 4x4 2400cc

3. Montero 2003 petrol 4x4 V6 3000CC

 

Actually, I dont have any experience in driving any SUVs yet. I really appreciate your ideas and experience on the above vehicles in following areas.

maintain cost, reselling value, fuel consumption, durability, spare parts availability etc.

Thank you. 

 

 

 

Well these are 3 very different categories of vehicles, each has pros and cons, besides price they don't share much in common. I have extended family owning each one of these so can tell you this;

1. Montero Sport 2008 diesel 4x4 4d56 2500CC engine

Pros - 

Cheap to run, Cheap to fix, ample parts EXCEPT body panels, shares many parts with the L200 of that Era, Very capable offroad, decent fuel economy. These were the last montero sports' that were made in Japan. 

Cons - Interior bit cramped but not at all bad, as far as I know all imported are Manual transmission (may not be a con to you), expect High mileage cars.  70% of these came in black which I love but not the most preferred in the market. Interior plastics are very prone to cracking due to the heat soak on the black ones. Worst Handling of the 3

They have a faux low market status as 99% came brand new via agents, therefore car sellers have purposely lowballed them into low market, so that they can shed a million mile 120 prado that has more fiber work and paint than a 3 wheel. However they are now picking up in market as they can be modified very well to go offroad, plus the starting cost is much lower than a prado or montero.

2. Toyota harrier 2007 RX300 petrol 4x4 2400cc

Pros - Very comfortable, Well Toyota badge : Sri Lankans, Better Interior, Better Ergonomics, Much more luxurious for its period. Best handling of the 3

Cons - Parts are expensive, source-able but not as easy as the others. Poor off road capability compared to others. Not the worst but fuel economy is a not a boon. 

3. Montero 2003 petrol 4x4 V6 3000CC

Pros - Comfortable, Spacious, Still has the road presence, Parts are easy to find, Can hold its ground off road. Handles better than the montero sport. 

Cons- Very Thirsty, resale is not that great. much older compared to the others but given their fuel factor you can find cars with lower mileage than the others. Also due to their prestigious status at the time, most were expensive and well taken care of. The 3litre one is not that nippy. It will be a mission to find a good one.

All in all I would go for the Montero Sport diesel in a heartbeat, as we had one a while ago, regret selling it badly. 

Edited March 11, 2023 by tiv

[Boseth Minidu]

On 3/8/2023 at 4:46 PM, Lahiru Sammika said:

I'm thinking to buy a 4x4 SUV around 6-8 million rupees.  I would like to get your ideas on below vehicles

 

1. Montero Sport 2008 diesel 4x4 4d56 2500CC engine

2. Toyota harrier 2007 RX300 petrol 4x4 2400cc

3. Montero 2003 petrol 4x4 V6 3000CC

 

Actually, I dont have any experience in driving any SUVs yet. I really appreciate your ideas and experience on the above vehicles in following areas.

maintain cost, reselling value, fuel consumption, durability, spare parts availability etc.

Thank you. 

 

 

 

Imo it depends on what will you use it for,will you do offroading? Will you be mostly doing city driving? 

But from your choices I say the Harrier is the best choice,why…?

The 2008 Montero Sport has bad resale value along with some issues(Can’t exactly remember the issues),these issues are one reason to affect their resale value.

The 2003 Montero,the Petrol V6 has bad resale value because it’s known to being bad on fuel,the Diesel is the better choice but it exceeds your budget but you could find some 1999ish examples for about 7.5 million if you search well enough.Check with leasing companies too if you have contacts,they may have some “arrears” vehicles you might be able to grab for a bargain,or just continue their lease.

The Harrier.You could find a Lexus RX400 Hybrid around your budget because the 300’s(Both Toyota and Lexus) only do 6KM/L because they’re V6’s,the Hybrid will do about 8KM/L.But the toyota variant is fine too,but the Lexus’s mostly being UK variants may have better durability compared to their japanese counterparts and better demand(not sure about the demand).But as @tiv said,maintenance cost is high,but Lexus and Toyota parts are interchangeable in the Harrier/RX.

Are SUV’s a must? Most SUV’s within this range have at least one or two disadvantages.You could find some decent Sedans/Saloons for this price,or even better a flashy hatchback with never YOM.Do remember these are SUV’s and they are never as comfortable as a car because they are originated as hard-use vehicles(Some like CR-V and Harrier are an exception,they’re as comfortable as a car)

 

Wish you luck with the buy bro.  

Edited April 9, 2023 by Boseth Minidu