I'm thinking about buying a 2005 Montero Limited. What's the opinion on this forum on the Consumer Reports roll-over issue? I did a search on this forum but didn't find much on it. Does anybody have any links to good articles or discussions on this issue?

Also, I couldn't find a lot on-line concerning long term reliability for the Monte ('03-'06 models). Consumer Reports only reported on the reliability of the '01 and '02 models. Does anyone have any links to some decent reliability data/ratings? Anyone got an opinion on the mitsubishisucks.com website?

I really like the vehicle - just trying to make an informed decision. Thanks for any help!

 

Rollover? Well its no more likely to roll over than any other SUV.

As for MitsubishiSucks.com, although this is not justification, but EVERY company has issues like that. You name the car, I will find a list of problems. Especially with new cars, all this new technology that goes in the cars a lot of the time isnt perfect. Does that make the ma bad company? No.

The only real problems with Mitsubishi, are the 1993-1999 Eclipses that had super soft bearings, and liked to spin them all the time. Commonly known as crankwalk. You wanna know why that was? They were the only Mitsubishi that was built in the US. lol.

Just make sure the regular maintanance has been done of them. One of the main root of problems is poor maintanance. They dont change the oil, dont change the differential fluid, dont change the timing belt, i could go on all day. Anyone knows, you dont maintain it, it WILL go down hill. For a 2005, you should be able to geta full service history, make sure the 60k (if it has that many miles) maintanance has been done. This includes the timing belt.

Good luck.

 

I think you will find that Mitsubishi 05 to be a great value and excellent cost since it has the roll-over reputation. Mitsu changed the stability control system on the 03 and later to correct this problem. I believe that consumer reports revised its roll-over rating on the montero but the damage to the reputation is already done...

As long as the maintenance has been done they are reliable. You should find a montero driver on the street and ask them. Id bet that almost all of them like their truck. I think Montero loyalty is similar to the loyalty you find with Subaru owners. I feel that the montero is just as capable and nicer interior finish as the toyotas but for far much less $$. The insurance is not abnormally high as well.

As sebba says, all manufacturers have a site dedicated to disgruntled owners. I would not let that scare me off. You should know that the montero stopped importing in '06 I think, but is still going strong in other parts of the world. The official reason was that the montero was not allowing mitsu motors to meet fleet MPG required by the EPA.

I talked to some Japanese cowrokers about Mitsubishi and they told me that M.Motors Japan was going thru some turmoil in the early 2000's. Namely the CEO was a douchebag and ran the company poorly - he may have been stealing from it as well. Mitsubishi is popular - just as popular as toyota and nissan - in japan but got 2nd teir status due to company financials. The company has recovered from this and is not going anywhere any time soon. With all this said, I dont see any problems with the trucks quality (unlike GM product from the mid eightes when the japanese were cleaning their clock).

Good luck - About the only other SUV that I would sell my montero for would either be 1) a Range Rover under warranty (due to its bling factor) or 2) an older toyota landcruiser (even though the 4wd drive train is not as advanced as the montero). I hope that I have my Mony for many more years and with 73k on the ODO, I feel that I should be able to drive it for many more years without probs.

BTW, my wife favors the montero over all other SUVs we drove because the visibility is awesome, has a tighter turn radius than accord and you gotta love the massive sunroof.

 

Sebba & TJ - thanks for responding and good advice! I think I'm seeing the Consumer Reports fiasco much clearer now. I thought the following article had some good perspective on the report:

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...24/023867.html

As for reliability, most of the other Mitsubishi models rated by Consumer Reports had excellent reliability ratings. The Endeavor is a recommended used vehicle by both Consumer Reports and Edmunds.com. The 2005 Montero I'm interested in has 31,000 miles on it and the warranty is good through July, 2011. After reading through the posts on this forum, I'm feeling a lot more confident about making the purchase.

 

Glad we could help.

 

If you buy, pls post pics.

 

You should know that Mitsubishi supplies many engine parts to Chrysler which up until recently was part of the Daimler - Mercedes Benz empire. The 3.8L engine is the the same as the 300M. This might make you feel better since mitsubishi is a smaller player in the US market compared to the giants - Toyota Nissan Ford and GM.

 

Well... it's a done deal! Here she is! (If I figured out how to load the pics) I know you off-road guys won't like the rims/tires, but it makes the wife happy. Thanks for helping with my decision. The wife is quite happy - therefore I'm happy!

[IMG]local://upfiles/15936/1D3FE44CABC249E99B60C76C1FAD8AEF.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/15936/7A2638742771405BA7044C7C9485AE65.jpg[/IMG]

 

Congratulations! She looks good. Make sure you tell the wife to exercise the transfer case (AWD in the rain) 4wd on dirt roads etc to keep everything working well.

I think the chrome wheels would look better with some knobbies! Think about that when its time for new rubber. Youll like some ATs when it starts to snow and you want to get to the mountains for some fun!

I see the truck is in CA. Where abouts do you live? Im in Oceanside. Ive had the montero out in the desert, sierras and the local mountains. Lots of fun! See -> https://mitsubishiforum.com/m_191037/tm.htm

 

I'm up in Bakersfield. My brother-in-law's family lives down in Carlsbad. We'll probably be taking the Monty down there in the next few weeks. If you see a silver Monty on chrome 20's, it's probably me!

Your Monty looks great - the wife really wanted the White-on-Gray two tone. Found a 2005 that was White-on-Gray with beige interior on Autotrader.com that was up in the Bay Area, but she was gone when I called. At $21k with 31k miles, I think she went pretty quick.