x-hobo

Have consulted with the man and an increase in budget is not on the cards as he needs the car ASAP. Guess I will check out some later corrollas and the like - thanks.

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. Re corollas (+ pulsar), I do get their reliability, but they're a little smaller than I was thinking (he has a fairly large dog to ferry around) and the auto paired with the 1.8l might be a bit of a chore - I suspect it's not ideal for long stretches on the highway either. I checked out the hiluxes but they seem to be almost exclusively >$5,000 or at least approaching it. Are AU falcons still a good buy these days or are they really starting to deteriorate? Also mid 90s magnas seem to be within reach (might be able to stretch a little to late 90s, not sure), anyone got experiences there? Also just to clarify on the mechanical knowledge side of things, I think he might struggle to put air in the tyres without help...

Hey guys, looking for some advice on a daily for my brother: - Budget around $2.5k - Not too small (at least 4 doors, though you're welcome to try and sell me on a ute) - Auto - P plate legal (even though he's almost 30... ) - Should be decent on the highway (lives a couple of hours out of Melbourne) - No mechanical knowledge on his part, so should be cheap to run/fix - RWD/FWD not important R31s had crossed my mind (of course)... any of the camrys, magnas etc worthwhile around that price range? Any suggestions would be appreciated, cheers.

Thanks for the replies guys - must admit I'm surprised at all the negativity though, for a car forum Are there really no good routes? Even taking the hume part of the way and branching off for some more interesting bits? Going straight down the hume both ways kind of kills the whole idea of the trip as far as I'm concerned... Oh and top gear race sounds awesome - I'm thinking me in the car, my mate in a canoe. Sound fair?

Hey guys, A mate and I are heading up to Sydney to catch Top Gear Live in a few weeks, and we thought it would be blasphemy to fly somewhere to get to Top Gear so we'll be doing a mini-road trip. However, we're keen to avoid the interminable boredom of the Hume Hwy, so was hoping you guys might have some suggestions of good routes to take. We're planning to leave late afternoon/early evening Friday, have a stop-over somewhere, and then be in Sydney by about 12pm Saturday. Then probably leaving Syd almost straight after the show, another stop over, and then home some time on the Sunday. Accordingly the trip up has to be reasonably short, but the trip back can be a little longer. I was thinking maybe drive up inland and hit up some mountains/twisties and then return via the coastal roads for some scenery (and maybe more twisties? ). Any advice (including good places to stop over) would be appreciated! Cheers. P.S. I did attempt a search but was surprised to come up with nothing, forgive me if this is my own failure at search.

SOLD for a bargain price this morning. Cheers guys.

Had a few bites but no takers yet... still up for grabs!

Hey again everyone, as rego is coming up on the car in about 6 weeks, I would love to sell the car before then. Accordingly I'm lowering the price to $15,000 ONO - and this is still negotiable. If I am able to sell before rego is due I will be much more accommodating on price - once the car is reregistered though I won't be in such a hurry, so if you want a bargain best to get in quick. Feel free to send me an e-mail/PM/SMS/call me with an offer, I always make sure to reply to everyone. Cheers.

Car's still for sale guys; I'll reduce the asking price to $15,500 ONO - this is still negotiable so feel free to throw me offers or try me on swaps. I'm happy to answer any other questions too so just let me know. Cheers.

Cheers Rob, the car's been great and I'd love to keep it - but unfortunately real life is getting in the way! Car's still for sale guys - as mentioned above, price is definitely negotiable so give me a go. Also, may be willing to swap for a manual 4-cyl with a bit of poke, not too old (pref '95+) with $4k - $8k my way depending on car. Sort of things I'd consider are Civic/Integra VTI-r, EP82 Starlet GT, AE111 Levin, Ignis Sport etc. Nothing too high maintenance/insurance like 180s, Silvias, WRXs etc as I'm selling to reduce costs and net some cash.

Cheers guys, I appreciate the kind words. It's nice to know I've been turning up to uni often enough to be noticed Also, I just realised that the sticker on the back of the car may need some explanation - if you look carefully it currently only says "GTS25" instead of "GTS25t". This is because I removed the "t" when I was on my P's so as to draw less attention, and I never bothered replacing it afterwards as I enjoy the sleeper element (though of course anyone who knows what's what can tell by the red GT badges, 5 stud rims and FMIC). I'd like to state clearly though that the car is a GTS-T and has always been as such; I'm happy to provide the VIN for people to check this up on FAST for evidence. Anyway, it's my intention to source a brand new sticker from Nissan to pass on to the new owner as I realise most people would prefer it intact. Jeremy.

