Hella_GTR

Fair enough. I'll research some PPI places. I reached out to iron Chef and got no response. Thanks man. I'm more familiar with the r34 so I appreciate the help.

Hi again folks! I appreciated all your kind help and support on my previous endeavor to find an r33 but with the price skyrocketing on 1995 r33's in Japan, I've been considering a r32's. I searched the country here in auctions and goo-net dealers and found this non-accident r32 with 161,000km. Yesterday I saw the car and found it looked super clean but and then the dealer disclosed that the rear quarter panel skins had been replaced. The works looks clean to me and I can only tell weld line in the trunk (photo attached). Because they have been replaced, there is no rust below. Is buying a car like this a problem or is it best to stay away from panel replaced cars? My thoughts are the car is old and it's probably inevitable that they will need some rust repair in the future. But I also want to keep this car forever and take it with me back to California when I ultimately have to move back. Best R is the dealer. They're quite well known here in the R community and have a good reputation for selling quality cars and maintenance. They will sell me the car for 345万円 ($32k) out the door with tax included. For reference, a no-accident no rust car with Lower miles is in the 500-700万円 (~$50-65k USD) range. Average price and mileage normal non-accident r32 are $30-45k. This is just what I see and hear here. This car is a r32 standard with the nismo lmgt4 wheels, ohilns, brembo brakes, Fujitsubo exhaust, and Robson leather upgrade (kinda random but that's a thing here). It does have high mileage but has solid maintenance and the Best R says it's good to go (if that means anything). Car: https://www.goo-net.com/usedcar/spread/iphone/13/700055104730190702001.html http://www.best-r.com/create/gallery.php?&id=593 I know the original full normal cars are worth the most but even if I bought an original full normal one I would do suspension, wheels, brakes, and exhaust so this one is already done the way I like it. Thanks for any help!

You're spot on. I talked to Toprank again and they said the same thing as you sir. Car needs to be mostly original. Bummer lol. I totally just emailed them. Holy crap the prices in the UK are less than Japan. I'm going to search the markets there... R32's here are $35k minimum for a high-mileage clean one. Low mileage is $50k+. I'm going to see a 1994 high mileage R32 this weekend from Best-R which is a great GTR shop. Asking price is about $35k...https://www.goo-net.com/usedcar/spread/goo/13/700055104730190702001.html Thanks!!

Thanks guys and good call on the less corrosion. I will google some Australian dealers. It'd give me an excuse to go there for the first time and visit the country. And regarding OB2, it's not that easy unfortunately. Sean Morris is still working on his OBD2 system for the r34 which has a going rate of $50k at the moment. OBD2 requires additional sensors, like one in the fuel tank, a EGR valve, a 2nd O2 sensor, a crank position sensor and a whole bunch more that I don't know about. The OBD2 system must read all that data and regulate emissions (correct me if I'm wrong) and on 2000 vehicles, I suppose that would be OBD2b systems, California emissions check stations must plug-into the computer to read the data from those sensors. There' some info out there online but not much. Sean Morris is the guru on this and you can find him on Youtube and other articles. Or maybe I can find a way to get a residency card in Australia somehow...hmmmmm

Hi Links, I live in Japan for the next 1-2 years or so, but still 1996+ will not work in CA due to OBD2 requirements. California is different than the rest of the country because they have their own air resources board, ARB, that requires OBD2 systems. So in CA, even if the car is over 25 years old it will not pass CA requirements and cannot get a CA license plate. in 2021 a 1996 GTR will not be legal until it can comply with California ARB requirements. Every other state is OK. This is what Sean Morris and others are working on right now but essentially they need to build an OBD2 computer system to piggyback on the current car's ECU. It's crazy. So storing a car is not an option for me as I have to stick to 1995 and older cars no matter the year I go back to California. I hope that makes sense. I bid on a 1995 GTR last week at the auctions and you're right, they're about $45k for a no repair history car grade 4 car. Good for current owners though! Thanks

