abt to get a 3000gt

i found a 96 3000gt sl for 5 grand. the car looks great but i have a few questions.

what kinds of things should i look for?
i hear that the water pumps usually need replacment on these cars. is this true? how much are they?
i know parts are expensive, but are they also hard to find?
whats the reliability of these cars? i knwo mitsubishi does not have a good track record because of the eclipses. did they build this car better than the second gen eclipses?
where does this car make its power? does it have a nice wide power band? does anyone know where i can find dyno sheets for it?

any help is much appreciated. thanx

alot of the questions you asked are covered in the FAQ section, and a 96sl for 5 grand???? how many miles on it???? somthin' doesn't sound rite about it, check out www.kbb.com for the kelly blue book value, and get a carfax for it if ya can....

I just brought mine for about 51/2g with also the same year of yours and it also an sl mine was very well kept clean and good maintance. Mine has about 100k mileage on it and I knew i had a good price for it.
You should bring some1 to check it out, but to remeber sl come with leather seat, infinity speaker, and etc. just to let you noe so you wont be foo by a base trim n i believe that it the best year for the 222 horsepower sl.

i found a 96 3000gt sl for 5 grand. the car looks great but i have a few questions.

what kinds of things should i look for?
i hear that the water pumps usually need replacment on these cars. is this true? how much are they?
i know parts are expensive, but are they also hard to find?
whats the reliability of these cars? i knwo mitsubishi does not have a good track record because of the eclipses. did they build this car better than the second gen eclipses?
where does this car make its power? does it have a nice wide power band? does anyone know where i can find dyno sheets for it?

any help is much appreciated. thanx


The FAQ and search feature are your friends...everything you asked has been answered a billion times before.

Common issues are in the FAQ...just make sure you have a mechanic check it out and you test drive it.
Water pumps need to be replaced as part of the 60k/120k tuneups, they run about $100 and the tuneup is covered in the FAQ.
Aftermarket and normal parts are a bit more expensive, but not hard to find.
Reliability is average, depends on the previous owner...in FAQ
Don't know about where the SLs make their power...they have 222hp and similar torque, if you do some searching you maybe able to find a dyno graph. Vr4s are Twin Turbo and make much more power...all in the FAQ.

i think i realized the catch. the car has 80k miles on it, and does seem like a good deal, but it has cloth interior. im starting to think its the SOHC engine with only about 150 horsepower? am i right?

I believe the 96 base would have a DOHC 222hp V6, just like my 95. The 96 SL just has the VR4 interior upgrades, such as leather, but the same engine.

The sohc only come in 97-99 in it about 160hp there is no sohc for the 96 and under there is a base,sl,vr4 and the spyder. Since you say it a cloth interior, then it a base for sure. It have 222hp same as sl and it about 100-200 pound lighter then the sl. And that is a good deal if nothin major is wrong with it.

so how much does teh car weigh? 3100lbs?

Engine: 3L 6cyl 24V DOHC
HP: 222 @ 6000rpm
Torque: 205 @ 4500rpm
Compression: 10.0 : 1
MPG: 19/25
Wheelbase: 97.2
Length: 179.7"
Curb Weight: 3,252 lbs
Transmission: 5-sp Manual, Auto (Opt)
Wheels: 16"x8" Alum.
Tires: 225/55VR16