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I was driving a 1986 Toyota 4runner for 14 years. What a great vehicle!
4runners have rack & pinion steering while the montero sport has recirculating ball joint steering. This will produce a very different feel. Rack & pinion steering is a very active driving design. It allows the driver to have a feel for the road and is why it is so popular in sports cars. Recirculating ball steering systems are the most common type and are easier to steer, because they don't require active driving.
Try this. If making a turn in a reciculating type vehicle you do not have to actively turn the steering wheel back to a straight position. The steering wheel will slide very easily back to a straight position. However, in a rack and pinion system you must, almost have to, steer the vehicle back to a straight. It will eventually come back to a straight position if left alone, but by the time it does you have rolled over the curb or another vehicle.
No that doesn't explain it. 86 4runner still had recirculating ball. I've driven plenty of cars with recirculating ball that did not produce this feeling. It feels like the tension in the steering box is improperly adjusted or a piece of linkage with to much play.
Filter: I have installed a K&N air filter, and it does seem to help. I also drilled holes on the front pod in front of the air filter box to let more air in.
Steering: I too have this vibration. It is a lot better than the pre 2000 models. They were worse yet. Mitsubishi did put an extra rubber washer/bushing on the 2000 models to help this out, but it still does it. Just going to have to live with it.
vehicle you do not have to actively turn the steering wheel back to a straight position. The steering wheel will slide very easily back to a straight position. However, in a rack and pinion system you must, almost have to, steer the vehicle back to a straight. It will eventually come back to a straight position if left alone, but by the time it does you have rolled over the curb or another vehicle."
(Drm) bigeasyal, from what I observed, rear-wheel-drive vehicles (or 4WD with the rear as the primary drive) has good straight-ahead return, thus following the road after releasing your hands at the apex of the corner. This is true regardless if it is rack-and-pinion or recirculating type.
On front wheel drive cars, the wheels does not necessarily follow the road because the straight-ahead return is affected by how much you sink your foot on the gas pedal. If you gas it, there is less tendency to return to straight ahead position. If you don't, it tends to follow the road. On rear-wheel-drive cars, steering return is not affected by your gas pedal. Incidentally, most front-wheel-drive cars has rack-and-pinion steering.
(But I'm not sure it's a montero or montero sport.)
Missaligned in Mass.
No problems. Had it in for inspection. Everything checked out great. My dealership has been hounding me to get it in so they could check it out. I finnaly did after I got a phone call from Mitsubishi headquarters, also asking me to take it in. Never had any auto manufacture do that, and I have had many.
Mileage the last three tank fulls. 17.5, 18, 18.1. Has been averaging this summer around 18 on 70/30 city/hwy driving. Been pleased with fuel economy.
One complaint on the automatic transmission. It shifts smoooooooth, but too smooth. It kinda slips into the next gear. Not crisp like most other automatics. So, when you are hard on the throttle, it kind of winds up and pops into the next gear. Other than that it works great.
I still am impressed with how quiet and nice riding this vehicle is. I have driven several SUV's. and owned a 4-Runner, and I still rate the Sport as one of the best.
I am surprised at how low this vehicle rates when a comparison test is done by groups. It has comfortable seats and rear passengers have great leg room. Don't go by what manufactures brochures state, because where they measure from is not all the same. For example, the 4-Runner states that it has 1 inch more leg room than the Sport. When you sit in it yourself, you will find that this is not so. The Sport has more rear leg room than most SUV's in its class.
If you are thinking about buying a SUV, don't get in a rush. Do your homework and do test drives.
Power from the Sport's 3.5 is good.
And I still feel that a frame is better for towing anything. Especially if you do a lot and plan to have a vehicle for a while. That is why I ruled out the Pathfinder and some of the other SUV's with unibody construction. That includes big brother 2001 Montero.
One thing is disturbing though, the attitude of the Mitsubishi reps. I fyou leased through them, you should know phone numbers to the MMSA office in California and you should complain strongly on the phone, e-mail and regular mail. Reps like that should be weed out. According to the MMC policy, he could not refuse to switch you to his supevisor. Even though their product is good, they are getting bad publicity due to the employee screw ups. Contact MMSA and let them know your feelings. Maybe it is late in your case, however, all complaints may help others.
First, the EPA Mileage figure has increased. 1 mpg Hwy rating on the 3 litre, 17/21. 1 & 2 mpg City/Hwy rating on the 3.5 litre, 16/20. I do not know for sure if the gear ratio has changed, but some reports show that they have not.
