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So why no RIP registry?

Vince

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So as we know, 26 years has seen the demise of many a VR-4.... Totaled, fire, flood, rusted out or what ever.

What I do see is many owners selling off the original plaque, and often to an buyer with less than honorable intentions. I've encountered this with other 'limited production' vehicles, and have fought hard to help unsuspecting buyers from getting taken.
It seems to me that this trend could exist with the VR-4 as well.

So, my question is should there be a RIP registry of 'known' total loss VR-4s by number?

Vince
 

raptorWagon

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Because these cars aren't so limited in production. The xxxx/2000 and 1000 refers to how many were IMPORTED not produced unlike other "Limited edition" cars. Though there were around 3009 total imported, the other 9 were used for showrooms or came pre-badged. Actual production numbers span from 1987-1992, resulting in around 25-30,000 GVR4s were built.

The Plaques share no correlation with the VINs of the cars (they were all numbered randomly upon port entry into the US ), so for some they sell the badges to give cars that don't have a badge anymore to carry one for sentimental reasons.
 
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Vince

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OK, so I recognize the VR-4 label was mass produced worldwide, and only a limited numbers imported to the US.

My counter question is 'Did Mitsubishi import any identical cars to the VR-4 into the US market?'
Were there AWD, AWS, Turbo Galants without the VR-4 badge sold to the US market?

My suspicion is simply "No". That makes the US import a rare vehicle within the United States, correct?

I have seen many an unsuspecting buyer pay a high price ,(admittedly for lack of research) for a bogus copy of my rare GMC Truck created by a thief with the sole intent to make fast cash.

Are you saying this is something what the USA GRV4 crowd actually advocates?

I'm confuzzled....
 

raptorWagon

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I already answered that counter question in my first comment lol. The identical VR4 without a badge are the 9 GVR4s that were imported originally with the other 3000, a few of those cars exchanged hands with members on this forum over the years, they were pre-badged 91 cars. The rarer of the 6th gen Galants in the US are the Galant GSXs which were AWD NA dohc 4g63s (around only 2500 were imported) and Canada had a version their rebadged cars..the Eagle 2000GTX that came as a AWD NA as well, less of those were imported than GVR4s. My point is they aren't that rare, as ever since they first hit 25yrs old, they have been starting to come over from Japan these days. Also this community while is US based does have several members from the UK to Australia and New Zealand as well.

A US Spec VR-4, realistically is a base model VR-4 with leather and power options, the 90+ cars were running bigger turbos, injectors, intercoolers, had more power output, Evo spec models being the top package. The Kensington Grey color is only offered on the US 92 cars and the leather seats in the US cars were supposedly upholstered by AMG, but other than that, it's a basic GVR4. The JDM models that have come over have somewhat been driving the price of clean USDM GVR4s up however though, because why buy JDM when you can have a LHD version of the same car and one that has probably been maintained .

On the basis of a "RIP registry", why bother? it's only as accurate as those that inform the record keeper, just as Iceman's registry database is only as accurate as the owner whom registers on this forum. There is no way to track the cars otherwise, it is only with user provided information.

In the end if there were no more USDM GVR4s, you could just pay the money to get a JDM one imported, much like folks do for Skylines and whatnot.
 

donniekak

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surprise az
Quoting Vince:
So as we know, 26 years has seen the demise of many a VR-4.... Totaled, fire, flood, rusted out or what ever.

What I do see is many owners selling off the original plaque, and often to an buyer with less than honorable intentions. I've encountered this with other 'limited production' vehicles, and have fought hard to help unsuspecting buyers from getting taken.
It seems to me that this trend could exist with the VR-4 as well.

So, my question is should there be a RIP registry of 'known' total loss VR-4s by number?

Vince



What are their less than honorable intentions? It would be a ton of work, time, and money to convert a non vr4 to a vr4 including swapping all vin and chassis codes. And for what, to sell the car for $5000-$8000?
 

iceman69510

Turn Right Racing
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I do have a small list of dead chassis numbers, but as mentioned above, the badges may live on. The VINs are unique in the US to the actual VR4, so to fake one you would have to go the way of illegality. Not saying it can't or won't be done, but as suggested in another answer, it is probably something the time and effort to do would not get paid back.

