I will always love these cars. I'm still daily driving a 92 VR4 that I bought when I was 16 years old & it still puts a smile on my face every day. I've put out some decent money to keep things right, but I don't regret a cent of it & the car has never left me anywhere. Even yearly 2-3 hour vacation trips are nothing, these cars eat the miles up & hold their own against much newer machines while doing it.
My dad had this car when I was 6yrs, being 23yrs now I can say this car was the reason for my Love of Cars great memories 👍🏾 (Engine was chipped to 420hp I believe and had a loud exhaust)
These never got the love they deserved compared to the others as you mentioned, but unfortunately were also known to be quite delicate. Some things owners did and will always look out for: transmissions on all variants had weak points, even the dull 4-speed auto. The 6G72, both turbo and NA, was known to spin bearings very easily due to oil starvation, so owners always keep an eye on oil pressure and levels. One VERY important thing to note, the oil pan pickup is on the lowest part of the engine and unprotected, so it is very susceptible to denting, leading to oil starvation and spun bearings. These cars also sit very low (mine measured at 41" tall) so bumps and scrapes on uneven roads are very common. Exterior plastics fade from gray to white, red paint was single stage and fades to pink, dash vents are the first things to crack on the interior, gray carpet can fade to green. Also one thing missed in the video, these went through 3 facelifts after the initial 90-93 pop-up headlight run. '94 saw bumper and side skirt changes, and projector headlights, '97 saw new bumpers and spoiler, and '99 was a different animal with the new front end and combat wing. Certain features like AWS and active aero were also dropped during these facelifts.
Oil pan pickup is the lowest part but the oil pan sits behind the subframe. It’s not really possible to scrape or dent it unless you REALLY screw stuff up. The main problem actually comes from poor ownership- people raising the engine to do the 60k service on the timing belt & supporting the engine via the oil pan.
Yea most of the time the oil pan gets dented because dummies jack up the car from the oil pan. Putting a dent in it and causing oil starvation. Its not a Mitsui problem any car would fail under that circumstance.
Mine was a twin turbo, with enlarged turbos and a boost controller, five speed, with around 520 HP. That thing was ridiculously fast, 0-100 km / h in about four seconds. Active aero was busted, and the door seal didn't seal properly. It also has no room to work on the engine, as the packaging is extremely tight. Unless it's a VR-4 and a manual, not worth buying; low km VR-4, unmodified specimens are highly collectible, and extremely rare and hard to find.
N/A GTO's are the best for modding, especially if you don't care for the 6G72 and want something else. Its why I got one :P The chassis is so rigid, the paint colors are to die for and the car looks very pretty.
Bought a gto twin turbo many years ago, bought it as a non runner for £1k, £60 later on a replacement starter motor and it was all good, run it hard for a year, had the best winter driving ever in it then sold it for twice what I paid for it, only thing I spent money on was the starter and fuel. About to go and look at another in 2 days time, one of my all time favourite modern classics. It was a classic the day it was released and everyone knew it would always be the case. How many 40-50 year olds now will be wanting one of these purely because it was the first car they got when playing gran turismo.
First of all, the 3000gt is my dream car and this video was very helpful in pointing out potential problems to look for and also a very well done overview of the cars features. On another note though, the way this guy does sponsorships is so nice. They arent a forced segway into overplayed ads, but a smooth quick informational bit that fit seamlessly into the video.
R34 GTR, series 6 RX7, GTO. I still hold hope one day there's a redriven review of a certain mid engined V6 Honda sportscar. That Honda is perhaps the most special of all 90s Japanese cars.
i have 1991 GTO Twin Turbo , Active areo 4WD and 4WS still working . car is real head turner , 57i kit and big 3" pipe . other than that its stock. no other mods ( I am in New Zealand )
Guys, for your next compilation video, can you do a theme like "best second hand Grand Touring cars"? Thanks for your videos, have watched them all, and even bought my current car based on one of your videos. Keep up the fantastic work!
Sure Mitsubushi also built the smaller FTO, cool looking sports car. Mitsubushi does not build a single vehicle on sale in the UK that I would buy now, maybe the L200 pick up. The Mitsubushi Galant VR4 was a very cool saloon/sedan back in the day. Great videos to watch.
@@bruce7890 yea, I just checked. I did not realise they pulled out, I am a car bloke and never even noticed, not much was said. The last model line up must have been so mind numbingly boring that nobody noticed, shame because they were once an interesting car manufacturer up with Honda and Toyota. The Mitsubushi Shogun/Pajero were well regarded 4x4's too.
@@nk53nxg Exactly... But they're doing well with the PHEV Outlander in the US, have a new generation L200/Ttriton pickup with a twin turbo 2.4 litre, 4 cylinder diesel coming, the Shogun/Pajero Sport holds it's own against the Fortuner and Ranger and there's a new 7 seat SUV promised to investors... I'm driving a 2015 Shogun, 3.2 diesel (largest 4 cylinder ever put into a passenger vehicle!)... They're not disappearing just yet...
@@bruce7890 They do still sell cars in Europe but in a very reduced markets, the Colt is a rebadged Renault Clio & the ASX is a rebadged Renault Captur.
I've had this car in the uk for 18 years, and i can say it is a very reliable car. it still has the original parts from factory including the spark plug leads. The only thing i changed was a fuel pump for an AEM 340LPH. My car has about 330 bhp but i drive it like a lunatic and it can handle alot of abuse. i wanted to blow up the engine so i could put in a 3.5L, from a shogun but it never blow up so i started to respect it more.
