R34 Gtr

[sewid]

yeah, just be careful with the brake pads. I "think" from memory, the compliance workshop has to deem there is 50% or more left on the pads, if not, you need new pads. Not much of an issue for a GT-T, but very $$$$$ if it's a GTR.

But i'm sure any import broker who knows what's happening will be aware of that

Technically they must be Brembo pads with more than 50% pad material left and rotors must be Brembo within the wear parameters specified from the manufacturer.

Pads are retailing around $1500 - $2000 for a set and I don't know how much the rotors are.

If you look hard you can supply a set yourself much cheaper... I recently sold a set of front pads for $300 to a bloke on these forums.

[Brandon]

sewid: Cool, hopefully the import doesnt need any pad changing, SVI told me they'll cost around 2.2k. I just saw a white V-spec on carsale thats going for $47k, sounds kinda dodgy with the low Ks (30000km) and its a v-spec. Looks too good to be true, but if it is, it'll look good with a carbon bonnet with the extra money I've alocated. With just a budget of below $53k, I can probably get just a normal GTR from imports if I want blue or black, still dont know should I wait till next year for it or not.

[sewid]

sewid: Cool, hopefully the import doesnt need any pad changing, SVI told me they'll cost around 2.2k. I just saw a white V-spec on carsale thats going for $47k, sounds kinda dodgy with the low Ks (30000km) and its a v-spec. Looks too good to be true, but if it is, it'll look good with a carbon bonnet with the extra money I've alocated. With just a budget of below $53k, I can probably get just a normal GTR from imports if I want blue or black, still dont know should I wait till next year for it or not.

I would usually put my money into the pads DO need changing and budget accordingly. $2200 sounds like they're marking up the brakes a bit.

[Brandon]

sewid: yea I dont mind spending the money if the pads need changing but there's another thing, he quoted 2.5k on shipping and 100 on insurance which I find a bit odd cause i thought shipping would be lower than 2k. if like you've said, he's over pricing the pads, that'll mean i'm paying about 1k more for the car. he also charge 2k+GST for his the service as well which is 1k+ more than J-spec and overall, the car will cost 2k+ more than importing with J-spec... anyone heard of Brad Bottcher Used Cars at Maryborough? they've got a 1999 white vspec for sale at $47.

[sewid]

sewid: yea I dont mind spending the money if the pads need changing but there's another thing, he quoted 2.5k on shipping and 100 on insurance which I find a bit odd cause i thought shipping would be lower than 2k. if like you've said, he's over pricing the pads, that'll mean i'm paying about 1k more for the car. he also charge 2k+GST for his the service as well which is 1k+ more than J-spec and overall, the car will cost 2k+ more than importing with J-spec... anyone heard of Brad Bottcher Used Cars at Maryborough? they've got a 1999 white vspec for sale at $47.

Shipping an R34 GTR cost me $1133 RORO on NYK which is one of the best companies to ship with in my opinion. you have to add GST to that though. No insurance.

An R34 GTR is 11.136 cubic meters so use that figure when estimating costs.

[sewid]

Don't forget though that if you aren't in Sydney then the shipping price will be more or less depending on how they get the car from their port to you. Also if you are in a different state to SVI then they have to include shipping to you. Shipping between states of an R34 GTR would require an enclosed container from my experience. An R34 GTR will not get on the back of a car transporter truck because the front bar is too low. The price of an enclosed container is about $600 - $700 between capital cities.

Kiwi for example drop cars at port and truck them to other capitals. This usually results in delays, costs and has resulted in damage on more than one occasion. This is one of the reasons why I would never ship with Kiwi.

Kiwi offer insurance though. Although it is said that they make it very difficult to claim against it when you can't prove where the damage was done. This effectively makes such insurance worthless in my eyes.

[Brandon]

sewid: sounds like i'm being charge more for the import due to shipping compliance and maybe the agent fees. SVI is based in brisbane and thats where i am, so what you said does not apply. there's another fee for the japanese that works for him and thats like 160k yen or 180k yen... which i think is the same thing as what j-spec has for their agent fees in japan (100k yen). seems like i'm being quoted 2-3k more than what i should be paying... but then again he said all these are estimate figures so they can be the worst senario. but serious you've provided a lot of info which I cant seem to find online. cheers mate. did you import yourself or through an importer? 1 quick question, how do i know the gtr is a genuine v spec etc? who do I call?

