Stealth in sight!!!

I found a 1991 Dodge Stealth R/T with 62,000 original miles for only 1700 bucks! The price is so low because of a little accident, it needs a new airbag and left light but other than that it is in prime condition (from the pics). Hopefully I will get a test drive this Saturday. Does the automatic still have a decent amount of power? I am only 16 and this car will be my daily driver. Should I get it or wait for another? Hopefully the gas mileage is better than the other Stealth I looked at (that one had an estimate of 15mpg). Oh and one more question, I talked to a few of the autoshop kids at school and they said that the Dodge Stealth wasn't that great of a car. I think they are ignorant (from what I have read). Pics will follow if I indeed get it. Thanks to everyone who has taken their time to answer my questions. Oh and it burgundy in color...

I don't call an airbag deployment a little accident man. How much do you have to spend any ways???

Actually, I've had friends get in small fender benders that just happen to set off the airbag. :dunno:

As for the car, I couldn't think of a better first car than an old N/A ATX with lots of miles on it. Good luck with the purchase.


Oh, btw. :useless:

if youve seen pics show us the link...if you dont know alot about these cars your in for alot....1700 with that low of miles seams pretttty cheap especially an r/t and if ur only 16 it will probally be too much to handle/ have you talked to your parents about it <<GOOD LUCK WITH THAT

A) airbags generally don't deploy on little accidents as said. Yes they can, but generally it is a significant collision. So I'd check for frame damage.

B) Have you ever priced getting an airbag replaced. Do it, I think you'll be a bit surprised

C) No offense to anybody on here who owns one, but I personally would steer away from the auto. The auto tranny robs quite a bit of that 222hp listed at the crank.

D) The stealth and 3000gt have, and always will have a bad rep., 99% of it is from idiots who have never driven one. Generally they think they are unreliable and 'heavy boats' As it is said, opinions are like @$$holes, everyone has one. And they are entitled to their opinions...even if they are wrong. The cars aren't much heavier than anything else in their class, and for the features, it's completely understandable. As for reliability, it can be a bit of an issue, it really depends on previous maintaince, as covered in teh FAQ.

E) read the FAQ

F) Also check out the important thread "vr4 as your first car". And keep all that in mind, and please steer away from any Twin Turbo models for now, until you have a few more years under your belt.

Here is the link to the page:
http://www.craigslist.org/sby/car/166985867.html

I might go test drive and inspect it tomorrow to be sure on the overall status of the car. I know that air bag do cost a lot but there is one of those Dodge junk yard places near me and they might have one there for cheapish (I hope) I know that I will have to spend some money for it is a 15 year old car. As for the automatic situation, I am not really into racing or anything I just want somehting with okay to decent gas mileage with a good amount of power. And I have narrowed it down to either a Stealth, Eclipse, or 300zx. But I like the Stealth/3000GT look a lot more than those others. I will keep everyone informed on if the car is worth it or not, thanks. Oh and I found somethings called electric supercharges for sale on ebay once. They claimed that they added about 45 hp and they were only about 300 bucks or so, does anyone know about these and do they work?

WHoa ur gonna need a new headlight+hood!!! and airbag and paintjob
without the paint thats for sure at least 1000 without the paint job!

WHoa ur gonna need a new headlight+hood!!! and airbag and paintjob
without the paint thats for sure at least 1000 without the paint job!

That fender is trashed as well.

I love the tape job on the steering wheel. :lol:

They claimed that they added about 45 hp and they were only about 300 bucks or so, does anyone know about these and do they work?


I love how this still gets asked every week. They are about as worthwhile as a space heater in the Sahara. I have offered time and time again, to anyone considering one of these, just send me the money, and I'll drive behind you, and when you want more power, I'll bumpertap you :grinyes: In all seriousness, they are one of the biggest pieces of junk you can buy for your car.


Oh, and after looking at hte car, I'd run away. You would have to pay me $1700 to drive that. That is not in 'good condition' that does not need 'some work'. That needs ALOT of work or to be put out of it's misery. Do yourself a favor and wait for one that is in 1 piece...it will be worth paying a bit more for.

^How bout I get on your shoulders and dangle a fishing line 3 ft from your face with a 24 Pack of beer attached to it :D... that sound like ohh say??? *checks Piggie bank* 55 cents and 2 pesos???

sounds like a gen 1 SE or R/T would be perfect for ya. For the money your gonna spend fixing that one though, you could probably get one in much better condition.

