US Southeast FS: Built 1990 (L149G) JDM Mitsubishi Pajero NG Diesel - Ready to go anywhere

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Seetomgo

Rank II
Launch Member

Contributor III

327
New Orleans, LA
First Name
Thomas
Last Name
Buschbach
Member #

10578

FS: Built 1990 (L149G) JDM Mitsubishi Pajero NG Diesel - Ready to go anywhere

Location: New Orleans, LA - will ship it or pick you up at MSY and you can drive it home

Price: $8000 obo

For sale is my Japanese-import 1990 Mitsubishi Pajero. It was legally imported a couple of years ago and currently has a clear Louisiana title and registration. I have retained all of the import documentation (customs, EPA, etc. that will come with the vehicle). It currently has about 80,000 miles on the original engine - the tried and true 4D56T 2.5 liter intercooled turbo diesel mated to the original 4-speed automatic. It gets 20-25 MPG and will cruise at 70-75 all day long on the highway. Being the XL trim level, it also has air-suspension seats, power steering, power windows and ice cold A/C (R12). In addition, it had the factory Winter Package which includes a beefier alternator (110A), dual batteries, rear heat, etc. All receipts and records have also been kept and will be included. Oh, this truck is right-hand drive in case you didn't realize that yet. It has always been stored indoors in my climate-controlled garage (when not on adventures of course).


Condition:

Exterior wears the original paint and looks excellent. There are, of course, a few small scratches and a couple of minor dings that are to be expected on a 29 year old vehicle built for this type of work. The glass is all excellent with no chips or cracks as are the headlights. Tires are matching BFGoodrich AT KOs with over 85% tread life remaining - spare is a mismatched Goodyear, but same size and general tread pattern and also in excellent shape. All door and window seals are pliable and seal properly - no leaks, wind noise, etc. All lights/signals work perfectly as well as the windshield wipers and horn. Frame and underbody are excellent with little to no rust - the entire underbody was coated for most of its life that seems to have prevented any corrosion from forming.

Interior is in similarly great shape with no cracks in the dash, door cards or trim. The seats are in excellent shape and have no tears save for a small split in the lower vinyl portion of the second row bench (not the seating area - it was like that when I got it). Speaking of, the entire second row is removable as well if you wanted to build a sleeping platform (with the front seats forward you can get just over six feet between the rear door and the front seats). It is also worth mentioning that with the factory third-row jump seats installed, all 3 rows can be layed nearly flat creating a sleeping area easily large enough for two adults. I slept in the Pajero a few times like this before building out the drawer system and getting the RTT (not included). Carpet is in perfect shape, as are the factory mats. Headliner is clean with no tears or sagging. Everything inside works as it should - power locks, power windows, heat, a/c, gauges, lights, etc.

Mechanically the truck is rock solid. As outlined in "Recent Service Items" below, all maintenance and preventative maintenance has been completed and kept up with. I drive this truck over a thousand miles to Overland Expo each year, and have been on many other trips both on highway and off without so much as a hiccup. The engine cranks up instantly even in the freezing cold, idles smoothly and runs through all of the gears without issue. There are no strange noises, vibrations, etc. at any speed or RPM. It is cliche to say, but I would hop in and drive it anywhere today - I have counted on it to safely and reliably get my family to fun places and back home again and it has always done that.


Modifications:

Before I go through the modifications that have been made to my Pajero, I want to make it clear that I went to great pains to insure that everything can be returned to factory specifications if desired - no holes were drilled, sheet metal cut, etc. Sometimes this made things like bracket fabrication a bit more involved than they otherwise would have been, but I always wanted the option of undoing things. Having said that, I also kept all of the original parts that were removed (see "Original Parts Included" below). Everything listed is installed and less than 2 years old, and was brand new when purchased.

- Full OME (Old Man Emu) suspension - upgraded shocks, springs and HD torsion bars ~2 inch lift

- Full exhaust (imported from the UK)

- Ramingo 4x4 front winch bumper (imported from Italy)

- Custom made heavy duty nylon and canvas front seat covers

- Custom rear platform (had my fridge there) and locking drawer system with aircraft L-track tie down rails and aluminum and wood rear mounting panel for easy inverter (not included), etc. installation

- Red top (starting) and blue top deep cycle (house) Optima batteries

- Blue Sea SI-ACR dual battery charging relay/isolator/etc.

