Paul and Monty, his JDM Pajero

14 June 2010 in Featured Comments off

It’s been far too long since we’ve had a truck on these pages. That changes today. Paul is a submariner. He’s sailed the seven seas, set foot on every continent, and he daily drives a SWB JDM Pajero. Paul took a couple minutes to talk to us about Monty, what it’s like “driving right,” and what it takes to import a JDM vehicle. 

What’s your real name?  (What’s your screen name?)
My name is J. Paul Lang and my online name is “mararmeisto”.

What do you do for a living and where do you live?
I’m recently retired from the Canadian Navy, and I now work for a commercial company that is performing long-term maintenance on submarines. My last few years in the Navy were as a submariner, so my current job as a project controller is a way I get to stay involved with the program. I live in Langford, BC, on Vancouver Island.

What did you do as a submariner? You probably run into submariners every day, but I think you’re only the second I’ve known in the last 15 years. A rare breed!
I spent the last five years of my naval career as a submariner: 2 years training and consolidating training before “putting up dolphins” (recognised as qualified in submarines), two years waiting for my submarine to be finished its refit phase (still waiting), and one year figuring out how to get back to the surface fleet while the submarine fleet got itself sorted. Prior to that, I’d spent 15 years in the surface fleet as a radar and electronic warfare technician. I’ve literally sailed the seven seas, set foot on all the continents (except Antarctica), circumnavigated the globe twice, and filled up a whole ditty bag full of memories, as it were.

What Mitsubishi(s) do you drive?  How long have you had it/them?
I am currently driving a 1994 short-wheelbase (SWB) Pajero, powered by a 2800cc intercooled turbo diesel that produces about 125hp – we call it “Monty”. Essentially it’s the diesel-engined 2dr version of the Montero that was sold in the Americas. While the 2dr was initially sold in the US and Canada market (first by Dodge as the Raider, then by Mitsubishi as the Montero), after 1992 only the 4dr model was sold here. I’ve had the Pajero since January of 2010, and before that drove a ’90 Delica StarWagon for about 2.5 years.

How do you use your Mitsubishi?
We’re using Monty as a commuter and a tower (as in towing a trailer for camping). While the van seated 6, it was a bit underpowered for towing, so the extra ccs and the intercooler in the Pajero really makes a difference for pulling extra weight like a trailer. For commuting, the average fuel economy is about 18-21mpg (combined city/highway), but when it gets on the highway for a long run, it’ll get nearly 25mpg! With niceties like climate control and the SuperSelect AWD transmission, it’s a very comfortable and capable year-round city vehicle, while being rugged enough to take it off-pavement for those weekend excursions to the middle of nowhere.

What originally attracted you to the Mitsubishi?  What keeps you going today?
We had driven out to the start of the West Coast Trail in our ’91 Windscar, brakes smokin’ and the transmission protesting for the last few kilometers probably due to 3 adults, 4 kids and 2 dogs loaded into it, and I just knew it was about time to get something new. The Ford was actually in my wife’s name, so it wasn’t really my vehicle, but I despised it just the same: always owned imports and the Windscar pretty much confirmed my convictions every time I drove it.

“Windscar” is a snarky reference to Windstar, right? The mediocre Ford minivan?
We have a winner! Gawd I hated that vehicle. Somebody told me once, “Don’t buy a Ford with the word ‘star’ in its name.”

Anyways, in the parking lot that day was a Delica: seats 7, windows all-round (check out the Crystal Light sunroof models), diesel-engined cab-over design (saves on size), 4X4 (an added bonus good for the forestry roads), and 20+mpg. A bit of research determined that these vehicles were generally in better repair after 15 years out of Japan than most North American vehicles after only 5 or 10, cost was quite reasonable (around 10k$), and it was different and cool looking. We found a dealer who had their vehicles go through a thorough inspection and maintenance process which made them almost like new again, and we knew we’d found the right vehicle for our family. When we didn’t so much need a 7-passenger van any more, we set our sights on the SWB Pajero. My wife had always wanted a Rav4 and I liked the Suzuki Samurai, so the Pajero is like both only bigger, badder and cooler looking. One of the biggest draws for both is the diesel engine: more power than gas, better fuel economy, slightly cheaper fuel (at least in Canada), and the motor will last quite a while longer than gasoline.

Got a favorite story about your Mitsubishi?
I bought this Japanese plate more than two years ago, had it on the front of the van until I got this Pajero. After detailing I decided to mount the plate, and that’s when I noticed the numbers: “94-05″. Coincidentally, it’s the same date as the VIN code indicates the Pajero was manufactured – May of 1994! How cool is that?

What’s the best part about being a Mitsubishi owner?  The most challenging?
The best part is driving a JDM and explaining to people how it’s similar but how it’s different from what was sold here. A lot of people are intrigued by the right-hand drive and wonder if it’s really that difficult to drive (it’s not), though not many are willing to try. The most challenging thing about driving a JDM is that I’m forever explaining how it’s different and you won’t be able to find the part listed in your computer by looking up my vehicle. It’s not enough to tell the parts guy I want a 7″ round headlight, he wants to look it up by vehicle and of course he can’t find a 1994 Mitsubishi Pajero because they weren’t sold here. So as far as the parts guy is concerned, he can’t source me a headlight!

