I'm lookin for a 3000gt, need some advice...

[chiefsean]

Wassup guys? I'm in the NY area and I'm lookin hard for a 3000gt. I don't have too much money to spend (around 10 grand) what do you think I should go for? I am pretty sure I'm not gettin automatic for obvious reasons, but I'm not sure about the year or model. I like the look of the 94 model a lot better, but I dont want to regret not getting a VR4. Also, on average, how many miles before the gt starts to break down? Ideally, I'm lookin for a 94 vr4 with less than 90k on it. How much will this cost me? The reasons i want a 94 vr4 is the front, 6spd tranny, and power. I'm not sure if i'd rather get a 91-93 vr4 or a 94+ base model. How much should mileage factor into my decision? Thanx for the help!!

[VIN_DIESEL]

ok , let me break it down for you. A DOHC 3000GT has alot of fidelity and is very reliable if taken care of. on the other hand , a VR4 is faster and has better performance but usually starts to break down if it has high mileage like over 90k : turbo's need to be rebuilt or replaced , active aero may stop functioning , AWS can start having problems , shit like that. My suggestion is if you really want a Vr4 get a 1st gen with low miles. If you don't want a VR4 then get a 94-95 Base or SL , 96 and up base's started coming with SOHC which are pretty weak. And whichever you get make sure it has had the 60K tune up if the mileage is over 60k on the car. If the timing belt breaks the engine needs to be rebuilt.

[UncleMeat777]

Reality check time.

I've posted a lot of this here before I'm sure... sorry to repeat.

1) $10k will get you a '91 VR4 with some mods and around 100k miles. You'll have to spend $5-10k over the course of the next year or two to keep it running. Unless you're really lucky.

2) If you want a '94+ you'll probably get an SL or base model with ~80k miles or more. It will usually be in better condition than any VR4 for that money though.

3) Like any "sports" (I know it's a touring car, shut up) car, a 3000GT will most likely have been driven HARD. VR4 drivers seem to be especially brutal on their cars. A 3/S is a pretty fragile car compared to how they are usually drive. Go to 3si.org and look at all the posts of people having problems. I'm not saying they are bad or unreliable cars... i'm just saying that a lot of people aren't as good to their cars as they should be, and that's why a lot of problems come about.

For about the 30948029348th time, I will say... the best rule when buying a sports car of any kind (unless you are getting an exotic or just something that is plain overpriced ie - supra) is to go by the $20k rule. Even if the car costs you $10k, have that extra $10k ready for repairs. Always test drive extensively before you buy, make the buyer take it to a mechanic to get it checked out (a mechanic of your choosing) and don't buy from a kid unless it's a deal you can't pass up.

[mikesbigbox]

You probably won't by a better looking car for the price. However it is also one of the most complicated cars around to. Japanese reliability is highly regarded but if you get something around 90K mileage I imagine something expensive is going to pack up really soon. If you are low mileage driver with a grand or two reserved for repairs it might just be worth the hassle.