[Cloud_Chaser]

After a long hunt I have found a short chassis 4X4 buggie.
I had almost made up my mind to go to Delhi next month and ask Harjeev to help me buy a EX Military Jeep from Mayapuri.
Today this dealer called me and informed me about this 1988 Model Mitsubishi Pajero SWB SUV.
The vehicle was recently painted and redone, but I am not happy with the interiors and if incase I buy it, I will get it redone. The electricals need attention as most of the switches are not working. No AC, No Turbo.
The best part is that the 4X4 is working and the power steering is also working great.
I would let the pictures do the talking. The dealer is quoting 2.75L for this monster. Please advice if I should go for it.
Sorry about the picture quality, will click more pics tomorrow morning and upload.

[Parm]

since you want to use it OTRs and it will require some good maintainence and the MMC parts are expensive, it will be heavy on your pocket!

be indian and buy indian if your pocket doesnt allow you to buy "phoren" stuff!

if you can afford the maintainence and servicing of this SWB monster, buy it!

[Nitin]

Not bad looking, though it does need some TLC. The interiors definitely needs work, and as long as most of the major components work,it should be ready to go off-roading. Albeit,has the previous owner done any off-roading? The reason I ask is because a friend of mine bought a Jeep Wrangler ( many years ago, here in the US). The jeep had not been used off road at all, and my friend decided to try it out.Bad idea,as the whole chassis needed work, the struts & suspensions had to be replaced and it was a mess.

Also, if you go in for all the overhauling work,do you have a budget set?If no and you have a broad range to work with,then its definitely not a bad idea to try getting the SUV for Rs 2.5lakhs, and then doing all you want to with it.

[Cloud_Chaser]

Param - be indian and buy indian if your pocket doesnt allow you to buy "phoren" stuff!

I thought that a Gypsy or a MM 550 would cost me around 1.5 plus with the modifications the total cost will come upto 2.5. This SUV does not need much work might need to spend another 25K on getting it ready for off roading plus it has a Power Steering which works amazingly well.

Nitin - Albeit,has the previous owner done any off-roading? The reason I ask is because a friend of mine bought a Jeep Wrangler ( many years ago, here in the US). The jeep had not been used off road at all, and my friend decided to try it out.Bad idea,as the whole chassis needed work, the struts & suspensions had to be replaced and it was a mess.

Thanks for the advice Nitin I will get the suspenssion and other related parts checked today before taking a call on buying it.

[Spitfire]

No Turbo?

It didnt come with one or the turbo dosent work?

[GTO]

Too much money for a Pajero thats so obviously going to require work. I'm willing to bet that the 1.0 lac on the odo is untrue; Pajero meters are the easiest to tamper with. From the looks of it, this 4x4 has been well-used and will require a good amount of work to become offroad healthy. Question is : What is your budget (including cost of repair)? Is the price negotiable (substantially)?

You'd do well getting in touch with xtreme power for tips. He owns an immaculate '84 Pajero and knows this breed inside out.

[hillram]

The overall looks good.What do you mean A/C is not there.Is there no compnay fitment of AC or is it not working.In either case,its a great discomfort to rear passengers.
I would recomment a price of 2L

[Cloud_Chaser]

GTO - Too much money for a Pajero thats so obviously going to require work. I'm willing to bet that the 1.0 lac on the odo is untrue; Pajero meters are the easiest to tamper with. From the looks of it, this 4x4 has been well-used and will require a good amount of work to become offroad healthy. Question is : What is your budget (including cost of repair)? Is the price negotiable (substantially)?

Hi GTO,

Is there a way i can find out if the ODO is tampered? Also can you give me list of checks to do to check if the vehicle is Off Road Healthy.

I tried to look for a classic but a couple of ones I saw were out of my budget to buy and others were engine swapped 4X2 classic like Jeeps. As mentioned earlier I thought of buying this as any working condition Jeep with a 4X4 would cost me around 2L minimum.

GTO - You'd do well getting in touch with xtreme power for tips. He owns an immaculate '84 Pajero and knows this breed inside out.

I hope he checks the post and comments.

hillram - The overall looks good.What do you mean A/C is not there.Is there no compnay fitment of AC or is it not working.In either case,its a great discomfort to rear passengers.
I would recomment a price of 2L

There was a company fitted AC but the previous owner has removed it for some reason. I will have to install one if I am buying this vehicle.

I am gonna quote him 1.75L and leave if he does not respond in a couple of days might raise the quote to 2L but thats it.