You might be able to fake it to someone not knowing what they are looking for, but only converting another AWD would even be a reasonable facsimile.
 

Vince

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Quoting donniekak:

What are their less than honorable intentions? It would be a ton of work, time, and money to convert a non vr4 to a vr4 including swapping all vin and chassis codes. And for what, to sell the car for $5000-$8000?


So I guess that is a part of the equation. The bits and pieces exist, and at a relatively low cost.
How much would it take snag a cheap ass 26 year old Eclipse AWD drive train from the junkyard and drop it into a crapped out Galant GTX chassis? Then pawn it as a VR-4?

You folks are the experts here, I'm just posing the question to see if fake VR-4s are currently or could soon be financial beneficial to a 'less than honorable' seller.

My side reference is to experiencing this is my 1974 GMC Beau James (http://pw1.netcom.com/~rvtucker/beaujame.html). With only a 4000 production count, you would be amazed to the number of fakes that show up on Fleabay. As my Beau site is pretty exclusive, I'm often flooded with questions regarding authenticity... I'm not a GMC expert, and am clueless about VIN production numbers, but I have helped many avoid buys because little things just didn't line up. (Proof also that 'less than honorable' sellers are out there.)

Vince
 
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raptorWagon

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Well a Galant GSX drivetrain wise is the same as a Galant VR-4, the differences are in the diff ratios and the 5spd trans is weaker in the GSX than the VR-4. Exterior wise on the VR-4 is specific to the car, so you would need all those parts too, then need a turbo instrument cluster and all that sh*t

It would take quite a bit of work to swap the AWD drivetrain into a FWD Galant like a GS, GSR or LS. You have to cut the trunk floor out and weld up the other mounting points for the rear subframe that aren't there on the fwd chassis, find a GGSX/VR4 fuel tank, then would also have to install a AWD trans, get a new driveshaft made because the DSM driveshaft is too short, turbo engine harness, turbo engine, door claddings, doglegs, front bumper and fogs to even pass it off as a GVR4...which wouldn't even matter because the VIN and Firewall plate will show that it was a FWD chassis with the chassis code of E33A. A Galant GSX Chassis is E38A vs all the USDM VR4s and most Overseas VR4s are E39A. Very early ones without 4WS were E38A overseas.

No one wastes their time with going that far, for the cost it is cheaper just to buy a GVR4. These aren't Big ole Bowties lol, so this isn't an issue that occurs at all. Your GMs may be a low production vehicle and sure that probably happens, but again GVR4s ARE NOT low production cars. Low import numbers is not the same thing and even in this day and age, the GVR4 community is fairly small compared to others on top of that 6g Galants whether FWD or AWD are pretty scarce for being seen on the road on a regular basis. I see a 6g on the road as much as I see another Starion on the road....I don't, but they are out there.
 

Vince

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Jan 31, 2015
Messages
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Puget Sound, WA
Thanks raptorWagon,

Maybe I'm a tad paranoid after helping folks avoid $10K losses... Just seems the GVR4 is on the rise in collectability. And I see so many posts about folks wanting and buying all the side trim. Not to mention proudly proclaiming they remove and/or sell badge numbers from their past GVR4... Makes me uncomfortable I guess....

Cool to see you are local, and have an '88 Starion... Just sold my Conquest TSI (Fiji Blue) a few years back (https://flic.kr/s/aHsk7YmDyD)! Someone got a steal for $1500, as she was in sweet condition for the price...
Still have many aftermarket parts if your interested... PM me!

