reliable or not?
#1
08-17-2006, 12:00 AM
reliable or not?
right now, my 92 gsx has crapped out on me, ive had it 7 monthes cost me 6000$+ to drive n fix, im tired of it. so im donating the car since it just crapped on me again. so i want to switch over to a SL or a Vr4, please tell me if they are both reliable?, what to look for when i buy one. and how about the power on each. and what is possible with both. thanks (people keep telling me that its underperformed, and isnt as great as a skyline or a supra.)
-brunoboy
-brunoboy
#2
08-17-2006, 01:12 AM
RE: reliable or not?
ORIGINAL: BrunoBoy650
right now, my 92 gsx has crapped out on me, ive had it 7 monthes cost me 6000$+ to drive n fix, im tired of it. so im donating the car since it just crapped on me again. so i want to switch over to a SL or a Vr4, please tell me if they are both reliable?, what to look for when i buy one. and how about the power on each. and what is possible with both. thanks (people keep telling me that its underperformed, and isnt as great as a skyline or a supra.)
-brunoboy
right now, my 92 gsx has crapped out on me, ive had it 7 monthes cost me 6000$+ to drive n fix, im tired of it. so im donating the car since it just crapped on me again. so i want to switch over to a SL or a Vr4, please tell me if they are both reliable?, what to look for when i buy one. and how about the power on each. and what is possible with both. thanks (people keep telling me that its underperformed, and isnt as great as a skyline or a supra.)
-brunoboy
Michael
#3
08-17-2006, 01:40 AM
RE: reliable or not?
"People" just think that it is a "fat pig" and automatically hate it for that. Truth is:
A) They are heavy, but still fast.
B) They are more powerful than the other "touring" sports cars of their class/time.
C) They are much more technologically advanced.
D) In my opinion, the Stealth is the most beautiful sub-$500k car, with the 3K the close second.
If you are looking for reliability, you probably want the NA (Either the Stealth RT or 3000GT SL are the DOHC which is faster but not exactly as reliable as the slower SOHC which was the Stealth ES or post-96 base 3k,) but if you have a low budget then you might be better with another vehicle. Unfortunately there aren't many 3/S' out there, so parts are either hard to come by or relatively expensive most of the time.
There is a lot you can do to these cars though, to make them blinding fast. If you DO get a TT, its AWD will decimate any other equivalently powered vehicle so long as it doesn’t break or there isn’t such a large driver discrepancy. Further, with few “free” and basic (intake / vacuum reduction) you will push around 400+hp. The engines are nearly bulletproof and take well to mods, but the tranny leaves room to be desired and the transfer case on the first generation is horrible beyond belief. The second generation transfer case is not nearly as bad, but still can break if pushed too hard with mods. If you want a performer, get the first gen because of the ECS and AWS. The active aero and active exhaust on the first gen is useless placebo but cool nonetheless. The second gen is more reliable, but no ECS, AWS or AA/AE.
If you want to get the most powerful and reliable combination of 3/S, get a DOHC, and TT it. It will be a FWD, but the reduced weight will help your handling and overall performance. The NAs even get better mileage, even when turboed. I get about 17-23 mpg city in my Stealth RT depending on how hard I drive, and 21-32 fwy again depending.
Other than the tranny, the cars are pretty solid and very reliable.
SOHC NA (Stealth ES, 97 and after base 3k)– 168hp 181 tq
DOHC NA (Stealth RT, 3K SL)- 222HP 202 tq
1gen TT (VR4 and RT TT) – 300hp 270tq
2gen TT – 320hp 285tq
Having owned a Supra, trust me they are WAY over-rated, and to make them as fast as they can be (and everyone thinks they are) you will have very little reliability and vast quantities of large bills simply gone. The Skyline is an amazing piece of equipment, but hard to get (not impossible) and you will have a following of ricer leghumpers that will annoy you in ways you never thought possible.
Michaels - My RT plays well with the TTs, and with the suspension mods I have, I can out-handle most... I know you have (or had) a NA DOHC, but either yours was weak or mine is just extra strong. As not-fast as they are, they are far from slow. A Civic is slow.
A) They are heavy, but still fast.
B) They are more powerful than the other "touring" sports cars of their class/time.
C) They are much more technologically advanced.
D) In my opinion, the Stealth is the most beautiful sub-$500k car, with the 3K the close second.
If you are looking for reliability, you probably want the NA (Either the Stealth RT or 3000GT SL are the DOHC which is faster but not exactly as reliable as the slower SOHC which was the Stealth ES or post-96 base 3k,) but if you have a low budget then you might be better with another vehicle. Unfortunately there aren't many 3/S' out there, so parts are either hard to come by or relatively expensive most of the time.
