Well ever since I traded in the 8 for the FX35 I was thinking of what I should buy in the future. I've always loved them but couldn't afford them, but now the price is dropping I was thinking of getting one in the future. Like next summer maybe. I've heard alot of stories about this car like how it goes 176 mph with four people in it, or how 2000 worth of mods can get it into the 11 sec range in the 1/4. I know it's completely different then the 8 because it's basially a muscle car instead of a sports car. What do you guys think of it, I'm a little bias because I owned an Eclipse before. This is the ad that caught my eye http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=188141686&dealer_id=56808433&car_year=1999&search_type=both&make=MIT&transmission=&model=3000GT&distance=300&address=02171&make2=&advanced=y&certified=&max_mileage=&bkms=1125990209698&max_price=&min_price=&end_year=2006&color=&start_year=1999&drive=&isp=y&engine=&doors=&fuel=&lang=en&cardist=192#vdptop

Thats a nice looking VR4, i knew some guy who had one and he use to spank anything you threw at him...

Their really nice cars and with the right mods their very fast

someone's bound to say it...so i will. they were fast, but heavy. the VR4s we're sweet looking, especially the last year model with the factory wing.

The good things:

320 horsepower
6 speed
nice looks.

the bad things:

heavy big ugh
front wheel drive with rear assist sometimes.
If I recall, their transmission was extremely weak.

They are great cars, they are very fast and can be modified to be really fast. The ones I have seen the synchros were prone to failing, clutches need to be upgraded, and 2 of my friends that had them both had to have the valves replaced after 50K miles. I personally think they look a bit dated.

Love that car, always did

^^ Dated... Buy an FD3S instead.

My cousin had one, it was insanely fast pushing 600hp on stock internals. The tranny's are weak, he lost reverse then his synchros before pushing the boost too high racing a Viper and destroyed one of his pistons. Great cars but plan on having the tranny overhauled, and they are pigs haha.

22K! Wowsers. Thats alot. I wouldn't dump 22k on a used mitsu...Fast but not worth it..

Too heavy

I had a 95 some time ago... Fast, but didn't like to turn.

You did notice the one in that add had a title with a rebuild on it right? I wouldn't buy one unless it had a clean title, particularly if i wanted to test its performance regularly.

They're heavy, and whoever told you 2k gets you in the 11's was lying out their ass.

More like 5-6k, more if you want to buildup the transmission and transfer case (weak point). The brakes are also ABSYMAL and need definite work if you want to track the car.

The engine bay is also extremely cramped, and replacing the clutch is extremely difficult and time consuming. Did I mention parts are extremely expensive and overpriced?

My father has a dodge stealth (same car) and I've spent weeks of my life working on that car with him. Its a bad ass machine, its just not a magical quick and easy route to the 11's...

Here's the old dyno prior to the stage3 heads and 760cc injectors.
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~greghess/stealthdyno2.jpg

I had a 95 some time ago... Fast, but didn't like to turn.
Something I should have added though....

It's a great "touring" type car. Road trips to Vegas, or just about anywhere were extremely comfortable, and when you get on those two lane roads and need to pass someone in a hurry... :D

It just wasn't really happy on a twisty road. That's not to say it didn't get the job done better than most cars. If I compare it to my car previous to that (MR-2), it just wasn't as happy, and comparing it to the '8... Well. there is no comparison as far as agility is concerned.

But it was fast, and it was comfortable... Oh, and it looked nice too.

used 2003 EVO 8 is around this price now, its a much better "fun" car than the VR4, but that one is indeed pretty nice, with extremely low miles on it.

I wouldnt buy something that was in a collision to turn into a street rod. 22500 could buy you something better I would think.

a buddy of mine wrecked two of them so i guess its only 1 out of 285... but it was a fast car without a doubt yet just because of how heavy the car was it felt lest nibble. almost like you had a tank that got slingshoted. i don't know. but it was fast. well i mean he had a t 88 single turbo mod with a couple shots of nos to spool but i guess that could be a definite answer to why i thought it was fast. well hope you choose the right car. i would go for the evo but the front end is 2200 of damage if you had some minor crash and along with that insurance goes up and up because of 17 year olds thinking its 3 fast 3 furious. well best of luck GO FD@?!@

They're heavy, and whoever told you 2k gets you in the 11's was lying out their ass.

