No love for Montero's...

[off-roader]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/reso...50933731081126

Yes, I made my opinion known...

[njtacoma]

You have to log in to facebook to leave a comment on the article, since facebook is the evil empire I'll comment here.

A discovery as a bargain under $5k? with the montero you can buy a fridge, food and fuel with the leftover money. With the Discovery you need to save the money for repairs.

[off-roader]

A discovery as a bargain under $5k? with the montero you can buy a fridge, food and fuel with the leftover money. With the Discovery you need to save the money for repairs.

Tell me about it! My brother in law who's a mechanic from Scotland told me if I purchased one, I'd be on my own when it broke down.

[CYi5]

You have to log in to facebook to leave a comment on the article, since facebook is the evil empire I'll comment here.

A discovery as a bargain under $5k? with the montero you can buy a fridge, food and fuel with the leftover money. With the Discovery you need to save the money for repairs.

That's a great point. I think the discovery is an alluring initial bargain to be had for under $5k. Pretty sure it only made the list because of the obvious link between the theme of the site and Land Rover. I also laughed when I saw the jeep listed at the end. Whether I'm on a trip or reading a trip report, I never reach the end until I see a disabled jeep somewhere along the way. But hey, I don't pay to read these articles, so I can't be too critical of the choices made.

Red87's 1996 SR seems the ideal budget "overlander."

[red87]

That's a great point. I think the discovery is an alluring initial bargain to be had for under $5k. Pretty sure it only made the list because of the obvious link between the theme of the site and Land Rover. I also laughed when I saw the jeep listed at the end. Whether I'm on a trip or reading a trip report, I never reach the end until I see a disabled jeep somewhere along the way. But hey, I don't pay to read these articles, so I can't be too critical of the choices made.

Red87's 1996 SR seems the ideal budget "overlander."

Ha, thanks for the shout-out. I was a little disappointed to see that Cherokee on that list and no Monty too. I did get a giggle when they said they don't need serious drive-line mods for bigger tires. I'm pretty sure 33s will snap those axles like twigs.

[madhattan]

Which other model/year Monteros would have made the most sense on the top 5 under 5k list?

[Skidmarkart]

Yeah - I don't Facebook so I'll say it here... I have owned a 4Runner, the nicest Range Rover Classic you've ever seen, and a Frontier SE 4x4 king cab. Without a doubt, I'd take my Montero over ANY of those vehicles without a second thought. It's way bigger than the 4Runner and Frontier with more amenities, it has much better road manners that all of the aforementioned vehicles, and it runs without something breaking every 5 mins (which puts it way ahead of the Range Rover). AND did I mention it get batter gas-mileage that any of them?!? BUT hey, let the others keep turning their collective backs on the Montero - that way, when the time comes, I can get another cheap one off Craigslist!

[off-roader]

Which other model/year Monteros would have made the most sense on the top 5 under 5k list?

94-97 in SR trim for the rear locker and 4.6x:1 r&p gears.
98-99 w/ the Winter Package for the rear locker but only comes 4.2x r&p gearing. The r&p ratio is not an issue if you stay at 32/33" or below in tire size which I suspect most overlanders will do anyways.

Out of the box these models are overbuilt having an ~8" front diff with 28 spline axles (28.8mm dia) & 9.5" rear diff with 31 spline axles (35.5mm dia)*. In fact Mitsubishi's medium duty truck (Canter) uses the 9.5" ring gear!!

If you were to compare it to the rigs in the list, it ranks up there with the Land Cruiser in strength and most believe the LC w/ solid axles to be a smidge better and they are up front but weaker in the rear (33mm front & rear). IMHO, what kills the LC for me is it's weight and resultant gas mileage at 10/13 (city/highway) whereas the Montero gets 13/17**. Mine built up with armor and 35's ranges from 13-15mpg on the highway.

Note:
* Source of Axle Data: ARB Australia's Locker Application datasheet (http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billav...B_apps_INT.pdf)
** Source of Fuel Economy Data: US DOE/EPA Fuel Economy website (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymod..._Montero.shtml)

[grimbo]

It wasn't a top 5 list, just a list of 5 4x4s they found for under $5k to make a point that you don't need mega bucks to get into the hobby

[GrassCat]

It wasn't a top 5 list, just a list of 5 4x4s they found for under $5k to make a point that you don't need mega bucks to get into the hobby

Right and they also said

We're sure that there's plenty of other fantastic overland vehicles for under $5000, do us a favor and tell us what they are in the comments below!