greetings all and thank you in advance for your input.

adding a second child to the family, and sadly for space, selling our '05 jeep liberty diesel. have researched larger suvs, and it seem the full-sized montero is a great choice for reliability, amenities and cost.

now to the questions:

1) i read that the '03 and later models with the 3.8 engine are peppier and more fuel efficient. have any of you found this to be the case?

2) i've poked around on craigslist and autotrader for a bit, but it's almost impossible to find one of these with maintenance records (specifically the odd timing belt change schedule). is it as important with a montero to wait for one with all records, or due to the general reliability, it's not as important as say a mercedes?

3) we live in rural new mexico, and drive mostly highway 80% of the time. what are realistic highway mpg figures for a laid back driver (60 -65 mph highway)?

4) lastly, would you say it's a farely easy rig to work on for the the diy?


again, thank you. these are basic questions, but would be very helpful in making a future purchase?

 

Firstly, good choice on vehicle selection.

I think the 3.8 though it may be peppier, it may give less mpg than the 3.0..... IMHO.
I bought my '98 Monty about 4 years ago, one look and I could tell it was well taken care of, even without a MR...so after test driving that seals the deal for me. The only thing done since then are pads, timing belt and water pump... going strong and reliable. But to each his own.

I found it relatively easy to DIY, but mark you, I haven't had any major issues since. But nothing a FSM couldn't make easier.

In the end the decision is yours to make.

Good Luck.