- 6awg welding cable run through sheathing from engine compartment into the rear interior with 100A breaker at the house battery (for inverter, fridge, etc.)

- Rhino-rack Pioneer Platform roof rack - used with an RTT (not included) tons of times with no issue

- Rhino-rack Hi-lift, shovel and (4) fog/driving light mounts

- Dual DIN Pioneer stereo with Bluetooth and hands-free - replaced original (included) because it was tuned to Japanese frequencies

- EGR removed and blocked off


Recent Service Items:

I am a big believer in PM for my cars, trucks and my bikes - not all of these items necessarily needed to be done, but were completed anyway to give me peace of mind and a starting point. All parts used were either OEM or better - when superceded parts existed, the newest available unit was used. Fluids used were all factory spec'd. I use Startron in all of my diesels at each fill up and have nothing bad to say about it. It helps replace the lubricity lost from ULSD or crappy fuel and keeps fungus from growing in the tank (or kills it if you get a bad batch of diesel).

- Timing belt, balancer belt, water pump, balancer pulley

- All auxilliary belts - dual alternator, compressor, etc.

- Engine mounts

- Transmission mounts

- Transfer case mount

- Fuel filters, transmission filter, oil filter (multiple times)

- All fluids - rear diff, front diff, transfer case, transmission, coolant, engine oil (multiple times)

- Batteries replaced (see "Modifications" above)

- Viscous clutch

- Radiator removed and professionally cleaned/flushed

- Thermostat


Original Parts Included:

- Third row jump seats

- All bolts, nuts and hardware

- Factory curtains and rods for all windows aft of the driver's seat

- Factory front and rear side window rain guards

- Factory running boards

- Factory front bumper

- Factory bull bar

- Factory yellow fogs (plastic chrome plating is peeling)

- Factory rear bumper step

- Factory stereo (tuned to Japanese frequencies)

- Factory floormats - front, middle and rear

- Factory tool kit

- EGR valve


New Parts Included:

- 0.8 bar wastegate actuator (to safely increase boost over factory 0.6 bar if desired)

- Engine mounts

- Assorted bushings and linkages

- Assorted gaskets, seals and o-rings

- Air filters, fuel filters, oil filters

- Front brake rotors

- Front brake calipers

- Brake pads

- MK2 control arms - bolt-on, removable ball joints vs. pressed on MK1 control arms

- Thermostats

- Haynes shop manual (maybe a couple of my greasy fingerprints on it)

- Torsion bar adjuster bolts

- Spare gas tank skid plate

- Rear side vents/louvers (bought these to modify to run power to the roof rack)


Why I am Selling:

After doing several motorcycle tours on various dual-sports (KLR, DL, GS, etc.), I decided I wanted to add a 4x4 to the fleet. I pissed away much time and money on a Trooper and a 3rd gen 4Runner before I decided that I wanted to build a Land Cruiser Troopy for my next adventure. I spent well over a year searching everywhere for exactly what I was looking for to no avail, when suddenly this Pajero popped up on my radar. I could import it and have it in my garage for half the price of a Troopy, and despite being older, it was still more than capable of the type of trips I had done in the Trooper or 4R. Plus, I have owned and own several diesels and prefer them to gassers any day. Sold.

I again spent much time researching, building and using this truck as I had in the past, and it quickly grew on me. I always said that the only thing I would ever get rid of the Paj for was the just right Troopy. My family and I took many wonderful trips in her, camping in the RTT (not included) and enjoying the remote places we could get to in comfort as I continued to build it into my idea of the ideal overland vehicle.

But...as luck would have it, less than a week after receiving over $1000 in new goodies for the Paj from abroad, I found and purchased the Troopy that I have been looking for all of this time. That leaves us at today, and the reason why I am selling my Paj - as much as I would like to keep both, it simply is not practical.

Please do not hesitate to ask any questions - I am sure I left something out! I will be adding more pictures to this listing over the next day or two, but I am happy to take pictures of anything specific that you might be interested in seeing.
 

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Last edited:

Seetomgo

Rank II
Launch Member

Contributor III

327
New Orleans, LA
First Name
Thomas
Last Name
Buschbach
Member #

10578

I had a couple of requests for more interior pictures, so I am attaching them here. I started to remove the front seat covers to show the excellent condition of the seats, but realized after half of the passenger side what an undertaking that would be what with all of the ties and velcro. If you really want to see the seats, PM me and I will get the covers removed. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you'd like specific pictures of anything else. Thanks!
 

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