Looking at Purchasing a Mitsubishi Pajero SWB

[BarnacleBOY007]

Hey Guys,

So I'm new to this forum and new to the Mitsubishi way of life, but hoping to join you all soon.

I've been looking around at Mitsubishi's for quite some time now, and I'm struggling to make my mind up about a vehicle I have the opportunity to buy.

It's a White 2002 Mitsubishi 3.5 v6 with 283000km on the clock. It has a full service history, and all is working and in order. The owner wants R100k for the vehicle - unfortunately he cannot budge on the price any further.

I'm really concerned about the fuel consumption breaking the bank, is that a justifiable concern, or am I being silly?

Are there any hidden issues I can be instore for when purchasing this vehicle?

Should I rather look at the 3.2 DID? But I'm concerned about the diesel pump fault that I heard can come up...I'm at a bit of loss here.

Please help!

[Let's Play]

Go for a decent 3.2 DID

[Mr.G]

Well as from tomorrow fuel will be R2 cheaper than diesel.Thats R100+ per tank cheaper on the petrol motor..
If you get 6kml in town on the petrol you will get 8kml on diesel then it pretty much is equal.Take the fuel services might be a tad cheaper then in the long run assuming the fuel gap stays similar the ownership will be about the same in expense.
You also have less risk of big issues like diesel pumps problems or injector issues

[pjf110]

The petrol would be a cheaper buy and be far less risky at high mileage.

You need to assess what you are willing to spend per month and then add up the costs of both diesel and petrol. The petrol will be cheaper to buy, insure, service but more expensive to fuel. Work out the distance you would need to drive after paying the premium for the diesel before you break even.

[BarnacleBOY007]

Thank you for the replies.

I understand that counting costs can be quite difficult. So, will need to try my best to see what I can do in that regard.

The fact that I want to drive the vehicle as little as possible is the goal - for example my wife and I have a car already, and my wife works from home. So when I need to go to work, I'll use the Etios, but when my wife needs to go out, she will use the Etios and I will take the Pajero to work.

[byaru1]

Well as from tomorrow fuel will be R2 cheaper than diesel.Thats R100+ per tank cheaper on the petrol motor..
If you get 6kml in town on the petrol you will get 8kml on diesel

The reality is that you will very unlikely get 6 km/l from a 3.8 v6 in city traffic with AC on.

It's going to be more like 3-4 km/l

For the DiD, yes 7-8km/l probably possible in city traffic.

[Karol]

My 2003 pajero IO ( 2liter engine) is less economical per km than my VW 4.2 V8 tdi

don't use the Pajero for long trips just driving to the mall and some off roading, and we lucky to get 350 km from a 50 liter tank of fuel

[byaru1]

The petrol would be a cheaper buy and be far less risky at high mileage.

I see very many old DiDs running around all over Africa. Do they really have any serious high mileage maintenance issues of concern?

[ChasingSunsets]

I see very many old DiDs running around all over Africa. Do they really have any serious high mileage maintenance issues of concern?

Personally in my experience absolutely not. They are tough as nails. Those pump issues are still one of those weird ones. My dad's gen 3 with the zexel pump has over 400k km on it and still pulls like new (no 2stroke oil until about 350k km when 500ppm became scarce). I think too many pumps get damaged from running low/out of fuel, that seems a sure way to hurt that pump, but otherwise it's not nearly as problematic as some people make it out to be.

I think it's a hearsay thing, people automatically assume that when a Gen 3 diesel acts up it has to be the pump. My dad's gen 3 left him stranded for the 1st time in its life about 4 months ago. Immediately some local opinions were diesel pump, but the gen 3 relies on a lot of vacuum to open and close things. Turns out the diaphragm on the intake manifold had failed. Quick diagnosis, bypass the diaphragm spring that was stuck, and all good to go until the new part arrived.

Even if the pump fails what is a R25k repair on a car that can reliably last well over 500k km (I see plenty over that mileage on the Facebook group).

I think the petrol is cheaper to maintain, but then the gen 3 pump issue is not that big a deal if you are prepared for it. Unfortunately when buying an old 2nd hand gen 3 pajero you do run a risk that the seller is getting rid of it because time to recon the pump has come. I'd just fix it and carry on driving.

I like the petrol, great motor, reliable (only real known issue is the butterfly intake issue which can be modified easily to prevent), but personally I prefer the diesel. We have had 1 gen 2 petrol 3.5v6, 2 gen 3 3.2's, a Gen 4, and now a new generation sport. They have been excellent cars and all have been used heavily as touring vehicles bar the new sport whose time is still to come.

[BarnacleBOY007]

Personally in my experience absolutely not. They are tough as nails. Those pump issues are still one of those weird ones. My dad's gen 3 with the zexel pump has over 400k km on it and still pulls like new (no 2stroke oil until about 350k km when 500ppm became scarce). I think too many pumps get damaged from running low/out of fuel, that seems a sure way to hurt that pump, but otherwise it's not nearly as problematic as some people make it out to be.

I think it's a hearsay thing, people automatically assume that when a Gen 3 diesel acts up it has to be the pump. My dad's gen 3 left him stranded for the 1st time in its life about 4 months ago. Immediately some local opinions were diesel pump, but the gen 3 relies on a lot of vacuum to open and close things. Turns out the diaphragm on the intake manifold had failed. Quick diagnosis, bypass the diaphragm spring that was stuck, and all good to go until the new part arrived.

Even if the pump fails what is a R25k repair on a car that can reliably last well over 500k km (I see plenty over that mileage on the Facebook group).

I think the petrol is cheaper to maintain, but then the gen 3 pump issue is not that big a deal if you are prepared for it. Unfortunately when buying an old 2nd hand gen 3 pajero you do run a risk that the seller is getting rid of it because time to recon the pump has come. I'd just fix it and carry on driving.