Really good review. Just a shame you didn't get to experience the TT version because THAT'S what made these cars so special. I have a Gen 1 Aust delivered 3000GT. Love it with a passion.
Jim is exactly the first mechanic I've heard say these are reliable. I love Jim but now I'm conflicted and confused. 3000GT VR4s are pretty expensive here in the States, which are the only AWD ones we got. Most are beaten and have a ton of shitty mods too. It's unfortunate.
He is a moron. they are not reliable. they spin rod bearings.. that's why you never see them these days. everyone that owned one had an engine blow and decided the money pit was no longer worth it.. speaking form experience. that's like claiming and fd rx7 is reliable or a tt 300zx reliable... lololol. they are not...
I had one. Active aero disabled, coil overs, boost and intercooler, BOV, 3 boost gauges 🤣. Great fun but gearshift was long and sloppy and couldn't keep it from boiling the coolant. Fast, but not that fast.
Just to.point out the valve stem seals are really easy to replace without removing the heads and the wing mirrors are the same part number on the USA version as the Dodge Viper. Just thought that was funny as that was your last review.
I redid the valve seals without taking the heads off. Just pressurize the cylinder through the spark plug hole to keep the valves seated. Also I ordered the seals from a mitsu fork lift truck supplier for few dollars each. The dealer wanted something ridiculous.
Its mostly the turboes and active aero and entirely steel construction that add to the weight NA version with AWD would be barely any heavier than mk4 Supra.
I just bought a 95 3000gt in amazing condition for dirt cheap it was backed in to in the front and they sold it to me for 300 bucks the car runs amazing dont even have the lifter tick as the wole motor and transmition was redone about a year ago. I cant wait to have this car restored and back on the road
I love 90s cars and how their ground clearence and suspensions were set up. Modern sportscars are utter garbage or wholely dependant on adaptive suspension never doing nearly as good job as 90s japanese sportscars did. They done comfort and handling in most perfect of blends.
I have the 6g72 in my Eclipse Spyder GT. Timing belt, Water pump, Idle air control valve, are things to watch for. Also never clean the mass air flow sensor, you'll ruin it NO cleaner can clean it.
I have a 98 GTO MR, it’s my 4th of the same platform but my first RHD GTO. I love it, but I really forgot how tight the cockpit is. Mines a survivor, unmolested except for wheels and tires, I daily drive her.
I had a GTO, loved it super reliable (as long as it has no mods, if it’s been modified your in a world of pain) I think the problem is that Mitsubishi advertised as a drivers car, when really its a comfortable cruising car
16:34 Although he shares lots if useful information, this is actually not true; if you have a car from 1992.5 or after, you have a 25 spline transfer case while the first generation had an 18 spline. The motor also changed in this time period, to having a 2-bolt crank girdle to a 4-bolt crank girdle. This is why the 1992.5+ are most sought after. P.S. unless you are going to spend close to $20k on a mint condition car, be prepared to spend at least $2,750 on the 120k mile maintenance. You can not trust anything people say when they sell them.
Wow! I had one of the first batch - I still miss it - it looked so cool with the pop up lights. I let it go as the electricals started acting up and fuel costs were crazy. Still love it - legend car
I absolutely LOVE the look of that interior. Looks so solid, and if it still had the stock head unit, I would have had to change my pants. Great video, guys.
lol because that has anything to do with a 3000gt. which are known for spinning rod bearings and blowing motors... and guess what unlike Porsche's that had that issue, much like Nissans that had it, there is no fix... just repair and wait for it to happen again.
Pity he didn’t test drive the turbo model. They still hammer. Stock versus stock they were as quick or quicker than the gtr and supra of the day. I have an exceptionally clean GTO tt model and it’s absolutely a pleasure to drive.
Back in my college days, I greatly admired this car, the Supra, and the 300ZX. I'm going with a Mustang Ecoboost this year. I think it's a car that could give me a similar experience to those, while also being a technologically current package. I'll never live without a backup camera again! It's kind of weird that I'm going to Ford for the Japanese sports car I always wanted, huh?
Excellent work in the paint, that GTO looks Super Clean, I have one Black too, but VR-4, the first gen in black and red looks fantastic, I love this car
Another car to bring back to memory is the A70 supra, worth consideration. Once you get past the 7M head gasket problem, they're a great, good looking car with real street presence
I owned on these in VR4 trim, same shape and colour as featured example in the video. Even though mine was a abused example that needed work and therefore was cheap for me to buy, that machine was a such a blast. It drives like it`s glued to the road, and was actually really comfy to drive too, not at quite same level as my 2003 Volvo S60 but really not that far behind either. I miss that car so much and regret selling it.
This is by far my favourite car. Ever since i was a little boy standing on the roof of my grandads garden shed i remember seeing the neighbour across the road with a blue GTO. It looked like a Ferarri for me. Ever since then i've wanted one and im 40 now lol
I had a 1991 Mitsubishi GTO (Japanese Import) and it sucked! Too much tech that had all gone wrong, leaks everywhere, terrible corrosion, very tricky access to service/repair and ultimately I had to sell it as a parts car as was a money pit. It looked great and the pop-up headlamps still worked at least.
they werent any better in the late 90s and 00s. mine in 01 was absolute dogshit. the wiring, that joke of a glass transmission, the worlds weakest brakes, the rust, and having to change the back plugs got me to sell it and never regret it.