There is a lot you can do to these cars though, to make them blinding fast. If you DO get a TT, its AWD will decimate any other equivalently powered vehicle so long as it doesn’t break or there isn’t such a large driver discrepancy. Further, with few “free” and basic (intake / vacuum reduction) you will push around 400+hp. The engines are nearly bulletproof and take well to mods, but the tranny leaves room to be desired and the transfer case on the first generation is horrible beyond belief. The second generation transfer case is not nearly as bad, but still can break if pushed too hard with mods. If you want a performer, get the first gen because of the ECS and AWS. The active aero and active exhaust on the first gen is useless placebo but cool nonetheless. The second gen is more reliable, but no ECS, AWS or AA/AE.
If you want to get the most powerful and reliable combination of 3/S, get a DOHC, and TT it. It will be a FWD, but the reduced weight will help your handling and overall performance. The NAs even get better mileage, even when turboed. I get about 17-23 mpg city in my Stealth RT depending on how hard I drive, and 21-32 fwy again depending.
Other than the tranny, the cars are pretty solid and very reliable.
SOHC NA (Stealth ES, 97 and after base 3k)– 168hp 181 tq
DOHC NA (Stealth RT, 3K SL)- 222HP 202 tq
1gen TT (VR4 and RT TT) – 300hp 270tq
2gen TT – 320hp 285tq
Having owned a Supra, trust me they are WAY over-rated, and to make them as fast as they can be (and everyone thinks they are) you will have very little reliability and vast quantities of large bills simply gone. The Skyline is an amazing piece of equipment, but hard to get (not impossible) and you will have a following of ricer leghumpers that will annoy you in ways you never thought possible.
Michaels - My RT plays well with the TTs, and with the suspension mods I have, I can out-handle most... I know you have (or had) a NA DOHC, but either yours was weak or mine is just extra strong. As not-fast as they are, they are far from slow. A Civic is slow.
#4
08-17-2006, 02:35 AM
RE: reliable or not?
ORIGINAL: chewedtoothpick
"People" just think that it is a "fat pig" and automatically hate it for that. Truth is:
A) They are heavy, but still fast.
B) They are more powerful than the other "touring" sports cars of their class/time.
C) They are much more technologically advanced.
D) In my opinion, the Stealth is the most beautiful sub-$500k car, with the 3K the close second.
If you are looking for reliability, you probably want the NA (Either the Stealth RT or 3000GT SL are the DOHC which is faster but not exactly as reliable as the slower SOHC which was the Stealth ES or post-96 base 3k,) but if you have a low budget then you might be better with another vehicle. Unfortunately there aren't many 3/S' out there, so parts are either hard to come by or relatively expensive most of the time.
There is a lot you can do to these cars though, to make them blinding fast. If you DO get a TT, its AWD will decimate any other equivalently powered vehicle so long as it doesn’t break or there isn’t such a large driver discrepancy. Further, with few “free” and basic (intake / vacuum reduction) you will push around 400+hp. The engines are nearly bulletproof and take well to mods, but the tranny leaves room to be desired and the transfer case on the first generation is horrible beyond belief. The second generation transfer case is not nearly as bad, but still can break if pushed too hard with mods. If you want a performer, get the first gen because of the ECS and AWS. The active aero and active exhaust on the first gen is useless placebo but cool nonetheless. The second gen is more reliable, but no ECS, AWS or AA/AE.
If you want to get the most powerful and reliable combination of 3/S, get a DOHC, and TT it. It will be a FWD, but the reduced weight will help your handling and overall performance. The NAs even get better mileage, even when turboed. I get about 17-23 mpg city in my Stealth RT depending on how hard I drive, and 21-32 fwy again depending.
Other than the tranny, the cars are pretty solid and very reliable.
SOHC NA (Stealth ES, 97 and after base 3k)– 168hp 181 tq
DOHC NA (Stealth RT, 3K SL)- 222HP 202 tq
1gen TT (VR4 and RT TT) – 300hp 270tq
2gen TT – 320hp 285tq
Having owned a Supra, trust me they are WAY over-rated, and to make them as fast as they can be (and everyone thinks they are) you will have very little reliability and vast quantities of large bills simply gone. The Skyline is an amazing piece of equipment, but hard to get (not impossible) and you will have a following of ricer leghumpers that will annoy you in ways you never thought possible.
Michaels - My RT plays well with the TTs, and with the suspension mods I have, I can out-handle most... I know you have (or had) a NA DOHC, but either yours was weak or mine is just extra strong. As not-fast as they are, they are far from slow. A Civic is slow.
"People" just think that it is a "fat pig" and automatically hate it for that. Truth is:
A) They are heavy, but still fast.
