Torn

[MagnoonM3]

So a buddy of mine has been wanting a nice car for a reasonable price for a long time, his budget was around $14k. He finally found a 1998 3000GT VR-4 for 13.5k w/ 43,000 miles on it, Green on Black 6 speed. I'm not really liking the color but 320hp, but Twin Turbo does sound nice. What he also found was a 1998 Techno Violet on Grey M3, with Dinan Exhaust & Intake, for 14k w/ 48,000 miles on it(however no Dinan badge, the way I like it). To my friends and family I'm considered the 'car guru', so he went to me for advice, I'm torn. What do you guys think, any input is appreciated.

P.S. He's a good friend so I'll give the O.K on the best one, if this happens to be the 3000GT I might be interested in the Techno Violet one :D.

[ChosenGSR]

I would say that it's apples to oranges here. Depending on what he's looking to do with it either could be a great choice :dunno

[Nik1703]

3000gt are a nightmare in maintanence.

Awd, all wheel steering and TWO turbos with a shitty transmission.

how long is that thing going to last?

[MagnoonM3]

3000gt are a nightmare in maintanence.

Awd, all wheel steering and TWO turbos with a shitty transmission.

how long is that thing going to last?

I personally drove, it has surprisingly good acceleration and handles turns really well, and the E36 probably has equal handling.

[Ffroggs]

I had a buddy with a 3000gt (actually, a stealth, but same diff) and he brought that thing out only once in a great while, because that's all how often it was in running order. He's a darned good mechanic, and keeps up on his vehicles.

The M3 is nice, but it can be a maintenance nightmare, too, especially if it hasn't been kept up to date with a lot of the preventative items.

Neither is a good budget car, but if you take maintenance out of the picture, if he wants straight-line speed, you can't beat the horsepower of the 3000gt. If he wants nice handling with reasonable push in the pants, the M3 is a good way to go...but I would guarantee that he'll need to update the suspension in the M3 to get what he wants out of it...that is, if he wants nice handling.

[MagnoonM3]

I had a buddy with a 3000gt (actually, a stealth, but same diff) and he brought that thing out only once in a great while, because that's all how often it was in running order. He's a darned good mechanic, and keeps up on his vehicles.

The M3 is nice, but it can be a maintenance nightmare, too, especially if it hasn't been kept up to date with a lot of the preventative items.

Neither is a good budget car, but if you take maintenance out of the picture, if he wants straight-line speed, you can't beat the horsepower of the 3000gt. If he wants nice handling with reasonable push in the pants, the M3 is a good way to go...but I would guarantee that he'll need to update the suspension in the M3 to get what he wants out of it...that is, if he wants nice handling.

The suspension feels amazing, decently tight, but not too tight. Still torn dammit haha. Maintenance makes me says M3, but still not sure.

[MagnoonM3]

Any other opinions?

[USCG M3]

the maitnance on the M is going to be about half of what it would be for the 3000gt, they are know to have big parts fail for no reason. The parts are hard to find, costly and even harder to replace. It is by far the worse car I have ever worked on in terms of replacing parts, little to no room in the engine bay. you have to remove two or three things just to replace what is actually broken. If he wants straight line speed tell him to buy an 1998-2002 f-body, cheaper than the mitsu and much more reliable and easier to work on, not to mention if he gets on with the 6 speed the ls1 will get the same MPG. If he wants handleing along with some speed, the M holds top dog. Mine handels better than my TA did and I had a good amount of money into suspension.

[MagnoonM3]

the maitnance on the M is going to be about half of what it would be for the 3000gt, they are know to have big parts fail for no reason. The parts are hard to find, costly and even harder to replace. It is by far the worse car I have ever worked on in terms of replacing parts, little to no room in the engine bay. you have to remove two or three things just to replace what is actually broken. If he wants straight line speed tell him to buy an 1998-2002 f-body, cheaper than the mitsu and much more reliable and easier to work on, not to mention if he gets on with the 6 speed the ls1 will get the same MPG. If he wants handleing along with some speed, the M holds top dog. Mine handels better than my TA did and I had a good amount of money into suspension.

Suptid question, what's an F-body? sorry lol

[mx416]

f-body = camaro

[MagnoonM3]

I think I made a good decision and told him not to buy American, so I really don't wanna go back on my word. I think German and Japanese cars are much better and reliable than American cars. Then again I'm no expert

[nighthawk328i]

Its really up to him. A friend of mine has owned 2 3s's. One stealth and one 3000gt. He had to buy a new motor for the stealth because he could never figure out what was wrong with it and then finally got that one fixed and sold. His 3000gt he owned for 2 years and drove it maybe 25 times. The car always had something wrong with it, would never start when he wanted it to and the crankshaft position sensor kept failing. I think he went through about 10 new ones in the amount of time he owned the car. It all depends on what he wants. They both have low miles, the BMW will be easier to maintain and a lot of stuff can be easy to replace and you always have the forums for tech advice. The 3000gt stuff can fail randomly for no reason and can be a nightmare to replace. I know the bellhousing was a problem in a lot of the 3000gt's resulted in exploded transmissions with little parts thrown at high speeds everywhere inside the engine and under the car.

[CMG]

M3 FTW, if it was a JDM GTO it's a totally different story

[dust4life]

m3 all the way.
i was looking into a vr4 as well after i sold my pcar (before the M) and spent a lot of time lurking around on 3si.org
it is possible to have an awesome 3kgt but its $$$ and horrible to maintain. i've never seen one in person that i liked either, somehow they've always got body damage or mismatched paint...

[Temp1981]

Tell him to get the ///M
3000GT=:mad
///M =:redspot

[MagnoonM3]

Okay, I was just with my buddy, told him to go for the M3, and strongly suggested it, then he said "no I want the 3000GT, it's a better all around car." I then called him a moron :D (couldn't help it) and said it was mainly for straight speed and is gonna be maintenence hell. Then he called me an asshole and said I knew nothing about cars (this is the same kid who confuses Miatas and F430's, literally). Any ideas on the way to get back at the little creep? BTW, I'm thinking of buying that M3!

[Xiphos]

Forget him and buy the M3, and laugh later on down the road when his 3000gt breaks down :)

[Tony Soprano]

3000gt are a nightmare in maintanence.

Awd, all wheel steering and TWO turbos with a shitty transmission.

how long is that thing going to last?
he speaks the truth. run not walk away from a 3000gt.

[MagnoonM3]

SOB bought his car 30 minutes ago and he's already challenging me to a race!

[Drexial]

SOB bought his car 30 minutes ago and he's already challenging me to a race!

Just don't go for a ride with him when he has an itch in his pants. He is probably going to wrap it around a tree. Doesn't exactly sounds like the conscious buyer. If he needs other people to tell him what car to drive, then he doesn't really have a passion for driving, and probably cant do it well. He will be cocky and over confident. If he spent every last penny he saved up for a car then, he probably wont be driving it much once it breaks down (unless he has a daily driver)