Some new color choices on the XLS nodels. LTD dropped Red and Green and replaced them with Silver and Beige.
The LTD now has wood grain dash and wood grain around the window controls.
Price has gone up around 200.00 I last reported that the price on a LTD was up $1200, but for 2001 the LTD has leather seats as standard. So that is the $1000 difference.
One other Item. There is a new model coming out that most sites have not reported. It's something like an XE that will have the 3.5 litre motor in it. I think it is going to be an XLS model with the bigger motor. But it could be like a LTD model with no leather. Don't know for sure yet.
Other than routine replacements such as tires and belts every 60,000 to 65,000 miles; oil change, tire balance, rotate, alignment every 5,000 miles; tune-ups, wiper blades, radiator flush every 20,000 to 25,000 miles; and battery replacement about every 3 years; these vehicles just don't require a lot of repairs. The secret is though, You have to be religious about maintenance. You have to change the oil and rotate tires, and such as recommended.
I use Firestone as my routine maintenance place. Now I know Firestone is getting a bad rap right now for the Ford Tire problem, but that is tires and I am talking about service work. The reasons I choose Firestone are: 1) they are nation-wide and if I am out of town and need service work I can stop at any store. 2) they offer coupon specials every month to those customers that apply for and/or have a Firestone credit card. Oil changes cost me $12.99 with the monthly coupon. 3) they offer a lifetime tire maintenance program for around $179.00 this program gives me lifetime alignments, tire rotation, spin balance tires every 5,000 miles for the life of the vehicle. The cost of having this done just one time is around $75.00 at the dealership. and 5) when you initially purchase your montero sport, if it comes with Bridgestone tires. You can get a lifetime road hazard policy for each tire for about $7.00. This road hazard policy will repair or replace your tires for as long as you own the vehicle should they get punctured or damaged.
This is a great deal. No matter what vehicle you purchase you may want to consider checking out the Firestone stores.
BigEasyAl@hotmail.com
Also we were surprised to find out that the LS model does not come with the rear cargo area shade. So we told them to throw that in to.
Performance:
I was aware that the truck has not been given the best marks in acceleration; however I feel that it is fine in the less mountainous areas. My wife and I drove it through the mountains of West Virginia last week and found that it was a little short on power. My suggestion is that if you live in mountainous areas such as this, you may want to look at the 3.5L or a Ford Explorer (without Firestone tires).
Other than exceleration, we are very pleased with the ride on MS. It drives much more like a car than the 4runner, Durango, and exterra. I would say that the explorer is closest to it in ride and comfort; however with an explorer you are paying at least 4,000 more for the same vehicle.
I found it odd that you quoted the price for the LS with both packages at $26,800. I don't know what part of the country you are in but the list price for the LS in the Southeastern US is as follows:
Base $24,777
Destination $ 495
Pref. Pack $ 755
Security $ 305
Total MSRP $26,332
Dealer Invoice $22,535
Destination $ 495
Pref. Pack $ 505
Security Package$ 250
Ad Assoc. Fee $ 646
Total Invoice $24,431
You stated you got the vehicle for $24,400, that was pretty good. I hope that tax, title, and license was all that they added. Sometimes they attempt to add bogus items such as undercoating, fabric protection, customer satisfaction survey fees, etc.. If that was the case, you got screwed. You should never pay for anything more than the negotiated price, plus sales tax, and no more than $125.00 for title and license fees. Any other fee, charge, or adder is just additional profit to the dealer. Even if you do get something for the fee, it is usually too high for what you are getting or totally unnecessary.
Any questions or comments on purchasing a 2000 MS send to BigEasyAl@hotmail.com
P.S. I am not a dealer or salesperson, just a happy Mitsu owner.
As for pricing that LS 2wd, Yikes! I paid around 22.5 for my 2000 LS 4wd in July.
Don't be conned into thinking that the steering problem is all in your head; or that you're really used to a different vehicle. Some Mitsu owners can't seem to exercise enough objectivity to believe that it's possible, just possible that Mitsubishi does not have a fix for this problem. Many others, including myself, have discovered this defect; have taken it to our dealers and have been very displeased with the lack of a remedy and a similar lack of response from Mitsubishi. At this juncture, Mitsubishi blames the tires (Yokohama in many cases), while Yokohama--you guessed it--blames Mitsubishi. This is very similar to the way Firstone is blaming Ford and vice versa for the defective tire tragedies. There are a dozen or so owners who have had enough and are unwilling to be a Mitsubishi statistic. They, including myself, are consulting with an attorney to address the issue.
I'd consider taking some serious action regarding this problem because it apparently isn't going to get any better.
