I GOT THIS PAJERO FOR 200 EURO

A few weeks ago, I was out on some local trails with the mountain bike. Theres some quite intense trails in my locality and I often find riding them to be a good way to clear your head. I'd been testing out a new towbar extension so I can carry the bike with me on the Pajero and had it parked at the trailhead.So far, its been a real quality of life improvement. I was coming around on the last loop of the day. Fairly tired at that stage. And I passed a man walking two German Shepherds.

He stops and goes, “Is that your Pajero up there?” And straight away I’m thinking… here we go. I’ve parked it like a prick or something’s after happening to it. Flat tyre, broken window, something along those lines. So I said yeah. Kind of waiting for the bad news to follow. And he just goes, “Do you want another one?”

I paused for a second. I wasn't really sure what he meant. We got chatting and he told me he bought one the year before. Just to tow a boat but he doesn't need it any more. He said it was a long wheelbase, 7 seater, 2.8. It was quite rusty underneath and it’s probably not worth putting back on the road. So in my head I’m thinking… alright, maybe a parts jeep. Could still be useful. There’s always something worth taking off them, especially from an engine and gearbox perspective.

So I asked him what he wanted for it. Expecting a number that would make me think about it for a while but ultimately say no. Something outlandish, given the prices these machines now command. That question was followed by, “I don’t want anything for it.” “The wife wants it gone… just come take a look.” And again, I just kind of stood there for a second. Because that doesn’t really happen. Not like that. Not anymore.

So we swapped numbers. And the following week myself, Dave & Liv headed over with the trailer. Just to see what it was actually like. As we pulled up, I could hear it running in the driveway. Just a quiet diesel idle somewhere in the background. Ticking away smoothly to itself. We walked in and there it was. And straight away I knew this wasn’t what I expected. It was clean. Super clean. He’d even washed it before we got there. Bullbar on the front. Chrome mirrors. Paintwork that had no right being that tidy for something that old. Even the spare wheel cover matched. Little details like that and the chrome plated fuel cap.

You could tell it had been looked after. I was trying not to get too carried away. Just walking around it. Checking out the usual bits. But I was fairly impressed. More than I expected to be for something that was essentially going to be free, If I’m being honest. Then we got underneath it. And yeah… it’s rusty. There’s no getting around that. But it’s not completely gone either. It sits in that awkward middle ground. Where it’s hard to decide what to do with it. Probably too far gone for most people. But not far enough gone to just give up on it. And that’s what got me. Because the original plan was simple. Take it as a parts jeep. Spare everything for my own machine.

But standing there looking at it. It just didn’t feel right breaking it. It’s too complete. Too honest. Too good in all the areas you actually see. It deserved a bit more than that. Similarly to how my own didn't deserve to die either. So I started thinking about keeping it. Maybe doing something small with it over the winter. Just getting it patched up. But the more I thought about it. The less it made sense. There’s no big build to be had here, I've already done that. No big transformation. And realistically, it wouldn’t make for great watching. I certainly wouldn’t watch 10 episodes of welding this up.

So I landed on the idea of passing it on. Letting someone else actually use it. Preferably someone I know. Maybe even someone I could buy it back from someday. If it ever came back around, for the right money, I'd happily find a use for it. Because I did think about keeping it. More than I expected to. It got into my head a bit. It’s cleaner than mine. Inside and out. In every obvious way, it’s the better jeep, apart from underneath.

But then I thought about my own one. And why I actually like it. Why it works for me. Mine’s not perfect. And that’s kind of the point. I don’t worry about it. I don’t feel like I need to keep it spotless. Or be careful with it all the time. I just use it. And it does exactly what I need it to do. Every single time. With essentially no dramas.

I think I’d miss that. If I had a “nicer” one. It wouldn’t feel the same. Before I finish up. I just want to say thanks to Dave & Liv. As always, for the help getting it home and for letting me take up space I probably shouldn’t be taking up.

If you're interested in this lovely machine, drop me a message. I'd love to see it go to a good home.

Thanks for watchin'

Mind Yourself.