Edited October 24, 2007 by Brandon

[gdz34]

Hi Brandon, Interesting discussion and good practical advice.. So many choices and none of which are a bad choice

As a previous v-spec owner, and current non-v-spec GTR 34 owner (note I avoided the use of the word standard as no GTR deserves to be called standard) i would offer up another angle to think about. What is your intended use of the car as this may influence your decision. Eg weekend track weapon verses daily drive, or most likely somewhere in between.

If you are not performance fanging around a track then the driving pleasure is much the same and mechanical benefits of v-spec to non v-spec in normal use are not really called into play. Some of the noticable differences on the road are for some (but not all) sometimes annoying.. eg ride quality, ground clearance + take underbody diffusers on and off a few times and their practicality outside a wind tunnel starts to dim.

I luv v specs... all I'm suggesting is dont get too fixated on the v spec element and discount a potential good non-vspec car if it comes up. Consider what your real use is likely to be. Of course value of the v spec does provide higher resale, if thats a strong consideration and completely understandable to go for the upspec version. But, for the price difference of a good v spec to non vspec you could for example put on adjustable suspension setup, stage 1 tune and have a car that sits in the middle of the fun profile eg liveable daily drive but can harden up for the those serious moments.

It's a personal choice but worth some consideration .... good hunting.

regards

[Brandon]

gdz34: Yea I know what I'm after but still dont know who to get it from currently. Some pros and cons about getting from importer and dealers I've figured out are listed below. for the same price.

Dealer:

Pros

- able to test drive

- check everything myself

- if I'm getting from local, I'll probably be getting a 2001 series as its possible to get a secured car loan if the car's below 7yrs with HSBC. (2% lower than unsecured)

Cons

- I dont know hows the condition of the car when comparing with an auction grade. (the dealer tell me they're better than auction grade cause its a dealer's car which I think is bs when all the GTRs are no longer 1st hand and in some way they'll probably be an auction grade 2 or 3 car which they managed to fix it up and sell it for a higher price)

- limited choices

Importer:

Pros

- able to see a detail of the car's history in the check sheets provided

- slightly cheaper

- more selection/options

Cons

- no able to test drive

- risk of having getting a lemon (but with SVI i doubt this will happen as they provide money back gurantee)

- dont know which importer to go with

As for whats the car gonna be used for? It'll be a weekend car or a car that'll make me smile when I'm on it. As I'm working FT, I wouldnt be driving that much. As for track, doubt I'll be going anytime soon. Maybe in the future, but not now. Basically it'll be a personal achievement as the 34gtr has always been my dream car and since I'm in Aus, might as well make my dream come true.

Most of the gtr listed on carsale arent vspec and they're going for some really crazy prices. I'll probably take my time in looking for 1 thats good and within my budget but I'll most probably be getting a vspec1 if not 2, cause I dont need to do anymore things to the car. And like you guys have said, vspec has a higher resale value not only due to the difference in spec but also they're usually newer. But ultimately I see myself importing 1 due to the choices I would have in the auction.

[SS8_Gohan]

from multiple threads in different state sections, there could quite possible be NO SUCH THING as a good import dealer. They bring in crap, whack a body kit on and some rims and ask huge prices.

i'd stay weeeeelllll clear of any import dealers/yards.

[Brandon]

SS8_Gohan: Hah, I guess thats a very clear statement, importers for me then =). I thought the same too when I saw the prices online. They're like a few Ks off the standard imports and its just too good to be true with the low mileage.

[eMsta]

SS8_Gohan: Hah, I guess thats a very clear statement, importers for me then =). I thought the same too when I saw the prices online. They're like a few Ks off the standard imports and its just too good to be true with the low mileage.

have u had a look at j-spec and imports101? i believe swink's dad is still selling his 34gtr - i remember seeing it on carsales.....