Also, after an accident like that, you're going to be finding little problems in that car for years. My prelude got in a fight with a gaurd rail one rainy night and came out of it with a bent up fender and for years i had problems getting screws to sit right, forcing gaps in the bumper, headlights etc. back... And when you go to get that fender painted, i will bet you cash money that the paint is just a liiiiittle off from the rest of the car, and every time you look at it, it will just stare back at you saying "look at me! im imperfect!".

most ppl wont even notice this stuff but when its your car, you notice EVERYthing... or maybe im just crazy about my cars :D

Yeah I do know that I would be paying a lot in making it driveable. I still would like to see the car in person and actually drive one of these. But I probobly wait around for another one to pop up, thanks guys.

www.autotrader.com

http://www.3si.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10

theres a few sites to help you in your search buddy

alrigt thanks

Door is also pinching on that replacement panel, you can barely see it but its there. Also is it me or does it look like the wheel is pushed back, no longer centered in the wheel well. Lets see add new door skin, possibly new door, front drive train damage... You have now spent as much as my VR-4 cost me... lol.

Keep looking kid, i hate to see a car in a bad home like that one has but I can tell you that you will not be able to give it the love it needs to revive it. Get on vehix.com autotrader.com and try not to get scammed. For you it might be best to get an auto because you are young and need to learn the car. Then if you decide to stay with the platform you can graduate to bigger and better things.

ohh and even though that car's already f'd up and everything, get a carfax report, cuz you never what the history is...

Yeah I will definetly be doing that if indeed I try for this one. He has lowered the price to 1500 now, I am thinking if he gets down to about 1200 or so I might snag it, what do you think?

Yeah I will definetly be doing that if indeed I try for this one. He has lowered the price to 1500 now, I am thinking if he gets down to about 1200 or so I might snag it, what do you think?

I still wouldn't.

dude if he gave it to me for free and gave me road head during the test drive I still wouldn't buy it. On a car like that, things just aren't gonna' wanna' line up, or fit in afterwards, and if the frame is bent than you could just be asking to be killed during an accident.

^^^agreed..i crashed my suv and sustained some frame damage even after being repaired by the dealership it was just never the same



Rocker please tell me road head is a technical term for something else..

^ask musashi's sitster, she'll tell ya :icon16:


Either way man, don't jump on this damn car, yea it looks nice from what isn't crashed, but you're asking for so much shit. Don't worry, the car will find a home, just don't let it be yours. Maybe if the car was like 300 bucks I'd buy it as a parts car or something.

Yeah, I guess I will have to pass this one up. I found a different one though:
http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/car/168052619.html its a 3000GT, needs some head gasket work, I know that that is engine related and could be expensive. Would it be worth my time/money?

I mean it's got it's good and it's bad, but how much money do you have to work with anyways???

Well I have 1600 in the bank myself, my dad said he would help though, and he said he would give me about 2 thousand, maybe more.

Seriously, with such a low budget, I'd really say wait awhile. These cars aren't cheap to maintain, insure, or drive. If that is all the money you are working with, then it's going to be tough.
No offense, but if you don't know exactly what a leaking head gasket is, chances are, you wont be doing much of the work on it yourself, and then it gets even more expensive to own.

I can understand your desire to own one, and can relate, because I was in your same place years ago. But don't let your desire cloud good judgement. It really looks like you want one so bad, that you are going to get yourself in a hole just to get one, and that isn't good.

I have a buddy who can do all the work for me, for a cheaper price than an automechanic. I do know that I would have to put money into it, but if I would only have to spend around 1000 bucks to get it all fixed then would it still be worth it? I do work so I make enough money for insurance with a little extra. I will probobly at least go check it out, its not that far from my house. But I will probobly wait. How much would you say I should have to buy a good stealth/3000GT? Non-tubro of course.

Do yourself a favor and just sit on it man... Get some more cash, and when you've got about 5 or 6 grand between you and your pops, than you can start looking.

Yeah, I guess I will have to pass this one up. I found a different one though:
http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/car/168052619.html its a 3000GT, needs some head gasket work, I know that that is engine related and could be expensive. Would it be worth my time/money?

Well, here is the trick. It could be a headgasket which is a simple fix. But it could be a cracked head, quite a bit more serious but still fixable. On the other hand it could be a cracked or warped block which is mega expensive. I would pass that one by as well.

