Buying questions

So I was searching the web for VR4's in the area, and it turns out there's one about 19 miles away for sale with 89k on it. It's a white 1992 3000gt VR4 with stock everything on it. So I listed my phone number and the dealership called me back. I test drove it and fell in love. It ran smooth on the test drive (All 10 minutes of it) and seem quite well maintained. My question is how reliable 3000gt's are at this mileage and year. Can I expect to be replacing parts immediately, and what kind of lifetime can I expect on this car?

I want a car that I can mod and have fun with. I hear this car runs 13.5-14 in the 1/4, and I wouldn't feel the need to do too much more work to this (Mid-12's would be a goal for me). But I do want to know how much money I'll be putting into this to get it down that low in the event that I buy it. Does anyone have an early VR4 running those times roughly? What mods did you do to it and what did you pay for that performance?

Just a few questions I want answered before I am signing paychecks away for this car. I heard you guys were the pro's :)

I dont have any answers for your questions, my transmission went out at 91K, but that was my fault, it was weak though...also SL not VR4...but they just let you test drive it? or did you have to show credentials, cuz there was a 91 vr4 w/ 60k on it here they wanted only $11k for it, but they wouldn't let me test drive it without going through a bunch of crap with credit checks. So I never knew the difference between VR4 and SL and ended up w/ SL, and now that VR4 is gone :(.

lol yeah, I just walked in there the day they called me after hearing of my interest. I didn't even show them my license or proof of who I was. We looked over the interior, threw some gas in the tank, and found a straight stretch and an empty parking lot. This one is about 10 grand asking price, which isn't bad from what I've seen of these at lower miles. I've seen them as high as 215k and still running, I just want to know what to expect from this car having never known anyone with one.

Also, does anyone have any regrets of buying their 3000gt? And be honest please, I wanna hear every criticism :)

Regrets... HA! is there another car in the world better than a vr-4? Let me check.. NO!

I appreciate the patriotism to these fine vehicles very much 3kgt98, but I was looking for something a little more constructive :)

I have only heard of one person regretting buying a 3000gt/dodge stealth(same car), and I don't know the whole story behind it, but the guy 'claimed' that transmissions just kept dying in the car. He said he was on his 3rd or 4th...now personally I got the feeling he simply was getting them put in incorrectly, or was beating the hell out of them, and then trying to blame the car.

In all honesty, a 3000gt, especially a vr4, is an awesome car, everyone who buys one loves it. It is an absolute joy to drive. As far as reliability, they are middle of the road, not the best, but not bad...it really comes down to how well the car was maintained by previous owners and how well you take care of it when you get it.

Common problems are the transmission synchros...it is either a hit or miss with these, but many people have 1, 2 or 3 that need to be replaced because they get worn. This doesn't mean you need a new tranny(even though some mechanics and dealerships will tell you that), but you can buy individual synchros for a few hundred a piece.

Another thing to check with mileage up there is the valve guides, they have a tendency to start leaking oil when you get up there.
There are some other common problems, but they are minor and can be fixed extremely cheap.
It is just like any other car...they have specific problem spots, so when you test drive it, race it around, shift through the gears pretty hard, and make sure you don't get grinding and such. Also make sure you aren't getting blue smoke coming out the exhaust. Then just check all the normal stuff, get a mechanic to check it out...etc


The one thing to know ahead of time is that this car is expensive...they are rare, they have stopped producing them. This means that aftermarket parts, repairs, labor, and insurance is usually more than most other cars. Not to mention they need premium gas(91 or better). So money can be an issue, if you are a broke college student like I am.

As far as price, check out kbb.com to get an idea of what you want to be paying for it. Also make sure it has gotten the 60k tuneup, this is a pretty big deal, costs about a grand, and should have been done and documented.

