Oh, how the mighty have fallen. There are certain vehicles that seemingly always avoid becoming project cars, but no single model is infallible. Heck, we’ve seen Mustang Cobras, Porsche 911s, various Ferraris, and many others in various states of disrepair. The Mitsubishi 3000GT is commonly found in dilapidated condition in base model form, not the hot ticket VR4 model that was a pricey model when new and sold in limited quantities. Somehow, this 1998 3000GT VR4 listed here on Facebook Marketplace has ended up as a near-abandoned project car, and the seller is asking $10,000 for it.
Now, that’s a strong ask, sadly, for this 3000GT, which desperately needs a savior. The 3000GT in VR4 form was a true masterclass in Japanese technology and performance, showcasing everything Mitsubishi had to offer. At a time when every major manufacturer was seemingly building a compelling sports car, here comes Mitsubishi ready to party with the big dogs with its VR4. Twin-turbocharged power, advanced electronic suspension, aggressive styling, chrome wheels, and enough aerodynamic gadgetry to make a fighter pilot jealous.
And, you also got a pretty sweet interior with sport seats, auxiliary gauges, a high-end stereo, and padded door panels. The 3000GT VR4 even had four-wheel steering and the active aero package I mentioned above was truly cutting edge, with spoilers that raised and lowered as additional downforce was required. While other cars were lighter and faster (barely), none of its Japanese competitors (300ZX, RX-7, Prelude, etc.) came close to matching the sheer brute power and advanced technology that Mitsu stuffed into the VR4 model.
The 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 is good for 320 horsepower and 315 lb.-ft. of torque. This was a 5-second car to 60, making it seriously quick for the middle 1990s. They are somewhat maintenance hungry, mostly due to the obscure electronic bits failing and little in the way of replacement parts available. The seller calls the car’s condition “poor” after many years of neglect and crude storage, and while it runs, it will likely need a fair amount of reconditioning. The asking price is simply too high, but hopefully there’s enough flexibility on the seller’s part to ensure this 3000GT VR4 is revived.
Holy crap! I’ve seen ones (both 3000GTs and Stealths) in excellent condition for this price. This guy is dreaming.
He’s probably thinking “I’ve got a VR4” What he isn’t thinking is “Wow this thing’s a project”
You have? I haven’t. An excellent VR4 is usually in the $25k-$30k range when I see them, which is not often.
You don’t see many of these in any condition. One thing the author didn’t mention is these had a driver-tunable exhaust for sound. You could make the pipes loud or quiet. And they were especially complicated compared to what was offered in the day. Though this car is a VR4, the seller is in fact, dreaming…but then again, there’s probably a fanatic out there who wants one regardless of its shape..
Packard’s ‘Ask the Man Who Owns ONE’ would backfire on these lemon cars from hell- that’s why their resale value remains low.
Ooooof!! I think I lost $500 just looking at this thing. Money pit! And that’s assuming you can still find all the parts. Good luck.
“put an LS in it” was never more true.
Sorry, but that Mitsubishi V6 is a great engine. My ex bought a new 2001 Eclipse GT with this V6 mounted transversely (FWD car unlike this RWD instance). I did all the maintenance (including replacing the timing belt). Great driver with lots of power.
My ex-wife bought a new one back in the early 90’s. She leased it, then bought it at the end of the lease. She ended up paying about $80k in total for that pile of sh*t. It was quick, but it was a black hole, that could swallow a 401k and your IRA in 3 seconds. I’m glad she wanted that car in our divorce.
A friend had one of these back in the 90’s, and they truly were a technological marvel. Wow – the sound of that engine at full throttle! But along with the car came the old adage “the more complex something is, the more things that can go wrong.” Fun for a season, but long-term ownership, then or now? No thanks.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1722229949227370/
Now that looks like a great deal and looks like it has been taken care of compared to this one night and day.
Wow, night and day difference between the two.
I had a co-worker that bought one because it was fast and different. I drove it for a few days and it was not the wonderful experience that I had hoped for. He sold it before the warranty ran out. (And he is one that could afford buying a new one every year.) He also didn’t enjoy the experience. So he bought another Mustang GT.
That’s roughly 10X what it is worth.
I spent 15 months as a Mitsubishi dealership service manager. When the store opened, one of our first inventory pieces was a red VR4. It was heavy on the cool factor but equally heavy on the cheesy factor. “Leather trim” meant only the seating surfaces of only the front seats were leather; the entire remainder of the interior was vinyl and plastic.
When you started it cold and didn’t leave it run until the engine reached full operating temperature you were cleaning the spark plugs, a chore that paid 1.8 warranty hours. Its sticker price of $70,000+ in addition to the cheap interior kept luxury sports car buyers at bay and it was still in stock when the dealership closed those 15 months later.
Cool toys couldn’t sway Corvette and Acura toward it. We left an oral surgeon who really seemed hot to buy it drive it for a weekend but no sale.
Crusher bait .
another crazy seller with that price. parts car 1k tops.
I actually went and saw the car..90% of the information is wrong. I originally asked Bob if there was frame damage, he said no. The rear end body lines did not line up and asked if it was hit. The mom or seller informed me her mom rear end the vr4 splitting the bumper, looks like the rear frame was pushed in. The original post mileage said 180k, it has 238k. He correct afterwards. The brakes are all smoked, only the front passenger side shock worked, every seal on the engine was leaking,… And yes the transfer case seal was leaking. The transmission doesn’t go in 5th and brake feel was off. The frame has so much surface rust it’s about to bubble in the undercarriage, in a couple of years it will be unsalvageable. The driver must have been a smoker cause it covered up any mold smell if the sun roof leaked.
Pretty high mileage. I would never had guessed it could be that high. It must have been “reliable” during it’s lifetime to rack up that kind of mileage.
And if the timing belt is snapped- it’s going to cost more than what you paid for it to fix. These cars are horrible to work on.