Need some input on the VR-4 market in the UK

[Kryndon]

Hey all,

I've been scouring the net looking for any VR-4 deals, mainly across the UK but I was also looking at the Japanese market for a potential import.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that by UK standards the 8th gen Galant (and hence VR-4) is considered an old car. However the prices range from 1000 to 5000 pounds.

I'm thinking of buying a VR-4 saloon for my brother, because I am currently here whereas he is all the way down Southern Europe. I have a theoretical budget of ~3200 GBP. This budget will include the cost of the car, as well as any minor repairs and full timing belt servicing. Also I will have to drive it across Europe (1800 miles), so I'll probably need about ~400 pounds just in fuel.

The most important thing is that the car should not have any problems with the engine, transmission and AYC system (I've heard the AYC alone can cost 3 grand to fix). Manual will be preferred, but if the deal is good, auto will suffice.

So this is not really a "looking to buy" thread, but more about asking what you guys think is possible with the aforementioned budget and preferred options.

I would appreciate any feedback and ideas; if this somehow ends up a reality, I will be buying a VR-4 somewhere around December.

[Erni902]

As a general rule the below statements are fairly accurate:

- Manuals fetch more than auto's
- Rust on UK cars i.e those that have been over here for quite some years, can be an issue. Particularly on the strut tops and the arches
- Oils and servicing are big things so look out for service history even if its just receipts of products and the owner has done the work themselves. Regular servicing with good quality products is a plus point and make sure that ALL fluids have been changed etc. You would be surprised that even Mitsubishi themselves have trouble changing all the fluids and will often miss out AYC clutch packs etc.
- Japan has quite strict export laws and inspections so if you get a fresh import generally you can be confident that you are buying a quality vehicle that is safe! A member has recently bought a fresh import manual saloon for £1900 all in I believe which to me completely removes the option of buying from over here as you can spend that on a vehicle here with rust and part service history etc etc. Not to mention the lack of rust so you wont have to worry about this immediately although it would be sensible to at least have it undersealed upon entry to the UK
- The VR-4 is a twin turbo petrol performance car at the end of the day so expect to have to fork out for high fuel bills and maintenance costs but you will get this with any performance or turbo vehicle
- 2nd hand parts are fairly easy to come by as there are many members with spare parts or indeed whole cars lying around. Brand new parts can take up to 21 days maybe longer (average I have found is 10 days) as they are sourced and shipped from random warehouses around the globe.

Ive probably missed off a few points but from my experience these seem to be the key ones. Hope this helps and Im sure others will be along soon to add there experience/knowledge.

[Kryndon]

A member has recently bought a fresh import manual saloon for £1900 all in I believe which to me completely removes the option of buying from over here as you can spend that on a vehicle here with rust and part service history etc etc. Not to mention the lack of rust so you wont have to worry about this immediately although it would be sensible to at least have it undersealed upon entry to the UK.

Yes I saw that post, I actually wrote something there as well as I was quite intrigued by the price. However I keep checking the Japanese used car sites and there are no good deals so far which fit in my budget.

Thanks for your input, I'll see what the others might say.

[WOODY72]

Does your Brother actually want a VR4, or is that your decision, just asking?

[Kryndon]

Does your Brother actually want a VR4, or is that your decision, just asking?

If there's one thing I'm sure about, it's that he wants this car. Previously he had a 2.4 GDI 8th gen but he always wanted the real deal. We're both quite into Mitsubishis, I own an Eclipse as well. It's just that I'm currently in the UK and have the opportunity to actually see the cars up close and potentially make a purchase. Back home there are about 5 VR-4s and we know 3 of the owners. There is also a guy that specializes in converting them from RHD to LHD as is standard across Europe.

[Nick Mann]

It's a case of keeping your eyes open. It can take a few months to get a car from Japan, so that can be a draw back. I have seen a fresh from Japan import with rust and a car that had been here for over five years that was immaculate so whilst as Rikki said there is often a correlation between length of time in the UK and rust, it isn't always the case.

If a reputable specialist did a full cambelt service (not just the belt, but the full service!) on the car, you would be looking at a bill of over £1k. So you are basically asking to get a car in good condition but needing a service for under £2k. I'd say that this is at best optimistic. It has been done before, but maybe not often!!

[Kryndon]

You're right about that. I checked and a full inspection and service at Eurospec2000 is just under a grand. I was thinking just servicing the most crucial parts before a long journey, and finishing everything else back home.

Actually someone on here already messaged me, I'll see what he has to offer. But for now like you say, I'll keep my eyes open for any good deals.

[Nick Mann]

If you are handy with the spanners and join the site properly then you could save 500 ish on the service. Members have written guides in the members area including the cambelt change.

[Davezj]

if you want a RHD to LHD conversion as well for the £3200 you will be looking at getting a car for max of £1K as the RHD to LHD would be a min of £1K and as said above full cambelt service £1K. plus petrol £400 to drive the car accross europe.
you are not going to find a fault free drivable car for less than £1K

[Grid]

First of all you will be hard pressed to get a car, service it and convert it to LHD for 3 grand. A realistic target is 6-7 grand. 2-3 to get a car in decent nick from JP shipped to a port of your choice, 500 in taxes, RHD->LHD conversion is 2 grand if you get a mechanic to do it, less if you do it yourself. A full service can be done for 500. Then there is fuel costs. You might as well consider getting it LPG converted as it will pay for itself in less than a year.

Just to give you an idea - there are people in Poland offering to do just what I wrote above (import the car, convert and service it, hand over the keys) for roughly 7000 GBP.

[Kryndon]

I should have mentioned that I know the person who converts VR4s to LHD in my country and he does it for 600 GBP, also that doesn't factor in my budget since my brother will probably do that at a later stage.

It's mostly a matter of finding a somewhat ok car around the 2500 pound mark and fixing it up with the rest of the budget.

[adaxo]

Im not sure if you be able to pick something good in UK at this budged, IMO vr4 become divided in 2 categories, you can either get a dog on last legs pretty easy for less than £1k or cherished one fully serviced and in great condition for £4-5k, not much in between.
When I was on the market 6 years ago there was constatly 15+ cars to chose from in budget from 1k now its how many for sale? 5 at push?

If I want to buy vr4 today I would get one straight from JP, my current one was about 2 months in UK b4 I get it and Im so happy with it 5 years on, it still is trouble free motoring, not many performance cars with 5+ owners in log book can give you that