Seeking Advice - Gen 2.5 Montero

[freewayross]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for Gen 2.5 Montero and this community has been very helpful in gaining a lot of insight about what to look for when buying a used montero and what to expect.

I recently checked out a 98 Montero and wanted to seek your opinion about the price and condition. Below are the details.

Year:1998
Cold weather Package with rear lockers.
198K miles
Body seems to be in good condition for it's age

Listed below are the things I saw that it needs

4 tires
water pump and belts needs to be changed, according to owner those have never been changed
Valve cover is leaking oil from Passenger side in the back, i saw smoke coming out where it was leaking from the valve cover after cranking. But when i drove it for like 10 mins popped the hood to check smoke, didn't see any smoke. Not sure why, but the valve cover need to be done.

Apart from this it drove good no funny sound from engine, transmission shifts well.

The guys is asking $2200. Is it worth buying and spending the money on above mentioned stuff? Or should I rather spend more money and buy a lower miles one instead? There is another montero but it's like 12 hrs away for $4000 with 98k miles.

Any advice/tips/opinions greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[KyleT]

sounds fair. just make sure it doesnt have rust. that makes everything a pain.

 

[jlocster]

I personally would go for the the one with 98k all things being equal and you can swing the extra cash upfront. Unless you have receipts for recent work, they're both both going to need a timing belt, water pump, cam/crank seals, updated balancer bolt, plugs & wires, valve cover gaskets. Good luck.

 

[jhill15]

I am with jlocster, I would go for the one that has less miles. I would see if the person selling it could email you detailed pics of the underneath"rocker panels, diffs, etc.." interior "seats, floor etc.." engine "valve cover gaskets, plug wires etc..." also if they are able to even post a video on YouTube of it running...I only say this cause its 12 hours away and it sure would suck to drive all that way to leave empty handed.

 

[ManfromSnowyRiver]

Go for the 98K NO QUESTION!!!!2K to buy back 100K miles? Worth every penny

 

[freewayross]

Yup, I'm thinking the same spend 4k and getting the 98k miles one but the problem is that it's so far and the surprises one has when you see the car in person. Have had a lot of those locally and it would suck to go so far and find out what the owner forgot to mention about.

Any members here from around tampa, florida? This guy is from that are the place is called Valrico. Hoping someone lives closer to that please and is able to check out the Monty.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I only paid $2500 for my 98 with 152k miles on it and immaculate leather interior, talked the owner down from around $3500 due to it needing some services. I would jump on the lower mileage unit in a heartbeat if I were in your position.

 

[freewayross]

saw one today, 1999 with 134k mile. Had white smoke from exhaust and there was something wrong with the electronics as well, car would go through lock unlock cycle randomly.

Here's the link : http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/5017162811.html

 

[TheMole]

Smoke on these cars most likely means it needs the valve seals replaced soon (expensive). The lock/unlock cycle might be a bad lock actuator, which can be fixed via diy. Pretty common problems. Good luck on your search!

 

[freewayross]

Here's another one on sale, needs a lot of work, but cheap!!

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/5066001670.html

 

[jlocster]

freeway, remember, a cheap car is not always cheap. I think when looking at 15-20 year old vehicles, as is the case with Gen 2/2.5 Monteros, in the long run its cheaper to spend a little more upfront for a vehicle that has been responsibly owned and maintained.

Of course, my 2 cents.

 

[freewayross]

freeway, remember, a cheap car is not always cheap. I think when looking at 15-20 year old vehicles, as is the case with Gen 2/2.5 Monteros, in the long run its cheaper to spend a little more upfront for a vehicle that has been responsibly owned and maintained.

Of course, my 2 cents.

Thanks jlocster, competently agree. I have learnt it the hard way!! I just posted the link so that if any of the members on here want a project..... they can prolly get it for cheap not bad for a shell. Appreciate the response.