Mitsubishi Montero V6 2004 3.8L Petrol - Fuel Consumption and Maintenance/Suggestions

[alex_caruso]

Hi everyone,

I want to get some advice and feedback from those with experience, either personally or through others, regarding the 2004 Mitsubishi Montero V6 3.8L Petrol. Specifically, I'm interested in these areas:

1. Fuel Consumption: What is the real-world average fuel consumption for city driving? Planning on using as a daily vehicle

2. Maintenance: Given its age and a mileage of around 180,000KM +, what kind of issues should I expect? Will maintenance become more frequent or costly?

3. Alternative Options: Considering the current market, would you recommend opting for a 2011 Mitsubishi Montero Sport instead? I assume it offers better fuel efficiency due to being a newer model. Additionally, do you have any other suggestions for alternatives within the same price range (12 million)?

Thank you for your help!

[iRage]

Had a 2002 ...so here goes...

1. Fuel consumption...got about 4.5kmpl on average. I drove in a city with not-so-heavy traffic as well. So it was thirsty...but damn that thing could move !

2. Maintenance depends on how well the car has been taken care of over the last 20 years. If the car has been babied and all preemptive and running maintenance work done on time with proper parts and labor...then no...maintenance/repair frequencies are neither going to be lesser nor greater than any other well-maintained car this age. For the most part you can hope to do regular oil changes, etc...at recommended intervals along with sticking to the manufacturer's preemptive maintenance schedule. If stuck to the maintenance schedule, then things like oil seals, belts, etc..should have gotten replaced, and running gear and other power train components would have gotten serviced by now. The problem is..Sri Lanka being Sri Lanka this would have never happened. Therefore, how often you will be going to the garage and how long you will be spending there is totally dependent on what the condition of the car is. This applies to any old car you buy in SL.  99.75% of all old cars sold in SL are garbage.

Typical issues with the old Pajeros...
a. if it is GDI then rest assured some makabaas has screwed it up. 

b. The Super Select 4WD system can start acting up. The vacuum system in these things are notorious for loosing pressure. When it does everything goes wrong and all the car does is stick in 2WD and keep flashing its 4WD indicators. Also, some of the solenoids for the system are placed in "dumb" locations (for a 4WD vehicle) and gets damaged due to debris hitting it or getting submerged and clogged with mud. So...check the Super Select 4WD system. 

3. Alternatives: Sadly not many...for your budget if you go with the Toyota route all you can do is a box Prado or a Hilux Surf. Both of which will be older than the Montero. Yes you do get newer 120 series Prados closer to your budget but those are petrol and the 2.7L Petrol Prado is not the best in terms of performance (the same engine does better in the Surf..and even worst in the newer Prados). A Fortuner is also out of your budget. So yes...a 2011 Pajero Sport might be your best option. However, make sure you get one with stability control. These things are known to get rather easily unsettled under emergency braking/avoidance situations (it became an issue for Mitsubishi that they had to make stability control a standard feature in the entire range). Also...there are a few out there that have a low number of owners and have been maintained by the agents throughout its life. So you might be able to bag a good car if you are lucky enough.

The bottom line is....if fuel economy is a concern...a SUV might not be the best solution for you. If you are expecting more than 5kmpl then switch to a diesel that is smaller in size like the Pajero Sport (which again you need to find a vehicle in good condition) or go with a crossover (anything from a RAV4 to an XTrail to a Vitara to a CRV to several Korean options like the Sorento. For your budget you should be able to bag a decent and much newer specimen than the Montero. Unless you really really need a proper off-roader/4WD like a Pajero or Land Cruiser...you might as well stick to one of the crossovers. They are much easier and more comfortable to drive on the road and easier on the pocket.

[alex_caruso]

On 7/12/2024 at 1:38 PM, iRage said:

Had a 2002 ...so here goes...

1. Fuel consumption...got about 4.5kmpl on average. I drove in a city with not-so-heavy traffic as well. So it was thirsty...but damn that thing could move !

2. Maintenance depends on how well the car has been taken care of over the last 20 years. If the car has been babied and all preemptive and running maintenance work done on time with proper parts and labor...then no...maintenance/repair frequencies are neither going to be lesser nor greater than any other well-maintained car this age. For the most part you can hope to do regular oil changes, etc...at recommended intervals along with sticking to the manufacturer's preemptive maintenance schedule. If stuck to the maintenance schedule, then things like oil seals, belts, etc..should have gotten replaced, and running gear and other power train components would have gotten serviced by now. The problem is..Sri Lanka being Sri Lanka this would have never happened. Therefore, how often you will be going to the garage and how long you will be spending there is totally dependent on what the condition of the car is. This applies to any old car you buy in SL.  99.75% of all old cars sold in SL are garbage.

Typical issues with the old Pajeros...
a. if it is GDI then rest assured some makabaas has screwed it up. 

b. The Super Select 4WD system can start acting up. The vacuum system in these things are notorious for loosing pressure. When it does everything goes wrong and all the car does is stick in 2WD and keep flashing its 4WD indicators. Also, some of the solenoids for the system are placed in "dumb" locations (for a 4WD vehicle) and gets damaged due to debris hitting it or getting submerged and clogged with mud. So...check the Super Select 4WD system. 

