Looking at 1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT...

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We are looking at a 1994 Mitsubishi 3000 GT. It has the 3.0 V6 (assuming its turbo since it has a nice whistle when you get on it) and a 5 speed manual transmission. It has 189,000 miles on it and drives pretty good. Steering wheel is tilted slightly and the brake pedal makes a thump noise when you press it down about half way, and the shifter is a little notchy (might be normal, its certainly not bad)...those are the only issues I noticed. Owner says there is a seal leak and that there is a puff of blue smoke every now and then. I know the owner, trustworthy man. Engine was rebuilt maybe 3 or so years ago. Are there any known issues with these? It seems like a solid car. Not sure how much longer it has though on the trans/turbo etc. Good first car, or pass?
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Good first car, or pass?
How much are they asking? I wouldn't pay a dime over $1k-$1,100.
 
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Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Good first car, or pass?
How much are they asking? I wouldn't pay a dime over $1k-$1,100.


They agreed to the KBB which was 2600 I believe
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Good first car, or pass?
How much are they asking? I wouldn't pay a dime over $1k-$1,100.


They agreed to the KBB which was 2600 I believe

I had bought my Camry with a little less miles, didn't burn oil, and had all new suspension for $1,700. I'd keep looking. What's the car for? Drive it instead of the Accord?
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Good first car, or pass?
How much are they asking? I wouldn't pay a dime over $1k-$1,100.


They agreed to the KBB which was 2600 I believe

I had bought my Camry with a little less miles, didn't burn oil, and had all new suspension for $1,700. I'd keep looking. What's the car for? Drive it instead of the Accord?


First car for younger brothers.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
First car for younger brothers.

Yeah a Camry like I had would be perfect LOL. Nice and slow to help stay away from speeding tickets. I'm sure it had helped me avoid a couple haha.
 
Weren't these cars the same as the stealth and another car as well?

Regardless they aren't worth buying anymore. Sure the boosted variant is a fun car but just try and find parts for it.
A friend has one of these in his shop. It belongs to a customer. Apparently the pistons hit the valves and the engine is severely damaged.
That car has been sitting for 2 years because of affordable parts availability.
Unless everything is absolutely mint I'd steer clear.
There are no NOS parts out there,only junkyard and retrofit which means nothing is going to last once fixed.
Unless your a very good wrench I suggest something else.
 
I'd never even think about one of these for a first car. Expensive to fix, if you're lucky enough to find parts, and way too easy for a beginner driver to get into trouble with. I'd bet insurance would be sky high on this for a new driver as well.

For a first car, I'd suggest something like a Saturn S-Series. Cheap, dependable, great gas mileage, easy to work on, and parts are affordable and easy to find.
 
Depends on what are your goals of a first car.
A 3000gt is way cooler than a camry for sure.


But considering you went for a test drive or checked out the car, and can't even tell the difference in whether the engine is the turbo or not; perhaps you're not up to deal with any mechanical hassles with a car. Then go ahead and get an "appliance" car
 
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A 20 yo limited production turbo car as a DD? No way.

It also is a timing belt car IIRC; probably cost you 1/2 the price of the car to change that if you can find someone who wants to try.

+1 on the appliance car
 
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The insurance on my 25 year old V6 Firebird is less than my appliance HHR. I guess they figure it'll be in the shop so much it won't be getting into trouble. Get a quote.
wink.gif


But as for the steering wheel being off center, this says run away from this particular 3000GT.
 
Mitsubishi is terrible for parts availability.My 2000 Mitsu product (which ran to 02) had its exhaust headpipe/manifold heatshield discontinued a number of years back.Stupid little piece of tin that cost them all of 5-6 bucks to make and yet 20-30 dollars to sell,and they drop it.Sadly,never again a Mitsu product for me.The parts system is sad,if it never sells they have it,if it turns quickly they drop it. I'll stick to 80s Chryslers,some parts are still dealer available,and the NOS market is still well stocked.
 
Turbo's that whistle whine can be a bad sign to untrained ears! Beware

A non-turbo variant would be a much better bet but all these cars are unicorns out there.

How old is your brother? The insurance may be prohibitive on this one.
 
Wrong car for a kid - high performance cars & low performance drivers are not a good mix. Keep the horsepower low and the "bore factor" high to avoid inspiration for young people who already think they're going to live forever. Anyone can drive fast, not crashing is the hard part.
 
This light and quick sports car is not appropriate for a new driver, and being near the end of its life, will be expensive to maintain.

Saturn S Series
Volvo 240/740/940
Chevy Prizm
 
I'll echo what everyone else is saying.
This car has the wrong performance level for a new driver and is also old enough and rare enough that it has strong money-pit potential.
If you want something kinda neat that'll also be safe, reliable and offer great parts availability, an old Mercedes 123, 124 or 201 would be a choice to consider.
Obviously avoid the 400E and 500E 124s.
Good 123s are getting hard to find and expensive, but 124 and 201 models are cheap and plentiful.
The only problem I'm aware of that's endemic to old Benzes is the reluctance of the odometer to consistently record mileage.
The 123 is also the only car I've ever owned in which I've had to replace the speedometer cable.
These are old-school, solid DB designs built to a quality level never seen in anything from either our country or Asia.
 
I would agree with the others here...steer away from the Mitsubishi 3000.

Instead, I would recommend a Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor. They are cheap to buy, cheap to insure, very durable, and are fun to drive. Parts are very plentiful also.
 
Originally Posted By: raytseng
Depends on what are your goals of a first car.
A 3000gt is way cooler than a camry for sure.


But considering you went for a test drive or checked out the car, and can't even tell the difference in whether the engine is the turbo or not; perhaps you're not up to deal with any mechanical hassles with a car. Then go ahead and get an "appliance" car


Well I dont have a lot of experience with turbo's, but this one has the boost "whistle" when your getting on it.
 
go to the horse's mouth.google "problems with 1994 ....". lots of accurate data, and you'll not hear "I heard that ...", or "my uncle/neighbor/friend's brother said ..." type of replies.
as well, a 20 yr. old car pushing 200 k. for a kid.not a wise choice. get an appliance car.
good luck.
 
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