At $3,450, Is This 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport an Outlier in Today’s Marketplace?
The ad for today’s Nice Price or No Dice Montero laments the current crazy car market and positions the Mitsubishi’s price as an exception to that current rule. Let’s see if we all agree with the logic.
Flipping cars is a popular pastime these days, although in the used car market the mantra isn’t so much to “buy low and sell high,” but “buy high and sell even higher.” That seemed to be the seller’s plan for this past Friday’s 1981 Volvo 242 Turbo. Described as completely restored, that handsome two-door saloon had already sold earlier this year for $19,750 on Bring a Trailer. Now, eight months later, it’s being offered at a heady $25,000. That flipping plan didn’t flip the switches of enough of you, however, as the Volvo went down in a pretty decisive 93 percent No Dice loss.
The idea of generic, or “plain wrap” products was a fad that arose in the early 1980s and died a short time later. This practice was popularized by grocery chains like Kroger and was even parodied in the cult classic movie Repo Man, where people ate from packages marked “FOOD” and drank cans of “BEER.”
The seller of today’s 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4X4 appears to be revisiting this practice as they completely exclude mention of the car’s make or model in the ad headline, choosing instead to promote its particular value by stating:
GREAT RUNNING V6 SUV 4-WD UNDER 3500 IN THIS MARKET? ABSOLUTELY!
Now, it should be said that this Montero Sport is a bit generic-looking, sporting basic black paint, simple steel wheels, and a brand name that few people today give any thought to. Let me just say that there’s nothing wrong with any of that.
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Sold as the Montero Sport here in the U.S., this mid-size SUV went by a number of different aliases in other global markets. Based on the company’s small pickup truck frame, the Montero Sport offered an independent torsion bar front suspension and a coil-sprung live axle in the back. Like all Sports this model year, this one rocks a 3.0-liter, 175 horsepower V6 under its hood. That’s paired with a four-speed Aisin automatic and on-demand AWD.
According to the ad, this Montero has a modest 132,000 miles under its belt and comes with a clean title.
It also has a respectably clean appearance. The paint looks to be in decent shape and there doesn’t seem to be any dents or rust bubbles beneath that top coat. It could all stand a good cleaning and maybe a detail. But then, who among us couldn’t?
Inside, it’s an even better story with remarkably clean-looking gray mouse fur upholstery in a crosshatch pattern accompanied by un-faded carpet and plastics. There’s A/C, plus power windows and locks, so it offers some comfort and convenience. And being a 2001 model, it has airbags in the dash and wheel.
The seller describes the Sport as “a smaller and far more economical version of the larger one.” but notes it “comfortably seats 5 adults though.” It’s claimed to run perfectly and the transmission supposedly shifts flawlessly. The tires are also touted to have plenty of tread on them.
The closing argument for the Sport is a $3,450 asking price, with the seller claiming that you just won’t find anything else like this at this price. Maybe that’s true, however, considering the seller’s request to call for info rather than using the “email function” stating “You will find me friendly and informative and most of all easy to talk to,” I wonder if this ad is just a ploy for interaction and perhaps something more?
What do you all think? Is this Mitsubishi worth that $3,450 asking even if it is a little plain Jane in appearance? Or, does that price have you asking “Montero who?”
You decide!
Las Vegas, Nevada, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!
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