Key Details Model: 1996 Series II R33 GTS-T Coupe (Type M, in case anyone cares) Transmission: Manual Colour: Black Mileage: 90,XXXkm (While kms on imports are unreliable, this car has been in Aus for 6 years and over that time has averaged about 5,500km per year) Roadworthy: To be provided with sale Location: Ashwood, Victoria (a couple of K's down the road from Chadstone shopping centre) Price: I'm looking for $16,000 ONO. This price is negotiable, but I will be more likely to entertain lower offers if you've actually come and seen the car, rather than just throwing figures at me over the internet. However the worst thing I can say is no, so go ahead and give me a try. I'm keen to sell but not yet desperate, so please no offers for anything ridiculous like $10k. Mods 3" turbo back exhaust 17" Advan VS-5 rims, 8" wide on front, 9" wide on rear; all four rims have Dunlop Lemans LM702 tyres with good tread Genuine Exedy Sports Organic clutch (installed less than 500kms ago) Blitz FMIC Oil Cooler (inc filter relocation kit, very easy to access) GCG Highflow Turbo (rated to 450HP) Wolf3D ECU w'boost control Bosch Fuel Pump Aftermarket Plumbed Back Blow-Off Valve (not sure on brand, has been painted black for stealth) SAU Sydneykid Group Buy Whiteline/Bilstein Suspension VDO Boost and Oil Temp Gauges Sony Xplod headunit Comments Hey guys, the time has come to sell my R33 as due to a change in financial circumstances it's no longer possible for me to hold onto it. I bought the car from another forum member about 2 years ago (Original Ad) and have never had any real problems with driving it as my daily. The car's reliability has been great and I've driven all over Victoria with confidence; serviced every 5,000kms or sooner. The previous owner dynoed car at 220rwkw on ~11psi (see dyno sheet attached). This car would be great for someone who likes to keep a low profile - the car is outwardly stock apart from the wheels and exhaust, and from the mostly stock looking engine bay and stealth ECU install to the quiet, unassuming exhaust (unless you're at 6500rpm ) you won't bring any unwanted attention. While I'm not reccommending this to others, I did drive this car daily for the last 6 months of my P's and was only pulled over once, and even then although the officer checked under the bonnet etc I didn't recieve any fines/defects. I have never been pulled over since, despite driving daily all over Melbourne. Interior is in great condition, with the only blemish being moderate bolster wear on the right hand side of the driver's seat. Car has been a daily so has a couple of minor dings and scratches, but exterior is pretty good. The paint is good for a car of its age, except for a couple of small spots where birds have gotten the better of it. I can also provide a number of stock parts for the car, as well as an additional muffler (which I was told is louder than the one on the car now, I've never tried it though). Feel free to contact me via PM, via e-mail at [email protected] or on 0432 561 417. If I don't answer the phone please leave a message and I'll get back to you. Cheers, Jeremy.

I don't think that that's a hard and fast underwriting rule, because I got my insurance with Shannons at 21 (modded R33) and it's a daily (which is listed on the policy). Also I got my renewal letter in the mail last week, so they must still be happy enough to keep me on (now 22). Anyway I'd keep trying with different phone operators, you might get lucky - don't forget to highlight to them what an enthusiast you are (car clubs, magazines, events, forums etc). Might not hurt to see if you can find a direct contact thru the forums, too, as they might be able to help you out...

By "coded" I don't mean immobiliser chip - I mean that the grooves of the key can be represented by an alphanumeric code and then cut to the original factory spec of the key, not by just copying the worn grooves directly (which would give you a brand new, but still worn key). The code will be something like "X5555", and a locksmith should be able to "decode" it off your current key if it's not too worn. Google gave me this for further explanation: http://www.keys4classics.com/html/FAQ_1.html

I had my Nismo key cut for my S2 R33 ('96) a couple of weeks ago, works fine. Make sure he takes it to a proper locksmith and gets them to decode his current key (as opposed to just copying it).

Good to hear, thanks for that. Should any workshop be able to fix it up for me off the bat or am I going to need to source original Nissan parts myself? Any ballpark figure on labour? Cheers.

