Changing tow car?

[Buckman]

At present we have a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee which has 115000 miles on the clock and has a full service history. It is quite reliable, but every time there is a Jeep specific issue it needs to go to the dealer for a software update. Most independents cannot do a full proper service on the Jeep and it needs to be done at the Jeep dealership at their prices which start off at about £100 per hour for labour plus a 100 mile roudn trip.
We are now thinking of changing across to a Mitsubishi Shogun and have seen a 2007 one at a local Mitsubishi dealer and it has 135000 miles on the clock. It is in very good condition for its age. I took it for a drive and was pleasantly surprised at how well it handles. The dealer is less than 10 miles from our location.
Now in a bit of a quandary when comparing the Jeep and the Shogun so if any one has a Shogun of similar age and mileage input would be welcome.

 

[woodsieboy]

Hello Buckman
We ran a3.2 lwb Shogun as our towcar for 13 years, I loved it, rear wheel drive when not towing selectable 4wd high or low if needed, ours was a manual, and most now are auto. From memory I think there was a change about 2007 that affects the tax payable so worth checking. Mileage wise you need to be aware of a chain guide on the top of the engine that keeps the timing chain in place, it is plastic lined and if the plastic has worn away the chain can loosen and ruin the engine if it fails, well known problem. other things to watch out for are under body damage, leaky sunroof normally caused by blocked drainage holes,driveshaft wear,and air conditioning can sometimes be a problem if it is a 7 seater where the pipework feeds to the rear.At that mileage you also need to check alternator, starter motor and battery. We always had ours serviced at local garage that does all of our firms cars, and spares and servicing were reasonable, as were tyres unless you are picky over brand.I found that spares were good from off road specialist Milners especially brake discs as the ones they supplied came with sliders, otherwise genuine Mitsubishi are prohibitive cost, I would have had another Shogun, but prefer manual gearbox, so now have Santa Fe, does pretty much what the Shogun did even in the snow last year,

 

[Buckman]

Thanks all the servicing has been done by the Mitsubishi franchise however they are only offering a 3 month warranty on it? I don't take much notice of warranties as we have CRA 2015 which over rides any warranty. I think we will walk away and rather look at a post 2012 model which had a major facelift etc. Would prefer a Landcruiser by a second hand 10 year one cost an arm and a leg and anther leg!

 

[Thingy]

I have no experience of Shoguns of that age or cars of that mileage, but I am on my second Shogun having previously had two Xtrails and a Volvo xc70 for towing, and mechanically, the two Shoguns have only ever cost me one coil spring. They are truly rugged, tow superbly and are almost bomb proof for reliability. The mechanics are comparatively simple in comparison to most modern cars meaning in many instances they are easier to work on.

Tax is roughly half that of a Disco which is a major plus.
Mileage wise you need to be aware of a chain guide on the top of the engine that keeps the timing chain in place, it is plastic lined and if the plastic has worn away the chain can loosen and ruin the engine if it fails, well known problem.

There was a recall on this particular issue, check to see if it has been done. I first Shogun a 2010 model was part of the recall. Our current 2014 model doesnt require it as they are built with the new chain guides.

As for the auto box, I am firmly in favour of it, its brilliant for towing. Not as sophisticated as some, but the INVECS 11 works a treat.

 

[Kevin2306]

We used to have a 3.2 lwb shogun, it was on a 12 plate.
Fantastic bit of kit, used to service it myself. Only issue I had with it was an oil leak from the oil pressure switch.
I would be slightly concerned at the high mileage but in practice they seem to go on forever.

Kevin

 

[Buckman]

I forgot to mention that on the 2007 Shogun the airbag light was on when we took it for a test drive. Also the spare tyre had virtually no tread on it and was nice and shiny. Sales person did say that they would fix. Think 2012 is a better option even though it costs more. I was also told that 2018 is the last year for the Shogun.

 

[Thingy]

Noy sure about the last year but they have released a new Shogun Sport I beleive.

 

[otherclive]

The Shogun Sport is based on the L200 pickup and in all dimensions is smaller than the true Shogun. with all seats up it has far less luggage space than the Sorento or Rexton. But being based on the pick up it should be durable and its claimed towing weight is 3 tonnes+. It should make a good tow car for heavier caravans.

 

[Buckman]

More than likely we are going ahead with the purchase of a Shogun however the one we are looking at now needs a tow bar. The concern here is that the Shogun has the spare wheel mounted on the door. If you open the door altogether and then hitch up you have have an issue where the door snags on the jockey wheel handle. Then there is also the issue of the 3004 hitch coupling to get it secured if the rear door is not opened.
If you have a Shogun how do you get around this issue as do not fancy hitching up in the rain with the door open? Can the caravan be hitched without the door being opened?

 

[Thingy]

Mine hitches up just fine, true the door wont open fully, it just takes a bit of thought to have the necessary leg winder, mover remote and bar on the correct side of the car in order to reach them.

As for the towbar, think hard on this one. Because of the spare wheel being boot mounted, the towbar itself is quite long to allow for this which is fine, however, when the rear door is open its attacks the shins faster than a hungry shark and hurts as much. We have the Witter demountable towbar which has cured that issue. We had a fixed bar on the previous Shogun.

This is ours
https://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/towbar/view/--bk-lwb-witter-detachable-swan-towbar-horizontal-loading-3725?variantTowbarId=3725&variant=TWl0c3ViaXNoaSBTaG9ndW4gQVRWL1NVViAoKEJLKSBMV0IpIDIwMDcgLSA=

We also went for the vehicle specific electrics which in hindsight was a waste of money and did actually cause issues with the fridge supply.

 

[woodsieboy]

Hi Buckman
On our Shogun we hitched up with the back door at 45 degree angle, allowing clearance for tow ball , we also removed the handle from the stabiliser leaving 2 'horns' you then back the car to the van,hitch the van up and use the now free handle to lock the two horns down on to the towball, remove the handle and keep separate, Al ko used to supply a specific handle for the job, but we just reused the one we had taken off and fixed the 2 sides together with bolts.

 

[Thingy]

Woodsieboy, strangely mine will hitch up with the door closed. Its tight, but doing it on the mover i can get it in place without doing any damage.

 

[woodsieboy]

Hi Thingy, I should have said that we could connect ours with the door shut using the modified handle, also I think you have a later model and may be your removeable tow bar gives a little more length, I have seen some Shoguns where the towbar appears to be longer than others,just something that is peculiar to what is an excellent and in my view under rated towcar.

 

[Buckman]

Initially we were going to have the fixed tow bar, but when not towing it will probably jump out and attack our shins so now thinking of a Westfalia detachable tow bar. Need to make up my mind soon.

 

[Raywood]

I have cracked my shins once or twice but you soon learn and I still save money with a fixed tow bar. Most makes will do a detachable one so you should have a decent choice.

 

[Craigyoung]

I have cracked my shins once or twice but you soon learn and I still save money with a fixed tow bar. Most makes will do a detachable one so you should have a decent choice.

Ha , we to have a fixed one and I once parked our car to close to the hedge at work which I didn't know at the time was a shortcut and 3 off the lads who I work with all wacked their legs off the towbar as they went past running

 

[Buckman]

We are having a Witter detachable fitted on Friday and then off for the weekend on our jollies. :cheer: