1991 Mitsubishi 3000gt VR4 Twin Turbo (in need of TLC)
Price: -
Item location: Prescott, Arizona, United States
Description:
1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT
NO RESERVEStarts & runs, but not very well (always starts, but drives well one day, rough idle & loses torque on other days – moody). Drives ok to move around on a driveway, but not street-reliable (might stall-out on the street).
This has been my personal secondary car (I have another daily driver), and I love it but it's now in need of some TLC that I have neither the skills nor the time for to do myself (I'm not a mechanic nor a dealer nor a car flipper).
I have serviced the car using professional auto shops. But the nearest Mitsubishi dealer to me is 130 miles round-trip. My local (small town) auto shops have been capable, but they're not very familiar with the VR4 (I most recently used an “import car specialty shop”, but they normally work on European cars). So this car would benefit from someone who either knows the 3000gt or has access to a shop with 3000gt knowledge.
In the most recent service (Mar 2023) new spark plugs, spark plug wires, and coil packs were installed. The “check engine” light is on and the shop recommended new injectors, a new ignition power transister, and a new coolant temperature sensor. But since this shop wasn't especially familiar with the VR4, the buyer should re-evaluate what might actually be needed.
Link to video of the engine running: https://youtu.be/an0d_5TsrcY
The car has lived first in California, then Arizona – never in a snowbelt area, no signs of any rust. It has never been raced (not by me at least, and I believe not previously) nor driven hard (this is my secondary/occasional car – I have a more sedate daily driver). Never been in an accident.
Sun, heat & age have taken a toll on the leather upholstery, which has cracked & crumbled. The car currently has simple inexpensive seat pads/covers, which the buyer could continue to use, or nicer model-specific seat covers could be installed, or possibly new leather upholstery.
Similarly age has caused the leather on top of the dashboard to split & crack, so the car has a suede-texture dash cover; it is very functional as-is, or alternatively there are 3000gt dashboards on eBay and elsewhere (not expensive but I think a lot of time/effort to do a swap).
The paint is just ok; shiny in most areas but faded in some areas, with some peeling clearcoat. It would certainly look best with some new paint, but the buyer could defer that til sometime later.
The car is mostly stock and original, except:- An aftermarket (stubby) radio antenna.- The wheels are stock 3000gt, painted black. The tires are Kumho “ECSTa 4X” M&S 245/45 ZR17 95W.- A peel & stick vinyl racing stripe was applied many years ago (and is showing age). The buyer can decide to keep it as-is, or apply a new stripe of your choice over the existing one, or remove the existing stripe (a hair drier should facilitate removing it; if you wish to repaint the car then the stripe will need to be removed).- A dash cover as previously mentioned.- Front seat pads/covers as previously mentioned.- An aftermarket shift knob (the original will be included, but the leather is worn).- An aftermarket alarm system was installed by the previous owner. It appears to be an Avital model (www.avital.com), thought to be (not sure) the “Phoenix 2” model. I rarely ever used the alarm system.- For preventative maintenance, a new timing belt was installed recently (@ 115,337 so less than 2,000 miles on the new belt). At the same time the ECU was sent out for refurbishment, so the ECU should be good for quite awhile.
Other known issues:- The passenger side power window works, from the button on both left & right side. But the driver side power window is not working. Both the button & motor work, but the cables pulling the regulator mechanism are discombobulated. It might be possible to remove the regulator and repair/adjust it, or pull a new cable through it (similar to a bicycle cable); alternatively there are many 3000gt window regulators available (CarParts.com, eBay, Amazon) for about $50-$60 or so. The window is currently fixed in the up position to keep it weather-tight.- The “SRS” warning light is on, which is apparently a common 3000gt issue (many complaints about this on 3000gt/stealth forums). Apparently the SRS computer will latch an error condition and never let go of it until it's reset; a common “error” condition is low voltage, e.g. if the battery gets low or is replaced (!!). There are tips & tricks on 3000gt forums for how to reset this; I tried one tip (flip the key on/off 10 times) to no avail. Did not try other tips/tricks. Note: no airbags have ever been deployed, the car has never been in a collision – this is a spurious/noise condition from the stupid SRS computer. An OBD1 scanner (or dealer) could definitely clear this. Many 3000gt owners have simply removed the dash light bulb (I did not).- The “Anti Lock” (ABS) warning light is also on. Also apparently a common 3000gt issue (as discussed on forums). Brakes seem to be working well in spite of the warning light.- Other smaller items (e.g. interior switches/lights etc.) consistent with the car's age/use etc.
NO RESERVE
Vehicle Details:
- Make: Mitsubishi
- Model: 3000GT
- Type: Coupe
- Doors: 2
- Year: 1991
- Mileage: 117372
- VIN: JA3XE74C6MY008445
- Color: Red
- Engine size: 3L V6 Twin Turbo
- Number of cylinders: 6
- Fuel: Gasoline
- Transmission: Manual
- Drive type: AWD
- Interior color: Tan
- Drive side: Left-Hand Drive
- Vehicle Title: Clean Want to buy? Contact seller!