I am a proud 02 S2K owner, but recently looked at getting a Mistubishi 3000GT VR-4...a car I had noticed a while back but only recently thought of again. I test drove one yesterday, then got back into my S and truly appreciated it (all over again).

But I have wanted to get a VR4 for a while, so I was trying to figure out why I felt felt odd with my test drive. The biggest thing was that I couldn't feel the road. The car was so solid, and acceleration so constant, and seats so comfortable, that there was no "driving excitement." Good things: I wasn't getting 'buffeted' by the wind Odd: It was so fast, I was at 100 mph before I realized it...and I had no feel (other than coming up on traffic) of getting there, unlike the S, where you wail through 3 gears until redline.

So anyway, I'm still looking at one more VR4 (guy tracks it), and am wondering if maybe a set of coilovers will help with getting that feel of the road at all. Anyone drive one of these things and have any thoughts on whether suspension mods would make an appreciable difference? - RJ

 

Having worked on a few I can say with certainty you will develop a long term relationship with your mechanic if you buy one of these.

 

^^^^this guys ain't playin, these cars do NOT have good track records for reliability, neither does any mitsushitty imo, ive owned 2 and they both were broken all the time, i spent more fixing the second one than than i paid for it, also all the time off the road getting fixed is not fun either

 

not only are you constantly working on it, but from my experiences they are a pain to work on too. I would say it ranks right up there with the 300zx my buddy use to have in terms of ease of repair.

 

And the horrible AWD system in the 3000GT made it very inconsistent, sometimes the car will understeer and other times it will oversteer were most AWD cars feel more RWD or FWD. And as said before, put aside at least 5g's for repair money cause your gonna need it.

 

Don't do it. Just get a WRX and soup it up. At least it'll be reliable and consistent.

 

I had an NA Dodge Stealth (mechanical twin to the 3000GT) with the 222hp powerplant--managed to get it for $1000 in pretty good shape as a college beater. I really liked the car. It felt like they used higher end parts building it--maybe they broke but they seemed quality if that makes sense--and the car was pretty solid mechanically for me, but then it was NA, FWD, MT, no active aero, etc etc--much more simple than a VR4. I had to put in a clutch, CV joints, and give it a full tune up over the year or two I had it--nothing surprising.

A guy I knew had the TT Stealth and ran 12's in the 1/4 mile with nothing but a manual boost controller.

The 60/40 weight distribution with a quite heavy car was nowhere near as fun as the S2000 for nimbleness etc. Coilovers might improve it, but they won't remove 700lbs from the front axle; that was a big issue to me.

I would expect something like a used Corvette--or many other options for that matter--would be more rewarding to drive and easier to maintain while still giving you tons of power. But I see why you would want a VR4. They're just cool toys.

 

Dont expect Honda quality from a mitsushitty. Also you will never attain the road feel you desire from one of them.

 

i suggest you start building a strong relationship from today onwards if you are planning on buying one of those mitsushitty's. Sometimes i wish i was a mechanic and only specialize in repairing these types of unreliable cars. Id be so much further in life

 

I owned a 1994 VR-4. Anything specific you are looking for?

Also, check out 3si and socal3s.

My car was 100% stock, but I've driven modded ones as well.