Daily Driving a Mitsubishi Pajero Mini in the US

Hey y'all, wanted to give a quick review and overview of my thoughts on the Mitsubishi Pajero Mini and what it's like to own and daily drive one here in the USA. SWEET
#PajeroMini #Mitsubishi #jdm

[@cenkaetaya]

I am glad you mention the safety first. When you are young its like, what ever...its fun... but as you get old you consider stuff like this much more. I have 2014 Nissan Armada and 2 people have ruined their front end by rear ending me. (left a trailer hitch imprint on their car's hood and front end)..., while I had no damage. These small cars are amazing, in smaller towns and driving in certain situations. Even driving cross country, its a 1 time thing, but if you are daily trying to drive a vehicle like this in major US traffic and highway situation you are bound to get killed, by literally like a Honda civic or something lol.

[@nathangregg1765]

That's it, you sold me! I am importing one! You are also very funny. Thanks!

[@ellisjdm]

Haha glad to help with the decision! Find the right one and you won’t regret it man 😎 Thanks for watching!

[@charles2057]

Oil filters can be used from a Civic :), also much longer so easier to access from under exhaust manifold.

[@danielbarriosromero6139]

What year civic??

[@zedex1226]

Any year smart car filter. It's a bit taller filter. Fits right up.

[@JulesMariani]

SO jealous! I NEED oneeee!

[@wilfergamboa4990]

No sabía que existía un MINI, saludos desde Colombia

[@charles2057]

Some 56's had ABS but definite way to tell is if the ABS fuse is present.

[@Zoopergoober]

Thing's sick man! Wondering what size tires those are and if they're on the original wheels?

[@ellisjdm]

Thanks! Wheels and tires on mine are not original to the car - I kept the oem set but replaced all 4 and the spare with some Liquid Metal Atom trailer rims & Falken AT tires. I made another video going over sizing and thoughts on my choice! Cheers!

[@csorgb05]

When Buying a KEI vehicle, think of it as like buying a motorcycle. Safety wise its very similar to a motorcycle. For best gas mileage dont exceed 50 to 60 MPH.

[@calebr4191]

How do you insure it as a daily driver? I'm about to buy one, but I can’t find insurance

[@carmelolazu652]

Hey bro I’m looking to buy one. Quick question, does the car have tilt wheel ?

[@chrisgold7924]

I have one coming with an Air bag!

[@ffmanan3630]

Keep it bro ,u r new and Ur channel is also new ,so keep it up ,

[@ellisjdm]

Thank you! I just got a new JDM that I hope to make a video on very soon.

[@donsyd]

Super

[@csorgb05]

5 Speed manual is better for performance. A noticeable difference.

[@twopheat7888]

with stock wheels your top speed would be even lower, and higher engine rpms

[@designden]

I have a 2001 Pajero mini - What tire size do you have on there? I'm looking for a more substantial tire like yours but the tire shops don't have a lot of options for me here in Canada

[@designden]

Just read the comments and see you have another video on tire size. Will check it out. Thanks

[@ACreativeGuy]

Was it difficult to get it insured? What insurance company did you use?

[@alperez832]

Hagerty is the company that has insured all JDM vehicles I have imported over the years. Never a problem. Otherwise progressive can too.

[@bb0yKue]

I’m thinking of picking one up. Do you know if it’s able to take highways at 70mph? I do a lot of highway driving to get to my hiking spots.

[@ellisjdm]

I would be weary of heavy highway driving in the mini - top speed is right about 70mph and it's pretty sketchy at that speed. You might look into the slightly larger Pajero Junior. About 50% more power and larger cargo space while still maintaining the look. Cheers man

[@nunyabusiness896]

Look up "O Kei automotive", he has a video about exactly that. IMO, if you keep stock-ish road tires, get the 5-speed manual, and get the turbo, you should be OK around 65-70. Stability will be questionable much after that from the wind hitting such a boxy shape. It should still be pretty capable to do light off roading even on road tires, it just may not be good for full-on Jeep trail-style trails, though TFL classics has a video where they do exactly that on sort of intermediate on/off road tires tires, so maybe it is OK.

[@dipchand5658]

Intro cracked me up

[@danred3622]

Hey I am looking at getting one of these but have some instruments, do you know the dimensions of the cargo space?

[@ellisjdm]

Dan, awesome! I’ll try to get you some dimensions when I get back from Europe! To spitball I’d say around 4w x 4.5 l x 4 h Cheers

[@DirtbagLane]

What size tires do you have on it?

[@ellisjdm]

Hey, great question! I just uploaded a video talking about what I'm running and how I feel about the setup! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnzFqoiNa9RooJI

[@bobwa399]

How much is valve clearance for intake and exhaust on 660cc Turbo? Where to get manual from?

[@ellisjdm]

Sorry I don’t know the answer to this off the top of my head. I’ll have to talk with my mechanic when I get home! I know you can buy manual models of this car though.

[@bobwa399]

@@ellisjdm I cant buy manual..they are not available in my part of the world..nor can I use eBay etc.

[@bobwa399]

@@ellisjdm If asked from your mechanic...kindly do post it here..that will be of great help.

[@happydaily7324]

With your bigger tires you would have lower freeway engine RPM. Your speedo is no longer accurate so 100km is no longer 60mph but maybe 65mph. I test drove a buddies mini and we where cruising the freeway at 5k rpm with some 195/80-15 tires.

[@zedex1226]

On 235/75/r15 the speedo math is easy to do in your head. 90 on the dash does 60mph btw UNDER the storage trunk thing there is a scissor jack

[@eskanderx1027]

Sir, with all due respect, I am worried about the weird shit in the trunk... P. S great car!

[@ellisjdm]

lmao I really need to start cleaning my cars before filming... 😂

[@eskanderx1027]

@@ellisjdm Nah it's fine, not suppose to look like a clean lab... No worries!

[@rizwanmuhammad9835]

How many is speed gear?

[@rizwanmuhammad9835]

3 or 4 speed gear?

[@ellisjdm]

3 speed auto trans 👍

[@danstump3919]

Is it tough to find parts for this car?

[@ellisjdm]

Most all of the basic maintenance parts are readily available in North America - bigger repairs take a little digging to source stuff but there’s plenty of it in Japan. Just long shipping times!

[@danstump3919]

@@ellisjdm thanks I am looking at one that is for sale here in Pennsylvania through a used car dealership. Sure appreciate your experience. What auto parts store have you found most often has the best availability of parts?

[@ellisjdm]

​@@danstump3919 Awesome! I've only had to do basic maintenance on the Pajero so far but I've used ABC to source most parts and fluids. eBay is also a great resource for finding parts here and there. When you're buying the Pajero be sure to ask for the Japanese inspection report - most of it will be unreadable unless you're literate in Japanese, but there will be a general quality rating score. This will give you an idea of the true quality of the car regardless of what dealers say. Here is a link to some info on that sheet -- every JDM car imported to the US should have one. jalopnik.com/how-to-read-japanese-auction-car-condition-grades-and-i-1846096306

[@danstump3919]

So what kind of MPG have you gotten in this thing anyway?

[@ellisjdm]

@@danstump3919 I haven't recorded exact measurements but I'd say on average 35ish mpg. With a more economic setup, I imagine you could get closer to 40-45mpg without a ton of start-stop and no AC running

[@tommydeggerino4995]

It’s not a 600cc engine 😂

[@midget4957]

only in america: a liquid called gas