Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin

[Chainguy]

Hi all, looking for some informed opinion on the above.

A couple we are friends with are emigrating, and obviously they cant take their car with them, so have offered us their Shogun Pinin for not a lot of money really. Now, where I live is pretty rural, and got utterly hammered last year with the snow. Frankly, without a neighbour and his 4x4 pickup, we'd have been stuffed. Hence the thought of getting a cheap 4x4 for the winter.

I know that sounds like overkill, but I have a new baby due in late November, and as the last one suffered from some health problems that required some emergency trips to the local A&E, I'm crapping it about getting caught out again. Call me paranoid , but there it is.

So, are these any good? Capable off road or in the snow? Any major mechanical issues I should really be looking at?

Oh, and before the usual 'buy a defender/jimny' etc crowd start, thanks, but the reason I'm asking specific advice is I'm getting this almost free, so shopping around doesn't apply. It's this, or a walk in the snow.

Thanks

[tomsugden]

I don't have any personal experience of these, but a quick google tells me it has a diff lock, and low ratio gearbox, so providing it has some reasonable tyres on it, it should get you through the snow without a problem.

[Sixpackpert]

Have had a 3 door pinin in the past. Very capable off road. Agricultural and jittery on road. Uncomfortable seats and not very spacious. No real boot to talk of. Engine was a bit gutless. Other than that it was great ;-)

If it's really cheap then go for it, I would recommend trying to find a grown up 4x4 if you can, proper Shogun for example.

[eltax91]

If it's so cheap it's nearly free, and you dont have budget for an alternative, then why are you even asking? Get round there and get it bought! It'll do the job you might need it for this winter, then you an flog it and replace ech winter, mothball it for 6 months, or if you can afford to Tax and Insure it use it s a handy stand-by/ tip/ throw the kids in car.

It's japanese, other than the odd oil change it just won't die, so why not?

[Chainguy]

Thanks chaps, and yes, its the oily bits I'm concerned about, so if anyone knows any common gotcha's, then great, lets hear it!

Looking around the various reviews today, it seems like it's actually pretty decent off road for what it is, and I can't find anyone telling me the gearboxes are made of cheese or such like. They seem strong enough mechanically.

Pricewise, yes, it's cheap, I've paid more for an inspection 2 on the Beemer. So that puts it into context in that if it goes bad on me there is money there for parts to get it fixed again, and my spanner time is free.

It's coming with a years ticket and a fresh service, so all thats left really is for some recommendations for some proper off road tyres from you lot, and once those are on, I'm there, ready for the worst the winter can heave at me

Who knows, might even green lane it, see what it can, and can't do!

[stone-islandV8]

Very happy with the General Grabber AT2s on my L200.

[Chainguy]

stone-islandV8 said:

Very happy with the General Grabber AT2s on my L200.

Thanks for that. I'm going to throw 4 new tyres on it when it comes, so I'll have a look at prices on those. I'm more interested in off road than on road ability, so those sound good

[stone-islandV8]

http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m64b71...

http://www.tyretest.com/4x4_reifen/general/grabber...

[Chainguy]

stone-islandV8 said:

http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m64b71...

http://www.tyretest.com/4x4_reifen/general/grabber...

He stuck 4 new boots on it today, ready for me getting delivery of it Sunday. Just in time for this snow blanket we are supposedly getting.

Thanks for your input Stone Island, cheers

[carmadgaz]

Have one of these at work, a little 1.8 Auto van. Looks like a little pimp wagon in black with the big alloys. Thirsty (can't get 30 out of it ) but suprisingly fun to drive, not alot of space though.

Hope you have fun with it

[Chainguy]

carmadgaz said:

Have one of these at work, a little 1.8 Auto van. Looks like a little pimp wagon in black with the big alloys. Thirsty (can't get 30 out of it ) but suprisingly fun to drive, not alot of space though.

Hope you have fun with it

Having an absolute riot with it! Shoved 4 new tyres on it, and it's getting a full service this weekend. Anyways..

