i've been in the market for a vehicle under $4000 for some time now. long story short, a 3000gt came up for sale. its a black 95' with about 150k miles on it. 5spd, non turbo model. he said the owner before him put a cold air intake on it and thats all he said about any mods. he also said the engine leaks (burns) oil, and that he just has to check it/add oil more often. he says its his daily driver.

he is asking $3000. he is moving to california, from nc.

now im not interested in modding it or anything like that. this is just a car i'd much rather drive than a honda accord or something (that is, if i dont find a truck in the next couple weeks instead).

i have not gone to look at the vehicle yet.

my question is (and please dont be biased), are 3000gt's fairly reliable, pertaining to the information i gave about this one. if they are taken care of properly, what are some of the top average miles on them today (ones that dont have rebuilt trannies or engines).

the next question, and probably the more important one concerning the specific gt im looking at is....as far as the oil leak goes, is this common? should i stear clear or should this be an easy/inexpensive fix? or is it too hard to tell with the given information how much it will cost to fix? i wouldnt mind spending up to $1000 after i purchase the car to replace/fix anything that is needed. im just concerned the oil leak may be a bigger problem than it sounds, or maybe it means the car is on its way out?

please try to answer my questions if you really know what your talking about, and try not to just persuade me to buy the car. try to put yourself in my shoes.

thanks in advance

 

dont buy it wait! that kind of problem not worth it, to muchwork and wayyyyyyyyyy to many miles. Look around if u have 4 grand to play with and to maintain them not to exspensive in some area and some it is just keep up with it and it wont give u problems and with gas mine is bad *** i can travel 30 miles and hardly it will waste so they are good on gas . The people on this site will not "persuade" you into buying a vehicle they will give you ino about it and let you know the truth and honestly not worth it need alot of work and the last thing you want to do i wast more money on fixing it than what it ha cost . but its your deal and your situation so good luck hope you find one or make the right choice

 

And on top of that is it a SL or DOHC? just woundering manual or auto? and howsthe body and interior

 

He said it was a 5 speed.

Unless there is a visible oil leak, chances are the valve stem seals (vss) have worn out. It is very common with these engines. My RT Stealth has wore out VSS, I have to add about a quart of oil between oil changes. It kind of sucks, but oil is cheaper than changing out the VSS. Like any used car, reliability will be hit or miss. If it was maintained correctly, it should run good for many more miles.

 

If the body and interior is in good shape, I would say buy it for $3000. A good running 3000GT with good body and interior should be selling for about $5000 or more. If you have the oil problem fixed, you will have a good "rare" classic. The value of these continue to go up. I bought my VR-4 for $18600 last year, added about $1500 in mods and have been offered $24000 for it.

 

keep in mind i didnt set out looking fora 3000gt. im not gonna pass this one up to wait on another one for sale. im either going to get this one (after i test drive it) or im gonna keep looking for any other car/truck.

hes asking $3000. i can bargain down to $2500 (maybe more, havnt even seen the car yet). he has to sell this car cause hes moving.

as far as burning oil, if thats all it does, whats it do to the car besides just having to add extra oil? power loss? mpg loss? etc...

also, if its burning oil, is it going to get worse if the problem isnt fixed?

how much will it cost to fix this problem? i know its hard to tell what exactly is causing it to burn the oil, but from the lowest to the highest how much?

 

It could possibly be the rings wearing out, but that is not nearly as common a leaky VSS.

The oil leaking into the combustion chamber will cause a small power loss and MPG loss because the oil lowers your octane level a little. I would say it is a negligible loss though.

It fouls your plugs a little quicker.

It's not going to get better on its own.

Unless you can do the work yourself, it won't be a cheap fix.

 

damn i wish i could get a vr4 but im afraid of the maintenance and the turbos going down. i would buy an evo instead, its faster,lighter and better handling, i mean come on go on youtube, topgear, british made the evo with 400hp 0-60 in 3.5 sec and it outhandled a murcielago. but my sl is ok