mitsubishi l200

[bamberwell]

ok ,i'll probably get a verbal kicking, but has anyone any info on l200's? could do with a 4x4 and these seem to fit the bill perfectly for what i want, decent to drive , reliable, big load space to chuck my 'crosser on..........
cheers in advance!

[Melvin Udall]

Friend has one of these. Not great on fuel, but its certai ly a great looking pick up, and very comfortable. Free wheeling hubs helped with regards to fuel consumption, and reliablity wise, its still working, and hes had it a good few years.

[Melvin Udall]

No, they don't, thats why I said it can help with the fuel consumption. Keep up.

[Melvin Udall]

doogz said:

That's not quite what you said, but ok.

I wouldn't spend £350 on new hubs, to save a couple of quid per tank.

Erm, yes, it is what I said, but whatever. They also help with reagrds to wear on tne front side of the transmission, as well as being helpful if you manage to goose a CV. Joint as you won't be turning it. Particularly helpful if you manage to snap the shaft as well, as you won't have a revolving chunk of metal rod ripping stuff to shreds. Gives you. Little more poke as well as you don't have so much transmission loss.

Edited by Melvin Udall on Wednesday 21st September 18:47

[bamberwell]

what's a better choice though? navaras have well publicised engine failures,i don't really like rangers and hiluxs seem a bit overpriced (the top gear effect?) any other suggestions welcome though
also when you say not that good on fuel , how bad are they?
cheers

[Melvin Udall]

Well, his is a diesel 'animal', and he gets low 20's from what he says.

[dowahdiddyman]

Be different, go for a Ford Lightning with an lpg kit,one near us, goes like stink sounds awesome and looks the dogs.Jealous, very.

[andy-xr]

BIL has one, it's a monster to drive, and I'm not sure I mean that in a good way. Does what it's supposed to and without much fuss

[bamberwell]

What to Watch Out For

If buying an import, make sure you're getting UK spec and make especially sure you're getting the 133PS engine.

Reports of catastrophic engine damage, each vehicle requiring a new engine at a
cost of £7,000 each. The damage has occurred between 82,000 and 120,000 miles. All vehicles have been serviced by (various) Nissan dealers to the Nissan service schedule. One large Nissan dealer said "we get two a month". Much more on this at www.knackerednavara.co.uk Fatigue of the upper big end halves in the back two cylinders occurs first. Continued operation would appear to initiate a crack on the big end housing of the connecting rod – again, always in the same place: across the oil hole in the housing. When it lets go it smashes a hole in the side of the block.

Finally 'exposed' on BBC Watchdog 20-10-2008 and mention made of "secret" extended warranty to 5 years and 93k miles. Only affects D22s built before August 2006.


above from honestjohn. a mate has one and it's just had a new engine £5k ........

[Melvin Udall]

doogz said:

Melvin, unlikely you're going to break a CV joint on the front, if you're not driving the front. And if you are, your hubs should be locked anyway.

-not sure if serious-

I never said you would break a cv joint if the front was unlocked. Why on earth would you assume i think that?

Let me describe how things could happen in crayon-esque language, as you seem to have vague parts of my sentences right, but you seem to join them together in strange ways.

The free wheeling hubs unlock the front wheels from the front shafts, diff, and shaft to the tramsfer case. Even with the vehicle in 2-hi, with the stock hubs, or the hubs locked, the front wheels will still turn these, therefore still wearing the parts more than they need to be, as well as giving higher mpg, and transmission loss. Unlock the hubs, and these parts are no longer turning, wearing, and giving transmission loss.

Now in a completwly seperate scenario, if you are offroading, and you snap one of the front shafts, and you have the stock hubs, or with the hubs locked, this can cause a problem, as the shaft can, and will spin around ttring everything it can. Unlocking the hub means you can strap up, the shaft and get yourself out of teouble without having to make repairs in stty situations.

Remember, Doogz, tese are separate situations. Tell me. Why did you think i suggested you could snap a shaft, or CV joint with them unlocked?

[Melvin Udall]

Huh? You seem to be reading far more into my posts. And cock? Aren't you a little charmer.

[wackojacko]

My Dad has a facelift L200 (2008) crew cab just because it "looks cool"


Great trucks though, I drove it and found it much better to drive than the earlier version (though they arn't that bad) well equiped but relatively thirsty.


Get them chipped and it really makes a big difference to the overall drive-ability and general feel of the machine.

[wackojacko]

wackojacko said:

My Dad has a facelift L200 (2008) crew cab just because it "looks cool"


Great trucks though, I drove it and found it much better to drive than the earlier version (though they arn't that bad) well equiped but relatively thirsty.


Get them chipped and it really makes a big difference to the overall drive-ability and general feel of the machine.

O yes and they are great to put 'crossers on the back, we had an Ali ramp that would lead upto the flat tail gate and we could fit a KTM 400 EXC and a YZF 450 in the back with the tail gate left open.

[A911DOM]

Im liking the look of the VW Amarok - its about the size and dimensions of a hi-lux but presumably with typical 'fire and forget' vw underpinnings...

That or a Hi-lux for my money (assuming I couldnt afford a snarling yank beast with a stupid engine and LPG conversion)

[Stu R]

Get a yank one. They're in a different league.

[Melvin Udall]

The japanese are worming their way into that market as well. The Titan, Ridgeline, etc, all very good trucks.

[Stu R]

Melvin Udall said:

The japanese are worming their way into that market as well. The Titan, Ridgeline, etc, all very good trucks.

Apologies, by yank tank I mean USDM. Titans are great, nearly bought one before I found my Chevy. Like a Navara on steroids, with a much better ride and much nicer interior. Tundra isn't far off the ball either (some would argue they're on it). For me, it's got to be GM, Dodge or Ford though. Quite fancying a Ram next year.

I've had a Navara over here, and driven a few L200s. Preferred the Navara, but I still wouldn't buy either again.

[jonstable]

The older L200's are the ones to go for. My boss got rid of his 53 plate one for a W plate one. Apparently the engines are not as strong in the later models. Which would explain why his died with only 35000 on the clock! That's the only experience I've had with them though.

[Melvin Udall]

Stu R said:

Apologies, by yank tank I mean USDM. Titans are great, nearly bought one before I found my Chevy. Like a Navara on steroids, with a much better ride and much nicer interior. Tundra isn't far off the ball either (some would argue they're on it). For me, it's got to be GM, Dodge or Ford though. Quite fancying a Ram next year.

I've had a Navara over here, and driven a few L200s. Preferred the Navara, but I still wouldn't buy either again.

Yup... Was talkong about USDM market myself.

[GravelBen]

Mate's company (forestry) bought a couple of new L200s last year, so far both have had gearboxes rebuilt with <30,000km on the clock. Covered under warranty but dealer says TADTS. They're cheaper than a Hilux for a reason!