Wow good catch on the jacking point. Most the ones I've seen here have some damage like that unfortunately. I will try to go check this car out still but the language is a bit hard so they're not very responsive with me via email & google translate or Line app. I'll let you know what I find if I can see it. I've been working with Manuel Tasende from Toprank here. He said he's the only JDM guy there for the American market and is SUPER busy. He tries though but he's just busy I guess. He knows I'm looking for a car but hasn't suggested one yet, other than the one you found later ('ll get to that). Perhaps the markets have changed so he's more busy now but I'll keep trying. I'll also look up Global Auto and HJA too, thanks for those suggestions. Honestly I would prefer a s2 or s3, but they aren't legal in CA. Only 1995 and older are legal in California due to OBD2 requirements enacted by CARB for 1996+ vehicles. I spoke directly with Sean Morris (via email) and he said stick to 1995 and older. And I agree man I'm going to stay away from the gray pearl one with strut tower repairs. I'm going to just have to pay for top quality in this crazy market. I was hoping to spend under $40k but that's just not a reality anymore in this market. Yeah I spoke with Toprank about the QM1 you saw. He said the car is in pretty good shape, but around 200,000KM's on it but the real mileage is unknown. Also the hood, and fenders have been replaced due to a prior accident. I would rather find a virgin one if possible but that one is clean looking. And for my CA needs, I've been speaking with Toprank's branch in long beach and Sean Morris and his team directly for compliance. The current word is stick to 1995 and older for California. Bummer! The struggle is real. My timing is just off. I bought my r34 when prices were going up, sold lower, now trying to find a 1995 is crazy because they go legal in the US in January...

Thanks Steve. I just emailed Iron Chef and the dealer to see if I can go check out the 3rd one. It actually looks pretty decent and is local which is nice. I'll check the auctions today too and see how it ends up. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for the great help! -Evan

For kicks, I also found this one, a one owner car, at a local dealer in Kanagawa. They don't speak English which is probably good lol. They want 3,600,000 yen as the asking price. Definitely need to find the original parts though for California compliance. https://www.goo-net.com/usedcar/spread/iphone/13/700050502330190611001.html

Damn. I need to start looking up where to get people to do my PPI. I know some shops offer it but it's so hard to time it with an auction or even dealer since these things sell so fast now. If you have any recommendations for PPI folks, please let me know. I think ProStock of Craft Sports do it but they're a bit far away. I bought my s15 and r34 from the auctions and experienced the same things as you. There was even rust on my r34 on the trunk that was clearly visible that did not get listed in the auction inspection sheet. Weather striping was gone and light rust in the boot. I sold my r34 to top rank. Hopefully they'll clean it up and sell it right. Imagine they're going to make it shiny and list it for tons more than I sold it for. One thing I don't like about some of these vendors is its about sales, not the cars. Especially the ones who sell to foreigners overseas. It all feels a bit tense like you have to buy now now now as if the cars were stocks and not something more like they are to car enthusiasts like us. Maybe the best route is to go to dealers and just look myself. My two last auction experiences haven't been great, it's like a gamble. Makes me want to give up but I'll try to find a PPI inspector or buy directly from a reputable place like Craft Sports (but $$$$). I appreciate all the input here. It's very enlightening. Evan

Hi Guys thanks SO much. Steve wow your video is stellar and right on for me in terms of timing. Your two cars are beautiful btw. The contrast between you two cars helps folks like me see what a pristine one can look like compared to one with a bit more wear and tear. Your LM still looks like it's in great shape though. After watching the video and looking at your strut towers, I am now leaning towards not going for the GTR I originally posted. The strut tower repairs scare me as well as the other items you identified. I am now interested in their other GTR, silver https://garage-defend.com/cars/inventory/nissan/335-nissan-skyline-bcnr33-gt-r-v-spec-for-sale-3439 The one above has the original strut towers in-tact and they look ok. Garage Defend does seem like a fun, cool group to work with and they like to keep relationships with their customers so I echo your opinion of them so far after talking to them a couple times now. But that said, I need to go check these out and look at the boot, strut tower, and I never knew to look at the drainage in the area where the door sill is. Thanks again!

Hi folks, I'm still a bit new here but I'm interested in the blow BCNR33 V-spec in Aichi prefecture Japan. I live in Tokyo so it's only about a 3hr train ride to get there. That said, the shop disclosed that the shock towers have been repaired. I searched and it seems like this is a common problem and basically unavoidable. That said, you guys are more expert than me so I wanted to see if you can look at the shock towers in the photos and see if that looks like just some paint on top or if that is more substantial. Also, has anyone ever used Garage Defend in Japan? They seem to deal mostly with foreigners (non-Japanese). If you know anything about their reputation, I'd appreciate to hear about it. I plan to go down there an d look under the car and in the boot as well. I know the price is beast mode but that's the going rate now for one here. Last week I was bidding on a white grade 4 BCNR33 non-V-spec and it sold for 4,500,000 yen with higher mileage than this car. Any help/thoughts is appreciated. It's hard to find a 1995 BCNR33 and only the 1995 r33 is legal to go into California (where i'm going next year) due to 1996+ OBD2 requirements. https://garage-defend.com/cars/inventory/nissan/328-nissan-skyline-bcnr33-gt-r-v-spec-for-sale-3434