B) They are more powerful than the other "touring" sports cars of their class/time.
C) They are much more technologically advanced.
D) In my opinion, the Stealth is the most beautiful sub-$500k car, with the 3K the close second.
If you are looking for reliability, you probably want the NA (Either the Stealth RT or 3000GT SL are the DOHC which is faster but not exactly as reliable as the slower SOHC which was the Stealth ES or post-96 base 3k,) but if you have a low budget then you might be better with another vehicle. Unfortunately there aren't many 3/S' out there, so parts are either hard to come by or relatively expensive most of the time.
There is a lot you can do to these cars though, to make them blinding fast. If you DO get a TT, its AWD will decimate any other equivalently powered vehicle so long as it doesn’t break or there isn’t such a large driver discrepancy. Further, with few “free” and basic (intake / vacuum reduction) you will push around 400+hp. The engines are nearly bulletproof and take well to mods, but the tranny leaves room to be desired and the transfer case on the first generation is horrible beyond belief. The second generation transfer case is not nearly as bad, but still can break if pushed too hard with mods. If you want a performer, get the first gen because of the ECS and AWS. The active aero and active exhaust on the first gen is useless placebo but cool nonetheless. The second gen is more reliable, but no ECS, AWS or AA/AE.
If you want to get the most powerful and reliable combination of 3/S, get a DOHC, and TT it. It will be a FWD, but the reduced weight will help your handling and overall performance. The NAs even get better mileage, even when turboed. I get about 17-23 mpg city in my Stealth RT depending on how hard I drive, and 21-32 fwy again depending.
Other than the tranny, the cars are pretty solid and very reliable.
SOHC NA (Stealth ES, 97 and after base 3k)– 168hp 181 tq
DOHC NA (Stealth RT, 3K SL)- 222HP 202 tq
1gen TT (VR4 and RT TT) – 300hp 270tq
2gen TT – 320hp 285tq
Having owned a Supra, trust me they are WAY over-rated, and to make them as fast as they can be (and everyone thinks they are) you will have very little reliability and vast quantities of large bills simply gone. The Skyline is an amazing piece of equipment, but hard to get (not impossible) and you will have a following of ricer leghumpers that will annoy you in ways you never thought possible.
Michaels - My RT plays well with the TTs, and with the suspension mods I have, I can out-handle most... I know you have (or had) a NA DOHC, but either yours was weak or mine is just extra strong. As not-fast as they are, they are far from slow. A Civic is slow.
the ECS was offered in the 2gen just as the first gen. Active Aero was offered thru 1996...so also in 2gen. The NA DOHC is more reliable than the SOHC version, although in all fairness both are very reliable cars. Performance parts are READILY available and not TOO expensive...just gotta know where to look. The ES was a DOHC not a SOHC till 1994. Then the ES was SOHC in the 2gen. I agree with all 4 of your points with only the 99 VR4 being prettier than a 2gen Stealth RT TT.
And you assume too much to think my car was sick. You have NEVER EVER heard ANYTHING about my car. It ran pretty strong NA...but it was still FAR from fast. In a track the FWD isnt going to handle a AWD, going fast on Mountains doesnt mean your car handles ebtter, just that you will push it harder. As far as 0-100...you arent running well with TTs unless you have a decent amount of $$$ in your car. The fastest NA to date...EVER is a 14.10 in the 1/4...STOCK VR4s run mis 13s all day...so NO you dont run well with TTs. No offense.
Now not to discourage someone from making a NA fast...there is lots of potential in the NA engine...just no one does it when you can jsut bolt on the turbos for RELATIVELY cheap. Thats why I am selling my FWD TT...so that I can be the one to invest that time and effort in a NA and make a LEGITAMATELY FAST Non Turbo 3S.
And you also assume too much in saying a "Civic is slow". A stock Civic Si HB runs a faster 1/4 than a NA 3S. A modded SOHC Civic will run EASILY with a NA 3S and they a MUCH MUCH larger aftermarket supports system. They are still a ghey Civic...but to call them SLOW is ignorant and just GROSSLY misleading.
Believe me when I say that I have owned a LOT of different cars, and been through this car MANY MANY times. I dont know ALL...but I know a LOT. Hope that helps.
Michael
#5
08-18-2006, 06:03 AM
RE: reliable or not?
well i seen a 1g vr4, driven by an older dude(maybe original owner). its a little faded green. i want to offer him something for it, but im not sure on how many miles n problems so far. what would you pay for a 1g?
#6
08-18-2006, 06:10 AM
RE: reliable or not?
1gen VR4's with ROUGHLY 100K go from anywhere from $5k-$10k depending on how clean it is and who owns it. Stealths a LITTLE cheaper. Hope that helps.
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