@@thh420 Yes I forgot about that. I couldn't even get full access to the timing belt and leaking water pump. Did the GTO/3000GT have different plugs/part numbers for the front and rear banks? I also had an import FTO which has a different set at the back so the idea was you'd change them less frequently than the fronts.. rather than just engineer it to have them accessible.. That's sad about the later ones as I thought the "lightened" versions that ditched the 4WD, rear wheel steer and such made them a bit better, but I guess just made all the other issues more apparent. Most have electrical faults because of the rust, which causes earthing issues.
@@boilerhousegarage mine was a 97 i think. we had 3 at the used car dealership i worked at in 01. mine was the best of them, but it had so many problems, and EVERY 90s mitsubishi we had with an auto ate itself well before 100K miles. and FUCK THAT WATERPUMP AND TIMING BELT, SORRY MOTHERFUCKERS THEY ARE. I feel your pain brother, its good to know i wasnt the only one who suffered because MOM SAID WE HAVE FERRARI AT HOME
@@boilerhousegarage I mean if you dont know how to work on cars its okay lol, I just did the 120k on my 99 vr4 and it took 4 hours. Spark plugs can be done in an hour, its not that bad. If you do a vacuum delete even easier. People blow this out of proportion and always will. From an owner of these fantastic cars for 15 years.
17:50 when New, these were better than the unmentioned Subaru SVX. The SVX was Subarus Halo GT car and was a direct JDM GT competitor to this. We got it here in NZ. Did you not get it in Aussie??
I have my dream, 99 VR4 - I started 15 years ago when I was 17 with a non trubo auto. I had SO many of these fantastic cars, including 2 spyder vr4's. My opinion on what plagues these cars is their sales numbers, and since they are so affordable they get into the wrong hands and then blow up because they threw a boost controller and never did maintenance and OMG they are the worst cars ever, so unreliable. On the plus side, with so many sold the parts really arent that hard to come by - vr4 specific ones are a bit more but most parts are shared. Honestly, they are great cars, not unrelaible nor that hard to work on. Harder than a 90's civic? yes, but just take your time and watch the great tutorials on how to do almost anything you need.
It's a shame you didn't have a manual to test, I remember the gearbox being pretty great. My GTO was a Japanese import otherwise it would have been named the 3000GT here in the UK. Everything on the interior was awesome but the ECU popped twice in 6 months so I got rid of it, that and changing the spark plugs meant removing the entire top of the engine to get to the rear 3 plugs, that annoyed me beyond words. Mine was the gen 1, 4wd naturally aspirated. As mentioned in the video, taking the head off is quite common. That said, it's the JDM car I would buy again over all the others, I just prefer the way it looks unless it's a red one, the paint really fades badly and looks f'ing awful.
I've had two turbo GTOs, still have one of them. Had a jza80 turbo back in the day also. Tbh, between the supra and the gto, both have their good and bad points. Overall, I consider them to be roughly equally good. The supra is just over-rated, and the gto under-rated. Worst part about the GTO is probably its cramped and plasticity interior. Otherwise it feels great to drive, has a lot of tuning potential, and it looks incredible. BTW, I'm not knocking this video, but I think it was a real mistake to make it without finding a turbo gto to feature in it. I've test driven an n/a, and it's a completely different car. Slow and gutless, it's really embarrassing that a car that looks so fast can be so sloooow. Seriously a Camry of the same vintage is faster. In case I'm coming off as a gto fanboy, I actually think both the 300zx z32 and the mr2 (sw20 or a11) are better examples of the automotive designers art (in turbo or SC form of course) than either the supra or gto... Although if it's raining I'll take the mitsi everytime 😊
I keep hearing all the unreliability of VR4s and GTOs but no one really talks about SLs.Found a really good condition one,but there’s very little talk about owning an SL that is in good condition.There is some talk,but it’s just on project SLs.
I got a 3000gt worth about $30,000 cuz it’s the rarest spec for a base model for $5,000. I kinda felt bad once I got it and figured out how rare it is. It’s one of about 500 ever and I’ve never seen another one irl or online before most of them are gone
What a car, always loved Mitsubishi’s big V6. I own a couple of modified 6G75 powered Magna’s, both manual. One of them worked with big cams, it’s certainly a quick and fun car to drive
Everyone was terrified of the complexity in the 90s and early 00s. And back then, the GTR and Supra were easier to modify. Even though the Supra wasn't the fire breathing animal that most are today back then. The RX7 and 300ZX were better looking too. It wasn't and isn't a bad car. It just had great competition in a crowded marketplace. And tbh, many Mitsi buyers probably figured the Evo was cheaper and faster and more practical.
I had one of these! Bought it as its first NZ Owner ex Japan. It was reliable while I had it too, serviced every 7500KM. Had it for 3 years. Was such a thirsty beast, but worth it for the vibes.
