r33 gtst for girlfriend, am I mad??

[zzzz]

Hi there,

I know relatively little about nissan skylines compared to all of the forum members, but I do know what I like

I am currently thinking of selling my crappy mitsubishi mirage that my girlfriend drives all the time and buying a r33 or r32 gtst skyline.

I already have a play car which is a jeep which is highlymodified and I take four wheel driving every second weekend or so. This is the money pit, and therefore I can't afford to spend heaps on the skyline if I get one. Basically just a few cosmetic changes and maybe an exhaust system.

I would only drive it on weekends occasionally and on long trips for holiday/weekends away.

The rest of the time my girlfriend would get to drive it as her daily driver as she needs a car to get to work and back. I catch public transport into the city.

Questions as follows:

Would my gf be fine driving it everyday?

Would she have issues with the power? etc.

Is there anyway to have an aftermarket ECU that could be programmed with different power levels. I could leave it slow for her, and then turn it up for some fun.

I would prefer an auto - any problems with these? power loss etc.

Are they a reliable option as a day to day vehicle or should I just go and look at a boring old corolla, pulsar, insert brand here?

Average insurance cost for a basically stock gtst? 29 years old, inner melb, loan, etc. just an idea would be good.

How are they for headroom? I am 6'5" and haven't had a sit in one at all...

Many more q's but I am going to spend a heap of time reading the forums for those answers.

cheers

z

[docile]

I dunno bout everything else, but some of the girls i know could out perform alot of guys, in any car, in any conditions. Whats your GF like as a driver in general. Does she think she can handle a car like that. When my GF first drove my car, she was hopeless. a couple of weeks later im happy to let her drive it.

I'm 6'4 and a solid build (not fat, just solid) and i find skylines very comfortable so you wont have a problem with room in the front seats etc.

The rear seats however....

[mzgtst]

Hi, I had a mirage before I bought my skyline. It only took me a couple of day's to get used to the power.

It's a big up grade from the mirage (no power)

Ur gf should be fine

wish u luck in ur new purchase!

[Jimbo2000]

lol at first i thought you were considering a swap

go for it, shouldnt have any power issues, if you dont plant it in these thing they are not that scary especially with an auto, both you and her will love it

i'm 6"2 and have no issues at all with headroom, had a mate who is around 6"5 or more in the front seat and he was sweet too, just dont get one with a sunroof cause they are even lower

treat it with respect and it will be a very reliable car

[b0neR]

for the power levels you could get an EBC (Electronic Boost Controller) and have 2 boost settings (hi and low) that you could switch between.

[zzzz]

thanks for the quick replies.

All positive so far.

Not looking to trade her in, but if someone was offering a worked gtr, hmmm.

She is not the best driver out there. Constantly talking on phone, doing nails, fishing around for things in her handbag, etc. just normal.

Most concerned about her, "putting her foot down" in the wet to sneak past someone at the lights or something and then getting out of control. Think I really need to take her out for a spin and see if she likes how one drives and if she thinks she can handle it.

Are the auto's harder to find than manual?

How hard is it to find as close to stock as possible or are they all modded heaps? I would prefer stock as can be.

They seem very good value for money considering what $15-20k buys in other cars.

[mzgtst]

Originally posted by zzzz

She is not the best driver out there. Constantly talking on phone, doing nails, fishing around for things in her handbag, etc. just normal.

I wouldn't call that normal.....

[nav12c]

I'd have to agree with z on this one.. IMO this is fairly comon/normal

[mzgtst]

Normal for some, that's just an accident waiting to happen!

[nav12c]

yep, thats what i think.

i dont know whether to let me g/f drive a manual (so she wont have the time to put on make up etc) or on the other hand she might think it a challenge and try it more.

no win, i tell ya.

[b0neR]

Originally posted by mzgtst

Originally posted by zzzz  

She is not the best driver out there. Constantly talking on phone, doing nails, fishing around for things in her handbag, etc. just normal.

I wouldn't call that normal.....

haha :bahaha:

[Guest RedLineGTR]

hope she lets you drive it sometime.

[bri33sta]

I have an r33 as my family sedan... great car, the power compared to my celica took a bit to get used to but was fine after a few late night cruises.... my brother is 6"7 and can get into my car relatively easy...

...are you prepared to have all the men in the area try and pick her up? you know how these lot feel about women in imports

[HER-R33]

I'm a girl and U love my 33 gtst. Very reliable car cheap to run. I dont think you'd need to consider adjusting power so she could drive it (I'm tiny and I dont have a problem with mine). Even though they have a fair bit of power, they still stick to the road and are very easy to control (even sideways and on full boost).

You're height shouldn't be a prob as long as your not in the back seat!

bri33sta has a point though - other guys wont be able to keep away from her.

[HER-R33]

P.S. Insurance varies I pay around $2200 per year rating 3 fullcomp.

Mine also has a sunroof and I still dont have a prob fittin tall ppl in.

[HER-R33]

and I meant I love my gtst (not U love it)

[predator]

hmmm... if she consistently has trouble keeping her mind on the road, maybe a cheaper car will prove less expensive in the long run mistakes are amplified when there is more power on tap...

[HER-R33]

She should be fine concentrating as long as zzzz keeps his head and hands out of her lap while shes driving!!

Usually works for me.

[Miss*33]

I have one and I wouldn't drive anything else now - except maybe a GTR I used to drive my b/f's GTR but he sold it, so now I just have mine

Its easy to drive, easy to park, easy to control, even in the wet - I came from driving an excel and had no problems at all!!

And theres nothing wrong with getting a manual, its more fun!!

[HER-R33]

Well said Miss*33. Manual's fun if you can drive em!

Unless shes a good manual driver I'd say go auto - theres no problems associated with them.