Watch This BEFORE You Buy a Mitsubishi 3000GT SL (1990-2000) 

I fell in love with the 3000gt the first time I saw one. Me and my friends were talking cars and I brought it up, they said if you get one you have to get the vr4. I didn't even know about the different models, looked it up, nope, never afford that. Years later I'm thinking about it again, wait a minute, I'm not gonna race it, fuck that give me the cheap one. Moral of the story, don't listen to your idiot friends

im aware its a V6 and NOT an inline 6. use your anger towards something productive like...ending world hunger..planting a tree...getting laid...hugging a bear etc..

i’m getting a 99 for 3k. huge steal, interior is mint and runs amazing. manual as well

Inline 6? Nah bro, it's a V-6....lol.

I got my VR-4 for 7k with 117k on the odometer. I’ve just done normal maintenance and replacing whatever I can like belts clutch and fluids, so far I haven’t had any issues for the past 7 months and I have a lot of fun with the car. Truly underrated, but it is hard to work on.

Omg I'm honored you used my footage 😭 thanks!

My first car was and is a 97 3000GT I love it so much! I have the black Pearl edition. Absolutely perfect for my life style and very easy to work with as long as you don’t mind turning wrenches!

Gearing up to pull my motor out today to replace my bearings, water pump, timing, and lifters and seen this vid to get pumped. I bought my 3000gt in 1995 and it's been almost bulletproof. I have a 1969 Corvette convertible and they're both equally fun to drive. 3000gt's are in the top 10 cars that are just going to go up in value.

Just bought a 94 today. Manual. I couldn’t even stop myself from doing it. I loved this car back in the day.

Those healight descriptions are killing me.

The poor mans Ferrari is the mr2 . but yea the 3000gt does looks like one also .

I bought a 1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT SL w/ manual transmission off the showroom floor. The color was Danube Blue Pearl, and I LOVED the look of the car. The interior looked great as well. It was fairly fun to drive. Unfortunately, it was not that reliable. Had to replace the clutch. Had the front rotors warp regularly. Interior material on the doors was "bubbling." Drivers side leather wore quickly. Lifter tick. Smoke out of the tailpipes at launch. One of the brake pistons rusted and siezed. Selectable suspension had some sort of electrical issue (probably the capacitors on the control board dried out). Various other things. Stopped driving it daily after about 11 years and kept it another 10. It had ~130,000 miles on it. I wish I had bought a 1994 Toyota Supra (was looking at the Supra, 300ZX, and 3000GT). The 3000GT looked the best (which is why I bought it), but the reliability just wasn't there.

I had a 94 SL. I ported and polished the heads, lower intake plenum, upper plenum, and throttle body. I ran stock exhaust with a brand new cat from Mitsubishi. Intake mods, and a lighter pulley. I made 190hp to the wheels and it made about 200hp to the wheels when I sold it with new polyurathane engine mounts. It had 190,000 miles on it. It was 3400 pounds and a VR-4 is 3800 pounds 300hp 220hp to the wheels. So since I was 400 pounds lighter than a VR-4 the extra 20hp was made up by less weight. It was as fast as a VR-4 and had no boost lag. Dyno showed the SL power falls after 6300RPM. So this means the 7000 red line is bogus on the factory tac, and you need to shift at 6000RPM. I had lambo doors I installed in 2004, and I painted the hinges with OEM paint and clear coat, so it looked factory. I made more power than 3SX did on their 3000GT base model which had their headers, exhaust, and cams they made 189hp. So the engine needs more air. The OEM exhaust is probably good for a 300hp engine. Intake mods is what the engine needs, and not exhaust mods. With stock injectors 200hp to the wheels is all it can do without fuel upgrades. There is also no speed govenor on the cars. Redline in 5th at 6300rpm is about 142mph top speed.

Wasn't the Dodge Stealth basically a rebadged Mitsubishi 3000GT?