Lastly, as far as running 12s...that is something you can do cheap. The vr4 you are talking about is a first gen(91-93) their factory boost settings were set a bit lower than the 2nd gens(93-99), but they have the same engine and turbos, so you can actually do a 'free boost mod' which will turn you boost up to 12psi for free and get you running 13.6

Then you can get an intake, downpipe, boost gauge, boost controller, and gut your precats. This will put you around 400hp, in the high to low 12s, and cost only $500-$1000 if you shop around online.

So money can be an issue, if you are a broke college student like I am.

I hear ya loud and clear on that one.

Transmission issues and synchros are the main problems then huh? The car's transmission was beautiful when I tested it, and I was slamming the gears pretty hard. I was only rev'ing up to like 5k or so, and redline is 7. And yeah, broke college student is me. I've managed to find a decent deal, the car is 10 grand and I think I can talk him down a little bit. The dealership started trying to get 14k for it, and is down to 10 from there. I'll check about that 60k tuneup also in the event I get serious with this particular car. By the time I'm actually serious, car might be gone. And that might just be something I have to live with lol. *WARNING: POTENTIALLY STUPID QUESTION INCOMING* - I don't know the anatomy of the transmission, is there a transmission upgrade I can get that would make the synchros less likely to get roasted? I figured somewhere along the line I'd buy a stage 2 racing clutch, would this make the synchros more dependable?

as far as i know its a simple wear and tear type thing, they sychro's cost $80 a piece and then anywhere from $500 to $1000 to install them depending on who you go to, mind you most places won't do it due to warranties and such, but you can find some random places that will do it for ya at a good price.

and don't listen to them if they tell you you have to rebuild the whole transmission.

but, its a good chance that you won't have this problem at all, so for 10 at 89k, why not

Thanks youngvr4. It looks like you are driving the exact same car I'm looking to buy, what have you spent on repairs, and what have you spent on mods? What do your 1/4 times look like? Also, what mileage did repairs arise (if any)?

i have yet to run the 1/4 mile, but as far as repairs, it cost me $800 dollars to fix the synchro's. and the first thing i did was change the timing belt and water pump which you should also look into doing.

i bought my car at 112,000 miles on it and the synchros went bad at 145,000 miles

and a slight oil leak that had to be fixed but that was nothing.
on mods ive spent $3,500, i'm pretty sure i'm in the 12's somewhere but not for certain.

i feel like i can run about a 12.7, but speed can be deceiving lol

What are the first things one should buy for a VR4 for the best power:dollar ratio. I hear a lot of people doing catback exhaust, chip, and intake. I've also heard people say that catback exhaust isn't that necessary to do, as the flow on that side isn't near as restrictive on some cars. Most people have said just gut the precats, get a chip, and an intake. And what does it take to gut the precats?

http://www.3si.org/pages/mods.html

This has a great list of staged upgrades. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really don't agree with the catback being so early on the list. The precats and downpipe are restrictive and should be gutted/upgraded respectively...but the stock vr4 catback is already 2.75" The borla is 2.8", and ATR is 3". The stock catback has been proven well capable of 11sec 1/4 runs. I see no need to upgrade so early on the list and spend so much money for such negligable gains. If you want an aftermarket look or sound, then by all means, go for it, but performance-wise...IMO, save it for later.

My preference in beginning modding is: intake, downpipe, and boost controller. Also get an aftermarket boost gauge, as the stock one is a POS and highly inaccurate. A tuneup, ie plugs, wires, and a new fuel filter are a good idea before you start modding.

As far as chips, I was under the impression that there were no worthwhile chips available for the 3000gt at this time, although there may be some I am unaware of....

As far as gutting the precats, this site should cover it all:

http://www.linkline.com/personal/amahoser/precat.html

Hope that helps

Thanks a ton man, dollar amounts are all I'm missing now I think :D

check out
www.3sxperformance.com
www.importpoweronline.com
www.gtpro.com
www.horsepowerfreaks.com

I prefer the first 2, but look around for the best prices.