Ron Baker
consumer_action@hotmail.com
Dad called the dealer. The service tech told him, to unlock and lock the passenger door to reset alarm, but the alarm didn't reset. We will eventually get the transmitters if their isn't any other way of resetting the alarm.
I'm new to this site but have spent all afternoon reading posts on various boards.
I am in the market for a new SUV, in Southern California, and I want to get some preliminary info before I go in for test drives & negotiations. Besides the mid-range Explorer and Montero Sport 4WD trims, I'm also going to be looking at the 4Runner (although it's almost certainly more expensive than I'm looking too spend) and the Honda Passport (although I'm not too excited by the whole Isuzu / Honda situation).
I will mostly be driving city, but plan to do some off-roading and I do go camping and stuff.
Have any of you had experience comparing the Montero Sport 4WD to the Explorer? Have advice on specific things to look for / test out on the test drives? What are the worst problems facing the Montero Sport? (I've seen some horror stories on the Explorer transmissions). For anyone that lives in the LA area, were there any problems with maintenance or service or customer service at any of the dealerships?
Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!
My Background: My sister has a 95 Explorer base model (XS?) which I have driven a lot and I used to have a 1990 Mitsu Gallant. Neither vehicle has / has had any service problems to date (although we had a very nasty time dealing with Mitsu customer service when the lease was up...The car was sitting on the lot (Florida) and three months later their corporate office was calling us saying we hadn't turned it in, and then once they found it they tried to charge us for damages that had accrued after it had been turned in,but that's another story...). With the Explorer, I've never been off-roading, but I did notice that the ride got kinda bumpy simply driving on an unpaved street.
I'm gonna post this on the Ford board too just to see what they say.
I can send you a ton of data to help you negotiate the best deal. But you need to provide me with the data necessary for me to send you the information. Had you provided an email address in your post you would already have the data.
BigEasyAl@hotmail.com
for a SUV. The SUV's we test drove were the;
2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport:
Not as nice as the Nissan ride but, for the money its an excellent vehicle. More room in the Montero than the other vehicles. The interior features are basic but put together with quality.
With the low interest rates until October 2nd this is the SUV to buy. Haven't drove the chevy SUV's but owning a 1994 Chevy Pickup with 240,000
miles this could also be an option. At least my truck is 'built like a rock'.
2000 Dodge Durango:
Very nice interior options that can be added but, rides as rough as a jeep on side of an
unpaved mountain side. Poor suspension and cooling
system. Also need salesmen who know what suspension means.
2000 Mercury Mountaineer:
Excellent ride, nice interior better suspension than the Durango. Mercury was unable to meet my wife's requirements of a cloth interior. Needs to find a reliable supplier for tires, other than Firestone.
2000 Ford Explorer:
Rough riding, not as bad as the Durango. Tires made a squeally noise. Ford has
extremely poor customer service and the mechanics
at Ford couldn't tell the difference between a
good tire and a bad tire if it shredded right in front of them.
2001 Nissan Pathfinder:
Excellent car, interior comfort was low budget. Standard features with Bose stereo system and excellent suspension are a plus. Even though, the car is the quickest around still not offering any special financing.
I have a beautiful, Royal Blue/Sudan Beige MS Ltd 2WD for sale. Leather, CD, ABS, 3.5L V6, <27000 miles. Love it, just trying to 'lighten my load'. Asking price is $22,000. Check out pictures at <A HREF="http://www.ece.utexas.edu/~kjmoore/montero.htm">http://www.ece.utexas.edu/~kjmoore/montero.htm
Thanks,
Ken
mailto:ken_in_austin@hotmail.com
Please let me know if your service dept. has any success with the "popping" noise. Since I last posted, I have not made any attempt to solve the problem. I plan to take it back to the dealer when I get a chance. It certainly isn't a noise that I am content to live with.
You don't have to provide your email address to anybody on this post. You should be very wary when people are asking for your email address to send you valuable "information". If BigEasyAl want to share his "ton of data", he could do everybody a favor and post it here. Otherwise, don't be surprise when your mailbox are filled with junks ...
Safe surfing ...
