Which Car is the Better Option 3000gt or GS-T?

[d3solate]

srry i guess my earlier post was somehow joined together with another guys so i guess no one read mines . thats ok if your guys dont mind can you guys please help me out im in a dillema.
*earlier posted*
hi i want your opinion on which car is the better deal. i just recently was offerered two choices for purchaing a new(used) car. i had a choice of purchasing the rare 1999 3000gt vr-4 (6 speed, 320 horses i believe) for under $10k stock with about 50k miles on it. the other option was a black 1998 eclipse GS-t with a rebuilt engine (5 speed) less then 10k miles and the car has the basic stage 2 upgrade, about 400 horses of power equiped with guages, audio, rims, etc, all for under $9k.i found this to be a hard choice i mean although how rare the 3000 gt and more powerful it is, it is much harder to maintain simple jobs than the eclipse (tune up, timing belt, axel, brakes, oil change etc, etc.) empahsis on the expenses and hardwrok on the maintence. good point for the 3000 gt is that it rare and powerfeul and at such a low price espcially it hasnt been touched (moddified). on the other hand the eclipse has low miles on it due to the rebuilt motor and more horses than the 3000gt also empahasis on the easy maintence and gas usage, bad side is it has been moddified... Can you guys please give me an opinion or the choice of car i should purchase. i look up to you guys for helping make the right choice....because i have no one else to turn to..err at least no one with the knowlegde of mitsubishi cars. i know the cars ar clean errr i mean the owners are allowing me up to 5 days of inspection basically i can do what i want with the car for 5 days before purchase. safe? most likely if they are so willing. Thanks

 

[theSicKness]

me personally id rather have the gst but the Vr-4 is awd so....but i dunno if dont have alot of money the gst is cheaper on insurance so i dunno up to ur personal opionon

 

[Quasimondo]

If you never plan on going beyond the basick upgrades (exhaust, intake, boost controller), then a 3000gt will work fine. If you're planning on doing some modifying beyond those three, then go with the dsm. I'm recommending this not because a 3000gt doesn't respond well to mods (I've seen one with twin 14B's in place of the stock 9B's that pulled like a mofo), but because those cars are a bi*** to work on. Cramped spaces, not a whole lot of room to work with, and there's a lot of things that can't be done on the car without needing to pull the engine first.

 

[Lzybum06]

Ok well before I bought my 95 TSi AWD I was also looking into buying a stealth or 3000gt. The thing that turned me away from the 3000gt or stealth was that I heard from numerous people that they were not very reliable. I also heard from alot of people that Eclipses and Talons were very reliable. So there is my $.02. I would also agree with the insurance and ease of modding. The AWD would be nice but not necessary unless you would be auto Xing. So my vote is for the Eclipse but they are both great cars.

 

[Shadowfax]

Simple answer- if you are happy with decent launches (not 1.6's every stop light) and mid 12's at 105-110 - 3000GT is fine.

If you will want more, I'd suggest something other than the 3000GT.

The 3/S ECU is a nightmare beyond a certain point. It's not that you can't mod it, but that you are tricking the ECU by such a large percentage to run even 550 injectors that you are asking for too much timing and knock.

13G's, 550's, 255lph, MAFT, RPSII, DSM intercoolers - that's the extent of intelligent modding on the 3/S. Anything beyond that will require IMHO- a stand alone, or enough dyno time to get piggy's working, and enough money in piggy's to have paid for a stand alone...

 

[c5chris]

I would get the AWD VR-4 personally. I have a GSX but I do like the looks and rarity of the VR-4. I see tons of Eclipses around (although most are NA) but I hardly see any 3000GTs even in base or SL models.

At $10K or less with 50K miles, it's a good deal. Insurance cant be that bad. I pay less than $700 a year for a C5.

Goodluck.