Last weekend, Saturday night, my 4 yr old girl, hyped up abut Halloween, decides she wanted to go ghost hunting. Right. Ok. Well, there are a lot of ruins near us, so...with her armed with Dad's mahoosive maglite that's about as tall as she is, off we went, and ended up doing some off roading.

Holy hell, the wee thing is bloody unstoppable! I couldn't believe what it would go over and where it would go. I had it through a small river (alright, a manly stream ) and through some really deep mud to get to an old abandoned hospital near me. It also went up a properly steep, slippy, loose stoned gradient to get to an old abandoned country house I know. I used to struggle to get up that hill in a scrambler 20 odd years ago as a kid. Needless to say both daughter and idiot father had a ball

Tell you what, they may not be the biggest toys on the block, but someone obviously forgot to tell it that it's meant to be a 'toy' off roader. Shove it into 4lowlock, and watch it climb. No haldex sillyness here.

Great fun!

[carmadgaz]

Chainguy said:

Tell you what, they may not be the biggest toys on the block, but someone obviously forgot to tell it that it's meant to be a 'toy' off roader. Shove it into 4lowlock, and watch it climb. No haldex sillyness here.

Great fun!

Light, short wheelbase, proper chassis and a low gears mean its no toy. It's the reason there are so many Suzuki SJ and Jimnys being used as offroaders (though I'm bias towards a SWB Series Landie ) , the Pinin just isn't as well known.

[Chainguy]

carmadgaz said:

Chainguy said:

Tell you what, they may not be the biggest toys on the block, but someone obviously forgot to tell it that it's meant to be a 'toy' off roader. Shove it into 4lowlock, and watch it climb. No haldex sillyness here.

Great fun!

Light, short wheelbase, proper chassis and a low gears mean its no toy. It's the reason there are so many Suzuki SJ and Jimnys being used as offroaders (though I'm bias towards a SWB Series Landie ) , the Pinin just isn't as well known.

If I can persuade the wife to let me spend the money, a SWB landy may be in my future. She can keep the Pinin for bad weather, I'll go all macho with the landy

[carmadgaz]

Good man! Can't beat a landie (not that I'm bias)

[pits]

eltax91 said:

It's japanese, other than the odd oil change it just won't die, so why not?

Mate of mine has a 51 plate Shogun, it has blown up 3 engines
Someone else I know had a Toyota RAV4 55 plate I think, blown 2 engines and 3 gearboxes
Mates SJ410 killed itself, some how managed to suck a load of mud even though sealed for offroading
Mates Vitara blew its rear diff.

Because a car is Japanese doesn't mean it will last for ever with just oil changes.

As for tyres
General Grabber AT2 (avoid the TR's, I have them on my 90, they are arse.)
BF Goodrich AT
BF Goodrich Mud 2
Hankook RT03
Kumho something or others

Or you can go down the cheaper remould option and get some Insa Turbos

[gunghochef]

Chainguy said:

Hi all, looking for some informed opinion on the above.

A couple we are friends with are emigrating, and obviously they cant take their car with them, so have offered us their Shogun Pinin for not a lot of money really. Now, where I live is pretty rural, and got utterly hammered last year with the snow. Frankly, without a neighbour and his 4x4 pickup, we'd have been stuffed. Hence the thought of getting a cheap 4x4 for the winter.

I know that sounds like overkill, but I have a new baby due in late November, and as the last one suffered from some health problems that required some emergency trips to the local A&E, I'm crapping it about getting caught out again. Call me paranoid , but there it is.

So, are these any good? Capable off road or in the snow? Any major mechanical issues I should really be looking at?

Oh, and before the usual 'buy a defender/jimny' etc crowd start, thanks, but the reason I'm asking specific advice is I'm getting this almost free, so shopping around doesn't apply. It's this, or a walk in the snow.

Thanks

my 90 year old Neighbours are very happy with theirs.... it can go shopping, sort of, though not too good at climbing (any) hills.
If its free, then grab it quick and sell it to pay for a deposit on a pajero, its bigger brother.

Edited by gunghochef on Tuesday 7th December 21:40

[Chainguy]

gunghochef said:

Chainguy said:

Hi all, looking for some informed opinion on the above.

