The Mitsubishi Montero has been a great overlanding vehicle and has gotten us down some tough roads. The Montero is a very common car in Chile and other South American countries, which means that it does not stand out as a tourist car when travelling making it safer for parking, and getting it serviced or repaired is easy and inexpensive all over. We found it incredibly easy to camp for free (a huge cost saving!) anywhere we wanted in the Montero and the car is set-up so you can be self-sufficient with whatever supplies you bring.

We bought the Montero in January 2016 from a dealer in Santiago, Chile and immediately went to work kitting her out with handy overlanding features like a bed and a fold-down table. The Montero became our home really fast and she got us around in comfort and style. The 4x4 capabilities came in handy frequently and knowing it was there if we needed it gave us a wonderful freedom to travel down any road we wanted.

The Montero is a 1997 DOHC-24 V6 3500 model, so she’s got good pick-up and handling. She was used lightly by the previous owner and still in very good condition with a low number of kms (159000 km). She runs on gasoline and has an automatic transmission.

We loved our Mitsubishi Montero and she got us through some rough roads and river crossings. We are sad to say goodbye but with our travel party growing to 3 we don’t have enough room for all our stuff



QUICK FACTS:
Our Montero has the following features:

• Automatic transmission
• Gasoline (bencina) engine
• Full 4x4 with 2H, 4H & 4L and Rear Diffential Lock and A/T mode
• Chile registration and license plates
• All Chilean papers up-to-date (al día) except the revisión técnica which will be easy and inexpensive to pass
• Permiso de Cirulación (road tax) – paid for until March 31 2017
• Seguro Obligatorio (3rd party insurance) – paid for until March 31 2017
• Current Storage location is across the road from a Planta Revision Technica (PRT)
• Fog lights
• Cruise-control
• Large Sunroof
• Air conditioning
• Sony CDX-GT620UI sound system with ipod and USB hook-up
• Power windows
• Power locks
• Altimeter, thermometer, compass and tilt gauge
• Fully intact rock-shield to protect the engine
• Never been smoked in

THE MONTERO:
The Mitsubishi Montero is an incredible off-road vehicle and we’ve converted her so you can sleep inside and still store all your equipment. This means you can create your own little home-on-wheels, travel way more comfortably than on buses and you don’t have to worry about sticking to a strict time schedule. The sleeping platform has a removable section which means you can convert the Montero back into a 5-seater car whenever you need.

We found the Montero to be very common in South America and parts were easy to get when we tuned her up before leaving on our journey. We will also throw in important spare parts and fluids. The undercarriage has no rust (except a bit on the muffler). The body of the Montero has very little rust and there’s no major dents, bends or scratches in the chassis or body. The Montero is also equipped with a surprisingly good aftermarket Sony sound system (great for plugging in your Ipod or USB key), a sunroof and very good alloy rims.




Some other facts:

• 6 cylinder, DOHC 24 V6 3500 engine, gasoline (bencina)
• automatic transmission with overdrive option
• front & rear independent suspension
• central differential lock with reductor
• optional 4x4 with the switch of a lever
• power-steering
• ABS and two air bags (driver + passenger)

The Montero has a beefy engine (largest version that was put in the ‘97) which trucks through pretty much anything but it is heavy and therefore uses a good amount of fuel. We found that the cost of fuel was less than the cost of accommodation, so driving where we wanted to go and sleeping in the car was a more economical way to travel.

1. Average for the time we’ve had the Montero: 18 L / 100 km (13 mpg)
2. Highway average: 14.5 L / 100 km (16 mpg)
3. Off-road / heavy mountain ascents: 23 L / 100 km (10 mpg)

MILEAGE:

When we bought it, it had 154000 kms on the counter and now it is close to 159000 kms. Since purchasing the Montero, we've driven it 95% of the time on paved roads and have covered not more than 200 km off-the-road, of which most of the roads were still in pretty good condition.


AVAILABILITY:
The Montero is available right now and any time after March 2016 in Coyhaique, Chile.


WEAR & TEAR:
The car is almost 20 years old but is in remarkably good condition. As Canadians we know it’s almost unheard of to have a 20-year-old car with hardly any rust but the Chilean climate has kept the Montero in good condition. The Montero was used mostly in Santiago which is nice and dry so the body is 95% rust-free. The frame is rock-solid and has no cracks whatsoever.

The vehicle has no error codes displayed.

Since buying the Montero we’ve had the following work done (brands mentioned where possible):

• New disc brakes in rear and front (Ital-Brakes O.E.M. Quality, ISO 9001, @154000 km)
• New back shocks (Gabriel Ultra, @159000 km)
• New cylinder head gaskets (@159000 km)
• 6 new spark plugs (@159000 km)
• Oil change and new oil filter @159000 km with 15W 40 oil
• New air and fuel filters (@ 154000 km)
• New transmission bellows (@159000 km)
• Change of transmission fluid (@159000 km)
• Engine belts (Mitsuboshi and Roulunds brand, @159000 km)
• new thermostat (@1590000 km)
• new battery (@ 154000 km)
• new shock absorber bushings (@159000 km)

We had our work completed at the following two garages:
In Santiago: Garaje Gajardo Hermanos, Diagonal Oriente 5605, Ñuñoa, Phone: 277 5239
In Coyhaique: Lautaro y Felipe Adriazola, Los Maitenes 949 esquina Los Calafates, Coyhaique, Phone: (67) 223 2913, (67) 223 4030
We have photos of our receipts for the parts/labor if you want to have a look.

