1988 Mitsubishi Montero Sport gasoline 2.6 I-4 (G54B) from North America

Summary:

A nice, if somewhat aged utility vehicle that works, on-road and off

Faults:

- The (stock) radio still works, but does not remember any stations programmed into it, and the tape deck is dead.

- The A/C died. This isn't that big of a problem for me, since it isn't hot here often.

- The power lock for the rear hatch doesn't work right.

- The rear washer pump sounds like it is starting to burn out.

- The fast idle circuit sometimes doesn't work, like when its stored in a garage. It will try to do a normal idle when cold, making it run rough for a minute or so.

- It appears the previous owner replaced the radiator.

General Comments:

The handling is pretty good for what's supposed to be a utility vehicle. It steers effortlessly.

Easy to work on, there is actually room to spare under the hood.

I don't think the four cylinder is really suited to this car. While it does work fine on city streets 45mph and below, when it comes time for going on the freeway, the car does feel a little underpowered. The gearing seems to have the 3rd to 4th shift set around 60, so if you try to go just that, it will want to hunt back and forth all day.

The interior is a little bland, but it seems to have held up well to near two decades of use. The seats, at least the front ones are actually tolerable, even for a few hours of driving. I've done a few trips and never got too sore or tired from it.

If you take care of it, and have the right touch, this car shouldn't let you down.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th November, 2006

15th Nov 2007, 17:06

Blew the head gasket at 132,244 miles.

Bought a new one for $18, took a weekend to install it, runs again like nothing happened.