More like 5-6k, more if you want to buildup the transmission and transfer case (weak point). The brakes are also ABSYMAL and need definite work if you want to track the car.

The engine bay is also extremely cramped, and replacing the clutch is extremely difficult and time consuming. Did I mention parts are extremely expensive and overpriced?

My father has a dodge stealth (same car) and I've spent weeks of my life working on that car with him. Its a bad ass machine, its just not a magical quick and easy route to the 11's...

Here's the old dyno prior to the stage3 heads and 760cc injectors.
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~greghess/stealthdyno2.jpg

I read it from a Japanese Company Bee-R , It was a while back tho, like 3 years ago. It was the black GTO with a girl as a driver.

they are teh heavy and slow. If you want a porker, I would get a WS6.

Smoke,

It costs over 1500 just to buff up the transmission and transfer case to handle the increased power. I'd say at least 5-6k easy. Everything on the car is extremely expensive, its rediculous.

Of course you can just put a boost controller on the thing and dial it to crazy and beyond...and you'll run an 11...once.

then you would have to replace teh hood from teh pissons going thru the hood.

22500? did you even get that for the 8 when you traded it?

22500? did you even get that for the 8 when you traded it?

Alright, no I didn't. I guess it a "no" across the board, I'm going back to the drawing boards on this one.

unless you have a supra tt or evo or something with bulletproof parts, you gotta spend that kinda money on tranny and what not on anycar. its not like its some extra expense, its more like necessary expense in most cases. If you like it then get it, its really not that hard of a decision, its really really rare to find one with such low miles these days. its definetly got way more potential than rx8 if you want power and it looks pretty mean and sexy at the same time. if i want sick straightline potential and best bang for the buck, id go for a used cobra though.

i can hardly say that the evo has the best tranny in the world either. but if your staying within stock parts and internals for the evo i wouldn't see a problem with it. as for your choice of the vr4.... i don't know, well to tell you the truth its not my taste of car. its a mix of late 90's camery with a sports car finish. get a evo you won't be sorry when your hanging along sides of porsches.

personally I would get a Pantera GTS

my friend has a vr-4 and it needs constant work. its a fast car, but I think they may have overenginered it... too many sophisticated features/parts: active aero, active suspension, 4 wheel steering.. and the parts are way pricey if you can find them. Also, I think the turbos are on the bottom.

This seems too good to be true, but this would be my dream 90's sports car.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mazda-RX-7-R2-clear_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6327QQitemZ457326 2242QQrdZ1

I'd hit it!

my friend has a vr-4 and it needs constant work. its a fast car, but I think they may have overenginered it... too many sophisticated features/parts: active aero, active suspension, 4 wheel steering.. and the parts are way pricey if you can find them. Also, I think the turbos are on the bottom.

This seems too good to be true, but this would be my dream 90's sports car.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mazda-RX-7-R2-clear_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6327QQitemZ457326 2242QQrdZ1
I saw that ebay auction too! I wish I had 22k lying around :rolleyes:
The VR4 is an awesome dragster with the right modifications. Like everyone else said it has a few weak points. But it looks awesome and is fast as hell. I just think there are other options that could be just as good/maybe better for about the same amount of money. :confused:

I know from experience that a stock 280hp LT1 F-body is a bit faster in the 1/4 mile than the stock 320hp VR-4. 3-400 pounds makes a large impact. For equal mod $ the result is about the same. Looks are subjective, but if your looking for simply a fast car I'd go LS1 f-bod. 22k would net you the car + an easy couple hundred extra ponies, with money to spare. And with a couple grand thrown at the suspension, the F-body handles pretty well, if a bit twitchy.

Nice car, but I'd go for a Supra.

http://autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?advanced=y&bkms=1126159336898&certified=&isp=y&search=y&lang=en&search_type=both&make=TOYOTA&sponsorModel=&model=SUPRA&make2=&start_year=1993&end_year=2006&min_price=&max_price=&max_mileage=&distance=300&address=02171&engine=&fuel=&drive=&transmission=&doors=&color=&x=101&y=17

These are all the Supras listed within 300 miles from my area. Most of them are fake i.e. the 5995 and 15999 ones. The others are way overprice.

