What Do You Mitsu guys think?

[blueeyeddevil]

Found this. No Affiliation.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/ctd/962455779.html

[4Rescue]

Those were sold here in the states as the Dodge raider as well, asnd frankly if they have anything in common with the bigger version I say giver a go... I'll say this, the guy seems to pretty forthright about what the truck looks like. It's pretty rare to see that ammount and quality of pics and one of the Vin as well. Certainly makes me belive think the guy or gal would be good to deal with.

My high school GF's little brother had onr of those and while it was really TINY and the WB made it quite tippy/choppy on the road it did great off-road and it's certainly no worse than a CJ5 or a Suzuki and we all know how good those do on the trail. My only concern would be interior space, but hey maybe that would make you carry less gear...

Cheers

Dave

[haven]

Here's another possibility, this time with a V6

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r_id=250086452

[preacherman]

They are great little cars. They are small but they run strong and actually have a great following on 4x4wire. A few guys have even put a 4.3 v6 in them. The best part about them is they have suspension seats!!!!

[mtnbike28]

the 4 cyl is leaf, the 6 has coils. (as I remember it)
I had two, loved them, but had a ton of problems!

[Justice R]

These are good rigs(I'm Biased). Keep in mind that they are now 20+ years old and will most likley need a good going through to make it expedition worthy. That being said, I would go with the V6. It's the 6g72 which mitsu sold to GM to put in their minivans and Lebarrons. Parts are common. Also recommend the auto which is the same Aisin Warner unit (A44d) used in toyotas and some cherokees.

If you plan to only have 1 passenger you can fold up or remove the back seat for quite a bit of cargo space. The high roofline allows for more cargo space than you would think. Also, the v6models with the rear coil setup has a ton of interchange with the 2nd generaton models (92-00) . Like rear ends with the factory air locker and disk brakes.

This is my 89. I use it for short range trips, still working on the build its not quite done yet.

[Martinjmpr]

Ah, Justice beat me to it. Avoid the 4 cyl unless you are looking for a builder - the 4 cyl engine had a well known head gasket problem. The V-6 in the 1st gen (83 - 91) Monty also had a well known valve guide problem but the good news is that all it does is make you burn oil. With the V-6 in the 2-door version you get coils in the rear vs. springs.

I had to laugh at the 89 Raider for $5k. That's a good one! You can pick up a 1st Gen Montero around here for $1000 - $1500 in running condition and under $500 if it's not running. 2nd Gen Montys are superior and came with a better engine and tranny, and an optional air locking rear diff and you can find them with ~150,000 miles for around $2500 or so. In Summer when gas is expensive you can find them for even less. The Montero (Pajero in the rest of the world) is a well respected off road vehicle with a solid history and a great following, unfortunately it never really caught on in the US.

In my world travels there have been 3 vehicles I have consistently seen in some of the worst parts of the planet: 1. Toyota Land Cruiser, 2. Nissan Patrol and 3. Mitsubishi Pajero.

[4Rescue]

These are good rigs(I'm Biased). Keep in mind that they are now 20+ years old and will most likley need a good going through to make it expedition worthy. That being said, I would go with the V6. It's the 6g72 which mitsu sold to GM to put in their minivans and Lebarrons. Parts are common. Also recommend the auto which is the same Aisin Warner unit (A44d) used in toyotas and some cherokees.

If you plan to only have 1 passenger you can fold up or remove the back seat for quite a bit of cargo space. The high roofline allows for more cargo space than you would think. Also, the v6models with the rear coil setup has a ton of interchange with the 2nd generaton models (92-00) . Like rear ends with the factory air locker and disk brakes.

This is my 89. I use it for short range trips, still working on the build its not quite done yet.

IF that is indeed the engine that CHRYSLER not GM put in the Caravan from the 80's on through the 90's I would not hesitate to run it across the country and back. We had an 87(?) dodge caravan with that same V6 in it and it hauled me and the folks loaded to the gills up hill and over dale, all over Canada every year, to soccer tourny's all across the country and back etc. for over 365K with absolutely NO issues other than regular maint. items. the same cannot be said for teh Auto tranny behind it, but that motor was absolutely GREAT. I was never left wanting for passing power (in a mini-van no less!!!!) and it never leaked a drop of oil in all that time. I guess you could say that I'm a fan of the 3.0L Mitsu V6... Just a little bit eh

And I'm with Martin, Mitsu's are one fo the 3 "world" vehicles that can always be found in the nastiest places on the planet... True that.

Cheers

Dave