I'm with Rocker... On these cars $1000 can blow by pretty quick just looking for parts ($300 antenna motor + assembly anyone?).

Yeah, I have decided to wait on this one. But I have found another, its a 1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT base. He is selling it for 3700. Heres the link:
http://www.craigslist.org/sby/car/166755863.html

craigslist is nice and all, but alot of times, (at least for chicago) the cars listed there are shitty. Look on cars.com and autotrader.com man.

craigslist is nice and all, but alot of times, (at least for chicago) the cars listed there are shitty. Look on cars.com and autotrader.com man.

Ya i agree if they are really trying to sell a good car they would pay to advertise it... one time i saw a great deal on a 3000gt and then called and made an offer and the kid said "well id have to ask my dad" i thought he mean about the offer(it was 200 less then asking) and he said he hadnt ask his dad IF HE COULD EVEN SELL IT YET BECAUSE IT WAS HIS DADS CAR.... i bet his dad would have flipped out if he saw it was online for sale then the kid said "well im turning 16 soon and i was trying to sell it so i could buy a honda" and i was like fuck you and hung up

Yeah I have been checking out autotrader and cars.com a lot, but most of the time people ask the full KBB price when that car has over 150k miles and torn seats. Not only that, but I have found at least twice or more amount of 3000GTs/Stealths on craigslist then on either of those other two sites. And I know that these cars are more local than L.A. (I live near Sacramento). But I have been going back and forth trying to find good buys, it just seems like criagslist has more of them. But I would never buy a car unless I inspect it first, to know the true value of the car. HAHA that is a funny story too, my parents have tried to convince to get a Honda but I don't think I ever could, definetly not the most unique of cars. Do you guys still think I should wait for another one to come up? The guy said the engine had only 40k on it, and the body is perfect and has a nice aftermarket front bumber, 190k on the chasis. What do you think?

^umm it sounds nice an all, but I would check it out first... bring one of your mechanic buddies, you can never be too sure. The ad said that it was deleted by the way...

I think your parents are right. I drove a Honda till I was 20, and if it hadn't died, I wouldn't have gotten my vr4 so early and gone through so much financial hell.

i got my car on craigslist and thats the only place that the owner adverstised it. only a month now but no problems yet and both the emissions guy and the dealership said it was in tip top shape. that said, i checked out at least 5 other 3000's on craigslist and most of them werent as good as the owners said they were. one guy failed to tell me that his tcase locked on the freeway and he slid into a ditch or that the car had sat for 5 years before he got it running again...

autotrader is good but the cars seemed to be more expensive, probly because the owners know they can get it with that many people on autotrader and the kinds of people that go to craigslist.

look in your local newspaper, thats were i got mine from

Yeah there are a few nice ones in my Buy and Sell section, two actually. Both selling for about 4500. I would like to spend about a grand less if I can.

^most of the time you need to spend the extra grand to not be fucked over in the end

Yeah there are a few nice ones in my Buy and Sell section, two actually. Both selling for about 4500. I would like to spend about a grand less if I can.
The term you get what you pay for comes to mind.

well most of the time anyway. sometimes you get more... or less, lol

What about this one then, I like it:

http://www.craigslist.org/pen/car/168637000.html

check it out with a mechanic.... ohh and get a spoiler for it, it looks wierd w/o it

.... ohh and get a spoiler for it, it looks wierd w/o it

:werd:
hey, at least you dont have to fill any holes to throw on a 99 VR4 wing :icon16:

looks ok though man...but you wont know till you drive it. Digging the slate grey...

Looks good, actually looks like a base stealth without the spoiler, but i would definately get one. LOL loud muffler:rolleyes:

kinda high mileage

Haha, yeah I am going to ask him about that wing for sure. Ohh and I checked out the 1999 Vr4 wings and (maybe I am mistaken) but it said they were like 900 bucks! The only thing I am worried about are the miles on it. It has been well maintained (from what he has told me) so it shouldnt be a biggy right? I will probobly check it out next week when I have time. Not sure on where Redwood Shores is though, sounds sorta hippyish...hopefully it is near Santa Cruz...

^bring a mechanic with you man, I can't say it enough... get a carfax too

I will see if I can bring a friend down, I emailed him and he should send the VIN number to me. I might be able to get hime down to 3,000 dollars, he said he wants to get rid of it cuz he is leaving the country for good. I will keep everyone posted.