Some Advice needed...
Submitted: Sunday, Mar 04, 2012 at 19:40
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Angie M
Hi,
We are looking at a 6cyl Mitsubishi Pajero 1995 Petrol Manual.
The question is; Will we be able to pull a caravan comfortably around Aus?
We are a family of Four, 2 adults, 2 kids.
We dont have the Caravan yet, but would be needing a 4 berth... preferably 16-20ft?
I know there's the school of thought is, Caravan then Tow vehicle but the opportunity has presented itself and this is how it is currently proceeding.
We plan to be on the road with no time frame to return, would you think this vehicle could stand the
test of time?
We will be going on roads such as the gibb, but wont be taking the Caravan with us for those rougher trips.
Any help appreciated!!
Cheers!
Reply By: ken triton - Sunday, Mar 04, 2012 at 19:52
Sunday, Mar 04, 2012 at 19:52
Hi Angie,
Pajero's are great all round 4wd's they are generally pretty reliable, I had a Turbo Diesel 94 it was a great vehicle, sold it with close to 400,000 klms on the clock and still going
well, did not spend a lot of money on it. My only concern with V6 is it will certainly like to have a drink when towing the 3L was pretty low on torque the 3.5L was better. The first thing I would do is determine your budget and look at all your options. If you could afford a turbo diesel Pajero 2.8L and it has a good service history I think it would be a good option, good torque and fuel efficient.
Good luck with your search
Ken
AnswerID:
479465
Follow Up By: Angie M - Sunday, Mar 04, 2012 at 20:01
Sunday, Mar 04, 2012 at 20:01
Thanks for the speedy reply.
I have to admit, I am not very good with my Car knowledge, something I will have improve on pretty quickly no doubt.
But I not long ago, posted a question regarding a 4runner 2.8l and everyone said that it would in no way have the guts to pull a van around Aus.... Now is that based on the Car or the fact it was only 2.8l?
I thought it was due to how many litres it had and as such have since been on the hunt for a much stronger beast, but now you say a 3 L was good, 3.5 better.
We were going to look at a 2.7 Petrol Pajero 1986, but decided against it because we thought it couldnt do the job. Right or Wrong??
It's a tough one trying to find the perfect vehicle!
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Follow Up By: IronMan - Sunday, Mar 04, 2012 at 20:47
Sunday, Mar 04, 2012 at 20:47
The 4Runner 2.8 was a non-turbo. I'm told that bolting on a turbo from an import Surf absolutely transforms them.
For the Pajero's, best avoid the 3.5 DOHC engine in the NK's. It's basically a detuned sports engine when Mitsubishi needed a bigger engine, and is a bit peaky. Fair boogies when you give it some!
Later engines were 3.5 single cam, very similar to the 3.5's found in Australian Magna/Veradas. More usable grunt for towing.
However, any petrol Pajero will drink a lot when towing a van of the size you have quoted.
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754950
Reply By: Member - Alastair D (NSW) - Monday, Mar 05, 2012 at 15:29
Monday, Mar 05, 2012 at 15:29
Angie,
We had a NJ 3L V6 petrol Pajero for a good few years. It never let us down though the valve stems seals did their thing (leak oil and the engine smokes) but easily fixed. For the early years we did little towing but eventually bought a camper trailer. The Pajero really felt it and the fuel consumption rose dramatically. On any decent
hill I had the foot flat which is not good in the longer term.
With a typical load in the vehicle and trailer we tended to average 20L/100km which meant the range on the single tank was quite limited. We also found we were very often holding up traffic even though the old girl was flat strap.
We liked the Pajero and I did try out a newer 3.5L model but it still lacked the grunt to tow
well. The latest model 3.2L diesel is great as I have a friend with one and they tow a small van with no problem.
Our 100 series turbo diesel LC is now our tow vehicle and it barely notices the trailer. We average 13 - 15 L/100km unless in adverse conditions and have abgs of power to spare. Keeping up with the traffic is no problem and it is excellent off road.
Long winded but my message is that to comfortably tow a van of any decent size needs grunt. My preference is the older style large capacity engine which is less stressed than the modern small capacity ones. They do the job but I doubt they will last as
well.
cheers
AnswerID:
479538