Reliable

[Rage]

I am not trying to troll you guys i just want to know if these cars are reliable i have herd story neer and far of how these cars break and some say it never breaks What are your opinion on the matter From the dodge stealth RT to the RTT and 3000gt turbo and none turbo, fwd and awd 1991-1995 and i would like to know what your thoughts are on the servicing you have to do or have done to the motor pricing for a mechanic and general maintenance.

[J-Groove]

Proper maintenance on a non modded or properly modded car will be extremely reliable.

I have daily driven these cars in the past with no issues aside from those I directly caused.

The issue now is, if you want one that is reliable you will need to pay a premium for a good car. Past maintenance makes a huge difference and with the entry price to the platform becoming very low. Many are picking up VR-4s for sub $5K and throwing mods at them before making sure they are running in tip top shape prior. Which in turn creates an unreliable ticking time bomb of a headache.

-John

[Alan92RTTT]

If properly maintained and not beaten on they can be reliable.

My SL has 180k miles on it. I have not had any major issues with it.

I have a 92TT that is also at 180k. I have had some syncro issue but they are probably driver error. But for a car that I have had since 1998 its been reliable.

In my experience they become unreliable when beaten on or not maintained.

[Rage]

thank you for the speedy reply i was thinking of getting one of the sub 5 K cars and doing a water pump timing belt and new pulleys would that be the first thing you would do?

What about price on parts like what i stated above and what about the 60,000 is it a pain?

[sergechronos]

Timing belt, water pump and pulleys are the 60k. Use OEM parts. Cheap versions have been hit or miss for folks, and if it fails, you're looking at very expensive headwork. 60k is just the start, pending mileage, you may need to throw in oil pump and bearings as well. Oil pump is supposed to be replaced at 120k (but some people don't) and bearings are a wear item that often gets ignored which can have devastating consequences later. I got 180k out of my bearings, but they were completely shot at that point. A 60k will cost around $450 for a DOHC, or $300 for a SOHC.

Valve stem seals are also a point of wear and should be replaced around 120-150k normally and you should look out for that, often leaves a puff of blue-ish smoke when accelerating.
Oil in the intake pipes can also indicate some problems (generally either with the PCV system or the turbos themselves.)
The lash adjusters also tend to tick, making the car sound like a sewing machine but it's nothing to be concerned with. If you hear any knocking, back away slowly..

Taking the time and money to buy a quality one will save you a lot of headaches in the long run though.

[Street_Chally73]

I just wanted to add that a little oily residue in the intake Y-pipe isn't too much of a concern...If you have substantial oil in there, then chances are one of your turbos is blowing oil through...I kinda wish I would have taken a photo of how much my rear turbo was blowing through.

Needless to say, OEM will be 95% of the way to go & be very selective with the aftermarket parts that you purchase; the overall quality & execution of the finished product will speak volumes of how durable/reliable that part will be for you.

The vendors here offer quality aftermarket parts that can save you headaches later on down the road.

Cookie-cutter auto parts stores tend to carry only Chinese-made junk that, while they're much cheaper than OEM, often fails a few months down the road & usually just escalate the repair costs to properly fix everything again.

The price to play is somewhat high for these cars, but if you do everything right you can have a potent car that'll offer years of fun without too many issues (provided you don't rag on it every chance that you get).

[Jouni_K]

thank you for the speedy reply i was thinking of getting one of the sub 5 K cars and doing a water pump timing belt and new pulleys would that be the first thing you would do?

What about price on parts like what i stated above and what about the 60,000 is it a pain?

When doing timing belt, I would recommend also changing the hydraulic tensioner even while it adds some $$$.

[Ange]

I just did the 60k. Kind of a pita with the engine in the car. Cramped spaces for some bolts and pulleys. And alot of reading should be done to prepare for it if you're not an experienced mech. Read guides and watch vids on youtube. Take things slow rather than rush it. You don't want to make misstakes with a timingbelt job.

Could always leave it to a mech but I hear they charge alot for it for these cars...