I bought the car from my father in law for $100 with a blown head gasket and numerous other known problems. I fixed the problems before I started driving it.
Replaced: Blown head gasket, intake manifold gasket, Exhaust manifold, shocks, idler arm.
Since that time, the parking sensor has gone bad and the brake light comes on intermittently. I have not fixed this yet. I am sure it is simple, but have not gotten around to it.
The seat has a tear in it and the rubber on the steering wheel has started to fall off from age and sunlight.
The car was my father-in-law's work truck, and was severely overloaded most of it's life. It was on it's third rebuilt engine when I got it, and it had recently had the carburetor rebuilt. It had extra springs added in the back to handle the extra weight and 6-ply truck tires.
I have put about 15,000 miles on the truck. I used it as a daily driver for work for the past 2.5 years, and I occasionally collected firewood in it. My commute to work is about 2 miles, so comfort has not been a huge issue. However, I have taken several long trips in it (200+ miles each way), and it is a very uncomfortable truck.
It is severely underpowered, and it is very noisy on the road. The gas mileage, at about 20 mpg average, is not great for a little four cylinder engine. However, it has done a huge amount of work for me in the short time I have had it. I am amazed at how much firewood I can haul with it, even though I have to drive very slowly up hills.
I have not had any reliability problems with this truck since I have owned it, and I find this quite amazing considering the abuse and heavy loads it has taken.
"A very uncomfortable truck?" Give me a break. You've beefed up the springs and put 6-ply tires on it! And worked the stuffing out of it. What are you expecting, a Cadillac? The 88 Mighty Max is just a great little truck. I bought mine new, and it's on its second engine and second transmission. GREAT little truck. Just be nice to it, and it will be nice to you. For crying out loud, it's not a tank!
I agree, the Mitsubishi trucks of the earlier years are good. Though with the 2.6 motor, you may find that over heating the engine will cause blown head-gaskets and notorious warping the head. The 2.0 is not a whole lot better about this problem, but if kept in check it can run forever. I own a 1986 Mighty Max and I have hauled wood, boulders, and more that made it a low-rider while hauling the weight. These trucks can move materials and do it without damaging the outer bed walls. Reinforced double metal wall lined with 4 additional tie bars as well, make this truck born to haul. As for comfort... I replaced the original bench seat with a pair of Chevy IROC bucket seats with a cherry oak center console arm rest storage box. The bench seat seemed to bend the body to far forward with not enough lean back adjustment. Though a truck has no room to kick the seat back very far. I'm short enough to scoot seat forward and get a decent relaxed position making the truck a great long trip rig hauling or not.
I bought a 1987 2.0 Mighty Max new. Yesterday I parked it for good. 300,215.6 miles. Other that normal maintenance, belts, etc., the only problem I ever encountered was the belt tensioner pulley freezing up and tearing up a belt at 275,000 miles.
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