Faults:

The infamous seized cam bolts for the rear camber and toe adjustments in the rear suspension. Will replace the toe arms, lower control arm bushings, and install 4 new cam adjustment bolts with anti-seize in a couple of weeks to prevent rust seized bolts in the future.

Rusted through rear heater pipes (previous owner disconnected the system, I'm restoring it with the new aluminum pipe set from Mitsu.)

Hole in the A/C condenser; replaced it and the seized A/C cond. fan.

Needed new tires when I bought it due to the seized alignment settings in the rear, but that's easy to fix.

General Comments:

I owned the previous body style Montero for 12 years; ended up with about 260K miles on it. I always liked the 3rd Gen Monteros, but they were out of my price range for a few years.

Now I have my own 2002 polished and waxed Memphis Blue Pearl Limited to enjoy. I fixed the A/C, and am restoring the rear heater system next week.

Very quiet vehicle, more nimble than the body-on-frame 1992 SR model that I used to own before.

Lots of luxury features, and some of the same things like the big tailgate and the tool kit mounted on the tailgate, that my old one had too.

Easy to cruise on the highway or around town. The 5 speed automatic works well and it's nice to have that extra gear when compared to the old '92 model.

Gas mileage is slightly better in city driving over my '92 3.0 liter, and much better on the highway than the anemic 3.0 liter was (large hills were not fun).

I hope this 2002 Limited can last as long as my '92 did.

Faults:

I have owned the car for 11,00 miles now, and no problems, just general maintenance.

I just replaced brake pads and rotors for under 200.00, easy DIY job.

I did have an issue with the wheel indicator lights on the dash, that show if the car is in 4wd or 2wd. Not major, I just pulled out the gauge assembly and resat the bulbs at that location, and it all functions now.

General Comments:

I bought this car on a whim after selling my 2006 Lincoln Navigator in one day off of craigslist. I needed something to drive ASAP. I found this beauty sitting at one of those questionable small car dealerships, and was very skeptical in purchasing this vehicle. I knew nothing about Montero's, all I knew is that it was affordable, looked really good, and was something to get me around for the time being. It's an XLS model in Memphis blue.

I acquired the car with 100k miles on it, and now has 111k. I have fallen in love with this car! Love the big oversized sunroof.

I put a little bigger tire on it over stock, to make it a little more aggressive looking. I put Goodyear Wrangler RTS 265/75/16's. It gives it a little higher stance to the Montero over stock size. I love the way the Montero looks, with its bulging fender wells; it's a very unique looking car, and one that you don't see many of.

I have had more compliments on this car, than any other vehicle that I have owned, and I have had some cool cars.

I plan on using it to pull a small Bass boat; the Montero is not outfitted with a hitch, so I have placed an order for the only round tubed design hitch that I could locate made by U-Haul. I ordered a plug and play wiring harness from Reese hitches, and it was easy as pie to install.

I also just installed a double-din sized DVD player up front in the dash. I got a deal on a new old stock Rosen model that has a 10 disc DVD changer option, which I have also purchased, should be a nice little setup. I like the way the Rosen looks in the car, it has a real factory look to it, and matches the lighting in the Montero.

My only complaint about the Montero is probably its highway passing abilities, or the lack there of. The car is a little under powered, but once it gets to cruising speed, it's great, and I just love driving it around town etc.