Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
As far as the deep discount that I received. It was $7200 off sticker w/ 3.9% for 60 months. The current 0/0 wasn't available yet or was available but for shorter terms only. It would have an additional $500 off if I were a recent college grad but I missed it by a year. One of the dealers in my area (New England)is currently advertising leftover new 02's w/premium pkg for $28999. But if you use the 0/0, its 3 grand more. The deal that I got on the 03 is still being advertised as well.
It is the same engine in both vehicles. The Endeavor is mounted sideways, for it is front or all wheel drive, versus the Montero rear or AWD. This will translate into the Endeavor being a much more quicker vehicle. I bet it will be around 2 seconds quicker than the Montero on 0-60 and quarter mile tests when it starts getting reviews. Wait and see. But, the Montero will still be a more rugged outfit, which I like.
32k on the truck, 16 city, 20 on highway. I've changed from Premium 93 octane to 89 Plus gas. No difference noticed.
Our other car has a turbo and if you don't put in Premium, you know it.
Goodyear Fortera spare tire bought, same demensions as stock, cannot put spare cover on. It's close but it won't fit. I'll be buying 3 more Forteras for a quiter ride and a bit more sporty too and transfering a stock Geo to the spare to get my cover back on. The spare is an alloy wheel so at least it looks good.
Don't like the look of the 03' but it would be nice for a larger engine. I'll get more power when I replace the exhaust with a high-flo cat-back from Australia.
Congratulations on your purchase.
I think the main reason why the Endeavor got the same engine was because it IS the most powerful SUV engine that Mitsu has...unfortunately, it is ONLY average for Endeavor's competitors (Highlander, Pilot, etc.).
Toyota does the same thing...LX470 shares the same powerplant as GX470. GX is much lighter (4600 lbs. vs. 5500 lbs.).
The Montero is underpowered to a degree but not to the point of covering 90% of the driving conditions you will encounter. Where it falls short is where increased torque would be nice, towing being one example. This is hp over time if I remember correctly. Absolute HP is not as important. You can find many other motors that may deliver more hp but not "drive as well". This is because the higher torque (or hp) is delivered in a narrow rpm band and not across the RPM range to the greatest degree.
So, what does this mean in the real world. You really need to drive the vehicle and not focus on hp or torque numbers, higher torque will make heavy vehicles get up and go better than high hp and, as is the case in the Montero, sometimes a little more HP/torque actually improves gas mileage but beyond that you will trade this off.
Toyota probably has one of the best quality small V8 motors that was introduced in the Lexus then modified a bit for the sequoia and now 4 runner. In the 4 runner it probably is more than enough (I am a little jelous here), in the Lexus car it was great but in the Sequoia the milage sucks and you really cant tow that well. Its not the motors fault but they should have stepped up the motor for the Sequoia and I hope they develop and in line 6 diesel or small v8 for the Montero for similar reasons
I made the mistake of peeking at the new Montero's during my last service at the dealer. I'd love to get a new one. I think the new look is pretty good and I'd like the increased hp as well as a limited with the AWD feature and Leather.
They had a pretty healthy discount on one they had on the lot but only offered me about $11K for my '01. OUCH! That hurt. I'm reminded of my '98 Durango. I paid $30K. Drove it 2 years, hated it. Sold it for $21K and it had just under 60,000 miles. That deal was tough to beat. The market for my Montero for private sale is around $16,000.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to hang onto it for that kind of depreciation. I'm having a tough time finding financial restraint.
Honestly, for me the Honda Pilot is more suited to my needs. On road comfort with a large Cargo capacity. I'd go that route if they offered a Sunroof like the Montero. Not just a "sunroof" but a Monti like sunroof! That would get me past the so-so styling of the Pilot. Inside, it's an almost perfect design for my needs as is the Montero.
Drew
Honda's 8 seat belts give it a huge advantage! Face it, lots of people are buying SUV's as alternatives to Mini Vans. Mitsu is killing it's chances with this mistake.
It's really not that hard to come up with the right packaging for a sucessful seller IMO. I don't know why manufacturers blow it so often.
Drew
$11k resale??!!! I understand somewhat with the mileage but that is crazy. When I bought the 01, I was aware that resale would be a problem but it doesn't matter as we will have it for several years and the 0% financing made it less expensive than a used one costing thousands less. (It would not have been a real option as '01 was the first year with the new body style) Also, we got our Limited for about $32k. However,I do sometimes worry whether I would have been better off waiting a year and buying used.