Hi guys, Got some issues with my S2 R33 GTST, done a bit of a search and I'm thinking maybe an exhaust leak (as per this thread http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...amp;hl=ticking). I actually think I might have a couple of problems, but these are the symptoms. Firstly, not sure if this is related, but since I've had the car (about 6 weeks, but due to a broken window only on the road around 1.5 weeks of that) I've been having shuddering and misses at WOT; however, throttle of say .75 pulls pretty smoothly up to redline (maybe a slight hesitation sometimes). I was thinking this was probably more of a tune thing (running a Wolf3D ecu) or maybe sparks/coils. Anyway, the other night I noticed a slight ticking coming from the right hand side of the engine bay (right hand side from driver's point of view, so left hand side if looking into bonnet), but I didn't think too much of it. The next morning I drove the car into my local Nissan service place to get them to put in my new window, and on the drive over there didn't notice anything amiss, though I doubt I hit boost and it was a short drive. When I picked up the car that evening, as soon as I got into the car I knew something was wrong. The exhaust note was different (normally very quiet but now had a strong bass element) and on idle the car would vibrate strongly. When driving home, the car's boost wouldn't hold steady most of the time, and one time I even hit redline in first without building any boost at all. Strangely though it would occasionally boost fine, and when it did I think the exhaust note went back to normal. Next day when I jumped in and started the car the ticking was now very loud and quite fast, both at idle and under load. The exhaust now "pulses", and has a very strong petrol smell. I haven't driven it since. My first impression that it was actually a mechanical sound (i.e. something clipping something else), my mate thought maybe electrical, but after searching it sounds like maybe it's a blown exhaust gasket. Anyway, two questions. Firstly, does this sound about right for an exhaust gasket? Secondly, would it be safe to drive my car to a mechanic/exhaust place (off boost, obviously), or am I looking at towing? Not feeling up to attempting to DIY at this point. I'd really appreciate any input, cheers.

Thanks for the tips guys - I'll get out there with my torch and coat-hanger and have a play tonight; maybe also a "I'm not stealing this car" sign, too

Hi guys, Passenger window of my SII R33 got broken a few days ago - since happening the door is stuck locked; can't move the switch by hand, and when using central locking I can hear the motor whining but it doesn't actually unlock. I'm guessing that some of the broken glass has fallen inside the door and is blocking the unlock mechanism. Wondering how hard you guys think it would be to fix myself? Bearing in mind that I've only had the car a week or so and haven't forayed into the realm of DIY much in the past... I assume I could get it done while the window is getting replaced, but since I'm waiting on one to come from Japan (already sorted) that won't be happening for a couple of weeks and I'd like to get the door operational before that. Opinions? Anything I could easily mess up by trying? I'd rather not cause more damage thru my incompetence! I also assume I'd have to take off the door trim; haven't done this before, had a quick search and saw a tutorial for R32 that didn't seem to match up with my R33, advice? Will I even be able to take it off with the door still closed?? Cheers.

Well after talking to a couple of recyclers and toing and froing with the insurance company, I just decided to man up and wait for one from Japan thru Nissan - any other way required too much messing about, and since I'm not paying for it... Thanks for all the input tho, really appreciate it, will definitely keep it in mind when I need a part that I'm not getting thru insurance. So... any advice on temporarily taping up a broken window?

Thanks for the replies and offers guys - haven't talked to insurance re private buying yet, but I'll get onto it. If I do get one that way, can any workshop install it for me? Or should I look for somewhere particular?

Hey guys, After exactly 9 days of R33 ownership, some charming individual decided that my passenger side window would look better in teeny-tiny pieces - can't say I agree with their sense of taste, but oh well. Called Nissan, 14 day lead time on one from Japan (ouch), O'briens haven't got back to me yet, but from posts I found via search seems like I won't have much luck with them, anyway. Wondering if anyone had advice on where I could find one in Melbourne (SE is best, but I can travel)? Is there any use in me calling around all the O'briens-like replacement companies, or should I just be looking at auto-recyclers etc? Also if I get one from a recycler or whatever, where abouts would I get it put in, would any panel shop do it, or...? I'm getting it done on insurance (thankyou excess free glass replacement!) so price isn't much of an issue, though it might mean I can't buy privately (haven't confirmed this with them yet). I would have preferred to get a brand new window, but having my car off the road for 2 or 3 weeks at the moment seems unbearable, I only just got it!! Cheers!

Yep, so my initial suspicions were right - stupid idea. Oh well, you never know if you don't ask... Cheers.

Well that was my idea - I wanted to de-turbo and get an engineering certificate saying it was below the required ratio; from what I read that would be ok. Just wondering if the switch to N/A was a realistic option.

Hadn't read that one - but I must say that I reckon at least 30% of P-platers are driving cars with at least a modded exhaust. Doesn't necessarily make it allowed, though... Oh well, guess I'll have to keep my pants on for the time being - I was just hoping it might be as simple as bolt-off and bolt-on. Thanks for the help guys!