R32 Gtr?

[GTROAR]

Hey forumers!

Well isnt this the standard first post on any forum "should i do this?". So ive been reading and searching around the forum hiding in the shadows for the last couple of days, thought it about time to hop out of my clown car and post some nonesense!

The question is, ive read more than a few posts by people who own R32 GTR's on here that say they can be quite expensive to maintain! How expensive are we talking? What are the common faults that are encountered on them? Also what basicaly will i HAVE to deal with?

See the thing is, its going to be a daily driven car, it needs to be (shock horror) reliable! Yeh sucks doesnt it?! I work in real estate so i bang up quite a few Km's through out the week.

As far as what i plan to do if i purchase one. Along the way of thinking of the Mines R34 'tuned for response'. I dont want crazy power figures, rediculous body kits etc etc. Just tune it so it is streetable (no massive turbo that will take all week to spool up) but thats all another story for another day, but it will only be told if i purchase one!

So.. anybody care to throw any information my way of what has a tendancy to break? Break often? Will break? What will need to be replacing? Any major/minor pitfalls that the R32 is known for?

Or should i just piss off and go buy a s15 instead?!

Cheers

ash

[djr81]

An R32 GT-R is actually a reliable car. What you need to account for is that they are now betwwen 10 & 15 years old & some have had a hard life. If you buy a good one & look after it, they are a great car to own.

What you will have to do - well that is pretty much impossible to say really. If you buy one that is already imported alot of the necessary work has already been done. If it is a fresh REVS/SAWS import things like brake pads & tyres are mandatory as are other mods. In either case a new timing belt is a good idea, particularly if you cannot establish if it has been done or not.

In terms of operating costs, they are more expensive than the usual estate agents Camry/Commode. Petrol is obviously going to be more, as are tyres & the synthetic oil.

Don't worry about a Mines ECU - a Power FC is a much better option. Also three hundred rwhp can be had without changing anything other than the boost setting.

Have a search for the things to look for as it has been covered a number of times.

[N1GTR]

Hey forumers!

Well isnt this the standard first post on any forum "should i do this?". So ive been reading and searching around the forum hiding in the shadows for the last couple of days, thought it about time to hop out of my clown car and post some nonesense!

The question is, ive read more than a few posts by people who own R32 GTR's on here that say they can be quite expensive to maintain! How expensive are we talking? What are the common faults that are encountered on them? Also what basicaly will i HAVE to deal with?

See the thing is, its going to be a daily driven car, it needs to be (shock horror) reliable! Yeh sucks doesnt it?! I work in real estate so i bang up quite a few Km's through out the week.

As far as what i plan to do if i purchase one. Along the way of thinking of the Mines R34 'tuned for response'. I dont want crazy power figures, rediculous body kits etc etc. Just tune it so it is streetable (no massive turbo that will take all week to spool up) but thats all another story for another day, but it will only be told if i purchase one!

So.. anybody care to throw any information my way of what has a tendancy to break? Break often? Will break? What will need to be replacing? Any major/minor pitfalls that the R32 is known for?

Or should i just piss off and go buy a s15 instead?!

Cheers

ash

Ash,

Im a Real Estate Agent aswel, and heres my advice, buy a really nice GTR, then go out and buy a commodore worth $5000. Use the holden for work, NOT THE R32. The type of driving we agents do is not good for them at all, i personally know of an S15 Spec R GT bought new then was used since new for real estate - its rubbish now and the owner is regretting it.

You will appreciate it much more when you get in it after a day at work driving around in an average car, then get in the GTR and go for a blast. I do this myself, and know of at least one other agent near me that does the same thing, but there could be more i just dont see.

They are also very bad for having more than 2 people in, which depending on your section can be a bad thing.

As for what breaks, the clutch if you abuse it, the turbos will fail over 15psi (ceramic wheel), i cant think of anything else at the moment if its maintained well. As for the cost, they arent cheap. Budget around (seriously) $8000 on top of purchase price. In the first week of ownership i spent just over than on mine.

As for the power you seem to want, get a new ECU, exhaust, airbox (a good one) and a tune. Easy 250-260rwkw. Add cams if you want to make a bit more.

Hope this helps.

[Guest Mashrock]

it sounds like after reading that last post you guys drive alot.

but i would not rely on a gtr for a daily.. it can be done but it will cost you alot more to keep him alive and happy..

and the response your after (mines 34) 34 n1 gtr turbos, cams, exhaust, computer, injectors, fuel pump, and being a 15 yr old thrashed out car i'd say an engine rebuild would be a good idea too.

so it isnt going to be a cheep saga.

better off having a shitter and a gtr. if your on a tight budget.

Andrew

[IOWNU]

Major problems?

Engine + Rust.

Get the car checked out by a performance mechanic.

If the engine breaks, you need an easy 4k+

Rust is also expensive to repair!

If you find a good example, that's been looked after you'll be very happy. Don't go out and buy the cheapest one you find......

