Offered for three short years in the U.S. in the late 1980s, Mitsubishi’s Pajeho family was the parent to both the Mitsubishi Montero and the cousin vehicle, the Dodge Raider. This one needs mucho deferred maintenance that’s been skipped since the seller bought it five years ago. They have it posted here on craigslist in Portland, Oregon, and they’re asking $3,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Curvette for the tip!

That has to be one of the coolest little profiles for a 4×4. The Dodge Raider only came in a two-door body style for us Yanks here in the U.S., but Mitsubishi Montero buyers could have gotten a Montero with four doors if they wanted. These weren’t necessarily smooth or refined, as they were more commercial vehicles in their original heritage.

That we got them for 1987, 1988, and 1989 here in the U.S. makes them fairly rare to see today. We’ve only seen four Dodge Raiders back to April of 2016 here on Barn Finds. On the flip side, we’ve seen two Mitsubishi Monteros, but they were both from 1991 and were both big four-door models. Make mine a little Dodge Raider every time, as long as it has a five-speed manual, which this one does. Here’s what the rear cargo area looks like. I love the side-hinged cargo door.

The interior is more plush than I imagined, but this model was made for posh-loving Americans who, by the late 1980s, were used to having nice things. I like the subdued colors of the exterior and interior; it helps this little 4WD rig blend in more than stand out. The seats look good, if not a little dirty in the front, and we don’t get to see the back seat. The seller says this is a West Coast survivor with no rust other than the usual surface rust, but it does ride a bit rough, as they all did – it’s a leaf spring truck. The five-speed manual makes it fun to drive.

The engine is Mitsubishi’s 4G54 (the same one in my 1980 Dodge D-50 Sport pickup), which is a 2.6-liter SOHC inline-four with 109 horsepower (9 more than mine) and 142 lb-ft of torque when new. The seller has owned this little rig for five years and 2,000 miles and hasn’t changed the oil once. Ouch. For $30, I’m doing that once a year at least. They say, “This truck really drives like an old truck, takes a good 10 seconds to turn over when cold, idles rough until you drive it a bit — lots of creaks and squeaks, one of the tires regularly needs air and all the tires are old as hell. I don’t care because it all adds to the charm for me.” So there ya go. It looks like it’s worth $3,500 to me, but I’d plan on doing everything there is to do, maintenance-wise. Any thoughts on this “inexpensive” Dodge Raider?