Vr4?

[senior gomez]

ok, so i have probably little less than a year to decide what car i want when i graduate. im hoping to get an ls1 TA but my second choice has lately become the AWD 3000gt VR4. i know they're heavier than a TA and such but they're AWD and have 4 wheel steering, so im almost certain they handle better. but im not sure as of yet. anyways, insurance would probably be lower on a v6 than on a v8 right? idk if twin turbo makes a difference. but yeah while me and my friend were talking about this a ram air ls1 TA rode by and we both just stopped mid conversation haha. the ls1 is definatly uber badass, but am i not being realistic?

[Wesman]

ok, so i have probably little less than a year to decide what car i want when i graduate. im hoping to get an ls1 TA but my second choice has lately become the AWD 3000gt VR4. i know they're heavier than a TA and such but they're AWD and have 4 wheel steering, so im almost certain they handle better. but im not sure as of yet. anyways, insurance would probably be lower on a v6 than on a v8 right? idk if twin turbo makes a difference. but yeah while me and my friend were talking about this a ram air ls1 TA rode by and we both just stopped mid conversation haha. the ls1 is definatly uber badass, but am i not being realistic?

I'd say definitely go with the LS1 if you can, its a much better engine in a much nicer car. The 3000GT's are extremely heavy (3800lbs+), and tend to be very expensive to fix when things break, which is often.

I doubt insurance will be much cheaper, as the VR4 is Twin Turbo, and many a young person has wrecked one. The 4 wheel steering is more a gimmick than anything else, all if really does is add extra weight and complexity. I seriously doubt a stock VR4 would outhandle a 4th gen F-Body, either.

Just some things to consider, good luck with your decision

[Demon_Speeding]

Also, don't forget the AWD will only help at the starting line. As speed increases it becomes nothing but a hindrance.

[PureSpeed]

The AWD drive does help off the line and its a fun car to have and in a handling contest, it would outhandle the ls1 easily. but go with the ls1 if you can, its got more torque and its soo much more inexepensive because its not a transversal mounted engine. This is coming from somone who has a 2002 Z-28 and a 1997 3000GT VR-4.
Hope this helps.

[CamaroRacer101]

I have a friend that has a late model 3000gt, he said that they are great cars to have... but have a big problem with leaking dif fluid out of a small hole in the axle somewhere... he said that most 3000gt's end up with this problem sooner or later... and the wosrt part is there really ain't a permanent fix for it... it was one of mitsuba's first AWD ventures... so it was like the steping stone for the evo... so they ended up with all the problems that they needed to figure out for the evo... I'd go with the ls1 you have 30 years since the first TA so... they pretty much fixed all the anoying little things with them!

[PureSpeed]

hahaha "I'd go with the ls1 you have 30 years since the first TA so... they pretty much fixed all the anoying little things with them!" good information guys, plus the second gear syncro goes all the time too, only way to fix that is to rebuild the tranny...and thats a pain on a awd+quadrasteer

[SpcghostII]

Ok a newbee post here. so bear with me. I would go the LS1 route. with the money you would in vest in the repair parts of the 3000gt you could spend that in motor mods ans suspension and have a car that would outhandle and aoout class the 3000gt.

[PureSpeed]

hahhaha but yea, the ls1 is the way to go, soo many more modifications that are worth your time and money, plus they will give you far more horsepower gains than the 3000gt would.

[SpcghostII]

I agree, plus if you twin turbo the Ls1 like the 3000gt you should be able to get up to some were of 800+ horses.

[2001 Ls1]

Depends what you're looking for. The 3000gt is a very solidly built car with some cool stuff that was way ahead of its time. A near stock one will run forever as everything on the car is overengineered. Stock for stock it should be faster then a t/a. It's a great car and a few small mods (catback and upped boost) will get you a car that will stand out and reliably run mid 12's all day. They aren't a great car if you're looking for alot more speed then that as the weight will give you some tranny problems. Parts are also quite expensive as they are rare. If you can find one IN GOOD SHAPE I would get one anyday of the week over a T/A at a comparable price as they have an unbelieveable look and awesome powertrain.

[Wesman]

Depends what you're looking for. The 3000gt is a very solidly built car with some cool stuff that was way ahead of its time. A near stock one will run forever as everything on the car is overengineered. Stock for stock it should be faster then a t/a. It's a great car and a few small mods (catback and upped boost) will get you a car that will stand out and reliably run mid 12's all day. They aren't a great car if you're looking for alot more speed then that as the weight will give you some tranny problems. Parts are also quite expensive as they are rare. If you can find one IN GOOD SHAPE I would get one anyday of the week over a T/A at a comparable price as they have an unbelieveable look and awesome powertrain.

Not really. The 3000GT VR-4 should be right there at the top of the list of the most unreliable and most expensive to fix cars ever sold. They crammed so much technology into that car that its like a computerized robot on wheels. When things break (4 wheel steering, twin turbos need to be replaced, AWD components) they are damn costly to replace and fix.

Also, they are sure as hell not faster than an LS1 F-Body. Not only were they heavy as all hell (~3700lbs) but they only but about 80% of their power to the wheels due to AWD drivetrain losses. Meaning they are over 50WHP short of an LS1.

I would never even consider buying one of thise hunks of junk, my buddy had one and it was a money pit. He bought a Mustang Cobra to replace it, which is much nicer looking, much faster, and incomparably more reliable and cost effective.

[PureSpeed]

I have a 99 VR4 in my garage just sitting waiting to be sold. they have more horses than the ls1 does, but...they dont have nearly as much torque. a stock one will keep up with the ls-1 in first and second but the ls1 will keep pullin and walk all over the vr-4. the 97-99 vr4s have 320 stock horses.

[2001 Ls1]

Not really. The 3000GT VR-4 should be right there at the top of the list of the most unreliable and most expensive to fix cars ever sold. They crammed so much technology into that car that its like a computerized robot on wheels. When things break (4 wheel steering, twin turbos need to be replaced, AWD components) they are damn costly to replace and fix.

Also, they are sure as hell not faster than an LS1 F-Body. Not only were they heavy as all hell (~3700lbs) but they only but about 80% of their power to the wheels due to AWD drivetrain losses. Meaning they are over 50WHP short of an LS1.

I would never even consider buying one of thise hunks of junk, my buddy had one and it was a money pit. He bought a Mustang Cobra to replace it, which is much nicer looking, much faster, and incomparably more reliable and cost effective.

Yet in the same way the people I know who have had them have had almost no problems. One of the vr-4's has over 350,000 miles and is still going strong. But using a few personal examples and implying every other car out there is similar in nature would be kinda dumb, right?? The tranfer cases are probaly the achilles heel...

Stock for stock a 93+ vr4 will out launch an ls1 and it will be close as to whether there will be enough track for the Ls1 to pass it. From a roll its all Ls1. Both cars run low-mid 13's. The 3000gt has more horses but an additional 150 pounds or so.

However a mbc,dp and filter will set you back a little over 200 bucks and give you mid high 12's on the track and street all day. looks are subjective but no car I have ever owned has got near the attention and compliments mine did. The bodystyle and shape is rare and agressive. A mustang cobra looked better??
If you can find a decent one for a fair price I would go for it, if not you can never go wrong with an LS1, you'll have a great car either way, good luck.