[writeoff]

I agree with N1GTR.

I used an R32 GTR as a daily driver for 4 months and whilst I love driving the car it's not made for peak hour traffic and loses some of its appeal.

I now use my Peugeot 205 GTI as a daily driver and the GTR as a toy. I love every moment in it and realise how amazing they are each time I get in. The car will run better, require less maintenance and have less shit brake.

As for running costs they vary. I imported both my GTRs and had to spend $6,000 on each when they got here (see the link below and take note of the word 'new' for an idea as to what I had to buy to get through Regency). All cars of this age will require maintenance.

[GTROAR]

Hey guys

thanks for the prompt and helpful replies! I noticed this aint the usual type of forum, at your standard one i would of been flamed by now , cursed out, told to 'google it'.

Ive been doing the 2 car thing for a while now. I have a get around and an rx7 (ive really enjoyed drving the FC to work when i have taken it!) But i dont like owning two cars, just for the point that i want to enjoy my car and enjoy driving every time i have to go someplace. Needless to say, i dont enjoy the bomb Plus the extra money needing to be spend on a 2nd car, regardless of what it is. Like i just went through spending a few hundred getting mine serviced and fixing some problems with it.

But on the same token, as much as id like a GTR i dont want to purchase one and then have to spend big dollars on general upkeep just because the car is more suited to being driven rarely, and not regularly. Plus i might add, that i have/had the intention of purchasing one that was allready imported here, and owned. I was hoping that might weed out any of these niggling '1 week' issues ive heard about with people spending close to 10k getting fixed. So no intention of purchasing a fresh off the boat job.

cheers

Ash

Edited March 16, 2006 by GTROAR

[gazza750]

i usemine as a daily driverand havent had a problemwith it fuel wise is good a get about 450 k a tank outof it and i give it a fair bit of stick

[N1GTR]

Hey guys

thanks for the prompt and helpful replies! I noticed this aint the usual type of forum, at your standard one i would of been flamed by now , cursed out, told to 'google it'.

Ive been doing the 2 car thing for a while now. I have a get around and an rx7 (ive really enjoyed drving the FC to work when i have taken it!) But i dont like owning two cars, just for the point that i want to enjoy my car and enjoy driving every time i have to go someplace. Needless to say, i dont enjoy the bomb Plus the extra money needing to be spend on a 2nd car, regardless of what it is. Like i just went through spending a few hundred getting mine serviced and fixing some problems with it.

But on the same token, as much as id like a GTR i dont want to purchase one and then have to spend big dollars on general upkeep just because the car is more suited to being driven rarely, and not regularly. Plus i might add, that i have/had the intention of purchasing one that was allready imported here, and owned. I was hoping that might weed out any of these niggling '1 week' issues ive heard about with people spending close to 10k getting fixed. So no intention of purchasing a fresh off the boat job.

cheers

Ash

There are a few good ones for sale, and a lot of crap for sale also. Take your time and find a good one, also what area are you in?

PM is ok

[savage GTR]

To answer your question, I have had mine for 3 1/2 years and is my daily driver. I have clocked up 60,000km in that time and it has cost me a bit .Heres a list of the things that needed doing .

clutch $4,500 twin plate {mine being a 94 has a pull mechanism so was $4,200 for standard replacement }

turbos $12,500 n1's, manifolds, pipes' dynoand labour

timing belts {major service}$1,100

timing chain adjuster's $800 including labour

water pump $500 n1 including labour

discs $2,200 gold dba cross drilled and slotted including labour

air flow meters {3 of them} total $350 each plus labour so $2000 total

thats mainly about it because power fc , exhaust and intercoller werent needed but did anyway $6,500

total all up BIG DOLLARS $31,500 need we say more

I am looking at taking mine of the road to use for play and get $1,000 banger for work

hope this helps . any questions PM me happy to talk

[benm]

Majority of that isn't caused by daily driving, it's purely you modifying the car.

An ex-coworker of mine (forum member but not a regular) has a very nice totally stock S2 R33 GTS-t that is a daily driver. The only mods are a K&N panel filter, tints and a stereo. It drives superb and hasn't missed a beat in 3yrs of ownership. A GTS-t would be a much easier daily driver compared to a GTR but it certainly can be done depending on where you work and what you do for work.

[Guest Mashrock]

i usemine as a daily driverand havent had a problemwith it fuel wise is good a get about 450 k a tank outof it and i give it a fair bit of stick

f**king hell. i havnt seen the mumbers for ages!

i'd be lucky to get around 250-300 out of mine just crusing along.

