General Comments:

Around 2 weeks ago, I got to ride in a Mitsubishi Pajero with my block-mates to go a wake of a former block-mate. Together with my other block-mates, I left my car in Alabang, then hitched a ride with our other friend in her Pajero. The ride was quite long to his wake in Molino, Cavite. Everything was smooth when we were in heavy traffic. Although as we reached Daang Hari road, where there was no traffic and we could run as fast as 60+kph, the ride was already a bit bouncy and bumpy. You could really feel the car bouncing as we were cruising along that road. I got to sit in front, so the comfort was okay. The seats at the back where my block-mates sat were kinda uncomfortable.

Despite my comments about the ride and comfort, the air-con of the car is still excellent. It was so cold that I wished I hadn't left my jacket in my car. The car also had a good sound system. Her family bought the Pajero 14 years ago and she said it is very reliable and sturdy. I also had relatives and family friends who had Pajeros before, and they never had any problems with them.

Faults:

There was a recall on the brakes; they worked but made a strange sound. I'd fixed the problem, but could not reclaim the money, pressure ball needed replacement.

Fuel tank needle gives false info; I think I need to replace the in tank float.

Temp sensor goes weird from time to time; that's a fault with the chip behind the dash clocks, which is replaceable. It doesn't bother me that much as it only happens now and then.

The oil sensor leaks oil as it gets old; costs less than €10.00 and an hour to change it due to its restricted location.

The rear light cable needs replacing as they oxidize; a very easy job to do with plug and play cables.

Wheel bearing needs replacing a bit too often, and the originals are much better quality than the after market ones, as are the CV joints.

Everything else, no problem.

The gear box (automatic), never changed the oil or filter, now 280k and still working fine. The oil still smells and looks good.

General Comments:

I can't fault this 4x4; it's an SUV for on and off road, and does it well. Drove from Italy to Ireland, kept it there for 2 years and drove it back, spent time in many cities in Italy, resting in Sardinia with me now.

Still going strong, some general maintenance needed like shocks, but that's to be expected. Some bushings need to be done too.

Love this car; it's full leather with half wood finish. I found it very good on long drives and at 2800m above sea level.

I'd buy the new model, but it looks less masculine. So I plan to do a complete rebuild with a brand new engine, and replace all the suspension bushes and a full gear box rebuild too. I'll spend €15k on it to make it new again. I just think from new it's going to last me my lifetime.

So much space inside the LWB 5 door. And at least the seats are real leather, not like the BMW's fake stuff.

Faults:

4wd system is a mess with these. Extremely expensive to get it fixed (check and double check before buying).

Hard on brake pads and discs.

The 3.2 DiD engine is heavy, which does in the wheel bearings.

Seats are uncomfortable.

Engine is very very loud.

Driver's side dash is a bit dated.

General Comments:

Plenty of power for pulling.

Extremely reliable.

Nice big sunroof in it.

It's no BMW X5, but it's a step up from the Trooper.

Only thing to watch for when buying, is the flashing orange light in the dash from a faulty 4wd system. Put it into 4wd and floor it. You want to hit 60mph for a few miles to make sure it's OK. p.s. 4wd is designed to be left on on these.