3. Alternatives: Sadly not many...for your budget if you go with the Toyota route all you can do is a box Prado or a Hilux Surf. Both of which will be older than the Montero. Yes you do get newer 120 series Prados closer to your budget but those are petrol and the 2.7L Petrol Prado is not the best in terms of performance (the same engine does better in the Surf..and even worst in the newer Prados). A Fortuner is also out of your budget. So yes...a 2011 Pajero Sport might be your best option. However, make sure you get one with stability control. These things are known to get rather easily unsettled under emergency braking/avoidance situations (it became an issue for Mitsubishi that they had to make stability control a standard feature in the entire range). Also...there are a few out there that have a low number of owners and have been maintained by the agents throughout its life. So you might be able to bag a good car if you are lucky enough.

The bottom line is....if fuel economy is a concern...a SUV might not be the best solution for you. If you are expecting more than 5kmpl then switch to a diesel that is smaller in size like the Pajero Sport (which again you need to find a vehicle in good condition) or go with a crossover (anything from a RAV4 to an XTrail to a Vitara to a CRV to several Korean options like the Sorento. For your budget you should be able to bag a decent and much newer specimen than the Montero. Unless you really really need a proper off-roader/4WD like a Pajero or Land Cruiser...you might as well stick to one of the crossovers. They are much easier and more comfortable to drive on the road and easier on the pocket.

Thank you very much for the prompt and detailed response. I really didn't expect to gain this much insight, truly grateful!

With your advice, I think the Montero V6 petrol is out of the picture, because mainly I wanted it to be my daily driver, and the worst part is in Colombo. I fell in love with the looks of the vehicle and seeing it at 110k I thought I’ll try to manage, given how much of a prestige vehicle it is but yeah…

But you gave me valuable insights, thanks again!

As you mentioned, my options in the SUV range are quite limited within my budget. Unfortunately, even the Montero Sport 2011 (newer face ish) now costs 130k or more..

This narrows down my choices to the Nissan X-Trail 2015/2016, Kia Sorento, Mitsubishi Outlander 2012 and BMW X1 (Vezel will be my very very last option..)

I've heard of several issues with the Nissan X-Trail. Is this true? It seems like a good full-sized SUV and looks comfortable and a bit commanding on the road, same with a Kia Sorento..

And with BMW X1 2011, it looks very sporty and since I’m a young guy might blend in with my crowd very well. How reliable is this vehicle? I heard it’s gets issues in the long run. If I get all the service records double checked, is this still a risky vehicle? And I'm assuming it doesn't have a good resale value either? Very much attracted to this vehicle tho haha..

This is my first vehicle, and atm sedan cars are not in the consideration if I can get a good suv, my commute 3/4 times a week will be around 35km up+down in Colombo/Rajagiriya

I would really value any suggestions and tips from you on how to navigate getting my first vehicle for my budget 🙏

Edited July 13 by alex_caruso

[iRage]

7 hours ago, alex_caruso said:

I've heard of several issues with the Nissan X-Trail. Is this true?

If you are looking at the T32 series (the one that came with either a Hybrid or Gasoline engine from Japan and a few diesels from Europe), then yes. It has had transmission problems. In Japan, this was not an issue, as the manufacturer took care of it. In SL, it can get rather pricey due to poor support from the agent. Also....a lot of the past owners took the cheap alternatives for replacing transmissions, which were usually used ones from Japan, and it is not entirely certain how long they will last.

7 hours ago, alex_caruso said:

BMW X1 2011, it looks very sporty and since I’m a young guy might blend in with my crowd very well.

Well..young guys in BMWs...do not have a good reputation do they ? Think really hard about what kind of cars un or barely licensed kids rip around with after borrowing it from their mommies and daddies

With Euros the key is diligent maintenance. If one is extremely diligent about it then even a BMW will run for a long time with nothing more than expected age-related issues. It is not the same as just pump and drive sort of thing like with old Japanese cars. The problem with all Euros in SL is most of them were bought by people who wanted it for the show-off factor. So almost all of them got the bare minimum in terms of maintenance. Especially when the cars were passed down to their 2nd or 3rd owners. This gets especially worst with entry level models.

7 hours ago, alex_caruso said:

I would really value any suggestions and tips from you on how to navigate getting my first vehicle for my budget

I have no idea how young you are..but if you are young:

1. don't burn all your money on a car just to show of. Ig you like cars...then like cars for the car. If you do, then you will realize that there are plenty of cars within or even below your budget that are fun to drive and actually quite head-turners (at least amongst other enthusiasts). 

2. I have no idea how experienced you are at driving. However, if it is not that much then you probably want an entry level cheap car that you would not get hung over nor cost you an arm and a leg to fix if you have small dings and dents.

3. You want an easy car to maintain and run, just like with #2, you want a car that is easy to get repaired and not have to run behind specialist garages and wait around for parts that cost a lot.

So...what can you get ?

Well...sedans are there but you don't want them (for some strange reason), Toyota Mark Xs to Honda Accords and Integras, Nissan Primeras to even some variants of the Carina, Civic, Corolla and Sunny etc are quite desirable. Cars like the Carina GT are somewhat of enthusiast favorites along with the others I mentioned.

Crossovers, since you are open to looking at older models, RAV4, Vanguard, Montero (Preferably)/Pajero iO, Suzuki Vitara, T30/31 X Trails. Out of these the Suzuki and the iO are te ones with proper 4WD systems (if it matters to you). Sorento and its sister cars are also there but Korean cars from like 10 to 20 years ago have not aged well (they look tattered and worn out even if the mechanicals are perfect).

Off-roaders...well as I mentioned before..something like a box Prado or even a Nissan Patrol. However, finding an honest vehicle in good condition will be quite hard.