Bought a used Pajero Sport done 1.2L km: Why I chose it over Endeavour

After eliminating many cars, the final standing contenders were the Pajero Sport 4x4, Montero and Endeavour 3.2.

BHPian GT3 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

I had been looking to purchase an SUV mainly for highway usage and some very basic off-roading (nothing hardcore). My purchase query thread can be found here - Used Mitsubishis : Pajero Sport vs Montero

The requirement and usage pattern:

1. Need imposing looks
2. Will be used primarily on the highway
3. Plan to start basic off roading
4. Budget- 15 lakhs
5. Will see a usage of 20000 kms per year
6. I am ok with waiting for parts but the vehicle has to be reliable

Rejected options:

1. Toyota Fortuner- too bumpy, bad brakes and over priced in the used market
2. Xuv500- looks not imposing enough but otherwise perfect
3. Pajero SFX- engine performance not enough
4. Old Safari- bad handling, questionable safety and niggles
5. Old Scorpio- already owned and find it too bumpy
6. Old Endeavour- too bumpy and low seats

After eliminating the above cars, the final standing contenders were the Pajero Sport 4x4, Montero and Endeavour 3.2. The idea was to get any car among these, whenever a good one shows up. A well maintained Montero was hard to find in the Tamil Nadu market. There were many options for the Endeavour 3.2, but surprisingly all were over-priced after Ford left our country. The over-pricing shows how competent the Endeavour really is. Then finally a single owner 2015 Pajero Sport 4x4 MT showed up which had run 1,20,000 kms with company service records, yes you read that right, there is still an authorised service centre in my place(Coimbatore). The vehicle was in excellent condition and I bought it in May 2024.

Shortly after the purchase I did a 8,000 kms round trip to Leh. It was great to experience the rugged nature of a BOF SUV after driving German sedans for a long time with their delicate nature.

Pros:

•Rugged and raw looking. Love the boxy shape.
•Good ride and handling balance.
•Good engine with excellent mid and top end. The growl of the engine is awesome.
•Acceptable fuel efficiency of 10 km/l for these class of vehicles.
•Super Select 4WD.
•Good VFM in the used market since no one other than enthusiasts purchase a Mitsubishi nowadays, but this will bite back at the time of resale. I got it for a price less than that of a base model Bolero.
•Excellent reliability.
•Built to take abuse. It is built very tough.
•Built to take cross country drives, no tiredness during our Leh trip, except for the dead pedal issue.
•There is still an authorised service centre in Coimbatore.
•Everyone gives way to a BOF SUV on our roads.
•Has got the basic safety features like ABS and 2 airbags.
•Good features for its time like reverse camera and sensor, bluetooth, electric driver seat, etc

Cons

•The low end is pathetic, I am looking to remap it.
•No service support in most cities. Maintaining a Mitsubishi is not everyone's cup of tea. There is a reason why they are such low priced in the used market.
•Service parts are priced at a considerable premium to that of the Fortuner.
•Body parts are obscenely priced and are very hard to source.
•The steering is extremely slow ratio, you have to keep turning it forever at low speeds.
•Slightly heavy clutch, but got used to it now.
•Space for the dead pedal is very low, your left leg will ache on long drives.
•No curtain airbags and ESP.
•No automatic central locking.

It has run 1,35,000 kms till now and it has been a wonderful experience. I recently changed the tyres to Apollo Apterra AT 2 and they are doing good, it's very good VFM for their price. Will update later after driving further.

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