[Guest Mashrock]

To answer your question, I have had mine for 3 1/2 years and is my daily driver. I have clocked up 60,000km in that time and it has cost me a bit .Heres a list of the things that needed doing .

clutch $4,500 twin plate {mine being a 94 has a pull mechanism so was $4,200 for standard replacement }

turbos $12,500 n1's, manifolds, pipes' dynoand labour

timing belts {major service}$1,100

timing chain adjuster's $800 including labour

water pump $500 n1 including labour

discs $2,200 gold dba cross drilled and slotted including labour

air flow meters {3 of them} total $350 each plus labour so $2000 total

thats mainly about it because power fc , exhaust and intercoller werent needed but did anyway $6,500

total all up BIG DOLLARS $31,500 need we say more

I am looking at taking mine of the road to use for play and get $1,000 banger for work

hope this helps . any questions PM me happy to talk

i did the same move as you.. tho only after owning it for about 2 months.

the 1000 buck shitter sure has saved me thousands!

gotta love the turbo diesel..

[N I B]

To answer your question, I have had mine for 3 1/2 years and is my daily driver. I have clocked up 60,000km in that time and it has cost me a bit .Heres a list of the things that needed doing .

clutch $4,500 twin plate {mine being a 94 has a pull mechanism so was $4,200 for standard replacement }

turbos $12,500 n1's, manifolds, pipes' dynoand labour

timing belts {major service}$1,100

timing chain adjuster's $800 including labour

water pump $500 n1 including labour

discs $2,200 gold dba cross drilled and slotted including labour

air flow meters {3 of them} total $350 each plus labour so $2000 total

thats mainly about it because power fc , exhaust and intercoller werent needed but did anyway $6,500

total all up BIG DOLLARS $31,500 need we say more

I am looking at taking mine of the road to use for play and get $1,000 banger for work

hope this helps . any questions PM me happy to talk

Id shop around as those prices are wild.Whats with a Chain adjuster on an RB?

[neil_se]

Id shop around as those prices are wild.Whats with a Chain adjuster on an RB?

Indeed, talk about getting ripped!

[Rezz]

To answer your question, I have had mine for 3 1/2 years and is my daily driver. I have clocked up 60,000km in that time and it has cost me a bit .Heres a list of the things that needed doing .

clutch $4,500 twin plate {mine being a 94 has a pull mechanism so was $4,200 for standard replacement }

turbos $12,500 n1's, manifolds, pipes' dynoand labour

timing belts {major service}$1,100

timing chain adjuster's $800 including labour

water pump $500 n1 including labour

discs $2,200 gold dba cross drilled and slotted including labour

air flow meters {3 of them} total $350 each plus labour so $2000 total

thats mainly about it because power fc , exhaust and intercoller werent needed but did anyway $6,500

total all up BIG DOLLARS $31,500 need we say more

I am looking at taking mine of the road to use for play and get $1,000 banger for work

hope this helps . any questions PM me happy to talk

What a horror story... you sure you're not making all that up?

Granted, Nissan AU charge roughly DOUBLE what Nissan JP charge for new genuine parts (worthy of jail time IMO), but those prices are wack man. Wick wack diddly dack wack kapow

[GTROAR]

Thanks guys!

By the sounds of things it might be an easier and cheaper venture to buy a gtst!? Except for the lack of 4wd, lack of rb26, lack of all things that are GTR? Is it really worth it!!!??? Terrible questions i know!

As much as id love a GTR i will have to think that side of the road through. Ive always had a love for the GTR but a dislike for the GTST (terrible i know) just because every man and a dog has one sometimes even the dogs fleas! They dont measure up to the GTR and all those words like N1 and V SPEC ha! The Gtst has always been a bit dull to me. But its on the same page as the 200sx, just a bit older i guess.

As for what area im in. Im up in the North Shore, i work in property management. As for yourself N1GTR? (love the plate)

Cheers

ash

[smashed]

From my experience, a GTR is worth all that money if you can afford it. I personally don't have one, but i've been driving my mates around a fair bit lately and theres just nothing quite like them. You're right to want one over a gtst although i dont have one...well a silvia with an rb20det (which is what i've got) is pretty similar, but is enough power for me. also a lot cheaper to run.

If you drive a lot, you're gonna rack up way too many k's for the poor old thing. Like most people have said, just get a crappy old car (probably a commodore because of their decent size) and have the GTR for when you get home and need to do other non work related stuff. seems to be your best bet.

[Sarumatix]

I use an R32 GTR as a daily, but I have a car I can borrow for large periods of time when I need to take it off the road to service. It's pretty much a given that if you want to use these as dailys you should expect to do a lot of your own work on it. A lot the basic mechanics of the car are getting old, plastics dieing, relays dieing.. that sort of thing, you have to expect this sort of thing to become a problem almost everyday and be aware of any change in your car and be prepared to take it off the road straight away. Long story short, unless you are a nutter you'd probably want a shitter to drive to work in .

[gtr660hp]

I use my stock GTR as daily transport-never had 1 problem(just make sure you keep up regular maintenance-like any car really) Reckon Ive spent no more than $2000 in 2 years on a strict maintenace program. Things like coil packs/ignitors and stuff usually let you down-so I changed them before they did.

My highly moded GTR (350+awkw) is also driven regularly but no where near the distances the stocko is-never had a break down-but then again Ive spent over 40k on it so everything is new.