Mitsubishi Triton Problems

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.

It sounds like it could be the fuel supply; check the fuel filter, fuel pressure, and the injectors. It’s a common-rail diesel engine and they are prone to injector wear.

From what we can see, that specific Triton carried an official combined fuel consumption figure of 10.9L/100km. 

In the real world, you can expect to achieve a similar number on a constant highway cruise, but be prepared for it to climb to something more like 15L/100km around town. So more like a six cylinder modern Falcon or Commodore than a Corolla or Mazda3. 

You’ve pretty much covered the field there, so it should come down to what you want from your car. Do you want comfort, safety, fuel efficiency, offroad capability, cabin space? If you are mostly driving on the highway, then a diesel SUV is probably the best bet. I would rule out a dual-cab ute because of comfort, unless you need the flexibility a ute gives you. I would rule out a hybrid, they’re not at their most efficient on the highway; they’re better suited to town use. Based on your annual mileage I wouldn’t keep the car any more than 3-4 years, that way you’ll have a decent resale value when you get out of it.

I presume you’re not overloading the ute, so fit some Light Truck tyres. Passenger car tyres would be quieter, and the ride would be more comfortable, but you really need tyres capable of carrying the load.

I wouldn’t expect the paint to be peeling in such a short time. Take it back to the dealer who fitted it and request they repair it.

Mitsubishi quotes a combined average of 10.9 L/100 km for the 2.4-litre dual-cab Triton. Around town they claim 13.9 L/100 km and on the highway 9.1 L/100 km. It’s similar to other dual-cab utes.

You don’t tell us why your ute needs a new head at just 134,000 km, so it’s hard to comment. If nothing untoward has happened to cause the problem, like overheating, then you could try and convince Mitsubishi to cover the cost of repairs, but unless you have a full history that clearly points to a manufacturing fault I think you would struggle to justify a claim.

By how far did you miss the service? Was it by a 1000 kilometres or so, or did you miss it all together? If you missed the service by a few weeks or a few kilometres then I would not expect the engine to seize, but if you skipped the service completely I’m not surprised. I’m also guessing the warranty won’t be honoured because of the missed service, but depending on the circumstances surrounding the missed service you could try and negotiate with Mitsubishi for some cover.