Something that no one has mentioned.
The link for the Mitsubishi mentions that they only sold 298 of them that year.
Rare = very bad parts availability. On a 10 year old car that they sold less than 300 of trying to get model specific parts will be a guaranteed special order, and quite likely they could be discontinued.
Think about this. You need part X. Without part X you car does not go.
The aftermarket never made part X because with only 300 cars out there it is not profitable.
The dealer doesn’t stock part X for the same reason.
Mitsubishi discontinued part X for the same reason.
You now have lawn art. Push it on the lawn and polish it cause it looks pretty.
Rick, they sold tons and tons of them before that and not much changed mechanically. It will probably be hard to find replacement OEM body panels, but there are a million aftermarket suppliers still making bits for them.
AT, if you’re serious about the Integra, you ought to be able to find a much newer one for the kind of money you’re talking about. Definitely something better than a 100k one.
The 3000GT that you’re looking at is not going to be hard to maintain. It uses the big V6 from the Galant, and most of the same running gear, and doesn’t have about 90% of the problems that a VR-4 of the same age would (turbo, intercooler, finicky passive rear-wheel-steering bits, four-wheel-drive gimmickry, traction control, ad infinitum). It’s basically just a giant Eclipse.
Argent, the Integra does have a rear wiper. I do not think that you have room for your rifles etc. in the back however. I think you also may have problems with visibility if you tow something with it - you might have to get some of those oversize towing mirrors.
Back when the Eclipse was considered a DSM, the chassis was ripe for modification. The 2.0 liter 4g63 engine is the same one you see in today’s Lancer Evolution, and can easily accept much more boost than stock. Folks were able to make a quick 75hp just by bolting on a slightly larger turbo and freeing up the intake a bit. With other mods (considerable, to be sure) and some weight reduction, some of these cars are seeing under 10 second 1/4 mile times. But they were much cheaper and could be made just as fast as a 3000GT VR4 for a much lower price, even including the mods.
There are still dedicated tuning forums for these cars, and they remain incredibly popular even today. The 3000GT was heavier, more prone to breakdown (especially the transmission) and much more difficult to modify due to a very cramped engine compartment. Not to mention the price premium. If you were looking to mod a car in that class, most people went for the Supra, which could be pretty easily modified to put out over 700hp, even 1000 is not unheard of. (Getting that power from the wheels to the road was the main problem…but boy did you have some impresive dyno numbers)
3000GT are decent, if you want reliability its a toss up, a VR4 will last as long as your not driving it crazy! More info @ 3si.org If your looking for reliable cheap and fast, MK3 SupraT is the way to go! $2500 into the car, roughly 3800 in aftermarket goodies, and 12.5 in QTMile on my decent almost bald tires!
