Discussion
Well, having sold the black GTO I ended up buying a red GTO. On the way home the idler pulley and water pump seized, shredding the cambelt. The AA took the car straight to Sumiyaka who specialise in GTO/3000GT's, for repair. 4 weeks later and with 24 valves replaced and the heads completely rebuilt, I picked the car up and could actually enjoy it!
Here's a few pictures from the weekend:
I need to change the wheels (currently running inch-thick spacers to help the current alloys clear the brakes) and get the suspension set up, but for now it'll do as it is.
Here's a few pictures from the weekend:
I need to change the wheels (currently running inch-thick spacers to help the current alloys clear the brakes) and get the suspension set up, but for now it'll do as it is.
007 VXR said:
great pics and nice looking car ..
have to ask .. what was wrong with the black gto ???
I sold the black one because it was looking rather tired, and this one came up at a price I couldn't refuse. The plan was to drive it home, book it in for a cambelt change the next day and all would have been well. Still, at least now I know the car has been properly sorted.have to ask .. what was wrong with the black gto ???
GTO Scott said:
007 VXR said:
great pics and nice looking car ..
have to ask .. what was wrong with the black gto ???
I sold the black one because it was looking rather tired, and this one came up at a price I couldn't refuse. The plan was to drive it home, book it in for a cambelt change the next day and all would have been well. Still, at least now I know the car has been properly sorted.have to ask .. what was wrong with the black gto ???
but as you say sorted now
any other plans for modding ??
Edited by 007 VXR on Thursday 27th May 20:48
007 VXR said:
bad luck
but as you say sorted now
any other plans for modding ??
Yep but as you say sorted now
any other plans for modding ??
Edited by 007 VXR on Thursday 27th May 20:48
The front end had been upgraded to full Mk.4 99-spec before I bought it, I have most of the other parts needed to go for a full Mk.4 conversion so at some stage i'll get them fitted. A decent set of brakes is on the list too.
The interior is in good condition, but at some stage i'd like to have it retrimmed.
GTO Scott said:
007 VXR said:
bad luck
but as you say sorted now
any other plans for modding ??
Yep but as you say sorted now
any other plans for modding ??
Edited by 007 VXR on Thursday 27th May 20:48
The front end had been upgraded to full Mk.4 99-spec before I bought it, I have most of the other parts needed to go for a full Mk.4 conversion so at some stage i'll get them fitted. A decent set of brakes is on the list too.
The interior is in good condition, but at some stage i'd like to have it retrimmed.
.. will watch out for updates 
pugwash4x4 said:
any chance of an "owners review".
Always quite fancied one but never really seen a review or much from peopl who have one.
Certainly!Always quite fancied one but never really seen a review or much from peopl who have one.
Having owned GTO's for the last 6 years i'd say i've got a rough idea of what ownership can be like
I was originally drawn to them by a drive in my Dad's GTO. I loved the looks, the power and the comfort. My first was a non-turbo automatic - a car weighing close to 1800kg with a 3 litre 220bhp V6 was never going to set the world on fire, but for the 20 year old me, it was about as good as I could get, and certainly all I could afford to insure. Eventually though, the need for more power came along and I part-exchanged it for the
Now, as with many high-performance cars, maintenance is critical. The TT I bought hadn't had a shred of care or attention given to it for some time, and I paid the price - the cambelt slipped 48 hours after buying the car. Eventually the car got sold and I spent a decent amount to buy the GTO that started the obsession for me - Dad's black TT. This car had been looked after - it gave me 4 years of almost perfect service. The only problems were the clutch master-slave flexi-hose popping (a common fault, cured by fitting a braided replacement from Goodridge) and the clutch itself failing.
As a driving experience, if you want something that will report every sensation to your fingertips and toes, look elsewhere. It's not far shy of two tons and has all-wheel drive, all-wheel steer and adaptive suspension which all hinders the feel being transmitted to you. If you want a stonking GT bruiser that'll take you across countries and continents in comfort and speed, then a GTO is well worth a look. Some people cannot get on with the 'insulated' feel, but I found it's a matter of learning the car - the more I drive them, the more I explore just how far I can push. If you do want to sharpen up the feel, fit a decent set of coilovers, though you will reduce the comfort levels. Mine has Teins fitted with the EDFC controller, which I found is much better than the 'normal' non-EDFC setup. For such a big car, whether on standard or aftermarket suspension, they really can be thrown around corners. If the car feels soggy and sloppy, it's probably still on it's original suspension.
The engine is superb - a 2972cc V6 developing 280bhp in all versions (don't believe claims of 320bhp for the UK spec 3000GT, although it has slightly bigger turbos they are more to do with running on lower-quality UK fuel). A standard GTO/3000GT should be capable of 0-60 in less than 5.5 seconds, a top speed somewhere around 160mph and quarter-mile times in the mid 13's. Plenty of people will try to tell you they've had 180+ mph from a standard GTO - either their speedo has problems or they need to go to specsavers. The 6G72 isn't particularly complicated, even if the underbonnet view looks cramped. Basic power increases are easy - a decent electronic boost controller, exhaust and air filter along with an engine in decent well maintained condition is quite capable of 350bhp. There are 3000GT's in the States pushing over 1200bhp.
The GTO/3000GT has a rather poor reputation for reliablity - quite unfounded in my experience, provided the car is properly maintained. Service intervals are crucial, as are regular oil and filter changes. A cambelt change isn't enough - the idler pulley, water pump and tensioner pulley as well as the tensioner itself, and a few small parts need to be replaced at the same time. Too many cars have suffered through a lack of servicing or half-arsed jobs done by people who don't understand the cars. I can't stress this enough - have the car looked after by someone who knows and understands them - and I don't mean Mitsubishi. They see these motors so infrequently (only 650-odd UK-spec 3000GT's were ever sold over here) they're usually left scratching their heads. It's not uncommon for the specialists to get calls from Mitsubishi UK asking how to do certain jobs.
I'd recommend you head over to www.gtouk.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php and read the Buyer's Guide. There's tons of useful info on the forums.
If you'd like any more info, let me know
Edited by GTO Scott on Thursday 27th May 22:23
now thats what you call an answer 
Nice car, I am sure you will enjoy it for a long time to come. Lets hope that your bad luck on the drive home is the last of the bad luck. I had one of these recently, not a second of trouble, drove beautifully, & in many ways was sorry to see it go, but I just HAD to have a XJR, & touch wood all ok there up to now. Funny thing though, when the new owner of my 3000GT drove home he went too fast over a speed bump & bottomed the sump, put a hole through the rad, stopped the front aero working, & the alarm came on & wouldn't go off! Hope he has sorted it by now.
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