Peace!
Vince
 

NateCrisman

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Nov 22, 2008
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Blairstown, NJ
The reality of this is that, honestly...these are not on the rise in collectability, and people are simply not willing to pay any more for a "rare" Galant VR4 with number'd badge, than they are willing to spend on a 1G DSM (90-94 Eclipse/Talon) in the same condition and state of modification. On these cars, modifications increase value. Basically what Im saying is....noone would care to go through the trouble to "fake" a GVR4 by swapping all the VR4 specific stuff into a non-turbo Galant uniboy...because frankly.....it's worth more to simply part out the donner GVR4 than it is to "build" a fake car that likely won't sell for 5k or less anyway. Not to mention, there are always GVR4 for sale for fairly reasonable prices. If you want one...just go buy one and don't worry about it being "faked", because it doesn't matter.

I have #72/1000 right now...no rust, the bane of GVR4. I bought it as a shell to rebuild, fix, flip. I'm listing it at $6000 and honestly, Im going to end up not turning a profit on it, and likely selling it at a loss.

These are NOT collectable cars where there is inherent value due to rarity. They only command value for the sum of it's modifications/sellable parts OR as value for a drivable/racable/enjoyable car. Noone buys these to put them away to appriciate. These are project cars. Driver cars. Fun "go to dragstrip and bust out some 11's" type tuner cars. Honestly, noone really gives a rats-ass about the badge # or it's originality, as we all know it was just a goofy marketting gimick by mitsu, since the badge #'s weren't even important enough for mitsu to even write them down vs VIN.

The badge number is more than anything....mostly used to identify "enthusiasts" online more than anything else. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rofl.gif

like #1051 is MARK....it's not the car. MARK has become the number. If he ever sold the car, that guy would forever get online-trolled with Mark stuff.

#431 is the fastest GVR4....yeah..the car is 431...but really....I associate the number with Nelson more than the stupid car, cause it's nelsons creation that deserves the kudos. If anyone else bought that car and was racing it...it forever gets known as "Nelson's car".

Ask the dude who currently owns #3 how his situation worked out with buying one of the more famous GVR4s.
 
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Vince

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Jan 31, 2015
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Puget Sound, WA
I'm not going to get into it to deeply here, cause I'm just not 'in the know', but I don't believe ANY car can be discounted as of no potential future value.
My own GMC Beau James was just a stickered c1500 chassis with a few specialties (http://home.netcom.com/~rvtucker/beaujame.html) and a production of 4000. You would be surprised how many people will stick decals on the side of the bed, and claim a rare 'Beau James'.... Yeash... I've worked with ebay to shut them down quickly.
(And Whoda thunk a Pacer would be coveted these days?)
Even the 88-89 Wide-body Starions are listed as possible collectables as time passes by, so I don't see a VR4 as an impossibility.

I think you are very correct in the mods to a base GSX chassis needed to fool a buyer would exceed current values, and this is where I clammed up, because your right... I didn't think it out that way.

But to say the "value is in the aftermarket mods" contradicts any and all collectors dreams. When looking for a 67-68 Firebird 400, I found them all over the place, but historically the Pontiac block was a pain (Siamesed cylinder sleeves with damaging hot spots), so the big thing in those days was to drop a Chevy 400 in its place. The second you raped the car, it became noting but a kids hotrod, and of no collection value.

Will a VR4 be collectable... eh... maybe... maybe not (the whole E38A/E39A chassis as is vanishing from the roads rapidly, unlike the massively sold number of eclipse)... but a raped one with altered chassis numbers will certainly be excluded from any collectors perspective. It's just another kids car at that point, and destined for a scrap yard sometime in its future.

In closing, I will say that in my world travels, the one thing we Americans are known for is being crooked. Sad but true. I deal with it often in the Beau James side of the house as a constant reminder.

Only Time will tell where a true VR4 is headed.

Peace

1212 is on the road @ 155K miles and making me smile again!
 

raptorWagon

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A Galant GSX isn't a base model though, it's still AWD where as a base model would be fwd with a 1.8l 4g37 or sohc 4g63.
 

Tonyc1970

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Oct 21, 2011
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Elk river mn
I sold the badge to a guy on this sight to a car I parted out because the floor was rusted out due to it was sitting on grass and dirt. I bought the car with no title it was abandoned at a service garage with a broken timing belt bent valves. I don’t remember the badge number though
 
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