Awesome cars! They look fantastic, and they drive fantastic! Had mine for 15+ years. When you drive these cars you find yourself looking up at all the high-sided vehicles out there. All the CRV's, SUV's and generic cars that are on the roads these days. Don't get me wrong, there's a place for those cars, but I like to have a car that sits way-low to the ground and makes the kind of sounds that stir the soul. Pull up to the traffic lights, and have fun with the others. Here's a car that looks like its doing 100+MPH even when its standing still! :-)

Dodge stealth same car some how I still like the gt more

Been rebuilding a Vr4 for over a year. The prices are definitely trending up.

What I'm getting from the comments is that maintenance is the most important thing to keep these cars running. Currently looking at a 91 GTO. Apart from regular oil changes, what are the other things to look out for as far as engine maintenance?

Some garage will also refuse to work on them. I'v been turned around a few times.

Getting one soon ... Got my g35 got my corvette c5 but i always wanted one of this as well and this will be my next project car

Lol. Still got my 91 Stealth. R/T. I literally take it out once every year or so to get an inspection and I always get compliments on it. Pearl white, dropped about 1.5 in. Nice chrome rims. Nothing crazy but a clean good looking car

There's also a misconception that the autos are slow, there not they are still a fast powerful car and the sound of the box changing up and down an octave is highly addictive. It's also an easier car to drive in traffic than the manual especially the twin turbo. Reliability for cars of this age is pretty good it's a mitsubishi after all. It's also one of the most fun cars to drive I've ever owned with a huge grin factor , plus superb looks , not dated like many other Japanese cars of the same ilk. Get one while you can as the prices on vr4 models are going through the roof, and this will push up the prices of the non turbo and auto models, which dare I say it are actually nicer cars to drive in the real world , also more reliable than the TT models as there's less to go wrong. I've owned one turbo one na manual and my current auto and I would take the auto everytime 😂😂

Hey, there 3000 GT VR-4 fans. I'm in the process of restoring my 1991. I bought it in 2000 and it had 59,000 original miles (10 years old). I stripped the car down to basic body and painted it Midnight Jet Black (factory black originally by faded after 29 years). I was having the hardest time finding new parts for the manual Transmission. There is a company called Rvenge Performance and I can't thank them enough. I got all the bearings, HARDENED CARBON steel 25 spline shaft & CARBON SYNCHRO'S for about 2Gs...... They will also rebuild your transmission for about 3,800 dollars. I so happy to share the pictures and video's of my build. I also upgraded the turbos from factory to 600ph direct drop in replacements. I just put in new front bearings, stabilizer links and tie rod ends. Check out the pictures. I'm almost done waiting on two piece drive shaft. oh guess I can't add pictures or videos but if you do contact me. MONK2FOUR@GMAIL.COM

got a yellow 3000gt looks identical to the one shown in the video. Its a blast to drive. Got mine in the 5-speed manual . Also another thing you didnt mention is the SL is significantly less weight @3200lbs compared to the vr-4 @3800lbs Making the performance gap between the 2 not as big as you would think in stock config. Biggest downside is lack of traction. And honestly dont know were you got the idea the weight up front make it better from a dig lol it more often roasts the front tires off when the weight shifts rewards.

These things are awesome. I was lucky enough to purchase a 1994 Mitsubishi 3000gt SL for 1k a couple months ago (yes, just as shocked as you even though it needed a major repair.) I love them. I was fully aware going into it that parts would cost more (mainly engines and transmissions and whatnot) and that I would be charged more or labor or even denied repairs on it because it's a pain to work on. 100% worth it though.

I got a mk1 vr4 in black in 2011 for £1500. Fully operational and nice condition. I still have it. It was a nice "non intentional" investment.

Great vid bro!!! Just bought a 92 dodge stealth RT non turbo and I love it!

Best case for these cars in another 20yrs will be to swap in a 4G63 motor. The 6G72 is a very reliable engine but in the 3000GT it's tight.

I used to own a 1994 SL IT WAS A BLAST TO DRIVE plenty quick with around 200 hp I had a 5 speed What you say is correct, parts aren’t bad if you are willing to work on it yourself I sold it this past week

Had two ford probes, kinda like a baby brother to these. Replaced the drive axles on one, shop quoted $1,800, did it myself for barely over $200. Shops will eat your wallet alive, especially on old imports, best to learn your car and learn to work on it. Always good to have more than one too.

