it has been sitting 5 yrs. will only start with fluid. is it worth a grand?

10

Asked by Dawn7139 Mar 02, 2013 at 01:29 PM about the 1993 Dodge Stealth

Question type: General

10 Answers

176,045

It could be. It was a real sporty car twenty years ago. Kind of rare. If you do your own work and nothing major is wrong with it, it might be a fun project. Is the $1000 the asking price? Can it be negotiated down?

Does it stay running? You could drive it home, to your house, at freeway speeds, or will take a slight detour and appointment with your tow driver?...unknown financial tragedies await-

47,275

Hmm? The Dodge Stealth / Mitsubishi 3000GT Twins were supposed to be their "answer" to the Chevy Corvette. We all see how THAT turned out. Still the Stealth (like the Dodge Daytona) was a decent looking car. There are many reasons that I would say to pass on this car: The Dodge name is synonymous with unreliability, the car has been sitting for 5 years (all sorts of things will need replacing/repair)....I'd ask the Owner WHY it hasn't been driven in ALL that time. Since you didn't mention, I'll assume at this price, it's the Base or ES model and NOT the amped-up Twin Turbo V6 with AWD. Also, according to Edmunds.com...all years of the Stealth had Moderate Engine Problems (No surprise there): A periodic problem on this vehicle is failure of the Timing Belt. This failure may prevent the vehicle from starting. The cost to repair the Timing Belt is estimated at $150.00 for parts and $351.00 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax.

2 people found this helpful.
199,785

For the right person it could be worth more than that but if your looking at it as a low cost investment for reliable transportation you will probably be disappointed. Please don't get me wrong I am a big fan of the 91 thru 93 3000gts and stealths but they do have thier issues and if you are not able to do the work yourself it will get very costly real quick. Questions to ask seller: why has it been sitting for 5 years, how many miles and when was the last timing belt put on it. With it having sit for five years would advice to change as soon as you buy it no matter how many miles is on it. Can also have issues with the electronics due to condensation built up while its been parked. Sure hope I haven't scared you to death because I love these cars just be ready for an interesting time getting it back to its glory. Hope this helps and good luck

1 people found this helpful.
805

Curious as to why Racer_X is on a Dodge site if he dislikes Mopar so much. Dandyoun gave the best response. I have owned Mopar for almost 30 years and used to race my 67 GTX and as long as you have decent mechanical aptitude they won't give you anymore trouble than any other vehicle. ( my brother owns a 92 Stealth btw)

1 people found this helpful.
47,275

Phil..This ISN'T a Dodge or a Mopar site at all. This is a Dodge related question in the Q&A section on the CarGurus site. I DID say that I thought the Stealth and Daytona were decent looking cars (They were VERY sharp looking cars, back in the day). However, you REALLY can't deny the fact that Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler/Jeep products have had a history of reliability issues. Consumer Reports (unbiased data obtained from actual owners themselves) and Edmunds.com aren't lying. Glad you're happy with Mopar/Dodge etc....I had a VERY bad 5 year experience with a real POS American car years ago (1987 Pontiac Fiero GT) ....everything that COULD go wrong DID go wrong with this car ...and NONE of it was due to lack of upkeep (rebuilt engine, rebuilt tranny, etc) and decided since then to spend my money more wisely on vehicles with better reliability track records. You're entitled to like what you like..and vice versa.

2 people found this helpful.
9,745

how old is the gas and if its old did you drain the old gas out ? also more elaboration on the condition and symptoms would help ... like does the idle surge and dip and does it stay running if you keep gas applied ? if it dips and surges its probably your iacv (idle air control valve) a very common problem and fixed for 65bucks and a Philips screw driver and 5 mins of time. Also hows the battery? The stealths and 3000K's are voltage sensitive cars, if your not getting the proper amount of voltage they will run like total crap. btw the stealths and 3K's have their issues but mostly from neglect and misdiagnosis, buy it, get it right then do the needed maintenance and it will be a very reliable car for you ... also it may say dodge on it but its really a Mitsubishi so don't lump the stealth in with the regular mopar's track record cause it really don't apply to the stealths. one thing to consider on if you want to buy it should be if your ready to pay for the 60 or 120k mileage maintenance (timing belt water pump oil pump etc) do not neglect that if needed

...well let's think what will have happened. Transmission fluid will have turned to varnish. Ethylene Glycol would have crystallized makin' it sludge. Battery will have lost the leakage current years ago; gasoline had the volitile part of the gas evaporate away leaving paint thinner as gasoline...but the wires are still there!

355

Depending on the buyer it is worth a grand. Even if it needed an engine for whatever reason. This is a rare car they only made them from 1991 to 1999. They're very nice and sporty. I own two (a 91' and 92') and they run great for their age. I advice changing all fluids maybe taking the fuel pump out and checking it for rust and definitely changing the filter. The only problem a buyer would be hesitant about is getting parts for it. They aren't making certain parts for them now so you'd have to have some things custom ordered unless you use a junk yard. But then you have to find a junk yard that actually has a stealth which most likely won't be the year you need.

355

However the fuel pump will cost you about $150. This could be a dependable car if someone gave it mechanical attention if they had the time and money to. It wouldn't be too expensive if the person does the mechanical work their self. And Like Daniel said it is a Mitsubishi they were just sold over to Dodge. That's why the Stealth an the Mitsu 3000 GT are known as twins.

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