Questions re pajero and kms

[Shawnk]

Hey guys,

Just joined the site as my wife wishes to buy a Pajero for towing a horse float.

She is looking at a 2003 NP Exceed petrol 5 spd auto, which has 280000kms on it.

We had a look at it yesterday, and took it for a short test drive.

Aside from minor marks on the exterior and paint, a few things I noticed were:

Entire centre console electrics weren't working (they were fixing those as we left) meaning radio and other stuff above and below it

When switching between 2/4 drive modes it felt smooth but one of the little indicator lights on the dash wasn't going on

It had mud packed in underneath on top of flat surfaces meaning it had been offroad and not just used as a shopping car

Those were the main things I noticed, and I was wondering if there are other things I should be checking, or be concerned about.

I have not owned a pajero/other 4wd in the past, which is why I came here to run it past you guys that will know far better than I what I should be looking for.

It is listed at a very good price, cheaper than most others we could find of the same model, so my concern is there may be something wrong with it I don't know about.

Thanks all for any advice you can offer, I appreciate it.

[Mitsu Miyagi]

280,000km is alot for a petrol motor. Yes there will be things wrong with it, it might pay to spend a couple hundred getting it checked out properly. The report might come back with literally thousands of $$ repairs needed to get it to a reliable state.

First thing is to take it for a 20min drive in 2WD mode, this is when any possible fault codes pop up regarding the super select system. Other things to check is starting it when cold to hear any funny noises & that it holds idle. Check for transmission shifting smoothly when under load. Take it off road and check the operation in diff lock modes. Slide under it and check for oil/coolant leaks.

I personally wouldnt go near it........

[my.paj]

For towing a horse float I would prefer a diesel if your on the hwy a bit as the petrol wont like the weight but will do it, at those klm there will be a fair bit of service work.
The auto's in these are a bit sensitive so check there is a service history on that.
Rick

[craka]

1. What price?
2. 280000 kms is getting high on a petrol motor.

3. Mud packed in seems like someone wasn't looking after it. Even if has been offroad.

4. Electrical problem may be rather minor or could be issue with wiring looms ie worn wiring shorts etc.

To be honest mate unless it extremely cheap and your willing to spend bucks to fix it I'd be walking away. Secondly if you want it for towing I'd be going diesel.

[Mitsu Miyagi]

yup, my petrol chews roughly 17L/100km around town. I dont even wanna know how much fuel falls out of the thing when towing........

[Shawnk]

Thanks for the replies guys.

It is priced at $10500 from a used car dealer at the moment (pictures on the net had it at $12500 on the windscreen so I guess they have dropped the price a bit more)

I am not sure if there were logbooks for it, will have to ask that.

One thing I was considering is getting a short warranty for it, but I had heard those used car warranties from small dealers are generally not worth the paper they are written on.

Also re taking it for a longer test drive, they only put a couple litres into it from a jerry can, enough for me to go around the block really rather than a decent drive.

They have their own mechanic on site which is how they said they would get the electrics fixed straight away (I sort of wonder why they didn't have everything working in the first place)

If I were to get it tested I obviously wouldn't want to do it at the place that is selling it heh, but I have never had to get a car checked like that before.

I take it that if I were to want to do that I would just need to ask them if they were ok with me taking it to another mechanic, or even a Mitsubishi dealer? (I don't know any mechanics in Adelaide, where I am living now)

[Shawnk]

Also re the towing, she will only need to do it maybe a few times a year, we don't plan on going offroading or round the country trips with it, so the choice between petrol/diesel isn't a big concern for us.

[Mitsu Miyagi]

10k for those kms,petrol & age not good value. There must be better buys out there floating around on carsales and adelaide gumtree.

Heres a 05' platinum that should be bargained down a bit as it looks to be due for the timing belt/plugs service, & rego
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ottow...tic/1030066993

[Ian Sharpe]

yeah mate walk away, they sound very dodgy if they didn't have it up to scratch before it went on the lot.

There are plenty of these coming on the market now, just keep looking.

[my.paj]

Yeah as above for that price, I got mine with around 180,000klm for almost half that.
Rick

[MTN-KAT]

Hi Shawnk, I have to agree with others sentiments here. KEEP LOOKING. Even if all is well (and you have suspicions) the timing belt/waterpump and associated items are due in line with normal replacement schedule. So there's like a $1200 bill upon purchase. There is a reason/s it has not sold and the big price drop. From what you have told us it's enuff to make the nose twitch. Good luck.

[MTN-KAT]

Shawnk, just came upon an NL for sale listed on forum under Market Place. See 98 NL for sale. Looks real good. The NL is arguably the best Pajero made. Superior Aisin automatic gearbox. Cheaper on fuel than the NP. Just look at the extras on it. Saves you all the work for the same money you are looking at from the dealer vehicle, with no extras! FYI.

[Goodsy]

Just remember when buying a car at 10 or more years old the cooling system will need an overhaul.
Might be fine when driving around town but blow it's top while towing.
Possibly a new radiator, viscous fan, water pump, belts and of course coolant if it will be used to tow a big weight.
Autos are great for towing if they have been looked after.
Service history and a call to the previous owner.

[craka]

Again mate, sorry this is my second post but wanted to reiterate, I would be walking away from this one from the sound of it.

[nj swb]

This car?

At Marion Wholesale Cars?

Why is it being sold by a "wholesale" car yard?

In my opinion, these places specialise in "cheap" cars - and they're generally "cheap" for a very good reason.

I agree with others - run.