Big Rizza

Looks like you need to pimp out your car with some curb feelers.

Spending money on modifying a car would probably be one of the single worst investments you could make. You'd be lucky to get 20% of what you spend working the car back at the end when you sell it. It is the single stupidist financial decision you could possibly make. However, I spend $20 a week playing basketball, plus I need good shoes to play in and petrol to get there. I enjoy it, I can afford it, so it is worth the money. It is a hobby and I certainly dont consider it an "investment" since I'm not going off to the NBA any time soon. Modifying cars needs to be thought of in the same light - If you enjoy it, and you can afford it, and you're willing to pay for it, then it is worth the money. It is only a waste if you are spending the money as an "investment," or if you are spending money for no enjoyment. I'm sure many people here see things similarly - they're not "investing" money on their cars, their just having fun with their spare cash.

If you're into hot hatches check out the Renaultsport Clio as well.

Sorry, my bad

Have a go at people for stating opinions with no evidence, then you come out with an opinion with no evidence! Being a little hypocritical aren't you? I think the comparison was with a GTS and a 3.5 Magna, which is a more suitable comparison.

PROS OF PRESTIGE I bought my car through prestige and they were great. Geoff was helpful throughout the process. It only took about 2 months from purchase until i had the car on the road, which is far less than most people who bought at the same time as me (immediately after the 15yo rule was announced to be changed). Prestige also have access to more auction sites in Japan than any other Australian importer. CONS OF PRESTIGE The only criticisms I have is work out the prices yourself from using the Yen price rather than using his estimates, as his prices do not include things like rego, tyres and (on 15+ yo vehicles) ADRing. My GTS-T was stickered $7100 on his website and it cost me about $9500 in the end, but that was okay in my case because I had worked out the price myself and was expecting about $9200 so the shock was minimal. Also, his fees are higher than most, but that is only to be expected given the increased number of vehicles he has exposure to. MY RECOMMENDATIONS Because of Prestiges long arms in the Japanese Auction market, I would strongly recommend them if you are looking for a very speciffic but elusive vehicle (something rare). A more common vehicle (such as my own stock white R32 GTS-T) would probably be able to be sourced cheaper elsewhere.

How about $550 for the day?

I feel a group buy coming on. Get 50 people to chip in $4000, and you get it for 1 week per year.

R34 Nissan Skyline GTR M-Spec NUR The NUR is arguable the most desirable skyline of all. But who here would consider paying $200k for one? On another note, I have no idea why, but the first pic reminds me of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Le Mans - a car that I have always loved (although the pic i posted isnt the most flattering). 600hp twin supercharged V8 is awesome. I think it is the insanely agressive stance. Or maybe I am just crazy? Will somebody buy it for me? Either one?

The prices of R32s have dropped considerably in the last year due to the influx of cars being imported under the 15 year old rule. This has caused prices to plummet literally thousands of dollars as the market is innundated with an over supply of very cheap vehicles from Japan. Just 1 year ago $17k wouldn't have been completely unreasonable for a vehicle in exceptional condition, but today I think you would seriously struggle to find buyers at $18k, even with $8k worth of extras. It is dangerously close to GTR money. I dont doubt that your car is in excellent condition, but as a buyer choosing between a GTR and a GTST for the same money, it's going to be very hard to convince them to choose the GTST. And I resent the "cheap sub 10k 1989 crappers" comment - how dare you insult my car!

