Back in November, 2018 we flew to Texas for the second time in 12 months to pick up yet another second-generation Mitsubishi Pajero. We drove it back from Austin without incident, but we’ve had to put some work into the rig since.
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The Ralli Tractor, our 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero XR-II, has left the building. Our first JDM SUV, which we purchased in Texas in 2018, has gone to another owner. He said it’ll be put to great use and may even be shipped to Hawaii where it’ll enjoy a healthy diet of poi, coconuts, and biodiesel.
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A little over a year ago, our 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero XR-II, aka the Ralli Tractor, suffered a cracked block due to a fouled thermostat. Today, it has a new Hyundai heart courtesy of a D4BF engine swap. How does this compare to the original 4D56? Does all this make any sense? If not read on….
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Our JDM Mitsubishi Pajeros have some great features. We love their size, diesel engines, and off-road capability. One of the things we don’t love, however, is the small fuel tank which equates to a short range. So we decided to do something about it. The short-wheelbase 2.5-liter diesel Pajero has a 15.8 gallon tank. We…
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In the immortal words of Britney Spears: “Oops, I did it again.” Yes, we bought a second short-wheelbase gen II Mitsubishi Pajero. We’re repeat offenders.
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Sometimes you have to go out of your way to get what you want. And by “out of the way,” I mean traveling 3,386 miles. Well, we wanted a 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero, and we flew to Houston, TX to buy it, and drove it back to Portland, OR.
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Years ago, I told myself that when the 1998 Suzuki Jimny became legal to import into the U.S in 2023, I’d buy one. Mercedes was on board with this plan, especially after we rented a 2019 Jimny in Iceland (we’ll have to wait until 2044 for one of these). Despite two years of tardiness, we…
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For 23 years, we had a sporty on-road car of some sort. While sporty didn’t necessarily mean fast, it always meant upgraded suspension and stickier tires at a minimum. Whether it was my SR20DE-powered Nissan Sentra SE-Limited or 2001 Ford Focus ZX3, our 1998 Honda Prelude SH, or 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX, we always had…
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I’m currently flying to Phoenix. As I stare aimlessly through the seat back in front of me, awaiting my complimentary child-sized Coke Zero, I noticed my hands. They’re lightly stained with dirt, grease, and grime from working on cars. The sides of my pointer fingers have become dried out, probably from being in contact with…
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I regularly get pinged via email, Facebook, Instagram, carrier pigeon, smoke signal, and singing telegram asking about the ins and outs of owning a JDM vehicle. People get excited about the idea of owning a Mitsubishi Delica, or a Toyota Hiace van; maybe a Subaru Sambar or a Suzuki Jimny. But what many people don’t…
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