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Thread: Questions on Legnum VR4 from someone who's never seen one in person

  1. #1

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    Smile Questions on Legnum VR4 from someone who's never seen one in person

    Hello everyone.

    So I'm looking at buying a 96 Legnum VR4. Heres the catch though.

    I'm in the US... So I have some questions that I can't seem to find anywhere else and just wanted to ask about them here.
    When I try to look up information on the Legnum I get redirected to pages concerning the Galant which the only option we got on that here was the i4.


    I apologize if the terms I may use are "wrong".
    For example yall call 4 door cars Saloons and in the US they're called Sedans. So I don't even know if Wagon is the correct term when referring to the Legnum so please forgive me.



    So anyway,

    I'm in talks with a company to have a Legnum VR4 imported to the US. As some of yall may or may not know the US has a "25 year rule" meaning the VIN has to be 25 years old before a car can be imported and driven on the roads here. This is a process that was made purposely long and complicated but there are companies that do all this work for you so you can have any car you want from anywhere, given it's 25 years old.

    I'm a big fan of JDM cars, I currently own a 86 300ZX and love it to pieces but it's slow. Very slow. But so much fun to drive otherwise.
    First found the Legnum in a Donut Media video about cars going "legal" this year. And thought I've never seen one of these before.
    Looked up the car fell in love with it's looks. The US doesn't get many wagons. In fact I can name just about all of them on 1 hand. And wagons are just the sweetest cars ever.
    I knew I must have one. JDM and a Wagon with a TTV6.

    But I'm also a practical person and though I do enjoy a good money pit, I enjoy the money pit holding up it's side of the relationship as well. So since I can't just go out and test drive one and look around it I have to rely on second hand knowledge.

    First of all, reliability. How often am I looking at putting new parts on?
    Is the 2.5 v6 TT known to just fall apart or is it good with regular maintenance?
    I've heard terrible things about the 3000GT which is the only iteration of that engine we got. (That I know of)

    Are there some common issues I need to watch out for?
    Common rust spots? Known weak points that fail more than others?

    How fun are they to drive? I can't imagine it's bad given it's a monster built of extra parts from 3 legendary Mitsus.
    But I also again cannot test drive it until I've bought it.

    I appreciate any and all information I can get. Before I put down my deposit with my import rep I want to make sure this is the car I want. I've been a life long Evo fan but as an American I am large and fat and do not exactly fit in an Evo well.

    Feel free to skip this part. I'm just putting a small intro about myself here since I can't post pictures of my VR4 in the newbie section since I don't own one yet....


    Some aside info about me,
    Love to wrench on cars.

    My current cars:
    2018 4Runner TRD Offroad
    1986 Nissan 300ZX 2+2 NA
    1982 Chevrolet Corvettte

    Look forward to joining yalls family soon. Thanks for taking the time to read.

  2. #2
    elnevio's Avatar

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    Great intro, lots of info!

    That was something the video did get wrong though, as the 3000GT and Galant/Legnum VR-4 share nothing. Our engine is the 6A13TT, and is the other way round to the 3000GT's 6G72.

    It's a good engine and is pretty reliable with maintenance and quality oils. One oil many swear by is Amsoil, something which you will probably be able to get hold of a bit easier than most! I for one use Amsoil in every element of the car that takes an oil, so engine, autobox, transfer box, rear diff (the AYC diff actually takes three oils - gear oil for the normal part of the diff, AYC oil for the diff clutch packs, and AYC oil for the AYC hydraulic actuation circuit). Amsoil universal ATF is particularly great in the gearbox and AYC, as it outperforms the specified Mitsubishi fluid by quite a way in terms of wear and performance heat range.

    Regarding performance, it is a great all rounder, without being outstanding in one discipline. Mild modifications, such as panel filter, decat, better exhaust, and boost control, will improve the overall driveability. But going much beyond that gets very expensive, as there is little off the shelf stuff for the 6A13TT, as the 8G VR-4 was the only application that used it. There's a chance that as more VR-4s make it across to the States, more ready-made mods may become available, although it will likely never be as substantive as what's available for the likes of the 4G63T Evo engine.

    As for pictures, we appreciate all sorts! You are more than welcome to post up pics of your fleet, I know there will be a few that will fawn over pictures of the Corvette!
    October 2023 fleet status: 100% operational


    | Legnum VR-4S | Fiat Panda 100HP !! | a blue one! | Avensis T-180 | VR-4 parts van! |

    Why not become a full member of CVR4 and enjoy the additional benefits membership brings?! Information here.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by elnevio View Post


    Great intro, lots of info!

    That was something the video did get wrong though, as the 3000GT and Galant/Legnum VR-4 share nothing. Our engine is the 6A13TT, and is the other way round to the 3000GT's 6G72.

    It's a good engine and is pretty reliable with maintenance and quality oils. One oil many swear by is Amsoil, something which you will probably be able to get hold of a bit easier than most! I for one use Amsoil in every element of the car that takes an oil, so engine, autobox, transfer box, rear diff (the AYC diff actually takes three oils - gear oil for the normal part of the diff, AYC oil for the diff clutch packs, and AYC oil for the AYC hydraulic actuation circuit). Amsoil universal ATF is particularly great in the gearbox and AYC, as it outperforms the specified Mitsubishi fluid by quite a way in terms of wear and performance heat range.

    Regarding performance, it is a great all rounder, without being outstanding in one discipline. Mild modifications, such as panel filter, decat, better exhaust, and boost control, will improve the overall driveability. But going much beyond that gets very expensive, as there is little off the shelf stuff for the 6A13TT, as the 8G VR-4 was the only application that used it. There's a chance that as more VR-4s make it across to the States, more ready-made mods may become available, although it will likely never be as substantive as what's available for the likes of the 4G63T Evo engine.

    As for pictures, we appreciate all sorts! You are more than welcome to post up pics of your fleet, I know there will be a few that will fawn over pictures of the Corvette!
    Thank you for the reply I'll probably head on over there and introduce myself. Also thank you for telling me about the motor I saw in the video that that's the motor it had and could've easily looked up the engine codes to realize he was wrong. Might even message the mods in their discord and tell them to correct that.
    But then I guess we never got that motor in anything.

    Couple things though I've never heard of AMSOIL but, the king of oils over here is Lucas. I'm convinced Lucas doesn't make oils they make magic car potions. But I'll look into ASMOIL as it's proven for this car.

    Anything else I should know going forward? I'm not against taking it to get custom work done.

    Thank you for your time again!

  4. #4
    Nick Mann's Avatar

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    I think Nev has covered it all to be honest.

    With good maintenance and only minor modifications they are great cars and pretty reliable for their age and complexity. They out handle anything of a similar size, so get it on a country road and enjoy it! I have one for exactly the reasons Nev said, it is good at everything. Load lugging, fun, performance, handling. It can be beaten in every respect, but not by any other single car in my opinion.

    For major modifications you will be looking for custom work. Any significant turbo upgrade will require manifolds to be custom made for example. Even performance exhausts are becoming hard to find off the shelf!

  5. #5

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    My view - If you get a VR-4 Legnum - Wagon - give it a full service including AMSOIL for every lubricant - ATF for gearbox and AYC -also for engine and diff - new panel air filter - do not take off air box or fit cone filter - and fit new plugs etc - see how it goes then with it running A1 and with best lubricants partic for auto box to see how well it can go...

    After that start to consider what modest modifications do you want to do

    As said, decat and exhaust but not too big - other stuff will have to be custom and really, really expensive and generally untried...
    Last edited by chris g; 26-05-2021 at 10:33 PM.

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