Mitsubishi Pajero weak points: what to check when buying used

Which Pajero you are looking at

The used Pajeros on the market are mostly the third generation (1999–2006) and the fourth (2006–2021, when production ended). The same car is the Montero in Spain and the Americas and the Shogun in the UK. The engines: a 3.5 V6 (6G74) and a 3.8 V6 (6G75) petrol, the most common in the Gulf, and a 3.2 diesel (4M41, DI-D). Most have the five-speed automatic and Super Select four-wheel drive. The registration document or a VIN decode tells you which one this car has.

Engine: what to check

• 3.5 and 3.8 V6 petrol: these engines have a timing belt. Ask when it was replaced and look for a sticker under the bonnet or a receipt; if there is no proof, price a belt and water pump job in. Check the coolant level and look for leaks at the pump.
• 3.2 diesel (DI-D): worn injectors and injector seals show as a rough idle, black smoke, a hard start and a diesel smell. The EGR system fills the intake with soot on cars used in town, which costs power. The timing chain has plastic guides that wear: a rattle at a cold start is a warning, because a chain that jumps can wreck the engine.
• Particulate filter (later diesels): warning lights and power loss on cars used for short trips.
• Cold start: see Cold start: what to listen for and look at.

Gearbox and four-wheel drive

• Five-speed automatic: it should engage Drive and Reverse without a delay from cold and shift without flares; a flare between second and third gear and slipping under load are the known signs of wear. Ask when its fluid was changed.
• Super Select: try every mode the car has (2H, 4H, 4HLc, 4LLc) on a loose or wet surface, check that the dashboard lights follow and that it goes back to 2H. Clunks, grinding or a mode that does not engage mean expensive work.
• Driveline: listen for whines from the differentials and clunks from the propeller shafts, and look for leaks at the axles.

Rust and signs of hard use

• Rust: look at the rear wheel arches, the sills, the body mounts and the frame rails, especially in countries with road salt. On older cars mud trapped behind the rear arch liner has been reported to rust the fuel filler neck, letting water and dirt into the tank.
• Off-road use: bent skid plates, scraped sills, sand in the crevices and in the air filter housing, and a dusty radiator.
• Towing: a worn tow bar and a sagging rear.
• Water: a Pajero gets driven through rivers and floods; see How to tell if a car has been in a flood.
• Accidents: check the paint thickness and the gaps; see How to check a car’s paint and accident damage.

Before you pay

Ask a Mitsubishi dealer by VIN about open recalls and get the service history. Do the whole inspection from How to check a used car before you buy it and the drive from the used car test drive checklist. A workshop that knows the model can check the underbody on a lift. Use what you find to negotiate: rust, a belt with no record and a tired gearbox all cost money.