I am looking to buy a used SUV for occasional long trips, maybe about 3-4k miles a year. Used Monteros seem like a good deal but I am concerned about reliability of these cars. For example, for a 2001-2006 Montero, consumerguide lists the following trouble spots:

Dashboard lights: If the transmission overheats and turns on the "A/T TEMPĂ“ light, the oil pan should be replaced with a larger one. (2000-01)

Power seat: The wiring harness under the driver's seat may chafe and short out blowing a fusible link causing loss of power seat, power windows, and power sunroof. (2001-02)

Transmission leak: The transmission cooler (inside the radiator) may crack and leak, allowing transmission fluid into the coolant and coolant into the transmission. The company recalled early production models to replace the radiator. (2001)

Wheels: Water gets into wheel bearings causing premature wear and noise; revised bearings are available. (2001-03)

Wheels: Shifting into or out of four-wheel drive while moving may cause it to get stuck in 4H (4-wheel high) range unless the shift forks are adjusted to prevent the problem. (2001)

Any more insights into these issues?

 

Never had any of those problems.

My only problem is the lack of power and lack of aftermarket parts for all the 01-06 Monteros.

 

I found a 99 Montero (not sport) in really good condition with 92k miles on it. Are aftermarket parts difficult to find for this model as well?

 

The kinds of aftermarket parts redtruboeclipse is talking about (I'm fairly certain) are things like performance exhausts and other performance and dress-up modifications.

Normal repair and upkeep parts for all Monteros and Montero Sports (both factory and aftermarket) are readily available so no worries there.

Ron

 

Thanks jrmdir. Really good to know. I am buying a '99 Montero 4WD (not sport) with 92k miles on it for $5.8k from the first owner with a clean record. Hope it works out well

I went through several Land Cruisers, Acura MDX, Lexus RX300, and the newer Montero ads before spotting this deal. I think it strikes a good balance between price, reliability and features. Now, only if I could have the diesel version

 

Excellent choice - same year and model as mine. I think that was a great year for Montero styling - integrated wide fenders (as opposed to stick on flares) and they actually are pretty rare compared to other Montero production years. I like the interiors of the next gen Monteros but never fell in love with the exterior styling.

If yours has been well maintained you will be in good shape. Be certain that it's had the timing belt replaced -- or get it done real soon. Everyone says this needs to be done at 60K but if you read the fine print in the owner's manual it says 100K for CA and some other states even though all the belts are the same. I put 110K on my 2nd belt and it looked fine.

I bought mine from the original owner at 67K miles and have put another
130K on it. Other than wear & tear items (which includes timing belts and water pumps) it's only hit me up for two warm-up cats (at around 160K miles) and a pair of rear transmission mounts - plus the $2.00 rear cam seal o-rings that start seeping sooner or later on all 3.5L engines.

Other than that it's been almost perfect - if I covered up the odometer I bet most people who drove mine would gues the mileage to be in the 60 to 80k range.

So once again, good choice and good luck.

Ron

 

Thanks for those tips, Ron. What I like is that by 1999, Mitsubishi had ironed out all issues so the product was fairly bug free I am also in the SF Bay Area. Maybe will run into you sometime (hopefully, not literally)!

I also like interiors but never really liked looks of the newer Montero. And then like any new models, Mitsubishi had a bunch of bugs in the newer version for 2-3 years.

 

I have a 2006 Montero Limited. It currently has about 34,000 miles on it. Other than being under powered and drinking fuel at an alarming rate, I've had 2 problems worth mentioning: 1) valve lifters were replaced under warrenty 100 miles ago due to hard starts and a knocking noise from the motor, and 2) I am currently fighting an alignment issue - the alignment is spot on, but the steering wheel is ****-eyed to the left about an inch. The car has been aligned 3 times and now they are telling me the tires need to be replaced due to the fact that the original owner never rotated the tires in the 20,000 miles he had the car.

 

This model has been in my famly circle for many years. One sister had a 1990, 1994, 1998, 2004. other sister 1998. I bought The 1994(sold to mother in law) and got the 1998 as a gift from my sister.
(1998 Montero) I do most repairs myself. Mitsu parts are very exspensive. ex. fuel tank cracked. Mitsu prices for new tank.$800.00 to 1200.00 dollars
Hard to find a tank repair shop . All tank repair shops in local area stop reparing tanks because of waste removal codes.had to take tank 60 miles to a shop who would fix it. Ox senor 2 times as much as my ford or chevy trucks. If you want to bolt up a new cat. no bolt on after markets avalible
for Montero. Mitsu. $800.00 for catylic converter and new bolts and gaskets. That is if I did it myself. I decided to put in after market that cut out mounting flanges and welded cat in. I had a muffler shop do it($250.00). TPS sensor Mitsubishi $150.00, my ford $28.00, chevy $32.00 (Auto Zone) I dont even want to call dealer for the price of that. I would filp out on them. Dont get me me wrong I love it but is very exspesive to repair. I have 122,000 miles on it now.