 

[chicagoboostin]

well i speak from experence here.. currently in my house hold is a 93 n/a 3000gt 92 3000gt vr-4 (currently fastest vr-4 in midwest) both of these my fathers cars. my cars consist of a 95 gsx and a 94 tsi awd. (sold the gsx)

the vr-4 is more expensive to maintain and even with mods a bit more reliable but still any fast car will have a hell of alot of downtime. so this really isnt an issue... maintence on a 3000gt is a bit more then a dsm the timing belt is a nightmare. there is no space at all and the aftermarket parts are a bit more. now my fathers vr-4 is pretty damn fast the previous owner has had it in the 10's. its an awesome car.. you do see more dsms this fast but then again there are more dsms.

ive had my share of dsms currently a shell.. the same applys. it really just depends on what style you perfer and if you really care about safety. in any accident id rather be in a 3000gt due to the weight and stability of the car the dsms are lighter... 3000gts have a bit of a exotic look IMO but im not knockin dsms there very awesome to.

all in all id say get a dsm if your on a budget.. i your a bit older and want some style and in a midlife crisis id say a 3si. all up to you.. theres another thread on this site somewhere about this and a few ppl bash 3si's for handling and such.. but i dont believe they know first hand because i can tell u they stick to the road and take turns like on a rail.

the 6g72TT is an awesome powerhouse.
the 4g63T is an awesome powerhouse.

Whatever u find a deal on go for it.\

btw. in the vr-4 the ecu is the one that came from the factory.

 

[d3solate]

i see Wow thanks alot for all the information. haha i never new 3000gt vr-4 are heavy since its a coupe...... i check with both cars and they are fine and not been messed with. the owner even lets me try the cars out for 3-5 day for inspection. i assume that is safe. i recently got some specs on the car the 3000gt is stock...320 hp while the gs-t modded has about 400 hp meaning it stage 2 not 1.5 =). i always loved eclipses but the oppurnity to get a 3000gt at that model at such a low cost is very rare almost seldom. would it be possible to buy the 3000gt and resell it to gain the profits to buy the eclipse in which i end up eventaully geting a free car? i mean are there people out there in search of a 3000gt less than or under $20k (kbb pricing).

 

[pkieley]

Under 10k for a '99 VR4? man thats a steal...sounds almost too good to be true.

At 50k it has a required timing belt/plugs/plug wires/(water pump is suggested) coming up @60k.

This job is not as bad as people are making it sound(you make a jig of wooden/plastic wedges to keep the cams in time while you have the belt off...PM me if you want the details) however it is time consuming as you remove a shit load of stuff for access. May be why the price is low, this can run into big bucks at a shop.

I have a 91 Stealth TT and it gets lots of looks, however these cars are not sports cars but cruisers as they are very heavy.

I'd sacrifice an upper plenum gasket for a compression test/run a carfax/have it checked over by a shop you trust, then if it all checks out.......JUMP ON IT!!!!! And don't ever sell it!!!!

BTW chicagoboostin: 3Si stands for 3000gt Stealth International...the forum, not the cars.

 

[chicagoboostin]

actually i believe it stands for (3si) three star international in nagano japan where the cars were made. like dsm. Diamond Star Motors in Normal IL. where the dsms were assembled.
but hey i could be wrong. i dont do as much reading on the 3si.org as my father does.

 

[Blitzkid]

Take the 3000GT, a 99' VR-4 is ultra-rare. While yes, they're heavy, Matt Monet's stealth (Dynamic Racing Shop car) ran a relaible 10 1/4 mile with a 8,ooo dollar investment.
I have a VR-4 and my friends all have DSM's, I beat them alot, so my personal choice would be the 3000GT. They are hella expensive though. The eclipse would be alot cheaper to modify/repair.
- Jeff
BTW, why would you want a 400hp GS-t, you're gonna get no traction at all.

 

[tstkl]

ok i didnt read any of the repiles, in fact, i only read the part where he said i had the option to buy a 1999 3000gt vr-4 for 10k with 50k miles.....let me tell you something......either that car didnt have an engine, or it was totaled and rebuilt or something was MAJORLY wrong with it....this car is my god, and a 1999 3000gt vr4 is a lot better than a dsm, any dsm... no getting around it... this is a dsm forum so of course your going to get a bunch of people saying get the dsm, but go to www.3si.org, and youll get the same thing for 3000gts... the reason why the 3000 gt is better? DISPLACEMENT, AND NUMBER OF CYLINDERS....turbochargers basically increase the displacement your car has by increasing the ammount of air in each cylinder... if you start at 3L over 2L, you already have an advantage. our cars are 121 cubic inches i believe, and the 3000gt is 181, with 12 psi that 3000 gt is acting like a 305 engine, with 14psi ours is acting like a 240 about...and both cars have the same awd system, (aka same recall) but the 3000gt is much nicer, under the hood, and behind the wheel... if you do find a legit 3000 gt, it will be better than any dsm, sorry dsm guys....