Shame Mitsu no longer makes cars like this. I had a 95'. Loved the car but that engine bay was packed tight, very hard to work on. Didn't have many problems with them (considering the age).
if you get one that has not developed the gear grind dump out transmission fluid out asap and top it off with synchromesh in it you will thank me later
The brief of the GTO was a car that even your Granny could drive fast, in that respect it was successful. Not exactly a sexy brief though. I went for a ride in the passenger seat of a 3000 GT that was actually owned by the official importer of Mitsubishi cars into the UK, it even had the number plate '3000 GT'. As a 15 year old it was my first experience of such a fast car, I'll always have a soft spot for these things. The active aero was so cool. It was so low & wide it felt really special on the road.
Cool looking things but the reason I think they were mostly forgotten is because compared to its contemporaries it was pretty disappointing to drive, and all of the tech stuff just added weight without actually improving its performance. ETA: I had admittedly made this comment before I got to the driving section. I will just say though Adam that yeah it's supposed to be a GT car but it's main competition was the 300ZX (to a lesser extent the GT-R, but realistically the GT-R was just a whole other ball game) and A80 Supra. The Supra was of course a bit more on the "sporty" side of GT but the 300ZX in particular was just a better all-rounder while doing it with half the electronic shit that the Mitsu had and, as a result, a much more reasonable pricetag. I would totally love to get a Series III GTO though, even if only because it's like peak late-90s Japanese design.
Nice video. Can you do one for an 8th gen Galant/Legnum VR-4? Basically the equivalent of this car but with 4 doors and room for the missus + kids + handling on rails.
I want to get one but I don’t know if I just want to an NA or VR4, and to get a 1992 or a 1997. It would be my first project car, but I desire this car too much to not want it.
GTO/3000GT are just as popular as they should be and thats great. Lots of ppl are fans and love them as many other cars that aren't anomalies in the market. So if we compare anything to lets say . . . GTRs, RX7s and Supras than yeah it looks like its not popular but those cars are an exception because they are massivaely overhyped and overated (not saying they are not great cars in their own rights btw) thx to so many form of popular media . . . So i am glad things are not like that for the GTO/3000GT and other cars that aren't the 3 i listed above . . . I could add others to that list like the Corolla GTS/Sprinter Trueno/AE86 as another super obvious example of cars that are overpriced because of abnormal popularity caused in the same way . . .
I will always love these cars. I'm still daily driving a 92 VR4 that I bought when I was 16 years old & it still puts a smile on my face every day. I've put out some decent money to keep things right, but I don't regret a cent of it & the car has never left me anywhere. Even yearly 2-3 hour vacation trips are nothing, these cars eat the miles up & hold their own against much newer machines while doing it.
I worked on these under warranty back in the early 90's. Go on a road test on the freeway, and everybody wanted to give you a run.
Yeah, I owned one in the UK, I couldn't stop at a traffic light without someone revving their crappy 1.0L hatchback at me.
Love them ❤❤❤
3000GT, Starion, Cordia. Mitsubishi made some amazing cars in the day.
Still have a ‘92 Galant VR4 with 600 ponies at the wheels, great car…Cuzzin has a Legnum with 500 (and a few issues 😂). Triton’s are tough as nails!
I had 4 cordias ranging from stock to 250fwkw They were honestly the biggest shitboxes haha. Fun none the less
They certainly did
VR4 especially the 96 model onwards
I worked on all of these under warranty.
My dad had this car when I was 6yrs, being 23yrs now I can say this car was the reason for my Love of Cars great memories 👍🏾 (Engine was chipped to 420hp I believe and had a loud exhaust)
These never got the love they deserved compared to the others as you mentioned, but unfortunately were also known to be quite delicate. Some things owners did and will always look out for: transmissions on all variants had weak points, even the dull 4-speed auto. The 6G72, both turbo and NA, was known to spin bearings very easily due to oil starvation, so owners always keep an eye on oil pressure and levels. One VERY important thing to note, the oil pan pickup is on the lowest part of the engine and unprotected, so it is very susceptible to denting, leading to oil starvation and spun bearings. These cars also sit very low (mine measured at 41" tall) so bumps and scrapes on uneven roads are very common. Exterior plastics fade from gray to white, red paint was single stage and fades to pink, dash vents are the first things to crack on the interior, gray carpet can fade to green. Also one thing missed in the video, these went through 3 facelifts after the initial 90-93 pop-up headlight run. '94 saw bumper and side skirt changes, and projector headlights, '97 saw new bumpers and spoiler, and '99 was a different animal with the new front end and combat wing. Certain features like AWS and active aero were also dropped during these facelifts.
It didn't get the love because it was poorly built.
where you say "one thing missed in the video"... he talks about it at 2:00, looks like you may have missed it
Oil pan pickup is the lowest part but the oil pan sits behind the subframe. It’s not really possible to scrape or dent it unless you REALLY screw stuff up. The main problem actually comes from poor ownership- people raising the engine to do the 60k service on the timing belt & supporting the engine via the oil pan.
@@Soviet_Kitty 👏👍
Yea most of the time the oil pan gets dented because dummies jack up the car from the oil pan. Putting a dent in it and causing oil starvation. Its not a Mitsui problem any car would fail under that circumstance.
Mine was a twin turbo, with enlarged turbos and a boost controller, five speed, with around 520 HP. That thing was ridiculously fast, 0-100 km / h in about four seconds. Active aero was busted, and the door seal didn't seal properly. It also has no room to work on the engine, as the packaging is extremely tight. Unless it's a VR-4 and a manual, not worth buying; low km VR-4, unmodified specimens are highly collectible, and extremely rare and hard to find.
