Price Of New R35 Gtr ?

[inark]

dunno... i know a number of Holden and V8 bogans that are pretty fond of it... especially after they saw the vids of it going around the ring in germany

[FineLine]

Good luck.

I've stopped going to Nissan for servicing ages ago. The f**kers were completely useless when it comes to dealing with sports cars being driven by enthusiasts. If you're driving a Pulsar or Maxima and you just want something that will get you to the shops or interstate, and you have zero interest in how the thing runs, then they're great.

I saw all the service awards and plaques on the wall and I thought, "If this place is an outstanding dealership then I'd hate to go to an average one...."

Its the kind of service you tolerate as a customer of Maccas when you spend $7 on a value meal, not when you just dropped 65 large on their "flagship".

That said, the old man's got an entry-model BMW and I've dropped the car off at one of their dealerships too. Servicing isn't cheap but they know how to treat a client. They also know how to rip them off, but they know that happy customers are repeat customers.

I know quite a few 350Z owners who've made it their first and last Nissan, because of the service.

I think the US guys had the right idea of selling the GT-R under the Infiniti marque. That way they get premium service, and the guys behind the counter don't need to change their manner between Pulsar owners and GT-R owners.

I realise Ghosn wanted to sell it under the Nissan badge so perhaps they should have a boutique dealership for just the GT-R and 350Z inside Nissan. Kind of like how HSV has their operations - no standalone stores, just substores within the Holden dealerships.

Why would nissan even consider lumping the z in with the gtr. Lets face it, it is nothing more than a conventional n/a rear wheel drive 2 door coupe. (albeit a nice one) I doubt that other than the basic V engine it will share much in common with the gtr. The same engine is used across the board in the 4b range and the Maxima lineup And some of them at least share an all wheel drive system with the gtr. There is nothing in the Z that requires servicing over and above pretty much anything else in the nissan line up that would warrant it being put in a class any different to the Maxima or even the TI patrol.

On the service issue I am in total agreeance with you. Nissan servicing sucks to the point I no longer even consider them for anything other than warranty work. Case in point was the old girls Max. a dodgy fuel pump led to so many lies being told by the service manager at our local dealer that he eventually couldnt look us in the eye and kept on sending out his lackey to communicate with us. I felt sorry for the woman who was embarrassed to all hell at having to cover his blatant lying arse.

This is a pity as the dealership used to offer excellent service. In having to comply with Nissan Australias coorporate policy it underwent major changes and has never been the same since. It's their loss in the longrun. Dealerships make precious little from selling new cars, They rely heavily on the service work and the used car outlet to make up the slack And make profit. With the lack of service being offered here locally they are shortening their bowstring considerably.

[scathing]

Why would nissan even consider lumping the z in with the gtr. Lets face it, it is nothing more than a conventional n/a rear wheel drive 2 door coupe. (albeit a nice one) I doubt that other than the basic V engine it will share much in common with the gtr. The same engine is used across the board in the 4b range and the Maxima lineup And some of them at least share an all wheel drive system with the gtr. There is nothing in the Z that requires servicing over and above pretty much anything else in the nissan line up that would warrant it being put in a class any different to the Maxima or even the TI patrol.

Its not the car mechanically that should see it separated. Its the expectation of the customer base that can afford to purchase their car. A lot of people are, amazingly, not car enthusiasts. For them owning a certain brand of car is more than just what it has under the bonnet, its the entire experience over ownership. How they're treated when the car is taken in for servicing is a part of that experience, and it affects the perception of the brand.

It doesn't matter if you're driving a Feroza or a Ferrari. A minor service on any car is just a fluid flush, and checking the consumables. Any apprentice whose got experience on the your standard econobox could do that service on the Ferrari with a workshop manual and maybe half a day's training. But if you owned a Ferrari, you'd expect the guy behind the counter at the service centre to treat you with a certain amount of respect and courtesy after sinking $400K+ into one of their vehicles. Someone buying a $10,000 runabout probably wouldn't care so much if the service centre guy is abrupt, occasionally late in returning the car, accidentally leaves the seat and carpet protectors in, etc.

There's probably little difference, mechanically, between a Lexus and a regular Toyota. But Toyota gets the concept of brand engineering, and so they keep Lexus service centres completely separate. Lexus staff are trained and performance measured a lot more in customer relations, and so an entry model IS250 customer get a metaphorical blowjob from the service centre where some guy rolling in an optioned-out Aurion wouldn't even get a reach-around.

And that's what Nissan is failing at. Like I said, I know a couple of guys that went from Alfas and Lexus' to 350Z and cracked the shits because of what its like to take the car in to do servicing. They're not looking at modifying the cars too much and so don't want to take it to a non-Nissan workshop (it also looks nicer in the log books). Most of them still love the car, but have said they'd never buy another one when the time comes to move on.

[FineLine]

I understand completely what you are saying but would those same customers be prepared to fork out another 20/25 K. for a z. I doubt it. The strength of the z car lies in its value for money as a competent 2 door sports coupe capable of taking it to more expensive machinery. To niche market it along the lines of say lexus or even the infiniti brand in the US would see the price of the car rise considerably.

