I've owned a V6 3.5 GDI for the past 2 months (my first 4x4), and was told that 2 of the 4 Sundays in a month would be spent at the workshops. I had brought the jeep home after getting some much needed work done (you may go back and read the full details above).
Honestly speaking, I did have a few hiccups, but out of the more than 8 Sundays, the vehicle has never spent a night at any workshop, al hamd o lillah (touch wood). A rubber boot was ruptured near the left axle, got it fixed in an hour or so. Once I'd filled the tank with normal fuel and it started knocking a bit on slow acceleration, so lesson learnt and it's hi octane ever since, and never felt that knocking sound again. 3 days ago, the ABS light was 'on', took it to the electrician, he got it checked by a scanner, done 'something' and the light was gone, however, he said if the light would still come, he would check the break wiring for any leakage in current. Sure enough, the light came again the same day, took the vehicle to him the next day, he changed the 3 bulbs on the central break light on the back screen, and the light is off, took around 15 minutes.
I agree, that 2 months is a very short period of time to give my verdict on the vehicle, but I guess since there are more LCs and Prados, the mechanics are well trained on them rather than Pajeros, and also the fact that finding Pajero's parts can be time consuming (sometimes) and can be more expensive than the Toyota's. Having said that, I haven't come across any such problem as yet, 1 because I've got a good resource at hand, and 2 because I prefer to wait it out and found a part/accessory in my intended budget. One very important thing to know in my case is that I've got another vehicle so there's this peace of mind that if, God forbid, the Pajero does stall at some time, I wouldn't be without a vehicle for the time it takes to be back on-road.
We have to remember and remind ourselves that these are over 20 year old vehicles so they need a little more care in handling and maintenance. Finding good resources like mechanics & electricians (I know this specie can only be found on Mars, but we have to live with whatever comes our way), and spare parts shops is imperative to have a trouble free car, any old car not just Pajero.
As an update for those who have read the accounts about my vehicle, a nephew is coming from the UK, so he's bringing the inner door handles with bezels (£40 new), and hub caps (£8 new). He couldn't bring anything heavy because of weight constraints otherwise I might have asked him for a few more rings and bells. I'll try to post the pictures later. Regards