Dude yeah JRZ's are normally top notch and i've never had this noise in the few set's I've had before. I purposely shipped them here to Japan because I really like how they feel. That said, it's been quite disappointing in the money and time I've spent trying to fix them. I complained to JRZ but they haven't come back to me with a solution. The shop they recommended I go to could not figure it out either after I spent 8 hours there. It's pretty rediculous. I did contact Midori Seibi in Yokohama. They said that they think they know what the problem is and can fix my car. They sell Aragosta suspension, and apparently Aragosta spawned off of JRZ. They said they are aware of JRZ's making noise on GTR's so Aragosta makes their own top hats to solve this. I'm going there next Friday so i'll report back. I told this all to JRZ. I hope JRZ comes to the table here. I don't know what else I can do but try to fight for a refund, worst case. Ideally they'd help me, or pay for, the solution. I'm just venting here now sorry. Worst worst case is I buy some Ohlins or MCA's or Nitrons while I fight JRZ for a refund. I hope it doesn't go down that road though. You all have been super helpful though and reaffirming me that my JRZ's are not proper. Thanks man!

Bummer, I kinda figured that was the case. They're pretty well known in the US market, but mostly on higher end german cars. But I even had them on my 2000 Honda Civic. They're the best I've ever felt before but after this mess, I may swap them out for some Japanese or Australian dampers. Sucks to lose $4k though... The JRZ RS Two-ways are designed to be ran on the street and track. All JRZ models I've seen use the same type of pillow mount top hats, but I'm going to reach out to them again to see if they can do something. I hope they can come to the table and help out a bit. I've spent $400 diagnosing the problem already. I appreciate your help man. Maybe I'll get a job in Australia someday and bring my car.

Hi Guys! Ok so I took the car to The Check Shop in Yokohama, the only JRZ dealer in Japan. Bottom line, they couldn't figure it out after 8 hours. They think it's "normal" noise but I can kinda feel like they are just saying that because they can't figure it out. So a few hundred dollars later, I'm left with the same clunking around noise as before... Does anyone have JRZ's on their GTR out there? I'd just scrap the whole thing and get different dampers but they were $4,000 (US). The noise sounds like the threaded piston on the damper rattles around in the top hat. I can't feel it at all in the car or chassis though. If it's normal, then that's ok. But my buddies with JRZ's in the US who don't have GTR's (not legal there yet for the R34) say it's not normal. If you have any thoughts, i'd love to hear. I'll reach out to the GTR community in the UK as maybe folks there run JRZ's. Thanks all

Yeah I agree with you regaring Japanese suspension. I've been using JRZ for years now and they're just amazing. I've never had a damper where you can have aggressive spring rates and still be comfortable on the streets of San Francisco. Because of that, I wanted to run them on the GTR. I've used similar top hat designs on my past road cars with no noise. My friend with a R32 and R33 with JRZ's said his doesn't make this noise either so I think something's up. If the shop in Yokohama reports back the this noise is normal for the GTR with pillow mounts then I need to think about if the noise is worth it to me. I just can't see how this noise is normal though. After this JRZ shop looks, I plan to take it to Midori Seibi in Yokohama who specializes in GTR's to see if it's something other than the JRZ's. I'll keep ya posted man, thanks so much!

Hi Charles, yeah I totally agree that helper spring noise should sound more like a chime sound rather than a dull thumping about. JRZ has requested I take the car to the JRZ dealer in Yokohama so I'll be doing that Saturday. They want to see what the shop says before doing anything else. And in the video I had the rebound on full firmness, per the direction of JRZ. They thought the suspension may have an air bubble in it and turning the rebound to full firmness resolves that (apparently). It could also be my poor videography. The car rides wonderfully when the rebound is not at normal levels for the street. I hope the situation can be resolved because I'd love to be driving the car as much as I can while I live in this great country. I'll report back any findings! I suppose I should have just gone with some Japanese suspension... Thanks, Evan