What doesn't work/works poorly:

• The engine currently makes a light ticking noise. We have been told that this is because the engine taquis could stand to be replaced. You can order these parts on e-bay easily and have a mechanic install them. This would take several weeks.
• The driver’s side key access doesn’t work but the passenger and rear key access are fine, as is the key fob entry to the vehicle
• The clock does not keep time
• The compass variably works… or it could have been because we didn’t know how to reset it properly

TRAVEL IMPROVEMENTS:



Sleeping platform
The car is equipped in a foldable sleeping platform made of 3/4” plywood and wooden posts. You can remove the section over the back seats (still equipped with seatbelts) to make room for people to sit in the back. The third row seats have been completely removed as well as the third row seatbelts.

Below the platform there is room for backpacks, water jugs and storage bins. We’ll be taking our equipment with us but Coyhaique has an excellent Sodimac (hard ware store chain in Chile) where you can buy storage bins and lots of other camping, overlanding equipment as you need.
On top of the platform, we used our camping sleeping pads and it was quite comfortable. The platform has normal traces of usage. Dimensions: 167 x 140 x 47 cm. I’m 6’1” and had no issues sleepingon the platform.

Velcro-attachable curtains
We made removable curtains for the back windows and between the front and back sections of the car. They attach really easily and fold-up for storage while we’re driving. They are made from black-out fabric and when they’re up, it makes the car nice and dark for sleeping. The curtains also allow you to sleep in towns without anyone knowing the vehicle is occupied.

Fold-down back table
This table is a must for cooking in comfort while overlanding. It is super easy to put down and up, and provides all the space you need for making great food on the road
Mosquito nets
We have a piece of mosquito netting to put across either the sunroof or one of the windows, one of which we always cracked open while sleeping to ensure that too much condensation in the car didn’t build up.

Gear-loft
This thing is super handy for storing stuff above the bed area likes hats and other light items. We also put gear holders on either side of the sleeping area to stop things from shifting around while driving.




TIRES:

The tires are in good condition and have a normal amount of wear and tear. Dunlop Grandtrek AT3. We were assured by the mechanics when the bought the vehicle that the tires would not need to be replaced in the next ~20000 km. The spare tire is not in the best shape, though the rim is good, and you can either buy a new tire (neumático) or, in Coyhaique, you can go to the Ruedamas store at Almirante Simpson 341 and buy a cámera de neumático (tire inner tube) in case you get a flat. This is a cheaper and easier option than buying a whole new spare tire.


SPARES AND FLUIDS:
We bought common spare parts and fluids when in Santiago. A lot of car equipment is also available at Sodimac stores if you want to get more (e.g., fire extinguisher). There is a Sodimac 4km from the storage location.

Spare parts:

• Onnuri Air Filter (ISO 9001:2000)
• Oil filter
• Deusic O.E.M. Quality Fuel Filter (ISO 9001)
• Light bulbs

We also kept the following parts that were replaced with new ones:

• Engine and fan belts
• 1 back shock

Extra fluids:

• 1.5L of Total Fluide G3 Automatic Transmission Fluid

DOCUMENTS & DOCUMENTATION:
The Montero has Chilean plates and therefore in order to buy it in Chile, you will need to get a RUT provisorio before purchasing the vehicle (details below).

The car is registered in Chile. Once you have your RUT provisorio you will sign the contract of sale (contrato de compraventa) in front of a notary. They will take the signed contract of sale as well as the car papers (padron, permiso de circulacion, seguro obligatorio, etc.) to the Registro Civil and receive a solicitud de transferencia (transfer request) form. With this form, you can cross borders until you receive the official padron (ownership card), which can be picked up from any Registro Civil in Chile, 20 business days later (at most). You can also receive a power of attorney (in Spanish) stating that you're allowed to use the car, cross borders, sell it, etc if you’re at all concerned. It's all you need to drive around the Americas.

To get your RUT provisorio, you need the following things:

1. A kind and patient Chilean citizen or permanent resident (not a visiting student) to be your representante (representative) and vouch for you
2. SII (Servicio de Impuestos Internos) form # 4415.1 filled out and signed by your representative
3. A notarized Power form – signed and thumbprinted (they will do this at the notary) by you and your representative
4. A notarized copy of your passport
5. A notarized copy of your Chilean friend’s C.I. (Cédula de Identidad) card
6. For these last two items the notary wasn’t going to notarize them, despite reading the instructions, but we insisted – make sure you insist
7. A visit to the notary with your Chilean friend to get the above three things notarized
8. We used Notaria Myriam Amigo at Miraflores 169, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, make sure you take a number when you first get inside
9. A visit to the SII office (your Chilean friend does not need to accompany you) in your Chilean friend’s home comuna (neighbourhood, district) where their home address is listed on the paperwork you filled out. You cannot just go to any SII office to get your RUT provisorio, it must be your friend’s home office.

And that should be it! When you finally have your paperwork filled out and you are getting your RUT provisorio, make sure you get your password from the clerk so you can access your online account. Note that the SII office is only open until 2:00 p.m. Monday – Friday.




PRICE:
$7000 USD or best offer.
If you're seriously interested I can e-mail you the VIN number.


If you would like to see more photos, please contact Jessica or go to our ad on Drive the Americas: 1997 Chilean-plated Mitsubishi Montero with 159000 kms for sale in southern Chile - $7000 USD or best offer – Available NOW | Drive the Americas

CONTACT:
Jessica Barker (Spanish or English spoken)
jbarke3 (at) gmail.com
+569 5243 4269 (Whatsapp or call, works when we are in Chile)

or

Hector Sepulveda (Spanish only spoken)
chagosepulveda (at) gmail.com
+569 9319 5627