How common are the RHD, JDM Mitsubishis in your area? In Canada (take a guess)?
All JDMs imported are RHDs because Japan drives on the left (sitting on the right). That being said, they import vehicles too, so some of the vehicles imported from Japan are actually LHD (left-hand drive), which would make them ‘different’ for them, but ‘normal’ for us. As for how many are Mitsubishis? I’d say the distribution is fairly even: Delicas and Pajeros for the Mitsubishi; a comparable van and the Land Cruisers for Toyota; Nissan is mostly the Skyline; never really seen many Isuzus or Subarus or Hondas, but I’m sure some of those are being brought over as well. Also, the 1 to 3.5 tonne trucks are quite popular across the various manufacturers, again primarily because one tends to get a vehicle with a diesel engine, considerably less mileage than a local vehicle, and a whole lot cheaper. Finally, the greatest concentrations for the import market is Vancouver and Vancouver Island, and the Toronto triangle (from what I understand). Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg have good representation as well, and after that it’s sporadic across the country.

If someone in Canada wanted to join the club and start “driving right,” what advice would you give them? Where do they start? What should their concerns be? Where can they get familiar with the rules? That sort of thing.
The best sources of information are going to be the Imported Vehicle Owners Association of Canada (IVOAC) and Delica Canada – from those two forums there is a wealth of information to be read to either find someone to source a vehicle for you, or for you to figure out how to import a vehicle for yourself. The route I chose was buying vehicles from a dealer who had imported, serviced and had it cleared through inspection. There have been people in the centre of Canada who have gone through the whole process ‘remotely’ (using the Internet and phones), who then fly to the Vancouver to pick up and drive their vehicle back to where they live (to Thunder Bay, for example).

As for the whole ‘driving from the right’, it’s really less of an issue than most are able to appreciate from outside the driver’s seat. While overtaking to pass and left turns require more patience in order to get a clear line of view to the opposing traffic, the motor vehicle acts for each province are quite clear in their underlying principle of safe motor vehicle operation: perform no action before it is safe to do so. You can’t make a left-hand turn until you’ve checked there is no oncoming traffic – if that means you have to wait for the tractor-trailer unit in front of you to clear the intersection, well, you just have to wait.

As I was reading your interview, it struck me that I’d love to get a Delica or a diesel Pajero (great for towing a Mitsubishi rally car, yeah?), but I wouldn’t know the first place to begin. I bet we’ve got readers who will see “Monty” and want to pursue such a vehicle, but have no clue where to begin.
I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that you are based out of the US, so the rules for importing vehicles into the States are a bit different from what’s allowed into Canada. First and foremost, the initial stumbling block is a 25-year rule vice a 15-year rule: we can’t import anything less than 15 years old to month of manufacture (unless it’s on a particular list), while the US has a 25-year rule. It’s a protectionist measure, to be sure, but what it means for the American readers is that they can only get a May 1985 and older model of something while we in Canada can import a May 1995 model. What this means is the 4X4 Delica Star Wagon is not going to be available south of the 49 until next year. And then, there is the individual state rules and you guys got 50 of them! I heard a while back Georgia has outright banned RHDs on their roads, so there’s something to consider as well.

How often do you get together with other Mitsubishi owners in person?
At least once a year there is a www.delica.ca camping trip on Vancouver Island; there’s been the Coombs Country Auto Show and Tell; some of the other shops are starting to run their own customer appreciation days; and then there is the “Hey, who wants to go bimblin’ down a forestry service road this weekend” get togethers throughout the year. So we see each on a fairly regular basis, and any time one of us is travelling from one province to another or going through an area where we know there is a concentration of Delicas, we generally broadcast our trip and keep our eyes peeled for those “on the right”. There is also a broadcast for those who are running WVO-conversions so they can find oil along their route.

Your thoughts on those who part out otherwise salvageable cars?
Since most of the Mitsubishis I associate with are from the JDM market, I think it’s great when an importer brings in vehicles identified for parts only. Also, when they can get their hands on a scrapped car from an insurer, it helps the repair market immensely. The concentration of JDM Mitsubishis is in the Lower Mainland of BC and on Vancouver Island, so a lot of those in the Prairies and further east are relying on parts being available in Canada from somewhere other than their local area – otherwise they’d have to source a part out of Japan (which is obviously more expensive).

What’s next for your Mitsubishi?
Next for Monty is definitely a North American stereo. I’m still driving around with the original OEM stereo fitted, and while it has a CD player and a cassette player (how quaint, eh?), it cannot tune to the North American FM radio frequencies. I had thought of simply installing a band expander (which down-shifts the received frequency to something the tuner can recognise, like a cable box for your television), but I’d like to be able to use my iPhone without a bunch of cords dangling out of the dash.

Who has helped you the most along the way with the car?  Any mentors?
There have been individuals who have provided me with more help than others, but on the whole it’s been the forum as a group. We’ve got quite an international following on Delica.ca, so there is quite the variety for experiences and suggestions.

How have you paid this forward and mentored others?
As one of the moderators and long-time and/or prolific contributors to www.delica.ca, I’ve shared my experiences with the group. Now that I’m familiarising myself with the Paj, it’s like I’ve started all over again on the forum.

Is there a particular shop you’d like to recommend?
Coombs Country Auto (in Coombs, BC) and E4 Auto (in Duncan, BC). The first is arguably the deepest well of Mitsubishi knowledge on Vancouver Island, while the second is also making a name for itself by diversifying into the Mitsubishi-sector. John is pretty keen on the Land Cruisers, but he’s getting familiar with the Delicas/Pajeros, repairing an alternator for me and I now see Pajeros and Delicas outside his shop when I drive past now. And finally I’d like to shout out to John at Rocky Mountain Imports – he has, from what I’ve seen, the most exhaustive inventory of Mitsubishi parts available, and if he doesn’t actually have it here in Canada, it’s on the next boat across the Pacific!

Thank you, Paul, for sharing your story with us and telling us a little bit more about the growing JDM culture in Canada.

Pajero, Vancouver - BC