Agree 100% - the n/a GTOs are just a waste of time
N/A GTO's are the best for modding, especially if you don't care for the 6G72 and want something else. Its why I got one :P The chassis is so rigid, the paint colors are to die for and the car looks very pretty.
Bought a gto twin turbo many years ago, bought it as a non runner for £1k, £60 later on a replacement starter motor and it was all good, run it hard for a year, had the best winter driving ever in it then sold it for twice what I paid for it, only thing I spent money on was the starter and fuel. About to go and look at another in 2 days time, one of my all time favourite modern classics. It was a classic the day it was released and everyone knew it would always be the case. How many 40-50 year olds now will be wanting one of these purely because it was the first car they got when playing gran turismo.
First of all, the 3000gt is my dream car and this video was very helpful in pointing out potential problems to look for and also a very well done overview of the cars features.
On another note though, the way this guy does sponsorships is so nice. They arent a forced segway into overplayed ads, but a smooth quick informational bit that fit seamlessly into the video.
R34 GTR, series 6 RX7, GTO. I still hold hope one day there's a redriven review of a certain mid engined V6 Honda sportscar. That Honda is perhaps the most special of all 90s Japanese cars.
Was about to say nsx always gets forgotten 😪
GTO AWD BEST
Na Z32 300ZX is the goat, the honda NSX is way too "elite"....plus its a honda.
i have 1991 GTO Twin Turbo , Active areo 4WD and 4WS still working . car is real head turner , 57i kit and big 3" pipe . other than that its stock. no other mods ( I am in New Zealand )
Guys, for your next compilation video, can you do a theme like "best second hand Grand Touring cars"?
Thanks for your videos, have watched them all, and even bought my current car based on one of your videos. Keep up the fantastic work!
What car did you get?
This test will be the closest to ' Redriven ' ever reviewing the '380'.😅
me too! I got an 86
I'm 6ft and it's very comfortable and seats just fine
Sure Mitsubushi also built the smaller FTO, cool looking sports car. Mitsubushi does not build a single vehicle on sale in the UK that I would buy now, maybe the L200 pick up. The Mitsubushi Galant VR4 was a very cool saloon/sedan back in the day. Great videos to watch.
Had the galant vr4 - fantastic car
Mitsubishi Motors don't sell anything in the UK or Europe now
@@bruce7890 yea, I just checked. I did not realise they pulled out, I am a car bloke and never even noticed, not much was said. The last model line up must have been so mind numbingly boring that nobody noticed, shame because they were once an interesting car manufacturer up with Honda and Toyota. The Mitsubushi Shogun/Pajero were well regarded 4x4's too.
@@nk53nxg Exactly... But they're doing well with the PHEV Outlander in the US, have a new generation L200/Ttriton pickup with a twin turbo 2.4 litre, 4 cylinder diesel coming, the Shogun/Pajero Sport holds it's own against the Fortuner and Ranger and there's a new 7 seat SUV promised to investors... I'm driving a 2015 Shogun, 3.2 diesel (largest 4 cylinder ever put into a passenger vehicle!)... They're not disappearing just yet...
@@bruce7890 They do still sell cars in Europe but in a very reduced markets, the Colt is a rebadged Renault Clio & the ASX is a rebadged Renault Captur.
I've had this car in the uk for 18 years, and i can say it is a very reliable car. it still has the original parts from factory including the spark plug leads. The only thing i changed was a fuel pump for an AEM 340LPH. My car has about 330 bhp but i drive it like a lunatic and it can handle alot of abuse. i wanted to blow up the engine so i could put in a 3.5L, from a shogun but it never blow up so i started to respect it more.
I'm in the UK and have had mine 14 years, they are classics.
Really good review. Just a shame you didn't get to experience the TT version because THAT'S what made these cars so special. I have a Gen 1 Aust delivered 3000GT. Love it with a passion.
Preach Ernie. Love the TT
Got a NZ new gen 1 GTO turbo. Love the pop up lights!
It is possible to change the valve guide seals without removing the heads. Common stuff on those engines
Jim is exactly the first mechanic I've heard say these are reliable. I love Jim but now I'm conflicted and confused. 3000GT VR4s are pretty expensive here in the States, which are the only AWD ones we got. Most are beaten and have a ton of shitty mods too. It's unfortunate.
He is a moron. they are not reliable. they spin rod bearings.. that's why you never see them these days. everyone that owned one had an engine blow and decided the money pit was no longer worth it.. speaking form experience. that's like claiming and fd rx7 is reliable or a tt 300zx reliable... lololol. they are not...
I had one. Active aero disabled, coil overs, boost and intercooler, BOV, 3 boost gauges 🤣. Great fun but gearshift was long and sloppy and couldn't keep it from boiling the coolant. Fast, but not that fast.
"Fast but not that fast" 100% accurate. I had one as well and although fun to drive it felt heavy.
Great review and thanks for the mentions. Wasn't expected but very greatful regardless.
Just to.point out the valve stem seals are really easy to replace without removing the heads and the wing mirrors are the same part number on the USA version as the Dodge Viper. Just thought that was funny as that was your last review.
Now do a nissan 300ZX!?!
I had a twin turbo one in the mid 00's when I was 16. Picked it up for $4k and had a heap of fun.
I redid the valve seals without taking the heads off. Just pressurize the cylinder through the spark plug hole to keep the valves seated. Also I ordered the seals from a mitsu fork lift truck supplier for few dollars each. The dealer wanted something ridiculous.
