I am giving some consideration to finding a Dodge Stealth with low miles.

If any of you past Owners of these cars could give me some feedback on any things to look out for, I would like to hear about it.

It's the R/T with an automatic or an R/T AWD that I am after.

Fire away..........

I know they had problems with the lower ball joint.Had a TSB on them and they were replacing them under warranty.The V6 get ready for sticker shock when its time to tune them.Its a real pain and calls for quite a bit of time.Rocky

I own a 93 Stealth automatic. Base model-SOHC. Not exactly a powerhouse but easier to work on. Plug changes and Timing Belt changes on the DOHC's are more difficult.
I would pay close attention to the condition of the automatic. Like many 3spd OD autos from this era they can be problematic. Erratic light throttle shifts are common, but make sure its not acting wierd before you buy. THere are good shift kits available that tighten the shifts (a bit) and are recommended.
The OD clutches are also problematic but are EASY to replace.

THe R/T AWD's are very powerful, but realize the added complexity.

Great styling, wonderful handling--nicest handling FWD car I've owned.
THe ingnition ECU and the tranny control unit are known to die from leaking capacitors but they too are an easy fix if your good with a circuit boards and a soldering iron--I replace the caps on mine.

The interior door panels are known to 'bubble'--the vinyl separated from its backing board due to interior (SUN) temperatures---if that happens ya kinda gotta just live with it--not that big of a deal once you 'get over it'.
Very nice instrumentation given the price of the cars--temp/Oil Pressure/Volts attractively laid out in the middle three-pod dash.

The dual exhaust (R/T and R/T Turbo) are complicated but Bosal makes aftermarket (OEM or better quality) but it can add up ($$).

The DOHC cars have tight engine compartments. The DOHC Turbo cars have VERY tight engine compartments.

The undercarriage of my car was pretty rusty due to 7-8 years in Michigan, but surprisingly the body painted surfaces (both outer an under) show zero rust.

You can fit a lot of rubber under these cars--I run 245/50/16s but people run wider on 17 & 18 inch wheels.

Yeah, I kind of figured that the AWD/AWS had a pile of complicated stuff on them.

I have always liked the looks of them, they still look modern even today.

I would sooner look for a 3000gt. It's the same car with IMO nicer, less dated looking styling treatment, available in newer years than the stealth and doesn't have that stupid looking spoiler right behind the rear window.

I had a 93 ES model which had the DOHC 220 hp engine with a 5-speed manual and boy did it give me a lot of work. Lot's of money spent on it. One of the main things I have noticed is that around the 100k miles mark, a lot of people started to rebuild or replace their engines. My lifters kept going bad around the 80-95k miles. Also, the transmission isn't the best out there. The car also rides really low and has low seats which may be hard for some people to get into. A lot of people didn't like that when they drove with me. Back seats are pointless. There is literally 6" of leg room. I just put them down and used them as a giant trunk. About every 3 months I would have a lot of minor problems (and some big problems too).

O, and if you are taller than (I would say) 5'10", this is not the car for you. Small seating area. I am 5'7" so getting in was fine. My problem was that my thighs are pretty big so often the steering wheel would rub with my thighs when the steering wheel was set to as high as it could go. Speaking of the interior, if you don't cover your car, all of the leather will rip apart. My dash cracked badly over time, my shifter knob's leather ripped apart, (as mentioned above) the leather on the door panels bubbled out completely, and my hand break was extremely cracked.

Another problem is that lots of these cars are abused and run dead. I have rarely seen one for sale with less than 120k miles on it and lots of people think their stealth is gold and will overprice them. Especially the twin turbos.

The things I enjoyed about it was it's looks and it's ride. It is a great FWD car. The low center of gravity makes it ride nice around big turns. I actually got around 21-24 mpg highway (going around 60mph). And it is a pretty heavy car, made out of steal, which helps when getting into an accident. Really safe. Just no passenger air bag.

Here is my old Stealth:

Well, after a few days of reading countless for sale ads: these things are money pits.

Just going on what people are admitting is wrong with some of the Stealths that are for sale shows that there are issues everywhere. Oil leaks, antifreeze leaks, seal leaks, lifter problems, electrical issues, transmission/clutch problems and the list goes on for cars with low miles. Anything over a 100k appeared to be tow-away material. Typical Japanese quality.

It did make me think of a great idea:

Anyone want to part with a decent Stealth body so I can slap a 6.1 and AWD out of a Charger into it?

I picked on up this winter for exactly that type of project. I got a '92 R/T FWD version that smokes like nobodies business, but I only paid $500 for it. Interior is in great shape, body is pretty decent and the engine and trans are going to scrap. I figure a 3G Hemi would look nice in between the fenders.

Piced up the factory FSM and have a stack of articles from High Performance Mopar when the did this similar swap in to a Conquest.

I figure this outta piss off ricers and hot rodders alike. Yeah, it won't be as fast as the factory twin turbo cars, but who cares, it will sound good finally.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3134282/1993-dodge-stealth