I like the petrol, great motor, reliable (only real known issue is the butterfly intake issue which can be modified easily to prevent), but personally I prefer the diesel. We have had 1 gen 2 petrol 3.5v6, 2 gen 3 3.2's, a Gen 4, and now a new generation sport. They have been excellent cars and all have been used heavily as touring vehicles bar the new sport whose time is still to come.

Thank you for this message. It is just really concerning to pay R100+k for a 2000odd vehicle, to have to pay another R25-40k for the diesel pump.

You mentioned the butterfly intake, what issue is that? Is that on the older gen 1 models, or also on the fuel injected gen 3?

[4ePajero]

Thank you for this message. It is just really concerning to pay R100+k for a 2000odd vehicle, to have to pay another R25-40k for the diesel pump.

That is not a given, but only a possibility (same as butterfly on the V-6 models).

The difference in fuel consumption will quickly overtake that amount.

(we have two Gen3 Pajeros - 2002 SWB with 456000 km and 2003 LWB with 360000 km)

[Graham]

It doesnt matter how many calculations you do, a gas guzzler isnt ideal, unless you can honestly say you dont care about what the fuel will cost per month.
It will make you think twice on using it for every single drive, and, I guarantee most of your weekends away, you will try to squeeze all the stuff in the Etios, if 4x4 is definitely not required.

That's what I do anyway.

That being said, I love my gas guzzler way to much to ever consider getting rid of it

[DustGypsy]

A local dealer imports JDM Pajeros, I would have begged borrowed and stolen what I needed if it wasn't exclusively petrol models.

A friend has a 3.2DiD for more than 10 years, ex rental company car, and after a few trips with him I dreamed about one. Some spares (brakes I think) were quite expensive, but overall it was a win.

I was driving a 1.9TDI Caddy at the time, the Pajero was quicker and more in every way, fuel economy seemed very reasonable on those trips.

[pjf110]

I see very many old DiDs running around all over Africa. Do they really have any serious high mileage maintenance issues of concern?

In my case once bitten twice shy type of thing with diesel. The 3.2 did is documented as an amazing motor and I don’t doubt that.

Just pointing out the petrol is cheaper to buy and to fix.

My limited experience is that petrol engines take punishment better that diesels. Many exceptions to this but just my 2c.

PS I would love to have a post 2012 SWB DiD.

[pjf110]

Thank you for this message. It is just really concerning to pay R100+k for a 2000odd vehicle, to have to pay another R25-40k for the diesel pump.

You mentioned the butterfly intake, what issue is that? Is that on the older gen 1 models, or also on the fuel injected gen 3?

The butterfly valve is located in the intake manifold and controls airflow to allow for optimum torque across rev range. The valve sometimes loosens up over many miles of vibration/heat etc. If the screw holding valve or valve itself falls into piston it basically eats whatever gets in its way. Needs to be checked every sparkplug or cambelt change. 60 000km or 90 000km respectively.

[BarnacleBOY007]

The butterfly valve is located in the intake manifold and controls airflow to allow for optimum torque across rev range. The valve sometimes loosens up over many miles of vibration/heat etc. If the screw holding valve or valve itself falls into piston it basically eats whatever gets in its way. Needs to be checked every sparkplug or cambelt change. 60 000km or 90 000km respectively.

If you pick this problem up early on, is it a relatively inexpensive replacement? Or is it expensive like the diesel pump to service?

[PJ SA]

Well as from tomorrow fuel will be R2 cheaper than diesel.Thats R100+ per tank cheaper on the petrol motor..
If you get 6kml in town on the petrol you will get 8kml on diesel then it pretty much is equal.Take the fuel services might be a tad cheaper then in the long run assuming the fuel gap stays similar the ownership will be about the same in expense.
You also have less risk of big issues like diesel pumps problems or injector issues

Until June when the "petrol levy holiday" is over....I'd still take the petrol though

[jaconell]

That is not a given, but only a possibility (same as butterfly on the V-6 models).

The difference in fuel consumption will quickly overtake that amount.

(we have two Gen3 Pajeros - 2002 SWB with 456000 km and 2003 LWB with 360000 km)

I am intrigued by these mileages.

If we leave anomalies to one side (unexpected failures etc.) and assume a proper service schedule - what is the life expectancy on a modern turbo diesel?

(I understand items like the turbo and so on may need replacement at some stage - I do not regard such as failures).

Maybe a bit OT, maybe not.

* Edit

I should have stated in SUV / bakkie type application. It is certainly not about brands - Mitsu, Isuzu, Toyota, Nissan, VW etc all build great engines these days.

[Aday]

I purchased a 2007 3.2 d in 2020 with 274000km. Was in good condition. I have 307000km on the clock. Have done several longish trips and don't regret the purchase at all. Like yourself I did my research and found that these motors 41m last forever with very few issues.

[Stranger]

Re the butterfly issue, on my Gen 2 Pajero I had them taken out completely. On my Gen 3, my Indie punched the screws like he does on the racing motors. This is quite easy if your indie or mechanic is competent. Both my Pajero's do hard mileage and bar serious rock climbing do everything else the other 4x4's do, sometimes even better and mostly in great comfort.

Re the petrol: you can drop in an import motor for about the same price as a pump and injector overhaul. Your long life plugs can go from 60-90 thousand and oil and filter changes are cheap. Engine mods are mostly limited to fitting an aftermarket water temp gauge as the stock one is useless.

In stock form that SWB is as good a performer as some modified cars. You would be getting a lot of car for your 100K.

My Gen 2 3.5 DOHC would give me 13.5 L to the 100km, 7.4 or there about for the L