i have a few things to say... I reckon the commodore would take it. They can be suprisingly quick off the line given a good driver and a dry surface (wet the non-lsd rear end just spins the tyres). Seriously, what the hell? You really rate your magnas don't you? An Auto R33 GTS25T would be good for at the most 15 flat across the 1/4 absolutely stock standard I reckon. That puts it nearly a second faster than your magna. A manual VRX magna may be a little more competition, as I have seen low 15s in stock form from them. But I'd say on the street an auto skyline would still win as it would be easier to launch than a manual Magna (so much torque through the fronts with no LSD). Having said that, I rekcon the Magna (even the standard non-VRX 3.5 auto) could beat a GTS given a reasonable launch. Series 1 VT commodore ran the old V8, not the genIII. SeriesII VT got the GenIII. GenIII is much faster. Nothing wrong with Australian made! Some great products come out of Australia (including me!). Plus Australian build quality is on the up. We can at least beat the Americans now. Skyline GTS25T was 2878000 Yen when it was first released. At 1993 exchange rates, 2878000Y = US$26163.63 = AUD$35059.27. As a comparison, $35k in 1993 would buy an SS Commodore, which go for nearly $50k in todays money (due to inflation). So, in todays money skylines were a $50k car new. Having said that, in Japan, $40k gets you a Lancer Evolution, which cost $60k brand new here under SEVS. So by that logic, a $50k Skyline would be $75k here. So in conclusion I agree with your $80k estimate. *collapses and dies from too much thinking* Hahaha! A friend of mine has an EA falcon with 800,000km on the clock and still going!!! It's an ex-taxi running LPG by the way. I will now forget this thread and move on with life.

It entirely depends on what you want to use the car for! If you are into the traffic light grand prix, or just like the shove in your back the turbos give, save and wait. If you want a stylish, reliable, good handling sports car and don't care so much for the straightaway, go the GTS and enjoy the fuel and insurance savings. Remember, you can have just as much fun in a corner in a GTS as in a GTST. That is unless you're into lurid power oversteer and torching tyres to oblivion at 130+ km/h. I went option C, as suggested by 8OOSTED: R32 Skyline GTST Whichever way you go, have fun! Skylines are great cars!

I definitely agree. A respray isn't necessarily a good thing - it may be covering up previous accident damage etc. In addition, $14000 is a seriously hefty price for an R32 GTST these days. You can pick up similar cars for under $10000. You just have to ask yourself, is it in $4000 better condition than the other cars out there? My 130,000km skyline came in at under $10k, and was pretty much immaculate other than a missing air vent (which really pisses me off - anyone got a spare?) and some very minor scratches. At $14k, you have to seriously want that car because it is up against serious competition! I've seen some very good cars like R33 GTS25Ts, Eunos Cosmos, Mitsubishi GTOs etc. for thousands less. I've even seen a GTR for less. It was completely trashed, but still less. Here's the Link if anyone wants to see the worlds cheapest GTR... (dont buy it though - it's f@cked) Anyways, it all comes down to how much you are willing to pay for it. If you are willing to pay $2-4k over the average price, then there is no problem. Do what you want, not what we say!

I havent driven one myself, but I heard they have the same problems as the Mitsubishi GTO - too much weight with a brittle gearbox. Apparently the last of the line GT4s were the best. Having said that, they run the 3SGTE right? There's plenty of potential from that engine. There are 3SGTE powered MR2s running 9 second passes on street tyres in japan. So I think with some work you could have a seriously good car, but in standard form I think they might be a little lacking. At least the GT4 doesn't look as girly as the stardard Celica! Good luck with your purchase!

2JZ-GTE into an R33 is stupidity in my opinion. 2JZ with the 6 speed costs an absolute fortune, and an RB26 can make similar power. If you really want the BIG CUBE straight six, you could probably build a killer RB30DETT for less than a 2JZ engine swap. The cost of installing a 2JZ would be phenomenal.

Good for the dealer yes. I assume he means you are a car salesmans wet dream, as you have no idea what you are doing, and therefore he can convince you to pay whatever he wants. If you get low interest be careful because they hit you with fees. Also make sure that there is no fee for paying off the car early, coz that can suck. My advice: Take a friend, parent, relative, family pet, ANYONE who has experience in buying and selling cars, if for no other reason than to LOOK like you will be hard to rip off.