Hi GTSboy, I agree. JRZ said they're going to review this in their office on Monday and let me know the plan. JRZ's aren't cheap so I'm hoping they can help me out. There's only one authorized JRZ dealer in Japan and luckily they are only an hour away from me so I hope to work something through them. I'll keep you guys posted and i greatly appreciate the help. Hi Duncan, I checked the shock body and didn't see any signs of wear, but I'll check again this coming weekend when I take it to another shop and use their lift. I will say the sound is much less with the rear seat in but man I just want to make sure I'm not damaging anything. I'd ditch the JRZ's for some japanese brand dampers but JRZ's are just amazing and I spent a lot on them so I hope the situation can be salvaged. I'll keep driving it for now and try one or two more shops to see if they have an opinion. I'll let you know what happens with JRZ's review next week. You guys are awesome for your help. I've been pretty lost here in Japan, especially with my poor japanese language level. Thank you

Hi Joshua! You're SPOT on man. I know Sean Morris (owns Top Rank) is working on the OBDII stuff now. I'm hoping by 2025, there will be some other options an OBDII system for the R34 GTR. That's my plan though. Keep it and hope hope hope the cost of an OBDII system goes down lol. I think there will be enough demand in CA to get developers to make a system. OR....I move to Oregon or Washington but it would be hard to leave my family and friends behind. That said, i heard the handfull of legal r34 motorex cars have offers of over $200k on them and the sellers won't sell. So if you have a $60k r34 + $50k for CA compliance you're still winning in terms of what they can be sold for. I'm sure there's folks here already swooping r34's for the future US markets. Crazy the things we do for love lol. On another note, I'm battling some noise from installing my JRZ's on the r34. I put some videos up in my other post. If anyone knows if this noise is normal or not, I'd appreciate the help! https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/477651-r34-jrz-installed-chatter-noise/ Thanks all! The more I drive this car, the more I love it.

Ok I talked to JRZ and they asked me to film the noise which I did. Does this sound normal to you guys? The rear seats are removed so it's definitely louder but you can hear all the thumping around as I drive around. JRZ thinks it may be the struts or just the noise caused from the pillow mount design and the GTR itself. Most the noise comes from the left rear which I've read here is common. If you have any thoughts please let me know. Thanks guys!

Thanks man! I don't mind the noise as long as it's normal. I just thought it was a little funky because my JRZ's weren't noisy in my EK Civic and NSX back in the US. This is my first Skyline so still learning a lot. Glad to know it's normal. I went with JRZ's because they feel so damn awesome on the street and track. Thanks again

Hello and happy Friday! I have a question for you guys. I'm totally new to Nissan Skyline's but my R34 GTR V-spec is making some chatter noise after I installed JRZ RS Two-Way's. After they were installed, the rear of the car makes some chassis chatter noise. To me it sounds like loose top hats, but they're not loose. It's like a dull rattling sound. I took the car to two shops here in Japan so far and both have identified the noise coming from the JRZ's. They think it has to do with the helper springs. That said, JRZ's are not common here and the two shops I went to have never even heard of JRZ. So that may be the reason why they blame the JRZ's. The car is lowered, but not slammed. I've attached photos to show the ride height and JRZ's. I don't know anyone else who has JRZ's on their GTR's here. Does anyone have experience with JRZ's or suspension with a similar design that has some noise issues? Maybe the noise is normal, but when I put back on the OEM suspension, no noise exists. Maybe it has to do with the top hat design and is just something I need to get used to. The shops I took the car to said the rear suspension bushings are all OK and I had them check the sway bar connections. So maybe it's just something I need to live with. It's not LOUD but it's noticeable and only occurs over bumps. The car drives amazingly with them on though. Thanks for any help and sharing your experiences. -Evan

Hi Folks, New guy here to this site. I'm an american (sorry in advance) living in Tokyo for a few years. While I am here I thought I'd live my dream and get my teenage dream car, a R34 GTR. Because USA has crappy import laws for japanese cars, especially California where I'm from, I don't know if I'll ever be able to take it home with me. That said, i'd like to enjoy the car now while I can. I picked up an original r34 GTR v-spec in December. I installed JRZ's, standard issue Volks, and an HKS exhaust. That's it for now and may remain that way for a while as I get used to the car. I've got some issues with the car which is why I'm joining here so I can post some questions along the way. Hopefully one day I can have a GTR in the US. You guys are so lucky. Hope you all have a great Friday and weekend. Cheers, Kanpai!