Mike
I agee that you don't have to provide your email address. However, when you ask such specific questions and wish to get it, it would help those of us who can truly help to provide the data to them specifically. Did you read my suggestion to Dropapple and Suptropical, to go to post #326? Did you yourself go to post #326? I challenge you to send me a direct email at BigEasyAl@hotmail.com
The valuable information and ton of data are several Microsoft Word documents and several Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets and scanned copies of actual dealer invoices for each and every model of the montero sport. In total it is 28 pages of data for each of the seven models of the montero sport (ES 2wd, LS 2wd, LS 4wd, XLS 2wd, XLS 4 wd, Limited 2 wd, and Limited 4wd) When you add to that the fact that each model line has either a preferred package, premium package, or leather seating package the permiatation goes from seven to thirteen, each with 28 pages of data, comparisons to other SUV models, purchase negotiation letters, a listing of all the mitsubishi dealers in every state, etc. Do the math Mike, 28 pages of data times 13 permiatations equals 364 pages of data. In my own words, "valuable information, and a ton of data". To post that much information on this site is impossible.
I bought my new 2000 MS Limited for $350 under invoice, and got the factory trailer hitch/wire harness installed, front bug guard and sunroof wind deflector installed, rear gargo net and husky rear gargo liner, wheel locks, two additional transponder ignition keys, and additional alarm remote control unit, leather seat cleaner and conditioner, and 6 oil changes; in all about $1,500 worth of extra's for just $500.
If people wish to post questions on the board and are willing to take whatever advice that "might" come, that's there choice. I just suggested that they read my post #326 and either provide an email address with their post or email me directly. I am not afraid to help, and I have almost always given my email address with my post.
See for yourself, if I don't have a ton of data! Email me directly and ask for data on any 2000 model Montero Sport and then prepare to make a retraction on your post # 368. If you honestly think that the information I will provide to you is not valuable, you can say so on this board and I will never post on this board again. But on the other hand, if you do see the merits of the data I send, please be man enough to say so.
BigEasyAl@hotmail.com
P.S. Mike, this is the type of response that should not be made on this board. And is exactly why I am a proponent of those that make specific comments or ask specific questions to post there email address. Why should everyone in the world have to read this, when it is specifically ment only for you. Go read post #284, #271, and 269 also.
They have no equipment to inspect your vehicle and their service dept. has no equipment. They fail to tell you this once they "get their sale"!
They won't even pay for the inspection or give you a loaner car (due to front end alignment that they need to do). You drop 30,000 plus and not even a lousy drive up the street to get the vehicle inspected. This along with the arrogance of the salesman, general manager and the owner make for an unpleasant experience. Requested my car be cleaned on the inside and salesman states " you don't want that shiny shi* in your vehicle". Who's he to judge what I want after having brought a brand new vehicle. The owner knows he has an unhappy customer and doesn't even care. Whatever happenned to the customer is always right? Oh well stay away, that's the best advice I can give....
Happy Motoring. ;-)
Pocahontas,
Edmunds.com/Roving Host
I'm not here to bash MS, praise another vehicle or give my assessment in more detail...so much of that is individual preference...but I was just surprised that, after what I have read out here, my wife and I found so much to dislike about the MS, and thought I would forward this caveat- spend some time with it before you buy it!!!
rpm the engine vibrates and is loud like it is whining anyone else with this problem
I plan to take it to the dealer as soon as I
get a chance.
This started at 300 miles
Any suggestions on CD changers?
I did all my homework, then test drove a Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer and this one. Took it home overnite (good way to get a buyer addicted!), and bought it the next afternoon.
The Jeep was too narrow and the Ford - well, it just didn't do anything for me. Also considered a 4Runner (too expensive for what you get and it's less powerful).
I've owned Nissan's for years (cars), and I'm truly faithful, but hate the Pathfinder - the way it drives (same comment on the 4Runner price/value), and the XTerra was too small and drove similar to the Pathfinder.
Anyway, I feel like it's Christmas! If I'm paying this kind of money for a vehicle....
I WANT TO LOVE TO DRIVE IT! Woooooo Hooooo!
Don't know what model the 00 your looking at is, but see it's also a 2WD. You might want to call your bank - on-line pricing is not right for 00's but my bank had the right info. I know, because I just went through this yesterday.
The wholesale on mine was 20,6somthing, and the retail was almost 24K. If you look it up for mine on the internet it gives much higher (not updated or mileage considering) pricing.
So, call the bank.
Got no response from my first post. I don't want to spam, but I really need to sell. This is the last time I'll post on this forum:
I have a beautiful, Royal Blue/Sudan Beige Montero Sport Limited 2WD for sale. Leather, CD, ABS, 3.5L V6, http://www.ece.utexas.edu/~kjmoore/montero.htm
If you're not very close to Austin, we could work out something fair on the delivery side.
Thanks,
Ken
mailto:ken_in_austin@hotmail.com
A second option is www.magauto.com They sell original factory parts at a discount.