 

[black91awdturbo]

I am a big time dsm guy but there is no way you can get a 99 vr4 for 10k! But if there is buy it and if you dont like it sell it for I dont know like 4x your money back

 

[bSQUAREd]

Which ever one you get I will buy the other!!

 

[pkieley]

tstkl,

read the posts before you post: nobody told him to get the GST in fact most are leaning toward the VR-4...after he checks the thing over with a fine toothed comb including carfax(because of the low price). All who posted either own/have owned 3S's. Thanks for the geometry lesson though....now go and compare the power to weight ratio of the two.


black91,

I dont know

Bingo!

 

[d3solate]

wow thanks alot you guys my decision on the car end in march =) and like what black91awdturbo says i think he has the smartest advice. if i like he 3000gt ill keep it but if not i can sell it for the profits and then rebuy the GS-t it like i would be spending nothing on a car =). when it comes to "racing" i always thought DSM would be best (sorry to those of you that like 3000gt) since 3000gt has the word "gt" standing for grand tourer (sorry dont know how to spell). and the wieght issue. obvioulsy the 3000gt has advantage under the hood i mean AWD with 6 cylinders 6 speed (good force ratio) but the dsm are lighter and alot easier to moddify (cheaply). 3000gt can only go so far as performance and modding but Dsm there are unlimited possiblities. either way ill end up getting a car that i love once college season picking is over . the only problem is who would buy a 3000gt and at what price? assuming if i dont like the car.......i wishi it was a GSX rather than GS=t but nothing is ever perfect . Once again thank you guys for giving me alot of insight

 

[ShadowWulf]

HON THAT VR-4 NOW! Or i will

Seriously though, ive seen one for sale in Victorville, awesome condition, blown Head Gasket, and the guy was asking $4000......then again there must be other things wrong for that price he is not copping to. I ALMOST bought that thing anyways though...

 

[sacestar836]

the vr-4 is easily the better option. its not been hooked up so the driver probably wasnt as rough on the motor, the price is insane, and awd over fwd any day.

now if it were vr-4 vs gsx...that would be a different story

 

[black91awdturbo]

it wouldnt matter to me if it was a gsx or not the 99 vr4 has sold for over 40k I have seen em! Just go to that 3000gt/stealth forum you will see them in there for that price its a ultra rare car! I would get the vr4 and sell it take the 25k profit and build a sick and I do mean sick awd 1g with it thats just me thought!

 

[illuminatus]

I still see VR-4's going for over $15,000. Get the VR-4 sell it and buy the GS-T and walk away with +$5,000

 

[d3solate]

smart advice. hehe yah if it was a GSX instead of a GS-t it would totally be a different story. maybe not as rare as the 3000gt but it is certainly more rare than any GS-t to see a 97+ GSX with lows up for sale. haha that car is my all time favorite i just cant find any that are or have low mileage and are "reasonably" price (sometimes the private seller....even company way overpriced their used GSX) and close to where i live. but who knows i mean i was lucky enough to find this 3000gt maybe i will be lucky enough to find a GSX =). the end of march is soon approaching and so will my decision =) YAY. (why this long...college related............) THANKS ALOT YOU GUYS, YOU HELP ME ALOT :laugh:

 

[pkieley]

I just recieved a PM from d3solate and it appears this may be a case of ESCROW FRAUD.

If anyone in the SF area knows d3solate please get a hold of him immediately.

Here is the escrow he asked me about: http://auto1imports.com/

Here is what I could find out with a google: http://www.carbuyingtips.com/fraud.htm

That company is being investigated!!!!

Phil

 

[GAdriver]

Ok, the 99 vr4 is very very rare. I am doubting that its selling for under 10k. But if it is then buy and sell it for more.

 

[Tallen]

I'd take the VR4 hands down. An AWD DSM vs the VR4 may be a tough choice though.

 

[d3solate]

so sorry guys thanks to the life saver pkieley i would have lost $10k i no you guys warned me and its a good thing i decided not to purchase until the end of march. although it is really sad to now forget about the 3000gt im glad i idid do some physical research on the GS-T i just saw the car recently and even tested it. the best thing is i have addresses and that means i have security just in case i need to go through lawsuit and liars. but sorry to inform you guys about this fraud sale and please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please check out this site before purchasing anything autos online http://www.carbuyingtips.com/fraud.htm. at least i still have the option to buy a GS-T hopefully sooner i might encounter a GSX but thanks you guys for all your support and thank you pkieley you are a lifesaver and valued member to this site.