ImNoSaint's Gen III Build

[nasko]

Great truck, mate, absolutely great. It should be sold stock like this. Cheers

[MARKSMONTE]

Hey Imnosaint
I've asked you questions before, but now we are serious. We are looking at a 05 with 56k mikes on it in California, at Puente hills Mitsubishi.
Any problems we should be looking for?

We have desided to sell our 99 Montero with 124k miles and get something with less miles. in the future we can use it for our off roader.
You have experience with yours so I thought to pick your brain.
Thanks

[Sabre]

I'll just jump in with my own Gen III experience, Mark. That '05 should be extremely reliable and the low mileage makes it very attractive. Other than the usual cautions about any used vehicle (history of collision, abuse, etc) there's nothing known to be troublesome in these trucks. By all means test the transfer case in all modes as the pesky little switches on top of it can act up.

If you get that one, we'll be looking forward to watching your progress with it!

[Imnosaint]

Hey Imnosaint
I've asked you questions before, but now we are serious. We are looking at a 05 with 56k mikes on it in California, at Puente hills Mitsubishi.
Any problems we should be looking for?

We have desided to sell our 99 Montero with 124k miles and get something with less miles. in the future we can use it for our off roader.
You have experience with yours so I thought to pick your brain.
Thanks

Very cool, and I'll +1 what Sabre said. Take an old shirt you won't mind getting dirty and crawl underneath. Front end damage is easy to conceal with the plastic bumper caps and fender lining, so you'll want to take a good look underneath and the buttresses that support the bumper. You'll need to remove a fastener or two and pull back the front part of the thin fender lining, but, IMHO, it's worth checking out. While on your back, look above the cat that crosses under the transmission junction, checking the top and side for evidence of oil burn off. I've read and heard of, and deal with a rear crank seal leak and this is where that leak ends up. From what I can tell, the leak is induced under torque and burns off, leaving no trace on the pavement. It's nothing terminal, but can be a negotiating point.

Operate the middle seat functions, all of them. There's a cable that connects to the larger split seat release mechanism that comes undone easily. The operation of which is the silliest thing on the third gen, but you'll want to make sure it's completely functional. If the cable is broken, the seat back will lean forward flush to the seat bottom, but the whole assembly will not tilt forward toward the front row seating. $200 fix at Mitsu dealer. If it's busted it cripples rear flat storage.

There's been mention on this forum of the temp gauge not working or not reading correctly. Not a bad idea to make sure it's doing what it's engineered to do.

54k, wow. Just a baby. Good luck and be careful not to get enamored, you lose your edge once you fall in love.

[MARKSMONTE]

Thanks for the tips.
If not this one the next one.

[Sabre]

I went to Puente Hills' website and looked at that one...it's beautiful! Looks really nice...all the body lines are straight, gaps even and aligned, and those aftermarket wheels and low-profile tires scream out "I've never been off the pavement!"

One of the green dash lamps for the 4WD system is burned out (right rear), but that's very, very common and literally 15 minutes and a handful of LEDs from Superbright will cure that problem forever. Very clean vehicle! I'm leery of used car lots, but that's a Mitsu dealership and should be able to give you assurance that all is as it should be.

[MARKSMONTE]

I appriciate your looking.
They are not very flexable on the price.
There is another in Glendale AZ that is a 04 with 61k on it but Im not to thrilled about the colors.

I shouldn't high jack this thread.