Has been sitting in garage since 1991. 34,000 miles. Need to find someone that can change out whatever lines, belts, that need to be changed, replace tires and new battery so I can sell it
I’d sell it as is, it could cost a small fortune to get this car to a running and driving condition.
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I would sell it as is, a true low mileage garage find, all original could possibly bring more money…
Twin turbos with AWD and AWS are bringing pretty good money, base model not so much…
I need pics
Then I can give value
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Yes,
Black w/ charcoal interior
I’m wanting 15k out of it. Is that unreasonable? No damage to the body.
Well, mainly depends on what options it has, base model, ES (I think), RT or RT with twin turbo, AWD and AWS??
Huge difference in pricing from what I have seen them selling for…
You said no body damage, what about engine and or drive line damage?? Why was it parked after driving it 34,000 miles in only about one year and then just stopped and stored in a garage for the last 32ish years??
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How much are you will to spend to get $15,000?
A car that has been sitting that long requires, without starting or driving, all fluids changed. Gas tank inspected for corrosion. Spark plugs pulled, oil into cylinders before turning over. New battery and tires.
As far as who to do it, most independent shops could handle it if you are willing to pay. Or if there is a Mitsubishi dealer near you they might have some older mechanics willing to take it on, but likely much more costly than an independent shop.
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Unless the engine was stored up w/all the valves closed & a shot of anti-rust in each cylinder, there’s a pretty good possibility of some cylinder/piston corrosion problems . If you plan to sell this car in "excellent "condition, good idea to hire a shop to assess the situation. They may need to remove the cylinder heads for a visual inspection. The 12.23 issue of Hot Rod Magazine has an article that addresses how this task is done.
The best way to find a good shop is to ask your friends, coworkers, fellow church-goers, etc which shops in the area they’ve had good luck with. The staff at local inde (rather than nat’l chain) auto parts stores are often good sources too. Try googling, there may be some classic auto clubs in your area , another good source to ask for shop recommendations.
Another idea, click the “repair shops” link at the top of this page. Best of luck.
Thanks for responding. My husband was ill when he bought it and got progressively worse until he died a few years ago. I live in the middle of nowhere so I will have the car loaded up and taken to Lubbock, about 100 miles from here. That’s the closest place of any size. Hopefully it won’t cost a fortune to fix.
Not a good idea as they are way out of date in my opinion that feature should be dropped from the CAR TALK page.
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Our condolences…
Still don’t know if it is a base or the RT turbo AWD etc version…
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Might be worth donating. Sounds like a lot of difficulty to eventually sell it. Donate A Car to NPR | Car Talk Donation Program
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Condolences to you on your loss. As for the rehab of the car, remember that whatever you spend getting it ready for sale, you can expect to recover about 25% of that cost. So it won’t take long for you to go backwards.
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If this is the base model, expecting to get $15K is unrealistic, imo
And you’re putting the cart before the horse, anyways . . . the car is currently not running
To be brutally honest, I think @GorehamJ has had the best idea so far
Has the car been stored inside a garage . . . or outside?
I just checked and it seems every engine available for that model year has a timing belt. Unless that belt was changed yesterday, I wouldn’t trust it. That should be another significant expense to add to the list, if you wanted to get the car running well enough to be able to sell it to somebody planning on driving it
Agreed with trying to sell it as is. $15K seems a bit high to me. This may be one of those situations where someone makes you an offer that “feels” right, or at least acceptable. You’re going to spend way more than $15K just to get it running and roadworthy again.
$15k for a 1991 Dodge Stealth seems outlandish, even with 35,000 miles, and even if it is running well. In fact, for a base model (FWD with the 3.0L SOHC minivan engine), it would be laughable. Even for a fancier version with the DOHC NA engine, it’s quite a reach. Maybe an AWD version with the turbocharged engine could fetch that much.
To be fair, I saw this 1992 Plymouth Sundance with 21,000 miles for sale online at an asking price of $9800…and still no takers after more than 5 months of the ad being posted.
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Not only that, but the DOHC engines are interference. The SOHC “minivan” engine is non-interference, and would therefore be my preference (though I realize it’s not desirable to collectors).
The Dodge Stealth was a quality MItsubishi product but unfortunatly was less than popular compared to the Big Bore products of it’s time.
As others have noted the value depends greatly on the specifics of the vehicle as well as the condition and you should be aware that Excellent condition is “Showroom New In All Respects”, which as others observed could easily cost a small fortune.
If selling it you can maximize your value by:
- Restoring the finish through a quality Detailer, exterior and interior.
- Address any basic mechanical issues, including a fresh battery and plugs so it stars and runnds fine.
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I expect there’s quite a few muscle-car restoration wanna-be’s that would be interested in it as a project car. To attract those sorts of buyers, best to keep the selling price on the low-side. @Beancounter 's advice above seems sound, focus on correcting appearance problems, clean and waxed, and otherwise just enough to make it a good enough runner for short, safe test drives.