One more winter car possibility for me

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 10/30/2013 at 15:13 • Filed to: None

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2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited - 76k miles, mostly new good Michelin tires, and a freshly-done timing belt service including timing belt, timing belt tensioner adjuster, timing belt tensioner pulley, timing belt idler pulley, cam seals, water pump, valve cover gasket & intake plenum gasket. Asking $7500 but could talk em down.

The Montero appeals to me because in '01-'02 it had Torsen center and rear differentials. '03 they got a better motor but ditched the rear Torsen for an open diff and traction control that brakes individual wheels when they slip. I'm mostly looking for the best possible on-road snow driving capability so the Torsen diffs are more useful than lockers in all but the most extreme situations. The center diff (but not rear) is lockable.

Interior looks to be in amazing shape for a 12 year old car.

Here's all the pictures (if you're on a computer, since it's a Flash page): !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Here's the autotrader listing for mobile viewers: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:17

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triple torsens are the holy grail for non-computer assisted snow control, double is pretty great too.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch 10/30/2013 at 15:19

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Do any awd cars besides the EVO & STi have front Torsen diffs though?

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:20

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Well, that thing is quite nice actually. Only the parts is a bit expensive plus here in my country, that thing sold as a Mitsubishi Pajero.

m2m, apex detective > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:20

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Hm ... have you considered a Nissan Patrol GR, let's say 1998+? I guess they'd fit your bill quite nicely, too.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:21

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Some friends of the family had a Montero that suddenly achieved fatal death through condensate in the computer. Still a puzzler, that one.

As long as nothing wacky and Mistubishi-ish occurs, could be a very good winter car.

Textured Soy Protein > m2m, apex detective 10/30/2013 at 15:21

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It was never sold in the USA.

BJ > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:24

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Looks pretty nice, even if I'm not a fan of the wheels. This could be fun to convert to a serious off-roader as well.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:25

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nope, pretty rare. Even Audi ditched front diffs in favor of electronic aids.

m2m, apex detective > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:26

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Nooooo ... never mind then. I just remembered them as a possible 'Cruiser alternative.

Textured Soy Protein > m2m, apex detective 10/30/2013 at 15:32

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I've also been looking at Land Cruisers but they've been older, with higher miles and in worse shape. The Land Cruiser 80 is great for actual off-roading, but it has a locking viscous center diff, and open front/rear diffs (with optional lockers). With the front & rear lockers it's probably better at powering through giant snow banks, but for on-road snow driving the gear-based Torsen center & rear diffs on the Montero could be better.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 15:59

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That rear seat is hilarious

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 16:00

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it is. The 80 series isn't great in the snow. Lots of plow.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 16:01

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it is now...sort of

This is to Patrol as LX570 is to Land Cruiser.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 16:02

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Monteros aren't known for their durability, especially their ECM, engines. Cool cars though, I always liked the way they looked.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch 10/30/2013 at 16:41

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True, but it folds flat into the floor like a minivan, so easy enough to get out of sight.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch 10/30/2013 at 16:42

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Ah, true, although those aren't exactly in the 4-figure price range just yet. ;)

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch 10/30/2013 at 16:54

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This is the well the 3rd row folds down into (they stuck the floor mats in there):

And this is what it looks like when folded away:

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 16:56

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to be fair, its better than my 3rd row, but only because its wide enough for 3 but only has 2 belts. Also, I wish I didn't have a spare tire there and it was on a carrier out back. I wouldn't give up my tailgate for that space, but I would certainly live with a swing away to have it.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch 10/30/2013 at 17:14

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One thing I'm not sure about is whether it would make sense to add a tow hitch. It has dual tow hooks on both ends of the car, and 5,000 lbs towing capacity, but no integrated hitch. Not that I have friends get stuck in ditches or snow banks very often, but it does happen.

I watched this hitch install video and apparently the rear tow hooks are one unit and the hitch would bolt in place of this piece. So probably can get by with a V-chain for those very rare emergency situations. But I've mostly seen V-chains attached to a winch, for pulling cars up onto flatbed tow trucks. Not sure whether they're a good idea for using a 4x4 to pull a car out of a ditch.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 17:21

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your over thinking it. Just loop a tow strap through the hooks and call it a day. You seem very concerned with pulling your buddy of a ditch, you should spend the time trying to help them learn to drive in the snow or why snow tires are a good investment.

Textured Soy Protein > HammerheadFistpunch 10/30/2013 at 17:29

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Ahh yes good point with tow strap.

I guess the reason it's on my mind is in 5 years with my Mazdaspeed 6, I managed to get stuck in a couple snow banks. AWD + snow tires led to occasional over confidence on my part, that was not backed up by that car's ground clearance.

My gf who is a mental health counselor is also very close to getting a new job where she'll have a short in-town drive to a clinic, where she then meets up with another counselor and they drive a company car out to patients in rural areas. So part of my concern is if they get stuck when I'm not at work, I'd like to be able to get out to her and help.

But....I tend to think about lots of contingency plans for things that don't end up happening. I should probably leave that to a tow truck. A tow strap stashed away in the trunk should be fine for my piece of mind. ;)

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 17:34

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I'm a contingency guy too. I have a big box in my cruiser with 10 liters of water, food, a sleeping bag, tow strap, jacket, gloves, tools, a shovel, manual, first aid kit and my portable ski/bike kit

SkarTisu > Textured Soy Protein 10/30/2013 at 17:56

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I have to believe a Toyota will be much more reliable than a Mitsubishi, although I can't speak from personal experience.

I do like the looks of these though. This one looks particularly nice too.