BUYING USED MITSUBISHI TRITON - LEMON MODEL UNCOVERED!

Are Tritons actually a good value used four wheel drive to buy or are they junk? Today on Buying Used we're looking at the MR and MQ Triton. Keep watching because we're going to show you exactly what to look for in a used Triton. The good, the bad and there's even a model that you should avoid at all costs because after you buy it you could cost you thousands. In 2015 Mitsubishi kicked off the new generation of Triton with the MQ model. Now this thing had a vast amount of improvements over previous models. It ran through to 2018 and then the MR was brought out. The MR was mainly just a styling overhaul but it did come with a new transmission. There's many different models and trims available in the MQ and MR Triton but here's the four main ones to keep in mind. Starting off with the different levels you've got the GLX which is the total base model, you've got the GLX plus which has got a few cosmetic changes, then you've got the GLS this has got the super select full drive system and lastly there's the GSR model. This is only available in the MR model and comes with a factory rear diff lock and bigger front brakes. As for which one we'd go for we'd probably pick the GLS MR Triton. Word on the street is it's probably the best Triton model ever available that's what I've heard anyway and the super select two four wheel drive mode is loved by many people and even though it's a newer model of the Triton with these cars being such great value you'll most likely be able to pick it up at an affordable price. Now we're getting into the nitty-gritty for you guys. First up we're going to take a look at the engine. The previous model to this the MN did have a lot of engine problems and this is likely the reason why Tritons have such a bad rep but the MQ and MR came out and fixed a lot of the problems with their new engine. Check out the previous video on the MN Triton if you're planning on buying one of these. Unlike most other models we've talked about in this series there was really only one engine option available for the MQ and MR Triton and that was a four cylinder 2.4 litre turbodiesel engine. Now you could get these in a 2.4 litre petrol but that was mainly in the 4x2s between 2015 and 2018. For the most part those 2.4 litre turbodiesel engines in the Tritons have actually been pretty reliable with only a few minor issues. One of the main issues on the earlier MQ Tritons is the turbo manifold. They were prone to cracking around the 100,000 kilometre mark due to being a little bit thin but the good thing is with all the later model MQ and MR Tritons the turbo manifold was placed with a better quality item and the cracking problem was null and void. But if you're looking at buying one pre-2018 it could still be a problem. Unfortunately this is a hard problem to look for without taking the manifold off as the cracking is normally very hard to see. One way to see this without taking the manifold off would be checking for excess soot around the turbo manifold area. This would mean exhaust gases leaking and sign of a leak or when the vehicle is running and you're driving there could be a ticking sound or a bit of a squeal when it's on boost. But the good news is access to the turbo and the manifold is actually super easy so it's not going to be too big of a job to get that thing swapped over. Another common problem on the MQ and the MR Tritons was the intercooler hoses. The factory ones were just commonly split and on some of the later model MR Tritons there's actually one incorrectly fitted hose and it could rub through on the power steering belt. This could be a real pain in the butt if it happened at an inconvenient time but the good news is there's plenty of aftermarket options available much more tougher heavy duty ones so grab a set of them chuck them on and you'll have no more dramas. Another intercooler issue this one is just for the MR Tritons is some of the intercooler fittings were sealed by an o-ring. Now these could leak once they got oil past them and if the oil is getting past your boost pressure is going to get past too. The good news is most of these were fixed under warranty if the owner caught up on it. If the owner hasn't caught up on it and it becomes your problem it's not the end of the world you can get heavy duty fittings that won't make it leak but it's just one thing to look out for. Now if you want to look out for some of these intercooler issues yourself what the intercooler does is basically connects the turbo to the engine and does some cooling in between. So you're going to look for the outlet of the turbo down there there's going to be pipe going from there down to the intercooler check both those connections come over the other side check the inlet of the intercooler inlet of the engine if there's no oil around there happy days you've got no leaks your hoses are good and you're going to be getting all your boost. As with most modern diesels carbon build-up in the intake can be a problem. Now there's not too many reports of it actually being a problem on these 2.4s but obviously the quick easy fixes is a bit of an EGR cheat or maybe even a catch can. Now