MN or MQ?

[carltonfc01]

Looking at picking up a triton and trying to decide between a used mn gl-r or a new / demo mq glx. Seen a 2012 mm with 60,000 on the clock with rear drawer set up , awning , roof racks & Basket , bull bar , snorkel , spotlight, reverse camera , upgraded suspension. Asking price 23.5k. Would this seem like a reasonable price?

Dont do too many km's as live close to work and only do a few road trips a year so km's usually around 10k a year which is why i usually buy second hand cars as would hardly run in a new one. Have been looking through the forum and seems like many people think the best option is to spend the extra dollars to get the mq but bearing in mind the limited km's do people think the mn would be durable enough?

[BillMcQuade]

I think an MN with all the fruit would be a good buy. At 10,000km a year, IMHO it's not worth buying new.

Has it got a good service history?

[murwullambah]

MQ definately, all the fruit in the world wont help you if you get the dreaded blown MN engine in the bush.
We must also remind ourselves that the 4D5 engine dates back to 1972 so is very old design, MQ is a new design engine and so far no major issues have cropped up.

[BillMcQuade]

MQ definately, all the fruit in the world wont help you if you get the dreaded blown MN engine in the bush.
We must also remind ourselves that the 4D5 engine dates back to 1972 so is very old design, MQ is a new design engine and so far no major issues have cropped up.

Seriously? Are we going to jump on this bandwagon every God-damn time there is an MN thread?

Lets not be too quick to ignore some of the potential MQ issues, like the DPF and possible longevity issues with the turbo. Let alone the issue of an EGR which is a lot harder to tame than either the MN or ML. MQ owners aren't going to be happy with a manifold clean every 30,000km. When examples of the MQ regularly start clocking up 250,000 - 300,000km, then it might be safe to make a judgement. There are plenty of MNs (and MLs) that have done these sort of distances, without trouble.

The 4N series of engine has only been in real use since 2010, and never in a work ute. In fact, Mitsubishi still fit the 4D56 to the more "extreme" markets that the Triton is sold, such as the oil fields in the Middle East. I'd hardly call the 4N15 "proven".

There is also the issue of an all-alloy diesel being fitted to a work vehicle. Many of which won't see adequate servicing of the cooling system. Alloy motors blocks also get pretty unhappy with stray current, which is often a result of people fitting cheap electrical accessories. Some of the questions about electrical stuff I see here make me cringe, but at least they have the guts to ask. I've seen an alloy block fail at the engine mount area from corrosion in just over a week, due to a bad installation of a second battery. What about all the other peanuts that just fit accessories willy-nilly. We've all seen vehicles with dodgy wiring, all of which have the potential to turn an alloy engine into a sponge.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/cooling_s ... rosion.htm

http://caravanandmotorhomebooks.com/ele ... ehicles-2/

http://engineproblem.com.au/procedures/details/12.html

[RHKTriton]

The electrolysis aspect is an interesting one Bill, never really considered this. Having seen how my colorbond roof 'ate' my gal water tanks, I think this is an area that should attract more discussion.

The new mq engine has many design improvements but also lots more moving parts, electricery, etc.

[TMR Performance]

The good news is low sulfur fuels are now commonplace, so having to clean inlet manifolds won't be anywhere near as prevalent as older models, and it's not a model thing, it's a fuel thing. If the car has never seen a high sulfur content fuel, then happy days. Secondly, the OP said he wasn't doing high mileage, so it'll take him a longer time to run into issues on either model if it was to go that way. I know plenty of blokes that have MN's with zero issues, so rather than slap the MN, I'd rather talk about the benefits of the MQ.

I reckon the overall comfort of the MQ cabin is much better than previous models. OP, you stated you do low mileage but do a few big trips a year, so you'll find that the MQ has far more comfortable and supportive seats, and there's much more movement in the steering wheel with tilt and reach adjustments, so you can find that 'perfect' position.

Secondly, it's a much quieter engine. It's newer Gen engine with newer architecture, so you'd expect that. But honestly, the difference is huge, especially if you are doing short trips. We all know that diesel engines quiet down a little when warm, and the MN is on the noisy side of things, so while they are 'okay' when warm, a small trip to work might not even see you get the engine warm enough. In the past, I've not even bothered with bluetooth phone conversations in a cold MN as I find it hard to hear (that could also be me being north of 40 years old ) Whereas with the MQ, bluetooth phone conversations can be had with the engine cold no problem, and that's because the MQ's all alloy engine, is much, much quieter straight off the bat, even when stone cold it's much more compliant and quieter than a warm MN engine. I'm not talking about spec sheet stuff, I'm talking about daily differences with the cars.

MQ has liquid filled rubber engine mounts to boot, MMC went to a lot of trouble to make the new Triton a much nicer thing to live with day to day, and that's based on the marketplace and also on customer feedback of previous owners of Tritons.

Comfier, nicer place to be would be good reasons to change. The other two big reasons to go to MQ for me would be the additional Torque of the Auto MQ over the auto MN, the gap is real. And the fuel economy, I've found the MQ very reasonable with fuel economy, much better than MN. There's plenty of other reasons, but the comfort, noise, torque and fuel economy would be the top reasons for me.

Hope that helps.

[carltonfc01]

Hi everyone thanks for the input.

Am starting to think maybe leave it for a year and look at picking up a used mq. Although saw this advertised which does't seem too bad especially if I could get them to move a little on price.

https://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/deta ... D-14070093

[GLX58]

I think the real question is if you need to extra's on the old MN. If it's stuff you'll definitely add, the MN is worth considering. Accessories only add a little to the value of a used car. They take a big chunk of your cash if doing them on a new. If not, then a new MQ may be a great choice. Still can't decide? drive em and have a think about your real future needs.

[carltonfc01]

Most of the extras I'd say are things I would never part cash for to add to a car I bought new but thats not to say they wouldn't come in handy, just would struggle to get approval from the minister of finance. Only way id have a kitted out ute would be to buy a used one already set up.