A couple we are friends with are emigrating, and obviously they cant take their car with them, so have offered us their Shogun Pinin for not a lot of money really. Now, where I live is pretty rural, and got utterly hammered last year with the snow. Frankly, without a neighbour and his 4x4 pickup, we'd have been stuffed. Hence the thought of getting a cheap 4x4 for the winter.

I know that sounds like overkill, but I have a new baby due in late November, and as the last one suffered from some health problems that required some emergency trips to the local A&E, I'm crapping it about getting caught out again. Call me paranoid , but there it is.

So, are these any good? Capable off road or in the snow? Any major mechanical issues I should really be looking at?

Oh, and before the usual 'buy a defender/jimny' etc crowd start, thanks, but the reason I'm asking specific advice is I'm getting this almost free, so shopping around doesn't apply. It's this, or a walk in the snow.

Thanks

my 90 year old Neighbours are very happy with theirs.... it can go shopping, sort of, though not too good at climbing (any) hills.
If its free, then grab it quick and sell it to pay for a deposit on a pajero, its bigger brother.

Edited by gunghochef on Tuesday 7th December 21:40

Sorry, but they're doing something wrong then. I've been massively impressed with it, not least because it's gotten places that bigger kit simply hasn't been able to lately. Case example.

Was in Cumbernauld, visiting my MIL who had a fall. It got into her street, despite the snow being higher than the 'Pininfarina' moulding on the door. When I stopped, it was stuck, but with a bit off shovelling I got it moving again, and it bulldozed its way all the way up the street and up the hill, despite the snow being that high..

One of MIL neighbours couldn't get his Hilux to go anywhere, and that has a load of heavy welding equipment in back of it to help with traction. So much so he owes me a £20 because he came out for a look and made a rash bet that I'd be staying the night I might try and post the pics the other half took of the channel the car made as it dug itself out of the street, it looks incredible.

Plus, I've heard on the grapevine that some 4x4's are having starting problems around here with the derv freezing (it hit -23°C where I live last night, my local garage is towing them in and putting the space heater on them this morning to thaw them out and get them going) but being petrol, no problems here. It starts first hit of the key, and warms up nice and quick to get some heat into the cabin. I'm reading a lot of forums where dervs are just not playing the game in this weahter after being out cold soaked all night.

All in all, I'll be keeping it and not trading it. It has great power to weight ratio (I towed a laden Transit with it off a dual carriageway on Monday) it's easy to work on (I put a timing belt on it last week, and it's easier than it's made out to be from reading varous forums) and I can get a spare low mileage engine for it for £200 if it all goes wrong. All the bigger stuff costs a lot more than that to provide spares for, and I'm not a wealthy man, so dropping a grand on an engine and turbos for the bigger stuff isn't an option to me right now. It's also pretty decent on fuel.

Downsides are it really needs to be higher, and it's cramped interior space if you're trying to carry four people. I can get the first of those fixed, but not the last, sadly. Also, I can't seem to get a snorkel for it anywhere, but I'm just going to make myself one. Can't be that hard to make one, can it?

Happy with it. It suits my budget, and there are some really knowledgeable guys on here that I'm sure will keep me right with modifying it in the future.

[Mr Pies]

Slight thread resurrection here. What sort of mpg will a 2.0 GDI Pinin manual get round town guys?

[Chainguy]

Mr Pies said:

Slight thread resurrection here. What sort of mpg will a 2.0 GDI Pinin manual get round town guys?

My 1.8 is very sensitive to how you drive it. Hammer it around, and I've seen it drop to 20mpg, thats a brim to brim fill.

Go easy, around town it'll do 28mpg, again, brim to brim fill.

I'm pretty sure if i take the wing mirrors off it'll add another 5mpg. They look like Buccaneers air brakes!

[alpine87]

Another thread resurrection...

I'm really really tempted by one of these for around the £1000 mark - about year 2000 with just below 100,000 miles.

Can you give any indication on their reliability, after owning one for a while? What are they like?

On my short list is Daihatsu Terios, Nissan Terrano, Mitsu Shogun Pinin and Suzy Jimny.

(Do you want to sell yours!?)