You should be able to get aftermarket seals from places like stmtuned. Should be the same between 4g63, so they're less than a dollar each.
Man I loved the 3000gt
That kicker sub brought back the memories. ❤
Based on the same platform as the Mitsubishi Magna hence we got 4wd in the last era of Magna in Australia.
Its mostly the turboes and active aero and entirely steel construction that add to the weight NA version with AWD would be barely any heavier than mk4 Supra.
I just bought a 95 3000gt in amazing condition for dirt cheap it was backed in to in the front and they sold it to me for 300 bucks the car runs amazing dont even have the lifter tick as the wole motor and transmition was redone about a year ago. I cant wait to have this car restored and back on the road
I love 90s cars and how their ground clearence and suspensions were set up. Modern sportscars are utter garbage or wholely dependant on adaptive suspension never doing nearly as good job as 90s japanese sportscars did. They done comfort and handling in most perfect of blends.
those sneakers are really nice 👍
Got hooked up with this car back in gran turismo 1 just because it has a twin turbo name on it 😆
I have the 6g72 in my Eclipse Spyder GT. Timing belt, Water pump, Idle air control valve, are things to watch for. Also never clean the mass air flow sensor, you'll ruin it NO cleaner can clean it.
I have a 93 Stealth RT and a 93 3000GT
Hi..Im Max from Malaysia..n i own 2 GTOs..d NA n TT speed Manual…really enjoy this ride..trust me!!
This test will be the closest that Redriven will get to testing the '380 '.
I have a 98 GTO MR, it’s my 4th of the same platform but my first RHD GTO. I love it, but I really forgot how tight the cockpit is. Mines a survivor, unmolested except for wheels and tires, I daily drive her.
Such a good looking car! Kudos to the owner for the care and tlc to keep it that clean!
P plate owned too
was it $118000 in 1990? You could buy half the australia with this much money back then
no series 1 $90000 , series 3 was $118000
Remembered the adv in a magazine back then when I was a kid. The car that made me into cars
I had a GTO, loved it super reliable (as long as it has no mods, if it’s been modified your in a world of pain) I think the problem is that Mitsubishi advertised as a drivers car, when really its a comfortable cruising car
16:34 Although he shares lots if useful information, this is actually not true; if you have a car from 1992.5 or after, you have a 25 spline transfer case while the first generation had an 18 spline.
The motor also changed in this time period, to having a 2-bolt crank girdle to a 4-bolt crank girdle. This is why the 1992.5+ are most sought after.
P.S. unless you are going to spend close to $20k on a mint condition car, be prepared to spend at least $2,750 on the 120k mile maintenance. You can not trust anything people say when they sell them.
the gto was way ahead of its time with all the technology in the 90s. I absolutely loved this car
I still do
Wow! I had one of the first batch - I still miss it - it looked so cool with the pop up lights. I let it go as the electricals started acting up and fuel costs were crazy. Still love it - legend car
The ones in brighter colors really showed off the styling and looks of the car - it was a chick magnet for sure
I absolutely LOVE the look of that interior. Looks so solid, and if it still had the stock head unit, I would have had to change my pants.
Great video, guys.
correction, the combat wind was released with the 1998 models seen regularly on the TT MR GTO’s
Valve stem seals are bloody easy to fix. It isnt a big job
I got a 1997 model gen 2 and it also has the active aero 4wheel steering adaptive coilovers its not only the first gen
Apart from that i like the video nice to see someone cares
Get the Mitsubishi, my 2002, 3.8 lt Pajero has 340,000 clicks on the clock and no problems. Still wonderful car to drive.
lol because that has anything to do with a 3000gt. which are known for spinning rod bearings and blowing motors... and guess what unlike Porsche's that had that issue, much like Nissans that had it, there is no fix... just repair and wait for it to happen again.
This vehicle is not forgotten by those with long memories
This is one gangsta looking car I won't lie about that
Do gangsters drive these? 🤔
@@maccaccino I doubt it but the term "gangsta" in the phrase means cool.
Amazing review, best one yet. Gracias amigo
Pity he didn’t test drive the turbo model. They still hammer. Stock versus stock they were as quick or quicker than the gtr and supra of the day. I have an exceptionally clean GTO tt model and it’s absolutely a pleasure to drive.
Same here, love the car and like you say, a pleasure to drive.
Back in my college days, I greatly admired this car, the Supra, and the 300ZX. I'm going with a Mustang Ecoboost this year. I think it's a car that could give me a similar experience to those, while also being a technologically current package. I'll never live without a backup camera again!
It's kind of weird that I'm going to Ford for the Japanese sports car I always wanted, huh?
Excellent work in the paint, that GTO looks Super Clean, I have one Black too, but VR-4, the first gen in black and red looks fantastic, I love this car
Another car to bring back to memory is the A70 supra, worth consideration.
Once you get past the 7M head gasket problem, they're a great, good looking car with real street presence
I owned on these in VR4 trim, same shape and colour as featured example in the video. Even though mine was a abused example that needed work and therefore was cheap for me to buy, that machine was a such a blast. It drives like it`s glued to the road, and was actually really comfy to drive too, not at quite same level as my 2003 Volvo S60 but really not that far behind either. I miss that car so much and regret selling it.
