The Mitsubishi 3000GT remains stuck in sports car Limbo, a place where vehicles with great resumes seem to languish, neither cast off as undesirable by enthusiasts but also never quite desirable enough to become valuable. On paper, the 3000GT seems to check so many boxes, loaded with technology and comfort features that make it a car you don’t mind driving every day. It’s still a striking design, and in convertible form, the folding hardtop was a revelation when introduced in the mid-90s. Still, they haven’t broken through as must-haves, so you can find near-pristine examples like this 1995 Spyder here on craigslist for $29,500. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Scott for the tip.
The 3000GT and its corporate twin, the Dodge Stealth, were admittedly not marketed as raw sports cars – they were far better at being a classic GT car, and the curb weight and long list of comfort and tech features only added to that sentiment. However, it seemed like Mitsubishi wanted to run with the big dogs, and compete with the likes of the Mazda RX-7 and the Toyota Supra. At the same time, some road test editors didn’t really know what else to compare the 3000GT to, so it often got lumped in with these more sporting models in comparison tests, and never fared very well against them.
The 3000GT is not all that different from the Z32-chassis Nissan 300ZX in terms of current market sentiments. The 300ZX could also be had in a high-zoot trim with electronic enhancements like the trick HICAS and SuperHICAS chassis control system, along with a turbocharged variant that remains the more sought-after trim level today. However, like the 3000GT, even really nice versions of the Z32 seem to top out at $30,000, and I don’t think that price tag will move very much in the future. The 3000GT VR4 Spyder is powerful, fast, and still looks quite modern, but it doesn’t seem poised to be worth a great deal more than the current asking price.
In 1995, the headlights moved from pop-ups to a fixed-style design, and the transmission gained a gear to give it a true 6-speed manual. The powerful DOHC 6G72 V-6 engine featured a pair of Mitsubishi TD04-09B turbochargers and Power jumped to 320 b.h.p. in 1995. The all-wheel drive system featured a viscous coupling center differential, so all told, when you checked the box for the VR-4 trim, you were getting a boatload of options that made the most expensive versions of the 3000GT and the Dodge Stealth far different than their 4-cylinder, front-wheel-drive entry-level siblings. A capable and interesting car but one that seems destined to always be a bit of an outlier – do you agree?
Most 3000 GT’s being sold today have been “ridden hard and put away wet” as they say however this is a rare find indeed. Would have liked to have seen some interior shots and the top working/down giving the asking price but still this is a nice car to get the conversation with the seller started over a potential acquisition.
The should have posted photos of the engine compartment as well.
I would love to have a 3000 GT VR4, but honestly prefer the hatchback over the convertible. I get that the folding hardtop convertible should be less noisy and not suffer from other typical soft-top convertible issues, but the side profile on this unit just does not look as good as the standard coupe/hatchback (whatever they called it.)
And call me an oddball, but I really don’t want every sporty car to be bright red (or black). Give me something unique with some character.
I don’t follow the market on these but this one is certainly the nicest I’ve seen anywhere. I agree the coupe is less ungainly looking.
My oldest son bought one of these when he was still in High School.He worked part time for a friend of mine in his garage, fab shop, they added bigger turbos, larger intercooler, bigger injectors, fine tuned suspension.Was fast and handled quite well, got to drive it once, lots of fun.He sold it and actually made a profit.Asked him why he sold it, he said he got tired of having to squeeze his 6’11 body into it.Bought a brand new fox body Mustang G.T., didn’t make 6 months before it was modified enough to void his warranty,at 36 he owns his own fab shop, repair facility, and as he told me last weekend, his business has doubled in past 3 months, now he can’t find anyone to work, even willing to train, said young guys work long enough to be able to get back on un-employment then quit.So he’s swamped and working tons of hours.I’ve even gone over and worked on some older vehicles he’s had in, think Morris Minor, M.G. MGB, and 47 Chevy Coupe, anything to keep him in business.
Now i see why Ford didnt bother to lower the roof of the Fox body stang – more sales to tall people! – tho he might hate the cramped new stangs or camaros with gangster side glass even more than the wider 3000gt with lot more side glass.
It just doesn’t look right lol
This is a chance to acquire a very special car.These cars are very reliable. A coworker has been driving one of the first models for years and it’s still running.I happen to believe it may gain collectors status someday especially one as nice as this one.
I always liked these. Am I wrong, or don’t the top-level models like this one also have 4-wheel steering?
I know the earlier vr4s indeed had 4 wheel steering, active adjustable exhaust & active adjustable front & rear spoilers, adjustable suspension, electronic climate control.
On such an old car, the less options the better. I seen early non turbos with crank windows, simple 3 dial HVAC controls, no antilock brakes, no rear spoiler!, & cloth seats. & non of the turbo’s above features.
I wonder if any were delivered with NO A/C!!
It’s mind blowing Toyota Supra’s are selling for $100,000 to 170,000 dollars, when these cars, with better performance, AWD, 4 wheel steering, active exhaust, and electronic suspension sell for 30,000 dollars! These are a performance bargain, and the convertible is rare.
I had one exactly like it. While it was neat and sporty, it seemed pretty slow and “rubber band” like in it’s performance and would fall on it’s face when you got near redline.
Too heavy – the base FWD version is a lot lighter & more agile with far less heavy features.
Holy moly, I completely forgot there was even a Spyder version of these made.