Unfortunately Its strength is also its weakness. Being able to buy it at that price also means you have to take pot luck with the servicing, warranty work etc. Would it stop me buying one if i were in the market for that type of vehicle. Hell no! As enthusiasts we know there are specialist workshops out there that can and will take care of these types of vehicles and usually for a better price than the dealer service department.

[scathing]

I understand completely what you are saying but would those same customers be prepared to fork out another 20/25 K. for a z. I doubt it. The strength of the z car lies in its value for money as a competent 2 door sports coupe capable of taking it to more expensive machinery. To niche market it along the lines of say lexus or even the infiniti brand in the US would see the price of the car rise considerably.

Value for money or not, most people who can splash out that much money for a car generally expect a certain amount of service. And, to be quite blunt, they're not getting it. Me, I bought the car and not the brand so I count as one of the "enthusiasts" you mention, but the vast majority of new-car buyers are mid life crisisers or yuppies that want to be seen in something sporty and either can't afford an Audi TT or don't want to be seen in a hairdresser's car (even though they drive the Z like one).

As enthusiasts we know there are specialist workshops out there that can and will take care of these types of vehicles and usually for a better price than the dealer service department.

As the Australian delivered R32 GT-R, enthusiasts can't keep even a low-volume vehicle afloat if its too expensive and lacking that "total experience" I mentioned earlier. Luckily its been almost 20 years since the R32, and the brand perception of Japanese cars has moved a bit, but if (lets say) $180K GT-R owners get the same level of treatment at the dealership as someone driving a Micra, there will be a backlash.

A $70K Z isn't quite the same, but I know quite a few owners that have thought, "If this is what happens when I buy a flagship product, I can't imagine what it'd be like if I bought something middle-of-the-range like a Maxima or Murano" and sworn off every buying another Nissan again. I know that, if I were to ever buy a family sedan it would either be a V35 (or V36 if we're getting them) and bypass the entire "Nissan Australia" experience, or going to another brand.

If Nissan don't start some kind of specialist dealership / service centre for the GT-R I'd say that the car's sales (and therefore long-term viability) will suffer. But there's not much point having a dealership (or a subsection of the dealership) for just one car; to help with economies of scale they could have the staff trained as "Nissan Sports Car" dealers and service mechanics to service both the GT-R and the 350Z (and if they ever build another Silvia, them too) and run them separate to the "Nissan econobox" section.

[FineLine]

Dont shoot the messenger Scathing, We are on the same page. I have over 125 kay in my driveway in 2 nissan "flagship" models. TI 4.8 patrol 73 kay and TI Max. 53 kay. Whilst that may sound a large sum to some people we both know it can also be viewed as chicken shit to others. I buy them simply because they offer by far the best bang for buck in the industry and i keep them for far far longer than the average buyer. ( my last 2 patty's were traded at 470,000 kay and 712,000 kay respectively, As for service, i couldnt give a rodent's ring who services them. I mostly do my own unless it requires some specialist attention.

Nissan offer these vehicles at a price and offer a level of service to match that price. If you are not happy with that level you have the previously stated options. Dont buy it or take it elsewhere. I have learned to live with their lack of service and am happy to do so in the full knowledge that i am buying vehicles that best suit my needs.

The GTR will not get its own Franchise, What it will get is limited outlets within the current structure with a specialist spanner to take care of the very limited number of vehicles they will sell. He will double duty as a mainstream spanner in between GTR's.

So what chance do you think the Z car has. Try Buckleys.

Nissan have only taken very limited steps on the road to recovery from the debacle of the bluebird, pulsar, prarie, fiasco that eventually saw them booted from manufacturing in this country, beaten by lesser companys at the time like Mitsi. It is still a long road before we see them regain the creds on the local scene they have in some of their international and domestic markets. It all works in my favor as i can buy a far more durable vehicle than most can make for less bucks than most ask.

The only downside is again that "service" Overcome that and you are laughing. I know I am.

[scathing]

The GTR will not get its own Franchise, What it will get is limited outlets within the current structure with a specialist spanner to take care of the very limited number of vehicles they will sell. He will double duty as a mainstream spanner in between GTR's.

I hope so.

But, more importantly for brand perception, I hope the goon behind the counter (its not like your average customer gets to see the grease monkey) gets some customer service training comparable to the amount of money a new GT-R buyer would expect.

I suppose they probably won't let apprentices near the car in case they break something, but like I said a minor service could be done by anyone. What Nissan needs to do is make sure the customer-facing staff aren't like the complete f**ktards that I've had to deal with at the two service centres I've visited.

The more they sell to well-heeled gentlemen, the more that will appear on the used car market for us regular people.

[GT-R32]

I worked at one of the best Holden dealerships in the country, and I can confirm that: any month that sees a profit in New Car Sales was seen as a bonus, yet the profits pulled by the service department were.....substantial to say the least. The new car yard was really there to support the service dept...

That's the dealer not 'Holden' per se.

[Paradizzle]

Dont know if its been mentioned anywhere else but the price listed on the website http://press.nissan-global.com/PRESSKIT/NI...LISH/index.html is as follows:

Edition MSRP(Yen, Consumption tax included)

GT-R 7,770,000

GT-R Black edition 7,927,500

GT-R Premium edition 8,347,500