Faults:

Got it cheap with a blown head gasket that was not fixed in-time, so a coolant leak had eroded the engine block.

I had to (unsuccessfully) rebuild the engine, and then swap a complete (used/JDM import) engine, and replace/service a gazillion of service things (hoses/fluids/seals/belts) the previous owner had neglected.

These cars need baby-sitting on the cooling system.

The same goes with the original Mitsubishi design too..

Replace coolant every two years, and radiator/cap/hoses when you see the first signs of rust.

Replace the timing belt on time, and given the opportunity, the coolant pump + seals + tensioners.

If you can keep the above, and avoid the usual coolant leaks from eroded radiators/hoses (and the subsequent blown head gasket), these V6 donks can (and will) go a long way.

Samples of 6G72s reaching the half a million miles mark are not unknown.

The interior mats (plastics/upholstery) are of somewhat lower quality comparing to the Mitsubishi siblings, but not bad in total.

Squeaks are expected, especially if driving off-road.

Hyundai-made manual gearboxes/synchros tend to break/worn easily (like before the 100K Km mark). Garage talk is that the Koreans maybe took some quality shortcuts here. Mine is on the way out too... Expensive to repair, so a swap with a used Mitsubishi box is the usual route.

Auto boxes are excellent (if you get a good one).

Personally, other than the engine swap & maintenance, I had to replace:

The clutch bearing.

The steering box.

Clutch main cylinder.

Distributor cap/rotor/ignition wires (Magnecor).

Engine support mounts.

Radiator & cap.

Cooling fan clutch.

ISC valve (a common point of failure).

Alternator/AC belt tensioners.

Crank bolt (it's a recall item).

Other various thingies (hard to remember all)..

Not a small bill, but somewhat expected on an old/neglected car.

Find yourself a clean one to save yourself the hassle.

If you get a good sample, and take care of the cooling, these cars can be bullet-proof.

On vehicles with high mileage, the valve guide seals and/or valve guides might allow oil leaking/burning. A somewhat common problem on all SOHC 12-valve 6G72 engines. Can be easily repaired, but it's a hassle and costs a bit.

There are some other known weak points too, but nothing substantial.

If you get one, make yourself a favor, and replace the crank bolt. It's a Mitsubishi recall item for 6G72 (tends to go loose), and in the long term it will save your crank.

Check one of the many Montero forums for advice.

General Comments:

Gents.. It's an old-school subframe off-road truck, that just happens to sit 7 people (on the LWB). Not a family-mover station-wagon.

It can do the family-moving part, but you will have to accept the design limitations.

If you want one for your wife to pick up the kids/groceries, it's a poor choice.

If you intend to really go off-road and need the sub-frame, it's a good choice for a *cheap*/simple 4x4 that can be serviced effectively/cheaply everywhere.

It's build like a rock.

Given proper preventive maintenance, it can go a very long way.

Its cheap on the second hand market (usually way cheaper than its Mitsubishi siblings).

Comfortable ride (for a subframe 4x4 big-old SUV that is).

Good driving position, good view on the road.

Spacious, I'm 6ft+ and I like it...

Brakes: on the weak side, ABS effective, you can swap rear discs/calipers from a Montero.

Suspension: is excellent if serviced and keep up with struts/springs (for a big-old off-roader again..).

Bodywork/paint: excellent.

Rust protection: can't comment.. I live in Greece, we don't see rust here...

Aerodynamics: like a kiosk...

Susceptible to side-wind due to its size, be careful.

Given its size, it's a commanding presence on the road.

With a light foot, it consumes about 11lt/100Km. City traffic, it can go up to 15lt/100Km. For the size/weight, I would say that the slow V6 is frugal.

Mine is running on LPG now, and the fuel cost/Km is on par with a super-mini.

A note on LPG:

They run great on LPG (better than petrol) given a good system is correctly installed/adjusted (get an injected one).

Also note: Mitsubishi doesn't approve LPG on those engines. If used with LPG, a head rebuild with Stellite valves & seats/guides is expected at some point down the road.

Many vehicles come with a rear LSD.. preferable.

Ain't fast, but you expected that on a car with 140 bhp and a weight just under the 2 tonnes mark.

It can happily cruise on the motor way with 100-120 Km/h. More than that, and noise/fuel consumption becomes an issue. Over-taking on the highway takes planning & time (expected...).

Don't expect the luxuries & open road handling of a modern SUV. The Galloper/Montero's original design is now close to 30 years old. So, if you need the comfortable/quiet ride of a family car on the open road, get an SUV without a sub-frame.

The road handling characteristics & noise on-road are more than acceptable, but again keep in mind it's not a modern SUV, but an old (primary off-road) design with a sub-frame (a truck basically).

Handling/comfort can be *seriously* improved with the right struts/springs, given that someone is willing to spend the money. Check with the Montero owners for advice. Expect to spend something about the 1.000 $ mark for something decent.

For the off-roaders:

Very capable off-road, even in stock form. Especially the SWB version. LWB is capable too, but is limited by its size/weight.

Rear/front LSD/lockers & winches/manual hubs/whatever are available too, as Mitsubishi OEM swaps. Check the yards.

Basically the Galloper/Galloper II is a license-built Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero/Shogun Mk1. 99% of the parts are the same, some times the part# is the same too, and sometimes they come in an MMC box too..

Any technical info/service manual/swap applicable on the Montero MK1 is applicable to the Galloper, and there are many relevant sources on-line. Check for sources for Montero/Pajero Mk1 89-92.

It can be a good base for an expedition vehicle build (as good as any Montero Mk1) and/or a good car for touring around the countryside.

Original parts from Korea are usually dirt-cheap.

Check fourgreen.com for parts (they have every bit for it), and if you Google it, you will find the parts catalogue floating on-line.

The junkyards have every-single-bit for it; just ask for Montero/Pajero/Shogun Mk1 parts.

Many parts from Mk2 can be retro-fitted too, and it makes sense in some cases.

Overall, it's a good truck/off-road design, that has proven its weight many years now.. It will not let you down if properly maintained. Just make sure its used on its intended purpose, and you will not regret it.

Faults:

Fault on electric window winder.

Occasional transmission noise in 2WD.

General Comments:

I live at a ludicrously remote mountain farm, and going anywhere involves driving an atrocious partly-surfaced road over a mountain pass, with deep snow all winter.

The car has never failed to start straight away (whatever the temperature), and has never let me down, ploughs through a metre of snow as though it's not there, the same with floods in the spring, laughs at potholes, crosses ditches - and I have absolute confidence that I'll get there safely.

Other than normal maintenance (brakes, oil, etc) I've not had to spend anything on repairs. One window winder needs fixing, and there's an odd intermittent transmission noise that the garage can't identify (though a Hyundai dealer told me not to worry too much about it).

The fake wood finish on the interior is so revolting that it almost adds character.