Today’s import sports cars have some of the cleanest lines and most efficient engines. At the same time, they haven’t sacrificed power and performance. There is a draw back, however, and it’s the price tag. Most of the import sports cars fall out of reach for the average person’s pocketbook. The good news is that there are plenty of used cars that are affordable and quickly becoming classics. One in particular is a car I have owned for ten years now, a 1993 Mitsubishi 3000GT-SL.
When I bought the car it was already seven years old, but far from being outdated. The first year for production was in 1991 and in my opinion, the car was way ahead of its time. The GT and GT-SL models came with such 
equipment as the electronic suspension, which gave you the option of stiffening the suspension with a push of a button. The SL had climate control, power everything, leather, and all sorts of other goodies. It even had powered bolsters on the driver’s seat so you could adjust how tightly you wanted the seats to grab you while the tires grabbed the asphalt. If you were lucky enough to get your hands on the top model, the VR-4, you obtained all those goodies and then some. The VR-4 came with a twin turbo V-6, AWD drivetrain, and all-wheel steering. This combination would perfect the car’s ability to transfer its 320HP onto the road. Mitsubishi didn’t stop there, though. They also added an electronic exhaust that gave the “pilot” the ability to push a button and turn on sport mode. This caused a motorized baffle in the exhaust pipe to open up and allow more air to exit. This may be a common feature on today’s sports cars but it was ground breaking in 1991. The proverbial “cherry on top” was the electronically controlled spoiler that adjusted its angle according to your speed. That’s quite a list for a sports car in 1991. Even today, you’ll be hard pressed to find a sports car, import or domestic, that incorporates all these features at an affordable price.
The true beauty of the 3000GT is that these days you can have one in your garage for around three to five thousand dollars. I’m not talking about one that doesn’t run and needs lots of cosmetic work. I’m talking about a well-maintained model that would fit the average description of “good” according to the used car pricing books. If you do want a 3000GT in your garage, you better act fast as the car has passed the age of devaluing. In the last two years the values have shifted and began to climb, as the car is quickly becoming a classic.