About a year ago I went to look at a Montero, and well, that turned out to be a massive bust. Anywho, fast forward about a year and Im on the hunt for another Montero, but not being able to find one for a reasonable price where I live, Ive turned my attention to the little sibling, the Montero Sport.

I spied a pretty clean Montero Sport XLS on a used car lot for $3900. I looked over the truck and other than it needing tires in the rear, I can't find much else wrong with it. Its 2WD, which for a city boy like myself, its all Ill need. Interior has signs of normal wear and tear and the headliner is sagging but Im not too concerned with that. Has some oil around the pan, possible pan gasket or the oil seal in the valve cover area (the correct term eludes me atm, cam seal maybe?).

But to the heart of the matter, what should I be looking for on these that would lead to major issues? I know the timing belts are a thing that has to be done, and I planned on tackling that (Ive torn engines down before, shouldn't be too much of an issue ) but other than the timing belts, what else should I be looking for?

I had my mind set on a 4runner, but after seeing the prices people charge for them here in FL, I changed my mind, and quite frankly I like the looks of the Monteros better anyway. Ill try to get some pictures of the truck in question so we know what we are dealing with.

 

Montero Sport are very nice rigs. Since it is a 2WD, you avoid any transfer case sensor errors. I'd say check the condition of the transmission fluid - see if it's dirty and murky or clean. If it is super fresh (as in just was changed) I'd be asking questions. Same goes for engine oil. If you can - plug in the code reader and see if it has any stored codes, or alternatively if the codes have been wiped recently. If you need more than that, take it to a mechanic and have him give you a good look around on the truck.
Minor oil leaks around the valve covers and in the back are from old gaskets. Those are fairly common on vehicles that are older and now owned by the gear heads They are easy to replace and a good idea to do if you do not have history on the vehicle. Timing belt - make sure it was done somewhere between 80 and 100k, if not - plan on replacing it.

 

Yea the timing belt will have to be done, the dealer doesn't know the history about stuff like that, so I plan on getting that done. The oil leaks I expect anymore on any used vehicle and as long as they aren't profuse streams or steady dripping while running, I don't worry too much about them and fix them before they get bad. Probably just tackle those while Im in there doing the timing belt anyway.

Ill go back on Monday as yesterday the guy was short handed and couldnt really help me too much, plus I didnt have the code scanner handy but I will next time around. I just hope this truck doesn't turn out to be a bust, cause I really like this thing.