Ssangyong Problems

If it does it consistently the dealer should be able to trace the cause quite easily and rectify the problem. If it doesn’t happen all the time it might be a little more difficult, but they should be able to check for a fault using their diagnostic equipment and hopefully find out what is going on.

Ssangyong owners rarely say anything negative about their cars, all comments we have had have been positive. Ssangyong has warned against using bio-diesel, so take that advice on board and use regular diesel. Otherwise it’s a good car and good value-for-money.

They can, and I am confident that they have had it on the computer, but they can only identify problems that exist when the car is put on the machine. Yours is intermittent, so might not be evident at the time the car is tested. It's most likely a faulty engine sensor that is only occasionally playing up.

FIRST, the fuel consumption is clearly good, so that's a plus. Your gripes are typical of what you can experience with a smallish outfit that doesn't have the clout, and sometimes the willingness, to press the factory to get things fixed. Adding to your possible woes is the change in local distributors to Sime Darby, the Peugeot distributors for Australia. I'd guess the old distributors have little interest in fixing problems like yours and the incoming distributor may have little more interest in fixing problems left over from the old people.

THE Musso is a good all-round generally reliable four-wheel drive. I know of one that has done more than 200,000km without giving the owner a moment's concern. The engines are superseded Mercedes-Benz units so they're well engineered and seem to be reliable and robust. The transmissions were lifted from old 'Benz models and also give little trouble. The six is a better performer than the diesel, which is relatively old in technology terms. There's no reason why the petrol six couldn't be converted to LPG -- finding a converter with a kit will probably be the biggest problem.

THERE'S nothing sinister about it. The Musso has simply been replaced by the Actyon Sports. Musso owners are generally happy with their cars. Some have done big kilometres without a problem, and we receive few complaints about them here at Carsguide. Dealers are offering run-out deals, so it's probably a good time to sign up.

THE Musso flew under the radar of most buyers because the SsangYong brand was unknown here, but talk to a Musso owner and they will almost certainly tell you they love their car. I know of one that has done well in excess of 250,000km without a problem. The Musso's engines and transmissions are basically old Mercedes units, so they're well designed and developed. The rest of the car is pretty well built. One downer is that the 1996 model doesn't have an airbag. In my view the asking price is about $1000 too high, particularly if the sunroof doesn't work. It might not bother you that it doesn't work, but it might bother the person you want to sell it to in a few years, and so reduce the potential resale value.

THE Carsguide regularly has reviews of dual-cab utes, and we have run reviews of all new models as they have been released. The Musso is a strong, rugged ute that uses old Mercedes-Benz engines and transmissions dating to the time there was a connection between the two companies.

I DROVE the Musso a few months ago and thought it was good value for money. The diesel, a Mercedes-Benz unit built by SsangYong under licence, is quite smooth with enough power. The finish seemed good, and it was certainly capable off-road. Based on feedback from the trade the old Musso 4WD wagon, really the same as the ute apart from the body, is reliable and highly thought of. I can recommend it.