[SS8_Gohan]

i got my car through j-spec I'm referring to physical places (import yards/dealers) not "brokers" - big difference

[Brandon]

emsta: yea I have. Seems like I'll be going with either J-spec or SVI which is based in brisbane. But it'll still gonna be sometime before I start hunting for it seriously. I believe I have done enough research for now and I'm clear that I want a vspec. So, for the time being, I'll just have to bear with it cause I'm still saving money for the car. Its always good to have some spare cash on yourself instead of getting a full loan on the car. Justcar quoted me about 1.4k per year on comprehensive too, which is within my estimate. 1 last thing, I dont quite understand the compulsory (CTP) insurance in queensland, is that included in the rego which is about 700 per year with a 6cyclinder car or its on top of it?

SS8_Gohan: cool, seems to me that a lot of people in this forum got their car through J-Spec. Yea I know what you're referring to, your import dealer would fall under the dealer catagory in my list =P

A general question for people with 34gtr, does it get sick often? I mean just normal drive and not thrashing it. I didnt really think about that question cause I thought its quite a new car with a good engine and if you dont do anything to the stock other than maybe an exhaust change, it shouldnt give the owner too much problem.

You guys have been very helpful even though I'm thinking of getting the car next year. lolz. Thanks

Cheers

Edited October 25, 2007 by Brandon

[choyda]

I'd be prepared to change the plugs and coil packs if its coming in from overseas (just from what Ive seen). My importer also said that 34GTR's are coming down in price leading up to December based on the interest in the new GTR.

[Brandon]

choyda: lolz. I hope for that to happen. I just had a look on japaneseusedcars.com and there's heaps of gtrs on auction

[AlexR34]

Ah to hell with all this crap - it will cost you a bundle to own and drive and repair.

Just buy your self a brand new 3 series bema they cost about the same and plus you will have a nice brand new shiney car - that as far as im concerned looks so hot, you will know all is good because its new and won't have to deal with the hassels of a second hand car.

Final Comment:

New is New

It will save you alot of troubles just to get a new car. And I mean for that price you can even get those hot ass new lexuse's i think they the IS250's.

[carizma]

Maybe 50% do that, but there are some reputable dealers/importers out there. I'd like to think we're one of them, but that's for our customers to decide really....

come on in and speak with us anytime....hopefully we can change your mind about import dealers.

also, we're technically a compliance workshop and import wholesaler....so we're a bit different than most, but still, I see where you're coming from...I have stories for days about dodgy guys in this business.

-david

from multiple threads in different state sections, there could quite possible be NO SUCH THING as a good import dealer. They bring in crap, whack a body kit on and some rims and ask huge prices.

i'd stay weeeeelllll clear of any import dealers/yards.

Edited October 25, 2007 by carizma

[Brandon]

AlexR34: Chill mate, what I meant by maintenence/repair etc is major ones thats gonna cost a a few Ks. (e.g. 5k). I know servicing turbos are expensive but what I would like to know is do they get sick easily. Example, alternator spoil etc?

[gdz34]

Hi Brandon, had this R34 for 12 months now and mostly painless to date.

Engine is stock, light mods with exhaust, suspension, and only issue I've had is of late some rough idling. Cleaned the AAC value (theres heaps of threads on this topic) and now seems fine. Perhaps a result of my approach which was after compliance not to trust/assume anything. I redid everything I could (eg fluids, filters, new battery etc) so the car was in a known state + excellent way to navigate and learn about the car. I also stripped the interior so no rust in sneaky places either but thats not for everyone. You risk spending some time and money that may not have been needed but its cheap insurance.

Other comment is if possible its good to make the deal subject to a mechanical inspection. Get it up on a hoist and either you or someone that knows what they are looking at have a good "with light" inspection. Look for signs of accidents, welds, anything odd and fixes (plastic welds) to any of the moldings etc. You can tell a lot from underside inspection in regards health and treatment of the car eg signs like wear on inside front disk rotors is a good indicator. GTR's are heavy so rotors take a bounding if consistently driven hard. If its a v spec then diffusers off please. Any resistance to an inspection request is a clear sign.

So maintain and treat well and typically reliable Nissan engineering kicks in.

regards