Look what I learned!!

1999 Mitsubishi GTO VR4 (3000GT VR4)
3.0L Twin Turbo 6-Cylinder
320HP
315TQ
6-Speed Manual
3780Lbs
AWD
0-60- 5.3 Seconds
1/4 Mile- 13.8@100.3MPH

2004 Pontiac GTO
5.7L 8-Cylinder
350HP
365TQ
6-Speed Manual
3730Lbs
RWD
0-60- 5.3 Seconds
1/4 Mile 13.8@104.1MPH

Whoa, about the same ain't it?!

Except that the pontiac has "books" of engine mods available, with prices being significantly cheaper then the VR4's.

You can also get a 2004 GTO for about 2k more than that VR4 is going for. It will have way less miles, a warranty, as said many many mods available cheap, more comforts etc.

I used to have a 99 3000GT SL--heavy, slow, front wheel drive. Looked good though. The VR4 has balls but way to heavy--not a fun car to drive, its not tossable. It cost more to mod those than the other competing imports too--it never had a big aftermarket compared to other cars.

Go for it. The '99 VR4 is extremely rare, and looks about 1000x better than that hideous supra thing or boring ass zx. The only thing to call itself a sports car from japan that looks as good is the RX7.

Like everyone else said HEAVY and TERRIBLE brakes. I test drove one a few years ago and after two hard stops from like 80 the brakes were smoking and then just totally faded out. They smelled like a burning rat. The brakes are large size wise but just can't seem to handle the weight. After the test, I would never own one - just on the brakes alone.

I like the style but the weak points are too large and expensive to ignore.

I like the Supra power/mod wise but hate the back end.

So I bought a 93 FD. LOVED IT.

I think I came up with what I want to buy. I'm leaning towards a bike, a used Yamaha R6 to be exact. I'll be starting driving class in a couple of weeks. That'll take two days and then I'll start my hunt for a bike. Wish me luck! DO IT!!!

good luck, r6 is my fav in its class

If you want a good collector car, and a cool cruiser, then you can't go wrong. If you want a pure nimble fun car, then I don't see why you'd get one. It is like the RX8 in the fact that it's a hot looking car. People buy the RX8 for that reason, and throw out the fact that the car is lacking power and torque, so why write off this car based on the fact that it's heavy, and not nimble? I guess price would be the only justifiable reason. Other then that, this car is hot looking, and FAST as hell. As for cost of maintaining, that's a risk you take with an older car, and something people in a few years will be taking with all the old, used rx8s floating around. The difference is, a 99 Vr4 is a collecter car, and it's not gonna drop in value nearly as fast anymore. I love the 3000GT. If I could afford to build a garage and be a mini ay Leno, I'd own one right now. :)

I know what you're talking about viking. I probaly just want it because I "just do". I probaly never could get one anytime soon because most of the VR4 drivers and dealers wouldn't let me have a test drive for soem reason. But it's one of the cars I would love to own one day. My daily routine consist of a walk to the train station and back, and when I drove the 8 during the weekends, it was just in traffic. I did race the occasional riced civic, but that's the closest I got to the "twisties" factor of the 8. I know I wasn't going to take the VR4 to it's limits probaly ever but just it's there just makes me feel pretty good :) .

I always thought the 3000GT's were fat bloated gadgetmobiles, the polar opposite of the RX-7. Let's play a game called "Which One Doesn't Belong?":

* Twin turbo 4-valve 4-cam V6
* AWD
* 4-wheel steering
* Active aerodynamics (wtf)
* 320 HP
* 3800 lbs.
* Made by Mitsubishi
* Reliable, dependable daily driver

If I were shopping for a 90's sportscar, I think I'd try and find a LS1 powered FD personally.

Hmmmm............is it #8? I'm already set on buying a bike tho lol. Every since I brought the FX35, my lady all of a sudden thinks it's a good idea that I get a bike. Wierd lol.

I agree with Baron, except for the part of LS1, I much prefer a single turbo FD