1990 Mitsubishi Pajero
1990 Mitsubishi Pajero
Engine - 2.5 TD 4d56t
Transmission - Manual
Suspension - Stock
Tyres - BFGoodrich KO2 31inch
Equipped For - Daily/Tourning
It was the spring of 2022, and we’d just sold our first 4x4, a Jeep XJ and were looking for something slightly bigger. I don’t even remember why we went for a Pajero, I guess it was the classic boxy look that we really liked and that it’s not a common choice for a camper. As we couldn’t find any solid options in Estonia, we posted to a Facebook group that we were looking for one, and this old Finnish guy offered to sell his.
So we took the ferry to Finland and drove for hours to buy a car that we’ve never seen or driven before. I remember pulling into his driveway and seeing it for the first time – the original orange decals and how the silver paint was shining under the sun, thinking to myself that if it runs we’re going home with it. The guy was also a local guide in the area, the test drive took us to some crazy scenic places and he even invited us in to have a pizza and some cinnamon rolls that he had just bought on his last ride with the car, we politely declined as we were in a hurry to catch the last ferry home.
Our Pajero was originally purchased from the Finnish Mitsubishi dealership, and as a result, it comes with the “winter package”, which includes a dual battery, heated seats, and a rear heater. It’s actually quite well equipped overall for an MK1. We have all-around electrical windows, central locking, LSD differential, PTO winch and even headlight washers. But what makes our car stand out is the wooden trim and steering wheel, which, based on our research, means that it’s a quite rare Osaka edition. So we were really lucky to find one so randomly!
We bought the Pajero to build it out for camping and have modified it accordingly. The interior has a drawer system for storage and a quick 140x200cm bed setup that fits the two of us and our dog. Everything is bolted on, so we can turn it back to stock quickly. It’s been quite a challenge to fit everything into such a small space, but we didn’t want to take the easy way out and just buy a roof top tent. Of course we could’ve bought a van, but where’s the fun in that? Other mods we’ve done are a swivel seat to make the space more functional, fridge, a 12v outside socket into the old antenna hole and the newest addition is a diesel heater that we fitted in place of our rear heater (that broke a few years ago in the Finnish Laplands). Right now we’ve decided to keep the rear seat in place as well, but who knows, we might opt for a full build out in the future.
The Pajero is quite stock on the outside as well. And we like it like that. It’s such a pretty car and doesn’t need much extra to look good. The mostly original paint is actually full of dents and scratches, but the silver hides it really well. Overall it’s in okay shape for a 35 year old Japanese truck, but it still needed some work done. So last winter I got into welding. Now the Pajero has new fenders, sills and a few extra patches to the floor. The plan for next winter is to do a full chassis restoration and if there’s extra time then maybe a new interior setup as well.
As for the future, there’s no big plans for it, just keep tinkering at it and replace what’s needed.. Maybe a fresh paint job - maybe not, we’ll see.
I think we really hit the jackpot with our Pajero. It’s reliable, surprisingly capable and looks great! Looking forward to many many years of adventures with it.
Words + Photos by Kajar and Kaileen