This is by far my favourite car. Ever since i was a little boy standing on the roof of my grandads garden shed i remember seeing the neighbour across the road with a blue GTO. It looked like a Ferarri for me. Ever since then i've wanted one and im 40 now lol
Magna Ralliart be a good vid
I agree
Hey ReDriven, was my Bluff called! ?? - AK
Anyway, this is another great video, keep them coming guys.
I had a 1991 Mitsubishi GTO (Japanese Import) and it sucked! Too much tech that had all gone wrong, leaks everywhere, terrible corrosion, very tricky access to service/repair and ultimately I had to sell it as a parts car as was a money pit. It looked great and the pop-up headlamps still worked at least.
they werent any better in the late 90s and 00s. mine in 01 was absolute dogshit. the wiring, that joke of a glass transmission, the worlds weakest brakes, the rust, and having to change the back plugs got me to sell it and never regret it.
@@thh420 Yes I forgot about that. I couldn't even get full access to the timing belt and leaking water pump. Did the GTO/3000GT have different plugs/part numbers for the front and rear banks? I also had an import FTO which has a different set at the back so the idea was you'd change them less frequently than the fronts.. rather than just engineer it to have them accessible.. That's sad about the later ones as I thought the "lightened" versions that ditched the 4WD, rear wheel steer and such made them a bit better, but I guess just made all the other issues more apparent. Most have electrical faults because of the rust, which causes earthing issues.
@@boilerhousegarage mine was a 97 i think. we had 3 at the used car dealership i worked at in 01. mine was the best of them, but it had so many problems, and EVERY 90s mitsubishi we had with an auto ate itself well before 100K miles. and FUCK THAT WATERPUMP AND TIMING BELT, SORRY MOTHERFUCKERS THEY ARE. I feel your pain brother, its good to know i wasnt the only one who suffered because MOM SAID WE HAVE FERRARI AT HOME
@@boilerhousegarage I mean if you dont know how to work on cars its okay lol, I just did the 120k on my 99 vr4 and it took 4 hours. Spark plugs can be done in an hour, its not that bad. If you do a vacuum delete even easier. People blow this out of proportion and always will. From an owner of these fantastic cars for 15 years.
I must had to the list that the 6g72 engind was also in the mitsubishi v3000 in nz in 1988 onwards
17:50 when New, these were better than the unmentioned Subaru SVX. The SVX was Subarus Halo GT car and was a direct JDM GT competitor to this. We got it here in NZ. Did you not get it in Aussie??
We got it in the US and it was a turd and I’m a huge Subie head
I have my dream, 99 VR4 - I started 15 years ago when I was 17 with a non trubo auto. I had SO many of these fantastic cars, including 2 spyder vr4's.
My opinion on what plagues these cars is their sales numbers, and since they are so affordable they get into the wrong hands and then blow up because they threw a boost controller and never did maintenance and OMG they are the worst cars ever, so unreliable. On the plus side, with so many sold the parts really arent that hard to come by - vr4 specific ones are a bit more but most parts are shared.
Honestly, they are great cars, not unrelaible nor that hard to work on. Harder than a 90's civic? yes, but just take your time and watch the great tutorials on how to do almost anything you need.
It's a shame you didn't have a manual to test, I remember the gearbox being pretty great. My GTO was a Japanese import otherwise it would have been named the 3000GT here in the UK. Everything on the interior was awesome but the ECU popped twice in 6 months so I got rid of it, that and changing the spark plugs meant removing the entire top of the engine to get to the rear 3 plugs, that annoyed me beyond words. Mine was the gen 1, 4wd naturally aspirated. As mentioned in the video, taking the head off is quite common.
That said, it's the JDM car I would buy again over all the others, I just prefer the way it looks unless it's a red one, the paint really fades badly and looks f'ing awful.
I've had two turbo GTOs, still have one of them. Had a jza80 turbo back in the day also. Tbh, between the supra and the gto, both have their good and bad points. Overall, I consider them to be roughly equally good. The supra is just over-rated, and the gto under-rated. Worst part about the GTO is probably its cramped and plasticity interior. Otherwise it feels great to drive, has a lot of tuning potential, and it looks incredible.
BTW, I'm not knocking this video, but I think it was a real mistake to make it without finding a turbo gto to feature in it. I've test driven an n/a, and it's a completely different car. Slow and gutless, it's really embarrassing that a car that looks so fast can be so sloooow. Seriously a Camry of the same vintage is faster.
In case I'm coming off as a gto fanboy, I actually think both the 300zx z32 and the mr2 (sw20 or a11) are better examples of the automotive designers art (in turbo or SC form of course) than either the supra or gto... Although if it's raining I'll take the mitsi everytime 😊
I’m 6’5, never once have I complained about head room
I owned a lot of these JDM heroes. The only one that I stil own is the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo. They drive the best out of all of these in my opinion.
I keep hearing all the unreliability of VR4s and GTOs but no one really talks about SLs.Found a really good condition one,but there’s very little talk about owning an SL that is in good condition.There is some talk,but it’s just on project SLs.
I got a 3000gt worth about $30,000 cuz it’s the rarest spec for a base model for $5,000. I kinda felt bad once I got it and figured out how rare it is. It’s one of about 500 ever and I’ve never seen another one irl or online before most of them are gone
What a car, always loved Mitsubishi’s big V6.
I own a couple of modified 6G75 powered Magna’s, both manual.