I doubt anyone would let thier 01 go fo 11,000. Kelly blue book has it at 19,900, about the same as Edmunds. With only 30K miles that jumps to 24,000.
4wd in general go down fast. Consumer reports saying the Montero rolls too easy when so many other vehicles would have similar problems did not help the resale issue either.
Personally, I always hold on to the vehicle for 5 or more years. The resale of any vehicle at that point all seem to decline to the same levels and since the Montero is such a great value starting off you really cant lose too much. Heck, if I went with the LC and it only dropped half as much it still would be just as big a loss given the high starting price. Rather than percentage drop you could look at it from an absolute value drop.
I did a quick calculation comparing the Montero to the Sequoia (do to its higher resale) using 60k miles and both in excellent shape. The Sequoia had lost 30% by now and the Montero 40%. The absolute loss came out higher with the Sequoia because of the higher starting price. So, like I said, they all seem to get to be worthless in short order.
The Montero in Japan has a 3.5L GDI (gasoline direct injection) engine, that is rated at 217hp and 257ft/lbs torque. Also a 3.2L, turbo, 4 cylinder diesel that produces 275ft/lb torque.
Now if we could get the 3.8 in GDI form in the US, I figured that hp would rise to around 235 and torque to 280ft/lb. Based on 8.5% increase in hp and 12% in torque over the old 3.5 US Engine compared to the Japan 3.5 GDI motor.
The GDI is suppose to get better fuel economy to boot.
Now only if those Mitsu engineers can figure out a way for it to run on our high sulfur content gas.
I think it is just around the corner for the US market. Starting to see some other foreign manufacturers having GDI engines in the US.
They include:
Very nice looking Ally Wheels, Aluminum-Finish interior accents that look awful. Grey finish wood trim that looks awful. Monochrome color trim. "6 plus 1 CD" audio system. and a Rear Air deflector.
The only improvement over a Limited is the different Wheels In My Opinion. There is NOTHING mechanically different on the Anniv model.
Drew
I guess some fool would sit smugly and suggest that he had a better deal with only 40% loss but actually have lost more money.
It just follows a simple rule. If you buy a much more expensive car it will likely be of better quality and depreciate less but with the higher entry price you end up losing as much or more as the less expensive cars. They are all money losers and should not be thought of as a value move. Lease if you want a new car every two years and buy and hold for true value, anything inbetween is a waste of money
While I didn't look since I was so busy avoiding a plate glass window, I suspect the rpms went up to 4000 plus.
It way be weather related as we have had a very cold snowy winter in Northern Pa. The dealer is to look at the truck shortly.
Speaking of snow, I had to take off the original tire as they were shot with less than 24,000 miles om them.They were really bad on snow even when new.
Replaced them with Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires. Excellent so far. Does great on snow and not too bad on ice if you watch yourself.
The tires are rated at 700 and they are the standard P265-70-R-16
I didnt think the stock tires were that great in the snow or mud. Great on hard pack and street. These new tires should really give the Montero a big off road and long term wear improvement
I was reassured that the Firestone issue was because Ford convinced Firestone to make softer and softer sidewalls to "correct" for suspension "flaws" as the SUV got larger without proper adjustments to the suspension. This is all rumor mind you as neither Firestone or Ford would ever admit to this.
In general there is an acknowledgement that the OEM tires have more wear and softer sidewalls and that any aftermarket tire, even the replacement Yok H/T, will feel stiffer, handle better and last longer so you really cant go too wrong.
The A/T Revos have excellent reviews at the TireRack and so do the Yok A/T but I heard that the Yok A/T wear a little faster than expected, whatever that actually translates into.
I would check out the tire rack surveys, good luck
At just a little over 40K the dealer said that all four brake pads needed to be replaced (~450). With Disks I have always done this type of service myself. I looked for an after market service manual and could not find one. The dealer is asking ~150 for the manual. So has any one done the brakes on their Monty? Any things to look for. Did you also machine the disks? I know it is usually recommended. Could someone email a copy of the procedures from their manual?? Or at least the torque settings for any bolts that have to be removed.
Thanks in advance.