Spitfire - No Turbo?

It didnt come with one or the turbo dosent work?

It did not come with a Turbo. The owner says it has a DI engine but my Mech said its a normal out dated engine.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Cloud_Chaser

Is there a way i can find out if the ODO is tampered?

Nope, none that I know of.

Also can you give me list of checks to do to check if the vehicle is Off Road Healthy.

Simply put : Get EVERYTHING checked by a pro. Start with gauging the state of an engine, compression test etc.

If you're budget is 2 Lacs (tops and including repairs), I wouldn't recommend this Pajero to you. Why not find a used Gypsy?

[carfreak]

Gypsy wont have power steering though i do not know if thats a must for OTR trips

@cloud_chaser, are there any newer models,say between 1995-2000 year models?they may have seen lesser abuse though more expensive

[Ym-enjn]

Hi CC, I am no expert on this but can give few points to ponder.

The car looks good from outside and if you can get it up in good condition then it would be a very capable off-roader.

But, from your talks the car looks too tempered. That is a big point of concern.

Most important is to find if you can get its parts. Even if it needs a simple maintenance you might have to renew brake pads or liners, lights, wiring, pipes, drums, packings, filters etc. See if these are available, going for "jugad" is not suggested. Simply try to hunt for its brake discs/pads in the market as if you really need them.

If parts can be arranged then only think over other things, otherwise simply forget it.

[TheARUN]

Very difficult decision you have to make mate.

The PAJERO is legend, and its something you can have for your lifetime. Having said that, this one looks too old in design. The latest PAJERO has been around for more than 15 years, I saw a SWB of the same version available now, and it looked a million dollars.

This one, to be honest, does not 'look' like a PAJERO

[bigman]

I would be inclined to forgo this as well. It has too many discrepancies for my liking which the owner cannot explain.

Also have you checked to see the 4x4 is working ? Don't just rely on the dash light.

If you got 2lakh to spend then get an army disposal MM550. At least you can get parts for them and you can restore to a decent standard.

Also strange how it has a new paint job but no matching new refurbed interior. Make sure it is not an accident repair job or the new paint is hiding body filler/putty.

[SirAlec]

It cant be Direct injection. there are glow plugs.

Don't go for it unless its dirt cheap. You will have trouble finding parts.

[Cloud_Chaser]

GTO - Simply put : Get EVERYTHING checked by a pro. Start with gauging the state of an engine, compression test etc.

If you're budget is 2 Lacs (tops and including repairs), I wouldn't recommend this Pajero to you. Why not find a used Gypsy?

I have got the vehicle checked and everything seems to be fine. I used the vehicle for a day yesterday drove it for about 50KMS, easily reached a speed of 90KMS/Hr no heating issues. The steering is very smooth, smoother than my brother’s new Scorpio IMO. The turning radius is too small. Tried to abuse it by intentionally driving through potholes and bumps the vehicle responded well. Was planning to take the vehicle on a small off road stretch but couldn’t manage to get up early.

My budget for a 4X4 is around 3 Lacs which includes the repairs and expenses to get it off roading ready.

carfreak -are there any newer models,say between 1995-2000 year models?they may have seen lesser abuse though more expensive

The delear also has a ISUZU Trooper in excellent condition he hasnt quoted a figure yet but I think it will be above 7Lacs.

Ym-enjn -Simply try to hunt for its brake discs/pads in the market as if you really need them.

I checked with CITI Motors ar Opera House, Mumbai who is one of the best delear for spares for such small trucks and he confirmed that spares wont be a problem.

TheARUN - This one, to be honest, does not 'look' like a PAJERO

I have confirmed that it is a 1st Gen Pajero. Even though a Hyundai Galloper looks exactly same.

bigman - Also have you checked to see the 4x4 is working ? Don't just rely on the dash light.

If you got 2lakh to spend then get an army disposal MM550. At least you can get parts for them and you can restore to a decent standard.

Also strange how it has a new paint job but no matching new refurbed interior. Make sure it is not an accident repair job or the new paint is hiding body filler/putty.

My Mech has checked that the 4X4 is working. The denting and painting job was done at a garage where I get my work done for my other cars so am well assured that its not a accident vehicle Just that it was lying somewhere near the sea at colaba, Mumbai unattended and rusting for a few years so needed some metal and paint job.

SirAlec - Don't go for it unless its dirt cheap. You will have trouble finding parts.

How much is dirt cheap?

The last quote the dealer gave me today was 2.4Lacs.