Thread: Is the 3100 engine ****?

I will concede the idea of them is cool lol. Almost bought a 90 tgp 4 yrs ago

It is really like anything else. If the previous owner took care of it, it should run for a long time, if they treated it like crap, then it'll probably be a POS. My only complaint is that its an extremely hard engine to work on when crammed in. Trying to get the thermostat out is a pain in the a$$ and its just too big of an engine for such a small engine bay. If you can find one super cheap with the 3.1, like I did, then go for it, otherwise, go for the 3.8, more power, better reliability, and just overall a better engine.

95-96 is a pretty old car. I would only consider one if my budget was less than $1k. I don't think there is much wrong with the 3.1L besides intake manifold gaskets. I would look for a 2004-2008 with the 3.8L. On cars with over 150k, I think there are some pretty good deals out there.

Nah don't even waste your time or money. Get a 3.8.