if these aren't fitted to the car you're looking at it's not the end of the world but it could be something to add first to the top of your mods list. We've got the Trident up on the hoist at the back of Offroad Pros now and this leads us to one of the probably the biggest dramas I've found with the Trident. This is automatic we've got up on the hoist here five-speed automatic you can't really find too many problems with them but they do come with a six-speed manual and from what I've heard these things can be riddled with problems mainly third gear is the drama the synchros and then popping out a third gear if this happens to it's a pretty big problem you've got to pull the whole gearbox out and what that means is you've got to put a new one in or get yours recode and rebuilt but the thing is that couldn't be the end of your problems I've heard of it happening time and time again with some of these manual gearboxes it is luck of the draw though I've also heard of some Trident owners who have never had a drama with their manual gearbox so what I recommend if you're looking to buying a six-speed manual maybe jump in it take it for a drive load it up on all the gears hold your hand against there see if there's any vibrations or clunks see if it pops out a third gear if it doesn't well you got yourself a good six-speed manual and if it does if you're not too mechanical minded that could be a reason not to buy the vehicle with this being such a big issue would urge you to stay far away from any manual model of the MQ or MR Triton especially if the model you're inspecting is showing any of these troubling signs the problems and stress that come along with this unreliable gearbox just isn't worth it most of the higher model Tritons come with what's called super select drive this in here it's an actuator on the back of the transfer case means you can go from four high to two high on the run up to 100 kilometers an hour also it's super easy to get into low but you do have to slow down quite a bit for that and the best part about these high models with super select is they come with a factory rear diff lock now that is super handy off-road even if it is backing your caravan into a campsite it's handy to lock those back two wheels together one thing Tritons are definitely known for in earlier models is bending the chassis but the good news for you guys is in the MR and the MQ Tritons Mitsubishi has beefed up the chassis here where it normally bends there's a little bit more bracing and they've added a longer leaf spring in saying this though there's always a chance you can bend the chassis no matter what car you're in so if you plan on towing heaps or putting heaps of weight on the back maybe you should look into a little bit of chassis bracing and suspension upgrade and you'll definitely know you're going to be safe then. I've got Jake here with me from Offroad Pros now he is the expert on used four-wheel drives he's seen plenty of Tritons what do you got to say about these things mate? Can't really say too much good or bad about them to be honest like they're a budget truck they're pretty affordable they're probably one of the best bang for bucks on the market yeah there's a few key points like the smaller motor a bit of a downside I suppose smaller motor and they've got a smaller towing capacity too don't they? Yeah 3.1 ton is insanely low compared to every other car on the market in the Japanese world anyway. The payload is probably about 900 kilos in these things but they're not as bad as the earlier models you've got to be a little bit careful with them bending I've heard is that true? It is yeah yeah particularly with the earlier models but these ones still have a tendency of flexing probably way too much but people obviously put like 900 in the tray yeah and then they put the 3.1 out the back as well yeah so you can't really do both at the same time you should do either like 3.1 or the 900 yeah I know it's rated for it but yeah that's when they yeah the cars that you can overload this is probably definitely not one of them yeah I think everything has its kind of area if you're a tradie or you just want to get up the beach get into a truck and just get on the road really that's probably going to be right up your as opposed to touring and towing around Australia I probably wouldn't pick this car yeah there's probably other options out there that are going to be far yeah it's going to be on its limits towing or the big gear on it yeah definitely and obviously the safety concern too with the with the chassis yeah definitely you don't really overload anything do you? So what's the main couple of things that would sort of separate Offroad Pro from other used car yards Jack? Well I suppose it's our quality controllers one of the biggest ones we take them for a 40 minute test drive it's pretty extensive in this industry yeah go bring them back here do a TK test on every single car do actual legitimate road release yeah it's a little bit of a difference yeah definitely I've seen some of your boys in here on the car before they were changing bushes you're putting in genuine bushes yeah and you were saying you before at the front you offer a