Jon
e-mail Jonathan.jaffe@quantum.com
The manual says that you have to screw bolts in the rotor to force the rotor off the drive shaft. Sounds good but the rotors get rusty at the thinnest point. Thus Mitsu had to replace a rotor that got cracked in the process of removal.
The only other way is to strike the rotor on the inside to force it away from the shaft. Take your chances there too.
I beleve that the removal of the brake pads isn't that hard a process. May not want to turn rotors unless you know what you are doing. You can't turn the rotors on the truck either as the cutter won't fit.
Also Mitsu has replaced some Alum. wheels on the 01s as salt has caused a great deal of corrosion where the wheel fits on to the shaft.
For similar or less money, the Pilot will be better on road but not as good off road. For more money and less room the QX4 from Infinity has a great on road ride as well as the Lexus SUV's and most other Luxury SUV's. Good luck.
Drew
Please let us know what dealer you took the truck to and suggested unnecessary work. Also, if you are in California, you should report them to the BAR (Bureau of Auto Repair). I had a very similar issue with Midas in San Francisco on our Suburu Outback and threatened to report them. The Midas district office made it very clear that the shop screwed up and made amends. Stories like yours make my stomach turn every time I get a car serviced.
IMO dont turn the rotors unless you notice something visually or feel there is vibration. I have replaced pads on all my cars, followed this, and have never had problems with warping, pulling, etc.
NEEDAMOTOR: there is a tsb that describes the addition of shims to the brakes. You can get this online or I can try and send to your email address.
By the way, I had the hair raising opportunity to do an avoidance manuver at 35+ when a car parked on my right pulled out in front of me. I had to turn to the L then R as hard and fast as the Montero would move in order to miss him and not hit a car coming further down the road.
There was NO feeling that I was going to roll at all. I now dont believe that consumer report article but would not have attempted this except for the fact that I had to.
Luckily we all walked away with minor physical issues to deal with.
My car was totalled.
I want to buy this 1990 Mitsubishi Montero that is owned by someone that was referred to me by a friend. It's had 2 very good owners, 240,000 miles and now they put in a new engine and total rehaul of everything. It has a few quirks that I don't care about, and is clean inside and out. No car accidents.
I'm just curious as to your opinion about this vehicle, as I am ready to write a check tomorrow for it and I really don't know much about cars in general.
I want a car that is reliable and will get me to and from San Diego and LA without going haywire on me. I will be using this vehicle to get me to work, and I am a photographer who mainly photographs weddings, so if my car can't get me there - I'm in deep trouble!!!
I heard from another friend that this car is known to be top heavy and so it is prone to roll. That's not comforting!!
I know this car will give me about 2-3 years - will is ok with me as it will give me time to raise money toward a newer car.
any advice? They gal selling it gave me the name of the mechanic which she has seen since she bought the car, and I know if that particular place and plan to call him tomorrow.
Are there any specific questions I should remember to ask??
Thank you so much!
Catherine
Can you please send me the information on brake shims. I tried looking at the link on the NTSB site and could not get information without paying. Also, if you know what the torque settings for lugnuts are, please e-mail me at:
Jonathan.Jaffe@quantum.com
Thanks,
Jon
Steve
I have owned several, and still do own, Toyota vehicles. Hard to beat for reliability. I do presently have a 2000 LTD 4X4 Sport, which has proven, thus far, to be a good vehicle.
Just a note. You can pick up a 2000 Sport for about the price you would pay for the 97 4Runner. They are very similiar made vehicles.
I would be a little leery of the 97 Montero. Not that it is a bad vehicle, but depending on mileage and what has been done for maintenance, it could be costly to get it back up to spec.
My 2 cents worth.
Lexus 470 63K 9.5 0-60
H2 Hummer dont ask 0-60 sec
G500 MB 73K, 0-60 10.2 and beat out the Lexus for best 4wd in thier class
Land Rover 70k, 0-60 9
02 Montero 36K, 0-60 9-10 depending on which review you believe
Is there really a performance difference compared to these other top notch and very expensive SUV. I really dont see the difference and dont suggest that 0-60 times are important in these vehicles and I am not saying you do either.
http://www.me4x4.info/features/showstory.asp?STORYID=11&PAGEN- O=1
I also wonder what happened to the 4.5 litre V-8 engine Mitsu was thinking about building, but never did. I really think this is the motor for the Montero.