Hello and thanks for reading my post. I have the opportunity to purchase 2002 Montero Limited, 100K miles, approx $10k. It looks good and the belts and tires have been recently replaced. I don't make a lot of money, I am not mechanically inclined, and my wife is pregnant. We're looking for a family SUV to drive around the city as well as ski in the winter and fire road camping in the summer. I'm looking for something reliable that will not need much more than routine maintenance. Is the Montero Limited the SUV for me?

Thanks again!

 

If the rig checks out and it's in good nick, I'd say it's a great vehicle for your stated needs.

Be sure to get the service records. You mentioned the belts were replace. What belts are you speaking of, the timing belt, the serpentine belt, or both? The timing should have been replaced at around 60k. At 120k the service is to replace the timing belt, pulleys, water pump, etc. Inquire about the type of use the rig has seen. Has the transmission ever been flushed, or the gear lube every change? Don't forget to run through all of the four-wheel drive modes, it should shift quickly and easily into each mode.

I've got a 130k on our rig, and have owned it since it had 28k. I try to stay up on all of the service to keep the Montero running as best I can. The rig has taken us some amazing places, and still makes a great daily driver. We spend a lot of time seeing the back-country with the whole family (two kids, wife, and a dog). With careful packing and a roof rack, it makes a great family camping rig.

 

Thanks for your reply. I will find out as much as I can though it looks to be a street use vehicle. The current owner wrote, "timing belt, filters, oil change, brakes, sparkplugs and wires, valves etc" replaced. I am not familiar with a serpentine belt. There is not a Mitsubishi dealer close to me. Is there ever a problem locating parts?

 

I'm not surprised to hear the vehicle was only used as a daily driver. See if you can look at the service records. Check to see that the proper plugs were used and what the "etc" consists of exactly. The serpentine belt runs the fan, pumps, and alternator (it's the belt you can see when you open the hood, the timing belt is behind a cover on the front on the engine). You can source OEM parts online with easy, if you prefer to use them.

 

I went ahead and bought it. 107K miles. $8500. The car was a daily driver for wife and kids. New tires, although they are Prodigy H/T. It shifts into all the 4WD modes easily. The seller had all work done at a Mitsu dealership. Invoice states timing belt and secondary belt replaced. I assume that is the serpintine belt. Plugs, wires , cover and gasket, seal air intake gasket, radiator cap. He also says he had the brakes done and oil changed regularly but there is no documentation. He is the second owner and bought the car from said dealership and had it serviced there. He said he completed any service the service rep reccomended. He seemed on the up and up and gave me no reason not to believe him.

The car came with two Mitsu keys. One starts the car and opens all locks. The other opens all locks but does not start the car. What is the best option to get an additional ignition key? Thanks.

 

Welcome to the Montero Club!
It sounds like the rig was well taken care of and used lightly.
Getting a "chip" key made is a bit of a hassle.
I believe two of the options include getting one made through the dealer or having a "mobile key guy" make one. Either way, I think it's about one hundred-fifty to two hundred dollars for the key.

I hope it brings many adventures to you and your family.
Remember to check and/or change all of your fluids (including the transfer case and differentials) according to the service schedule.

 

congrats,

but i wouldve sold you my 2002 montero limited with 92k miles for $8k and it comes with navigation, gps double din, built in screens in the headrests. ugraded audio the works.

anyone in sf bay area, i never put it up seriously in an ad, but if anyone here is in the area and interested, let me know

 

Welcome to the club now fork over $200 for a key! Yikes! :-)
Thanks Mr Z for the replies and advice. Looking forward to putting some miles on the Montero.