Vehicle & Technical > Mitsubishi

Newbie - Is a Pajero suitable?

<< < (4/7) > >>

freenote:
Righto.

Lots to think about, thanks for all the advice guys.

What did you all start off with by the way? and how good did you find them to be?

boss:
i started with a disco tdi. there ok out of the box but only ok and things got a little out of hand with a grinder.

http://www.mud-club.com/forum/index.php/topic,65976.0.html



all in all you should just have the mentality of "its my money" and "i like that one" when ever you ask a question like "whats the best" evereyone is going to jump in and theres is. look at the different vehicle sections on this forum and look at the various build threads. some clever people about making some very capable vehicles that arnt a landrover or a paj some dont even have a badge.

discowoman:
Right, Pajero = cheap to buy , stupidly easy to drive, parts CAN be expensive though...also quite heavy on fuel - even the diesels
Jeep = strong solid does what it says on the tin, LOTS of petrols out there for stupid money (200-500 for a 4.0 with t&t!!!)
Discovery - cheap and reliable  good even bogg standard RUST like theres no tomorrow - but all can be repaired quite cheaply (even sills if you dont mind getting dirty)
Vitara - has a strong following, had a reputation as a 'hairdressers' car thanks to all the 'fat boy' kited ones - but check youtube for some serious vitaras

in other words - depends on what you want it to do - what your budget is - how 'economical' you need it to be, and how often you want to get the spanners out!!
I have laned in Wales in a V8 discovery - totally standard, 300Tdi discovery - totally standard, and a 1971 series 3!!!

Disco Matt:
Started with a standard (ish) Disco on all terrain tyres, it's still standard height but on M/Ts now. They're not all rust buckets, if you avoid farm trucks and ones that have been driven off tarmac extensively there are some good ones out there. To keep the rust out, jetwash the underside thoroughly after using it in the mud and consider waxoiling it. The main reason for them rusting is that people don't wash them down properly (well, aside from some daft bits like those plastic sill trims that rub the paint off the metal underneath...)

There are a couple of really simple mods that improve a Disco massively: First off, get rid of the standard towbar and fit a detachable one. This will help your departure angle, and you can buy ones that double as a fuel tank guard. Secondly, cut the front bumper plastic down and fit some JATE rings for recovery. The lower skirt unbolts, the end caps can be trimmed, and the centre lump of plastic unscrews. This will leave you with a neat front end and a much better approach angle, as well as being able to bolt JATE rings to the ends of the chassis rails.

I've driven most of the worthwhile open lanes in Mid Wales with few problems, I'd like to go up to slightly larger tyres (245/75 R16 will fit if you trim a hidden bit of metal off the rear wing) but only because I've encountered a few ruts that had my axles scuffing. Long term, I'd also like an ARB diff lock in the back axle, bigger intercooler, and possibly a winch, although I can't see myself needing that more than once or twice a year!  :lol:

Good recovery points are essential on any 4x4 as you will get it stuck sooner or later. You will also need a good tow rope/strap and a couple of suitably rated shackles - as a rule of thumb, look for ones with a load rating stamped on them. Shackles with no numbers stamped on them might as well be made from chocolate, as you have no idea of how much load they can take before they fail. A flying shackle can kill, so for the sake of £8 or so each it's worth getting a couple of good ones. Tow straps need to be similarly rated - mine all have a stitched-in label with the date of manufacture, safe working load, etc. Check all your kit before and after use, and wash the mud out of ropes/straps as it will act as a very effective abrasive when dry.

Onan The Barbarian:
I've had three Pajeros... still got two... and used all of them off-road.

They can be expensive to run... expect between 15 and 30 mpg, depending on your choice of engine and how heavy your right foot is!  Parts can be a tad expensive but no more so than any other import vehicle.

The key to happy Pajero ownership is regular maintenance... and cleaning the crap off the rad when you've been out playing!

This is my current off-roader...





I've tried to keep it as standard as possible... the only mods are LWB rear springs, turned-up torsion bars and 33" x 12.5" mud tyres.  It gets me everywhere I want to go.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page