I have a 91 Stealth R/T. The sister ship. I dropped a J Spec TT from Japan in it. I had the front wheel drive manual 5 Speed trans rebuilt with posi traction. Used a Japanese one O2 ecu to run the whole thing. Runs great and plenty of power. Best of both worlds. Used the 3SX front Mount intercooler. A pillar boost and wide band O2 meter.

I own a 1996 SL with just over 300k miles on it. I replaced the clutch once the slave cylinder once, change the oil every 3-5k miles and it ran like a charm. Had the engine rebuilt at 300k, not that it needed it, but I wanted it to last another 300k. That's when I started having trouble. Now it sounds like it is dragging when it starts. Pisses me off, changed starter three times, pulled and replaced the plugs, installed a bigger cranking battery, cleaned the injectors and rails. Now I'll change the flywheel, fingers crossed. I love this car!

Im too in love with this car. I've bought about 6 of these 😂 a 92 VR4, 99 SL, 94 SL, 94 base, 98 base and 98 SL. I own 3 of them right now, these cars arent hard to work on for the most part. Everything just takes time but that's about it. Only bad part is the vr4 is super cramped in the engine bay

God i love my 94 3000GT SL

To keep the Mitsubishi theme, how about the eclipse? You can talk about how good was the 1G and 2G when AWD (2 door Evo), and what happened when they broke up with Chrysler. Oh, and then mention the disappointment that was the successor, the Mitsuvishi EclipseCross.

0:43 "Feel like sitting in a seat of a Ferrari F40" - That's why I want a Mitsubishi 3000GT man!

I just got a 1995 VR4 last week, I’m excited to work on this car and hopefully not be such a headache

I gotta disagree with you with what you said about the transmission for the non-turbo models. The automatic transmission on these cars are pretty strong, way stronger than the weak n/a manual transmission. What many people dont know is that by installing a shift box kit, or at the VERY LEAST, install an aftermarket transmission cooler well dramatically lengthen the life of the auto transmission. Heat is what kills these transmissions and the stock oil cooler for the transmission is not sufficient enough. And for the labor, these cars are old, so all the write ups and how to fix and repair things are all over the forums and on the Facebook groups, it's not hard but can be a PITA when working on parts that haven't been touched in over 20 years.

The base and the SL models can be had for VERY VERY cheap on Craigslist. The 3000 sold better than the Supra, RX7 and 300ZX COMBINED. Parts are readily available and the N/A's are not NEARLY as hard to work on as the VR4's. People say they are slow and compared to the VR4 yeah they are slow. But 220 horsepower and the low end of 3k pounds isn't exactly slow even by todays standards. A new Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 costs about $25k, has 205hp and weighs around 2800lbs. I paid $300 for my base, have beaten the crap out of it and it still runs strong! Oh also they rev to 7k all day and will even do 8k reliably with a modded ECU ;)

"The only 3000gt you'll be able to afford" lol speak for yourself! I snagged a VR4 for $7500 from some fool who didn't know what he had. Plus it came with 500 bucks worth of AEM gauges in the back that he wanted to install. What an idiot he was lmao.

Man, I could not agree more with your take on the GT3k. My roommate owned one. His was the VR4 AWD. You're right. He could eat the tangs and camaros for lunch. This was back in 96. You're right, plop your ass down in that seat, and feels like you in a spaceship or something. His was the 5-speed manual. I enjoyed driving that car more than my 69.5 Roadrunner 440 six pac. yeah, I'm old but badass cars keep me feeling young. Cheers from Louisiana! Oh BTW, He sold it when it reached 60k miles when he learned it was 1200 bucks just to replace the timing belt. lol

One video in and I already subbed. I like your style

Just bought one for $1800 that’s a 5 speed with 200k miles and it’s taken my beatings of redline burn outs to a slap shift so it’s got my approval

DONT BUY AN SL!!! If you can’t afford a vr4 then just buy a base model. Don’t buy the non turbo DOHC 6g72. Buy the SOHC 6g73 3000gt base. There isn’t a big difference in hp and the dohc engine is a ticking time bomb especially if you have no info on the last 60k service. The sohc engine is much more forgiving if the timing belt jumps. And the sohc engine is cheaper to maintain

Its sad to see that the US only got the FWD N/A. i have a 1995 Z16a GTO in NZ, which is more or less the same as the VR4, but minus the turbos and active aero. It has cruise control, ABS, AWD, 4WS, VLSD in the rear, 4 Pot front brakes, 2 pot rears, all that goodness, and cost me next to nothing. Absolute blast to drive. it's many previous owners have taken a small toll on its reliability nowadays, but i love it to bits even with the pain it puts me through.