ON THE PLUS SIDE Prices. My opinion is that we are heading for more international instability in the future (just my opinion), and the fact that Australia imports most of its petrol, but produces its own LPG will have a bearing on prices in the future. From an industry point of view, there is a lot less risk investing in Australian LPG than investing in Middle Eastern oil, and hence the price gap will increase in the future. ON THE MINUS SIDE The GTR is an icon; a halo car for the entire Nissan range. To make a swap to LPG based on running costs would just be sacrilige. Sorry dude, it's just wrong. Added is the fact that the cost would run into thousands of dollars, so the system would take probably two or more years to pay for itself and start saving you money. CONCLUSION If you want economy, buy a Honda Insight and convert to LPG. THAT would make for some cheap running costs. 3L/100km @ 40cent/litre. Slow, cramped, uncomfortable, but cheap. A GTR is purpose built for performance. It is not an economy car. However, if you do decide to go through with the conversion, good luck to you! It will be truely unique, and I will be devastated when my petrol chewing GTS-T gets eaten up by an LPG running "taxi." I can't wait to see the first Enzo or Pagani converted to LPG...

Just curious: How does the wieght of the RB20-DET compare to the RB25-DET? How does the weight of the RB25-DET compare to the RB25-DET NEO? I am guessing all three would be pretty similar...

Good turn out. I reckon the first round of the two Ceffie's going head to head in the semi finals was the best bit of the night. I was standing at turn one with a good view leading into the esses, and they were keeping pretty close to each other through there. Those Cefiro's went hard. And did anyone else freeze their nuts off? I was soaked to the bone by the end of the night. Maybe I should have found some shelter when the rain came in? Totally worth it though.

My older bro had a JZA70 Type R making 260rwhp a number of years ago. I was only 16 or so when he had it, so I never got to drive it, but my god that thing had some mid-range - the rush from the turbos made it feel like about 400rwhp. Jet black with custom body kit, it looked incredible. To this day I have never seen a better looking supra than his, including the JZA80 models. Will always have a soft spot for that car. It was just the best. Having said that, he reckons my R32 on coil overs easily outhandled his supra, despite his large investments in suspension mods. He also had some reliability troubles too, but whether that was just his car or applicable to all JZA70 supras I dont know. He ate a few clutches too. He ended up selling it when he moved out of home because he couldnt afford to run it anymore. If you are after handling, you can do better than the JZA70. But, having said that, I loved that car. Buy one and you will have fun, (when it is working properly!).

With absolutely no idea of your interests and skills, I'd say: If you're good at your current job, follow previous advice and get a job at a real resteraunt If you're built tough: Go do a few stints on a mine site If you're built smart: Try and get into uni and work part time If you're built skilled: Try and get into TAFE and get work part time EDIT: Of course, the second two aren't gonna get you immediate cash, but should set you up long term. If you want immediate cash, try the casino - put it all on number 12.

Cars in my garage: Mum: 2000 Alfa Romeo Spyder, Red, manual, sweetest 4cyl engine ever! Dad: 2000 Holden Commodore S Pac, Silver, Automatic, supercharged V6 Older Brother: 2001 Corolla, white, manual, sold a JZA70 Supra to get it Younger Brother: 1995 Hyundai Lantra, red, Automatic, used to be mine Me: 1989 Nissan Skyline GTS-T 4 door, white, manual,

yeah I have the printout but no scanner. Will take it to uni next week and copy it. Also have an aftermarket muffler which probably liberated a few kws. edit: still running standard boost, stock intercooler etc.

I'm pretty sure at 200kms per tank you're looking at more than just a tuning problem. Follow the advice already given and check O2 sensors etc. as they can have dramatic effects on fuel economy when faulty. I never bothered to tune my car when it got here from Japan because there was no need to. It is running rich (as rich as 11:1 at high load), but I don't have fuel economy anywhere near as bad as you do. More than 400kms to a tank I'd say.

Im pretty sure you can get the stock computer flash tuned on a dyno rather than going for an aftermarket computer. Will cost about $800 though...