2006 Mitsubishi Triton Pricing and Specs

If the engine is running well, but the car won’t move in gear when you take your foot off the clutch, it’s very likely that your clutch has failed. The clutch is responsible for transferring power from the engine to the gearbox and, if it wears out, it can no longer do so and the vehicle will just sit there and not move even when you take your foot off the clutch pedal and the car is in gear.

You noted that the car had previously seemed to lose power, but this was more likely to be the start of the clutch failing and not transferring all the power it should have been. Eventually, though, the failure became total and no power is getting through to the gearbox (and, therefore, the wheels).

A new clutch is the likely fix but make sure to check the flywheel for damage and wear while the car is apart.

Mitsubishi’s manual gearboxes from around this time (and earlier) were some of the noisiest around. But usually it wasn’t anything to be concerned about. Bearing rumble and some clutch bearing noise were pretty much par for the course, but your problem sounds more like it’s associated with the gearbox’s synchromesh rings. These rings are designed to allow the gearbox to slip between ratios smoothly and silently, and any crunching noises during shifts can often be traced to worn synchromesh parts.

The good news is you won’t harm the transmission by continuing to drive it, particularly if you’re careful and take your time with the shifts you know are most likely to create a crunch. If you can live with that, fine. If not, the gearbox will need to be removed from the car and rebuilt. That will be neither cheap nor simple.

Buying a car sight unseen is not a good idea. I would go for on of the big three: HiLux, Triton, or Courier. They are all much of a muchness when you get to the used car market. The important things are service history, odo reading, and previous use.