I had no intention of driving any car other than the Angry Grandpa Chrysler today, and the only reason I went into town today was to pay a bill and to wash the car…after the trip out to St. Louis and back, it was disgusting. That’s all I planned on. But when I got to the only car wash in town I deal with, and saw the line of everyone who decided to take advantage of the pleasant summer weather, I handed off the key to the soapy minions and took a walk to the Toyota dealership next door to walk through the used car lot. I’ll make no bones about it: the used lot is the only place I’ll find something I want at a Toyota dealership (not counting the two sweet FJ-40 Land Cruisers in the dealership) and Toyota of Bowling Green has had some interesting finds: a super-clean 4th gen Camaro SS, a couple diesel Dodges, and a Jeep here and there would catch my attention while I waited for the Chrysler to emerge spotless and shining.

Today, however, set against a backdrop of Camry sedans in gray and silver, stood a stunningly red 1994 Mitsubishi 3000GT. If there is one Japanese import I’m stuck on, it’s the 3000GT. And to explain why, I have to take you back to 2000. I’m 17, and most days I’m content to bomb around Colorado Springs in my Monte Carlo SS with the T-tops off. I have a relative, an aunt, who always wanted a Monte like mine in high school but got stuck driving a ten-year-old Celica that never seemed to be running. She had a black 3000GT, and to me, that car might as well have been a Ferrari. One afternoon, I suggested that we trade cars, and to my surprise, she agreed. She’d take my Monte Carlo and go driving around the city with her husband, and I’d take her Mitsubishi and proceed to do a lot of bad things with it. I raced it through the mountain passes like I’d never get caught by the cops. I carved through every main thoroughfare with impudence. I would get my friends and show them what corner-carving truly meant. And either she didn’t care, didn’t know, or didn’t give a damn, but I never heard one bad word about the car when it was returned that I’m willing to remember.

So seeing this car brought on a wave of nostalgia that I couldn’t shake, and Jeff, one of the salesman at the dealership, couldn’t help but notice that I might have more than a passing fondness for the big sport coupe. I explained what I wanted to do (drive it a little bit) and he agreed to let me take the 3000GT for a spin.

This is a 1994 3000GT SL, which is not the super-wicked VR4 model, but is still plenty capable. The engine is the 6G72 24-valve 3.0L V6, which makes about 223 horsepower. It’s the same motor, more or less, that you’d find in a Dodge Caravan, but here, the engine noise has bass and sounds smooth, like a six waiting to run. An automatic trans greeted me as I settled into the cockpit, the only unwelcome intrusion in the otherwise driver-oriented space. The seats felt great, and their adjustable bolstering was a nice reminder of setting everything on “kill” before heading up into the hills. I didn’t remember the steering wheel being that un-adjustable, though…it didn’t go up as high as I’d like and it didn’t telescope.

Out on the road, the Mitsubishi became instantly familiar: stiff throttle input that basically made sure you wanted to move forward, no real interference from the front-wheel-drive setup. That’s right, not every 3000GT is an all-wheel-drive monster. But unlike an Eclipse or most any other FWD car, you don’t really notice it. It’s just a pleasant cruiser that is content to take you wherever you want at low RPM, and when you boot the throttle, it’ll do it’s best to get you where you need to go.

But did it live up to the expectations that I had made from memories of the car I thought was so wicked years ago? I can’t say so and be completely honest. But does this car make any sense at all to even own? Look at the picture above. In this photo there are three V6-powered cars that will work reliably, have a ton of parts support, and can get decent fuel mileage if you don’t drive like a maniac. Two are silver sedans that still number in the tens of millions on the roadways. The other has good handling, great lines, a desirability factor neither one of the yawn-mobiles have, and will be remembered long after the Taurus winds up smashed into a pancake and the Camry is handed down for the fifth or sixth time.

Suits me just fine. Find a 3000GT VR4 if you want to haul tail. This SL is the perfect answer to a silver bar of soap with headlights. It’s not fast by today’s standards. But there is something about a big grand touring sports coupe from when Mitsubishi could actually make a decent ride that is just appealing. Just like when I was in high school, I’d wheel this thing around with no shame whatsoever…so long as I can remove the Enrique Iglesais and Kenny Loggins CDs from the six-disc changer in the back.