Mitsubishi Pajero Problems

Mitsubishi claims an average of 9.1L/100km, 8.0L/100km on country driving and 11.1L/100km around town, so at 8.5L/100km it's on the money fuel-wise. The lack of power does seem an issue and I would have it checked by your dealer at the next service. After 10,000km it should be performing near its best.

You haven't given us the weight of the caravan you want to tow, which goes a long way to determining the best car for you. We'll err on the side of caution and go for cars with a towing capacity of at least 2500 kg that fall within your budget. It's always best to go for the latest model you can afford, which means around 2103 in your case. I'm guessing you're over the Pathfinder given your experience with the holed piston in your current car, but the Nissan is an option for you. So too are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Mitsubishi Pajero, although the Pajero's rear suspension is prone to sagging when heavily loaded and I would rule that out on that basis. If you can stretch your budget a little you could consider the Landrover Discovery 4, which does everything you want well, but is the most expensive of this bunch. For me the pick of the bunch for me is the Toyota Prado, for performance, economy, and reliability. The only issue for you could be that the Prado's towing rating is 2500 kg, the lowest of the cars we mention here.

It's possible they could be, but it's not possible to say with any certainty. Take some measurements of the Pajero seat and compare them with those in the Challenger. You could also ask a mechanic or a wrecker who specializes in Mitsubishis.

The Pajero ticks most of the boxes for a big four-wheel drive wagon. It's well built and reliable, and the diesel is economical. As for family use it is a big, heavy four-wheel drive and would be overkill for a family that doesn't plan on towing or going off-road. Look for signs of bush use and walk away if you see any damage to the body or underbody that might have been the result of driving off-road.

In the old days we would never have left home without a spare fan belt in the boot and the tools needed to change it on the side of the road. I'm actually surprised that a fan belt, being a consumable, would be covered by the warranty at all, but as they you say they agreed to cover the cost of replacing it I would approach Mitsubishi directly through its customer assistance people and request a refund of your money.

You're absolutely right, which is why people need to assess their needs on the spare-wheel side of things.

In this case I would be tempted to go for the older car with the fewer kilometres, as long as you were sure the odometer reading is correct.