If you want to run with the SUV crowd but still seek to stand out, you might want to take a glance at today’s Montero. It’s a Sport and comes with both 4WD and a stick which means it’s earned that name. Let’s see if it also earns its asking.

One of the world’s most baffling enigmas is the question of why some old cars seem to wear out if you just look at them funny while others inexplicably hold up unfailingly fully decades into their use.

Yesterday’s looked to be an example of the latter. Despite its decade-plus age and a jarring 200K on its odo, that V10 uber-coupé presented as though half the age and with a tenth the miles. That seemingly wasn’t enough to make it worth its $9,500 asking though, and it fell in a 57 percent Crack Pipe loss.

What’s the safe bet when going for an older, mid-sized 4x4 for the family? It’s the Toyota 4Runner, right? I mean, aside from smaller sports cars where the Mazda Miata obviously rules, pretty much any used car question could be effectively answered with something from the extended Toyota family.

Yeah, bor-ing.

Here we have a and while that’s still a reasonably safe contender—hell, Mitsubishi’s still in business here—it’s off the wall enough to make it feel like an almost radical choice.

Just like yesterday’s big Bimmer, this Montero looks to have held up shockingly well over its years and miles as well. Those miles thankfully, are a good bit lower than in the BMW, with a mere 130K on the clock. That’s less than 7K a year and the truck does seem to show evidence of a reasonably untaxed existence.

That includes the bright red over champagne paint which seems to be in great shape other than for some scuffs on the plastic bumper caps. Add-ons here include step rails and a bull bar, neither of which feels wholly necessary on the small sport-ute but taken together do help to give it a bit of an Aussie appeal. These were based on the Triton pickup sharing not only driveline parts and frame but doors and windscreen as well. That makes for a pretty stout if somewhat uncivilized ride.

The interior also looks to be in great shape and rocks handsome cloth upholstery. That looks immaculate both front and rear and is complemented by clean carpet and plastic trim. The dash is a mad mix of new (airbags) and old (separate radio and cd players) and is topped with one of those wonderful gauge clusters that includes a compass and incline-o-meters.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the interior, however, is the two levers sprouting out of the console. The shorter of those controls the gearing of the 4-wheel drive, shifting between low and high and off as needed. The taller lever works the five-speed manual transmission connected to that 4WD and represents a super rare fitting in these trucks.

That gearbox should function without flaw as the whole truck is claimed to “run and drive excellent.” That excellence must logically extend to the 3-litre 6G72 V6 under the hood. That mill put out 173 horsepower and 188 lb-ft of torque and here benefits from a timing belt and water pump refresh. The A/C is claimed to blow cold and there doesn’t appear to be any monkey business having taken place anywhere around. Hell, it sports an aftermarket battery from Sears and just doesn’t get any more old school tradition than that.

This Montero’s title is clean and it comes with a $4,995 price. Now, should you be looking for a manual Montero Sport then this is obviously a strong contender to fulfill that fantasy and you might pay extra for the opportunity. If however, you’re just looking for a cheap set of wheels for family outings or getting to work when it’s mucky out, then both its obscurity and price might give you pause.

That though, is just what we’re here to address. Let’s all vote and see what this nice old Mitsu might be worth. What do you think, could it really claim that $4,995 asking? Or, for that much, is this Montero a bad sport?

You decide!

Tampa, FL , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to EdHelmsBakery for the hookup!

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