Hi everyone,

I`m new here. I am about to buy a 2003 montero xls with 102k miles.

I checked the car out today and it drives fine.

What I noticed is when I turned the key to ON position, all the lights came on such as oil pressure, SRS, etc, the "service engine soon" didn`t.

The owner only had it for 1-2 months, and he was suprised that it was not lit up, and he agreed it should light up. Is this just a bulb thing or what?

At 102k miles with no history, I doubt the timing belt has been changed. Is there any way I can visually check the condition of the timing belt? like by removing some cover easily?

I also found out that the passenger side valve cover is leaking...

the guy is asking 7.5k, is this a reasonable price?

Thanks.

 

Great catch to notice the dead indicator! No SES lamp is a big red flag - combine that with a seller trying to unload a truck so soon and I'd be very concerned. I'm not sure about 2003 but I believe the SES indicator is an LED on a circuit board, not a lamp that could burn out. It's critical that you have the codes scanned (for free at Pep Boys, Advance Auto, AutoZone,O'Reilly's, etc) to see what problems are being masked.

Further, if that doesn't change your mind I'd insist on a PPI (Pre purchase inspection) at a Mitsu dealer - probably $100 - $150 but might be the best $ you could spend.

As to the price, check it out on New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews & Car Prices | Edmunds.com. Depending on color and location it looks like their fair market value for a private party sale is about $5,500

Good luck.

UPDATE: Here's a similar xls at a dealer with an asking price of $7,050. http://columbus.craigslist.org/ctd/3886278235.html Used car dealers are notorious for loading up the asking price so I guess this could be had for a lot less. The difference in price from dealer to private party is almost always several hundred dollars. The Edmunds appraisal may be low but I still think $7,500 is really high - even if the truck had a known history and service records.