Proud gen 1 gto owner right here 😁

I think they are great. I ride in one of the ones with 4 wheel steering it was a trip.

I watched your video before buying this beast and now I just bought one GTO SR here in Pakistan and everyone has these looks when they see it 😍 The only SR with just 38k miles on it and all in genuine condition 😎🏎️ This version has no Turbos. Should I opt for a turbo? The VR4 is the same engine with 1 turbos right

I purchased my bright red1998 Mitsubishi 3,000 GT SL in August of 2006. Just got done having the second 60,000 maintenance job done on it recently. One day a lady at a garage sale that I went to told me that it even looks fast just sitting there! I use to have several Barra'Cudas since I liked cars that you don't see too many of. They sold for $3,000-$4,000 brand new in the 70's and I hear that they are now worth $40,000. But I love my 3,000! Not too many of my year made, so I am keeping it up and going to make it last as long as I can! It still looks new! You can see it on FaceBook under my name!

I literally just looked at a 1994 Mitsubishi 3000 GT 5 speed manual to buy for $1,000.00 today! It has less than 100,000 miles, The body is clean and the engine sounds good. The clutch is to the floor right now and the guy just bought the parts to fix it before I take it for a test drive. There is a little bit of the clearcoat that has started to peel and a few little surface rust spots "easy fix". Seems like a great buy!

Never seen a 2 tone one, looks good

Love my 95 SL I got lucky and I’m the second owner, people still ask me about it every now and then

Cool video. I appreciate you are just keeping it real and tell us the truth. Love it!

Looking at a 94 for 8,500 and has 109k miles. Going to go check it out this weekend. Thanks for the video

v6 not in line 6

God damn, he hit us hard with the facts, right before the video starts.

I bought a 1991 Vr4 as my first car today :) It works and runs well

I own a 1997 VR4, love that car so much, the cat fish face was 1999, the 97 bumper was a little more understated and had a splitter up the middle

Dude youre funny, and actually get good info out. Subbed

I found a 1 owner 1995 sl wirh 62k miles for 2k. Ive put an additional maybe $600 into it, taking it for its first drive since ive owned it this weekend

I have 91 and 93 SL's. And a 95 VR4 that's almost done with a 4g63 swap.

I have a 5 speed 1991 Mitsubishi 3000gt sl, looks identical to red one in video. Super lucky to get it for 2k from the original owner with a new transmission, clutch, and all the other stuff that goes out on Mitsubishi. Only 150k miles to. 🖒

You should do a motorcycle review as a spin off

3000GT are meant to be off-road, or on long casual trips. The FWD version is good for off-road too and especially good in heavy snow.

Keep in mind that ALL 91-96 3000GT's had a DOHC , Not just the SL. 97-99 Base model had a SOHC 161hp engine. As far as reliability goes , the DOHC NA is VERY reliable , I beat the shit out of my 94 and nothing wore out or broke. I think thats because they are built to the TT spec's , the same motor less some oil squirters and -100hp.

just bought mine yesterday and i love it xd

Even if I found a 3000gt gL it was either messed up , riced or it's expensive but I got my 2007 ecplise spyder

With a manual 5sp swap the sl is more fun to drive and much quicker & fast

Vr4s and tt stealths can be had for pretty decent price. I bought one for $650 bucks needs just vacuum and clutch and it’s ready to go

In U.K. we have an n/a version of the 4x4 turbo with the turbo removed in gray import from japan. It's 3.0 4x4 n/a. I have a Gto twin turbo parked up for 5 years put a battery in it started in the first turn.

That yellow 94 is sitting in my driveway, that's the video of a previous owner trying to sell it lol. But that's my actual car

Late to the party but I’m going to try to buy one this Wednesday!