one-year warranty in all your cars? We do yeah it's our industry standards which we're up the industry standard a little bit yeah that's awesome every car will come with a with a one-year warranty just to assure our vehicles are good quality and we don't have warranties down the track yeah perfect yeah and that's why it's so confident giving the one-year warranty because you go these things with a fine-tooth comb you know they're good cars it's easier spending the money here now as opposed to them going somewhere interstate and costing a lot more money down the track yeah definitely there and then you you hold up your good name that you've got yeah that's right yeah yeah that's very important to us yeah you're doing a good thing I reckon. Now we've talked about the budget a lot and it hasn't really shown its head anywhere else but I've jumped inside the vehicle and now I can sort of see is you get what you pay for it does feel quite plastic fantastic in here it sort of doesn't feel like a 2018 model car in saying that though everything's vinyl here vinyl floors you know nice plastic dash it does feel a bit old and a bit tacky but cleaning it once you've got this thing dirty is going to be super easy I've heard of a few problems with this factory infotainment system now let's be honest that is most factory head units and that is something that most people are probably going to change I wouldn't make that a reason not to buy the vehicle the earlier steering wheels I've heard they can break apart quite easily this one's got a little bit of throttle grip but they were changed in late 2018 and brought on through to the MR Triton so that's not really a drama anymore probably the biggest issue I've heard on these things is the climate control some people are saying it doesn't get cold unless you've got it right down to 18 degrees that is a factory issue that you can be fixed most of them are fixed under warranty if not it is something Mitsubishi knows about and they're on top of it there is a part to fix it but the good thing is most of these issues like the seats the steering wheel the head unit they're all sort of things that can be fixed with some aftermarket mods and us four-wheel drivers love nothing more than aftermarket mods so I'd probably go close to say the interior is a bit cheap it almost doesn't feel as new as it should be but it's definitely not a reason to turn your head away from buying a used Triton so one of the really simple things to do when you want to check a vehicle to see whether it's been damaged is to just stand back and have a good look at it you want to look and see whether there's color differences in the panels that's often a really good indicator to say there's been some repairs the other thing I like to do is really look at the gaps you know the gaps should be the same all the way around the car so if there's uneven gaps start looking a bit further maybe open the door have a look in there and see whether there's actually been any damage and the other one that's a good often easy to see tip is whenever you've got body lines if there's been a repair there's some filler under that sometimes the line might not be that straight or there could be a bit of an extra bulge in the panel so that is quite easy to see also you know any imperfections in the paint if you have a look really closely at the paint you might see chips that have been painted over stuff like that easy to find now all that said at the end of the day having filler or having a repair is not a bad thing I mean there's not too many secondhand cars on the road that haven't had a bingle but as long as the repair has been done right and you can't really see the difference there's nothing wrong with that now let's talk about price it's impossible for me to give you guys an exact price on these things but if you're looking to spend around a thirty thousand dollar mark you're going to get yourself a great you're going to get low kilometers probably around a hundred thousand k mark in an mq triton in a glx model maybe even higher now if you're going to up your budget to about 35 to 40 you're going to jump into the mr range a glx x plus or maybe even a gsr model going to be lower kilometers but there is so many bargains available this is one of the best examples i've found down here at offroad pros today this is a 2018 mq trident it's got 220 000 on the clock now it is higher in the ks but this thing looks immaculate we've had up on the horse we've looked under the bonnet and the price of this thing is twenty thousand dollars the price there really talks for itself it just goes to show that these tritons can be great value for money overall the mr and the mq trident stack up great for value and features in today's market now they have had a couple of problems as most vehicles do but the good news is these cars have been out for many years now so there's heaps of aftermarket fixes and upgrades and accessories out there available for them but how about you guys let us know below in the comments what you think of the trident is there anything we missed is there anything you got to say about these things anyway for now that's all for me i'll see you on the next one