Skool me... NM - NP should I buy one?

[Tiny]

So the time has come to upgrade the old GQ tow rig to a more dual purpose vehicle. In no particular order the following are considerations when choosing what I end up buying.

It will spend the vast majority of its life on the black stuff, I would like to hit the sand and light trails for camping, fishing and where ever I take my trailer queen

it needs to be comfortable, ride and basic creature comforts inside.

Needs to tow the trailer queen which when packed up with tools etc will be 2.5t+

Needs to fit 5, I've been down the dual cab ute road and they are crap as a ute and crap for passengers.

Given what I want there are a few options but bang for back I keep heading back to a paj. I like the look of gen 3 pajs, they fit the bill price range in a diesel but I know virtually nothing about the Mitsubishi engines. Are the 2.8l worth looking at? I presume the 3.2 apart from giving me more power is a superior engine? What are the autos like, given the weight I will be towing do I need to find a manual? Should I be considering a petrol?

Also anything in particular I should be looking for when inspecting?

Thanks in advance
Tiny

[-Scott-]

Short answer: yes.

Slightly longer answer: I wouldn't say no, depending on exactly what you want to achieve. If I was buying a new (to me) 4wd tomorrow, I would be looking for NP 3.2 Auto.

I know they tow 2.5t, but I think that could be the rated limit. Check that out.

The 3.2 is definitely a better engine than the 2.8, and for towing, I wouldn't consider the petrol. The 3.2 auto combination is a popular towing rig.

The 5 speed auto behind the 3.2 seems to be quite well regarded, and the "manual mode" works well.

They did have issues with rear half shafts popping out of the rear diff, but I believe the problem has been identified, and a fix released. I'm not sure if all vehicles automatically get it, or if Mitsubishi only fix it after you've lost all your diff oil.

We don't have too many Gen 3s here - have you had a look at the Pajero Club forum?

Good luck.

[supazuk]

the 3.2 with auto is a brilliant car for towing and touring. towing my 5 meter boat
with the cruse set at 130kph is effortless and uses less then 14 ltr per 100km when towing.

[Tiny]

Thanks, I'll check out the paj forum