One of them worked with big cams, it’s certainly a quick and fun car to drive
Issue is, at least in the states, is the lack of parts and people charging over new or prices for used parts. 😮💨
It's a GTO in New Zealand, they were sold new as such.
Owned one and it was terrible as for as reliability, repairs, etc. Was happy when I got one, and even happier when I got rid of it.
Spotted the Fiesta ST in the intro scene. Please do an episode on this epic hot hatch, which is sadly discontinued
They've done reviews on the Mk7 and Mk8 Fiesta ST's
I have a white Mk7, and got excited when I spotted the one in the background lol
Paucity of remanufactured spares for 90s JDM...will come eventually though?
Everyone was terrified of the complexity in the 90s and early 00s. And back then, the GTR and Supra were easier to modify. Even though the Supra wasn't the fire breathing animal that most are today back then.
The RX7 and 300ZX were better looking too.
It wasn't and isn't a bad car. It just had great competition in a crowded marketplace. And tbh, many Mitsi buyers probably figured the Evo was cheaper and faster and more practical.
This was my go to car for use the wall to steer and still win in grandturismo on ps1😂
I had one of these! Bought it as its first NZ Owner ex Japan. It was reliable while I had it too, serviced every 7500KM. Had it for 3 years. Was such a thirsty beast, but worth it for the vibes.
Shame Mitsu no longer makes cars like this. I had a 95'. Loved the car but that engine bay was packed tight, very hard to work on. Didn't have many problems with them (considering the age).
This is the first review l have seen done on the Mitsubishi 3000 GT good stuff
My dad 2 of these twin turbo i love them. 100% will be a car of my future.
Perfect thumbnail. I don’t remember this car at..all..
Those seats i think were swapped. Vr4 has leather seats
Great video These cars are under appreciated I love mine 92 VR4EVER 😁
The wide bodied starion was my favourite. Here in the UK I don't think I've seen a 3000gt or starion on the road in 20 years.
There’s still quite a few there with an active online community for parts and knowledge.
if you get one that has not developed the gear grind dump out transmission fluid out asap and top it off with synchromesh in it you will thank me later
I personally prefer the Stealth over the 3000GT visually.
My 92 VR4 is very reliable 40.000 miles in two years the fuel pump is the only thing i replaced 200.000 miles 😁 VR4LIFE 😍 VR4EVER 🤗
3000GT and 300zx are the sleeprs of the JDM sports car scene BEST CARS EVER
There was a crazy time in my life I had twin turbo versions of both. Many days stuck under the hood but so worth it!
@@peternichols3399 you lucky guy peter
The brief of the GTO was a car that even your Granny could drive fast, in that respect it was successful.
Not exactly a sexy brief though.
I went for a ride in the passenger seat of a 3000 GT that was actually owned by the official importer of Mitsubishi cars into the UK, it even had the number plate '3000 GT'.
As a 15 year old it was my first experience of such a fast car, I'll always have a soft spot for these things.
The active aero was so cool.
It was so low & wide it felt really special on the road.
Cool looking things but the reason I think they were mostly forgotten is because compared to its contemporaries it was pretty disappointing to drive, and all of the tech stuff just added weight without actually improving its performance.
ETA: I had admittedly made this comment before I got to the driving section. I will just say though Adam that yeah it's supposed to be a GT car but it's main competition was the 300ZX (to a lesser extent the GT-R, but realistically the GT-R was just a whole other ball game) and A80 Supra. The Supra was of course a bit more on the "sporty" side of GT but the 300ZX in particular was just a better all-rounder while doing it with half the electronic shit that the Mitsu had and, as a result, a much more reasonable pricetag.
I would totally love to get a Series III GTO though, even if only because it's like peak late-90s Japanese design.
Alfa Romero? You are kidding right?
Nice video. Can you do one for an 8th gen Galant/Legnum VR-4? Basically the equivalent of this car but with 4 doors and room for the missus + kids + handling on rails.
best looking one of the jdm's of that era
I want to get one but I don’t know if I just want to an NA or VR4, and to get a 1992 or a 1997. It would be my first project car, but I desire this car too much to not want it.
Please do a review of a 350Z, like the one in the background of Jim’s
GTO/3000GT are just as popular as they should be and thats great.
Lots of ppl are fans and love them as many other cars that aren't anomalies in the market.
So if we compare anything to lets say . . . GTRs, RX7s and Supras than yeah it looks like its not popular but those cars are an exception because they are massivaely overhyped and overated (not saying they are not great cars in their own rights btw) thx to so many form of popular media . . .
So i am glad things are not like that for the GTO/3000GT and other cars that aren't the 3 i listed above . . .
I could add others to that list like the Corolla GTS/Sprinter Trueno/AE86 as another super obvious example of cars that are overpriced because of abnormal popularity caused in the same way . . .
if you ever get the chance you should check out more celicas, especially the 4th-5th gen,,,,pretty please
I own one, 91 SL 79k miles
Great cars, just look after them. Brilliant acceleration and still turns heads ❤
Call it 'smiles for miles'. Someone once said 'what's it do to the gallon' my response was, if you have to ask, don't buy one of these.
11:35 why is the boot floor so high? Has this got a full size spare under there?
Not full size but yes a spare tire, also the gas tank is right under.
20 gallon fuel tank, compact spare tire, and storage cubbies in the trunk under the carpet