Used Dodge Raider Buying Guide: The 1987-89 Montero Twin

The Dodge Raider is a first-generation Mitsubishi Montero with Dodge badges, sold only as a short-wheelbase three-door from 1987 through 1989. Every one has four-wheel drive, and you'll find either the 2.6-liter four or the optional 3.0-liter V6 under the hood. If you're looking at one now, parts and recall info are easier to find under the Montero name, and the truck's condition matters far more than anything a history report will say about a 35-plus-year-old 4x4.

I pieced this together on Oct. 20, 2026 from The Truth About Cars' Abandoned History and Rare Rides pieces, an owner-run Raider archive site, and NHTSA's recall lookup under both DODGE RAIDER and MITSUBISHI MONTERO. One spec doesn't line up between sources, and I'll point it out.

Not the same Raider as the 2006-09 pickup

Search "Raider" on a used-car site and you'll get two very different vehicles. Mitsubishi later sold its own Raider pickup, a Dakota-based truck, and our used Mitsubishi Raider guide covers that one. This post is only about the 1987-89 Dodge SUV.

What Dodge actually sold

According to TTAC's Abandoned History, Dodge took the three-door Montero, gave it a grille with horizontal slats in place of Mitsubishi's egg-crate design, and put a RAIDER badge on top. Mitsubishi kept the five-door for its own dealers, partly because the long-wheelbase Montero would have been too close in size to the Ramcharger. The Raider was 27 inches shorter than that big Dodge. The Montero's short wheelbase was 92.5 inches, with an overall length of 157.3 inches.

Four-wheel drive was standard, and the Montero underneath had a double-wishbone front suspension and power steering from launch. TTAC lists a 1989 base price of $12,830 and says Dodge pitched it against the Pathfinder XE and the 4Runner with Chrysler's 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty. Sales disappointed, and Chrysler dropped it after three model years. If you want the full-size Dodge alternative from the same showroom, our Ramcharger buying guide is the one to read.

Engines, and the V6 date problem

The 2.6-liter four (Mitsubishi's 4G54, also used in the Ram 50) was there from the start. The V6 is where sources split. TTAC says the 3.0-liter V6 arrived "a year later," meaning for 1988, and lists the Montero's V6 as 1988-on. The Dodge Raider archive site, which reproduces the brochure copy year by year, describes the 1989 Raider as featuring "an optional 3.0-liter Multipoint Fuel-Injected V-6." So a 1988 V6 Raider may or may not be factory. Check the VIN's engine code against the title before you pay V6 money.

TTAC's article also says the 6G72 V6 was disliked in the Ram 50, and some readers in the comments describe these trucks as simple and capable off road. That's anecdote, not data. Our Ram 50 buying guide covers the pickup that shared those engines.

Recalls under both names

When I ran DODGE RAIDER through NHTSA's lookup, these came back:

• 95V103003 (1987-1989): the red plastic front belt buckle release buttons, marked "PRESS," can break, and pieces can fall into the buckle and keep it from working right.
• 89V027000 (1989): throttle blade icing during long highway drives below 10 degrees F. The fix routes heated engine coolant through an adapter plate under the throttle.
• 93E023000: a Reese aftermarket trailer hitch whose receiver weld can break. It only matters if that hitch is on the truck.

Under MITSUBISHI MONTERO, the same buckle problem shows as 95V103004 for 1986-1990, and the 1989 Montero has a separate speed control campaign, 89V030000. If a Raider part is hard to find, search the Montero listing. Run the VIN through our Dodge recall check guide too.

What to check in person

Start with the belt buckles, since that recall covers every Raider year, and press each release button and tug the belt. Then shift into four-wheel drive, both high and low range, on a loose surface and make sure it engages and disengages cleanly. Look underneath at the frame, floors and the rear hatch area for rust and for old off-road damage. Plenty of these trucks were bought to be used hard, and lift kits and big tires show up a lot.

Parts are the real worry. The Montero connection helps, but Raider-only trim like the grille is getting scarce. Budget for that before you fall for a clean-looking one.

What a history report shows on a truck this old

Expect a thin report. Records from the late 1980s are sparse, and most useful data starts later, with title brands and odometer readings at sale. I'd still run one to look for salvage, flood or junk brands, especially on a truck that may have sat in a field. Fake or old printouts are common with collector-ish vehicles, so pull your own rather than trusting the seller's PDF.

CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with either. As of late October 2026 that was about $5.50 a report as a guest, $4.50 as a member, or about $6.75 for both reports, compared with retail of roughly $39.99 to $44.99. Confirm the price at checkout.

Sources

• TTAC: Dodge's Dead Import Trucks, Part III
• TTAC Rare Rides: 1987 Dodge Raider
• Dodge Raider history archive
• NHTSA recalls API: 1989 Dodge Raider