So take me around back and shoot me.

[PhyrraM]

Well, hopefully only figuratively.

If you've been following my posts lately, you may have noticed thare is not much activity since my car was sideswiped in Dec. You may also have picked up that my twin boys are now active campers with the Cub Scouts. You may also have even read my thread trying to justify (to myself) picking up a BF/BJ wagon with it's ugly ass end.

The gyst of it all was that you can only pack so much crap into a Legacy trunk. And I desperatly needed something bigger to go camping with. I wanted a Baja turbo, but couldn't bring myself to do payments again. I looked at '96-'99 Legacy GT and Outback wagons, but clean ones were still $4500+. I looked at Foresters, but they have the tiny Impreza sized rear seats.

So, I found this:




It's a '95 Mitsubishi Montero SR. 130K miles and only $3300 thanks to the gas crunch and our current anti-SUV mentality. In my own defence, It's not as big as it looks - but it is heavier than it looks. They are built like tanks and can take almost any abuse I could throw at it. I tried to stay in the Subaru family, but for it's intended purpose it will be perfect.

Let the flaming begin.

[SubiePrice88]

Thats not even that bad! It looks crazy and those tires are sweet! Looks like it would be a lot of fun off in the hills.

But my first reaction was "Oh No" lol not a big Mitsubishi guy

Should have done this beast! haha

[evolutionmovement]

Damn, that Loyale is badass!

Just hope the Mitsubishi is reliable for you, but I'm speaking in general as I know almost nothing about those particular vehicles.

[PhyrraM]

Well, one of the reasons I settled for a "true" SUV (I say "true" because Monteros were like that way before SUVs became the new minivans) is because I wanted something complete enough and suitable enough that I don't feel the need to tinker with it. I still have Subarus for tinkering.

I know Mitsubishis of that era, and that influenced my descion. Before I got my WRX and Legacies I was rallycrossing an old Dodge Colt Turbo (Mirage), the original GTI fighter. I also had a Dodge Raider (Montero) converted/swapped with a Starion EFI/Turbo setup. If you count the Paris Dakar Rally as "rallying", Mitsu Monteros (called Pajeros in the JDM) have won about 13 of the last 20 years.

The motor is a 3.5 liter version of the DOHC 3.0 in the Diamonte and the Stealth/3000GT. It's a solid motor, but nothing spectacular. The transmission and AWD/4WD (yes it has both) transfercase are bulletproof. The rest of the chassis and suspension is overbuilt and easy to service. It has old-fashioned greasable components, so if you wear something out, it's your own fault. The interior, on the other hand, is way below the quality of the Legacy. It's strong and simple, very 80s truck-like. Just snazzed up with fluff so they could sell it for $30,000-$35,000 in '95. Stock for Stock it's as good or better off the road as any other SUV of the era, even Jeeps and Rovers.

[douglas vincent]

That Loyale breaks something EVERYTIME it drives...... almost.....

That mitsu looks like a tank. awesome!

[greg donovan]

before i scrolled down i was expecting to see a minivan. nice montero. it looks like the old toyota land cruisers. i want one too. especially at that price. we need to replace our 95 before winter and are in the smae money spot you seem to be in when it comes to car budgets.

[Apex3]

Always kinda liked those for some reason, pretty sure it's just because I bought my brother an RC car of one when I was about 11 Don't know anything about them though to speak of

[SubiePrice88]

Don't know anything about them though to speak of

Same here, the only experience I have with Mitsu, is I had a 86 Dodge D50 and it was a pile. But you know waaay more than I do

It honestly looks so mean with those tires and the stance, looks like a tank!

The more I look at it, the more I like it

[gijonas]

Mitsu made a quality car back in that era (90-95) as did most companies.Most people dont believe me but the most solid and reliable car i ever owned was a 93 Mitsu 3000gt.I bought the car with 100,000 miles and drove it till it had 200k on it and never replaced anything on it but the oil and brake pads,and i was not easy on that poor car,it was unbelievable.