Craig list. Here I come 😂 3000gt 👍

Buy a case of timing chains/ belts

Man, would've been to cool, if you had shown your freshly off of craigslist purchased 3000gt at the end xD

Inline 6.... opens hood clearly says v6 😂

Dodge Stealth and Mitsubishi 3000 have MANY interchange parts. I’m 99% positive the engine cradle is identical, no motor mount changing

in japan they have a non turbo AWD version (that I own) and the things that have gone wrong are: 1. the computers! you really need to recondition the computers (even if they're not bad yet) 2. it has common ticking that develops (but isn't dangerous and can be fixed easily enough) 3. automatics seem to be unreliable, mine was replaced around 10 years ago. However I've heard good reliability from the manuals.

I have a 1992 all-wheel-drive VR4 twin turbo 3000GT with only 65,000 miles on it

Hey thanks for the video. I'm buying one tomorrow. Maybe! 🤭 Its a 94 non turbo, automatik. Well i think i can get it for about 3000 $ / 2500€

getting a 92 for 5k later today. manual and runs perfect. red gen 1, mint

I’m about to buy a 1995 sl 3000gt with a new clutch so I’m good!!!!

U said it right kinda makes me want to get another one but on different color😂

I'm looking to get another one, I had a 93 model automatic but loaded with digital climate control and epic stock cassette radio that actually had auxiliary on it and a CD changer in the back. Never seen aux input on a car that old.

1st gen vr4s are pretty cheap here they are like 5k running good with like no rust

I got a first gen mint condition it's funny you bring up the shifter cylinoid it's the only thing that needs attention

got a 1994 3000gt sl for 2k no problems about to get a 95 sl for 2k again

"the only one any of us will ever be able to afford" lol i almost bought one for $7000 canadian (closer to $6000 american). It was rhd with less than 150000kms on it. She was mint, idk why i didnt do it

Late entry to an old vid...but hafta say, these cars dont deserve the had rep they get. As long as you do the maintenance (most important the 60/120k timing belt), youll stay happy. If you decide to work on it yourself- dont even think about it ril you get a factory service manual!! These cars ARE complex - the electrical/electronics especially!! ( and this is from someone whos been building cars for 35yrs, had a 20+yr diesel/equipment career, AND went to Electronics school in the Navy). But with a book, anyone with basic electrical and mechanical skills can keep them on the road pretty easilly. Treat them like the high end sports car they really are, and youll be rewarded with a quick, nimble car that still turns heads everywhere it goes!!!

😂 Craig’s list here I come!

hopefully getting a 1992 vr-4 that only needs a tune up and new engine mounts for 3k pretty soon, 110k miles🙏🏻

imho, if anyone is bitching about repair cost of any car, likely has never worked on their own cars. I know everyone has different situations but as long as you can get a good wrench and Rachet set you can take on any maintenence issues.

Technically the HP advertised in the 1991-1993 brochure was 222HP. I had the 1991 and 1993 SL versions

dont rush to buy an sl you can get a 100k or so vr4 for 5k. no matter WHAT 3000gt you decide to buy the ONLY thing you need to look at is the oil pan. if it has a dent it WILL spin a bearing. our forum for this car is 3si dot org theyre also called the poor mans ferrari because we sorta stole the "aerodymics" from the ferarri testarosa of the period. fun fact the vr4 was faster than the testarosa in 91 as well

I currently drive a 1994 3000gt sl and other than the fact that it smokes after sitting at a red light too long, it's been a blast. I am a bit intimidated by the thought of having to rebuild the engine alone however. I'm already going through a mess with my bottom end bearings on my 2000 mr2 spyder.

Replacing the alternator on the sohc engine is laborious.

Bro an inline-six means that every single cylinder is in a straight line you would see one giant valvetrain and one single giant set of cylinders you wouldn't have the second one hidden underneath the top intake manifold in the back back there that's a V6 not an

Dammit! I was looking for useful info, but 2 minutes in bro said it's an inline six. The one I'm looking at is a twin turbo V6 Dodge I'd swear is one of these. Hell, I'll buy it anyway.

I don’t think your opponent knew you were racing because the stock SL 0-60 was like 8seconds

The front ends on the first and second gen are interchangeable