How Do I Know Which Gtr To Buy?

[Hawley_GTRRR]

Hi all,

I've been looking for an R32 GTR for a while, except i don't know what exactly to be looking for.

I was thinking that one more on the stockish side would be better, but they're pretty hard to find, and the engines don't look in very good condition.

On the other hand, the modified engines seem to look great and seem to be detailed well, but it seems a bit of a lucky dip, as you don't really know what the engine has had done, or how hard it's been run.

Also, in the forums, most of the cars seem to have had rebuilds done, is this important to have had done by a certain amount of kilometres, or can the engines run well without it?

So my real question is what's more important in terms of engine condition, a rebuild or not?, the kilometres?, and how risky is buying a modified engine, and what mods are best to look for in a GTR.

I really need some advice because i'd love to buy one of these beasts but i don't just want to pick one out of a hat.

Thanks for the help.

Edited May 19, 2006 by Hawley_GTRRR

[hazerb30]

ill bite cos im bored at work. searching will get you much more info

Certainly dont judge an engine by the paint on it. Stock paint always peels off the engine in the 32 and doesnt usually mean anything. Even if it had nice new red paint on it that means sfa too, you have no idea if its been modified or just painted. you want to see receipts for any work done.

Never trust the KMS on a jap car. the clocks do get turned back in a big amount of imports and also a lot of 32's have the aftermarket 320km Nismo guages in them so the kms are wrong for sure anyway.

Judge the car on general condition. When i got mine i was looking at wear on the steering wheel / handbrake/seats (if they are original) to guage how often/hard it had been driven. sounds stoopid but kms i ignore, go on overall condition of the vehicle.

I say it is essential that you perform a compression check on any 26dett engine if you have the luxury of buying one already in Oz. its a very expensive rebuild process if you buy a dud ($5k upwards). get a overall check of the car done buy a qualified mechanic who is familiar with the gtr and get him to check all the usual stuff.

if you can get a gtr with a confirmed 100% (receipts whatever) rebuilt engine then thats a winner in my books. still get compression check. Dont get me wrong, a rb26dett is a RB engine after all (tough) and if treated well it can do over 200'000 before needing rebuild. who knows if its been treated well though....

get the checks done. if they wont let you, dont buy it.

GTR kick ass. expensive to fix. be prepared

[Hawley_GTRRR]

Thanks alot.

Also, if i can't afford one without a rebuild, what kind of mods do you reckon are best to look for, like clutch, suspension, or anyhting that usually needs work.

I only just became interested in these cars and i'm really trying to build up some info on them so i can end up with a nice clean one. Everyone on here knows so much, it's hard to know what to ask without thinking your gonna get laughed at.

[r34_skyline]

for any old car, budget for the clutch, suspension(shocks etc), brakes(rotors, pads), trans reconditioning, minor engine rebuild(pistons, gaskets, hoses, plugs, belts) and paint work- if u're anal about the appearance.

other than that, theres nothing really... buying an old car is like drawing chance outta a box, u either end up with a lemon or a stunner.

anywayz, best of luck !!

Edited May 19, 2006 by r34_skyline

[BL01]

Basically, before you even pay for the car, check out the pictures properly and look for bits of rust around the body. The japanese agent i use always examine every bit of the car very cautiously. That's a real big plus point of using him.

Most likely, you'll look at changing a new clutch. Certain clutches will not hold the power of the car. Normally GTR gearboxes are pretty tough, so that might not be a big worry. Don't forget to do a full flush of the brake fluid, oils, etc.

[MANWHOR3]

Thanks alot.

Also, if i can't afford one without a rebuild, what kind of mods do you reckon are best to look for, like clutch, suspension, or anyhting that usually needs work.

I only just became interested in these cars and i'm really trying to build up some info on them so i can end up with a nice clean one. Everyone on here knows so much, it's hard to know what to ask without thinking your gonna get laughed at.

If you can't afford to rebuild the car, then do not buy it. I assume you're spending most of your money, or at least most fo the money you can afford to spend on the car?

R32s are old. Don't get me wrong, there are good ones. Most of the good ones have been rebuilt and have had extensive work done to them. Thus, they'll be very expensive. The cheap ones are cheap for a reason. e.g. an 89 model 32 is now 17 years old. Imagine buying a 17 year old commo in australia. That's what the condition will generally be like (note I said GENERALLY, not all will be like htat, you can be lucky).

e.g. those 17k gtrs. even if you don't mod it at all, it might almlost be dead.

If I was to buy a 32 gtr, i'd budget this:

20k for the car (if you want a cheap one) + 8-10k for a rebuild of engine + probably about 5k for general stuff e.g. clutch letting go, new turbos (old ones are a timebomb) etc.

A cheap 20k gtr easily ends up costing 30 + if you're not lucky.

[MANWHOR3]

Quite a few 33 gtrs are getting a bit nasty now. I've been researching 33 gtr prices for about 2 years continuously, and you start to see a general trend for which cars have a chance of being good and which ones will die in a few months.

You may think oh, I could buy a 33 gtr instead for 30 k, that will also die, so 30 k will end up being 40k.

I had the choice of 32 gtr or 33 gtst 2 years ago. Both were about the same purchase price.

But the 33 gtst was 7 years newer. I knew it was a good car, so I bought the 33. The reason was, because I spent all my money, and didn't have any money in case if an engine or something major was going to die.

[edspaged2]

Ive seen some cheap R33 GTR's, costing between 23-27 grand. One of em was a V-spec too. i thought to myself, "Whoa, thats cheap. I should buy that". Then i thought, "hang on, why the hell is it so cheap?". Im not saying these cars were duds, but who knows? Go on the general condition of the car. Who has previously owned it? Someone young or old?(I take this into account very much so!) Did they look after it? If the car may have had a rebuild, do they have receipts to prove it? your pretty much on the ball with this one.

IT may seem a little daunting with all these things you have to consider, but the R32 GTR is an awesome car and i wouldnt want to discourage you from owning the true Godzilla. Im planning on keeping mine forever till i die, and if my future wife tells me to get rid of it, she can get the f*&k out the door! and im dead serious.