Info On R32 Gtr

[Dec23]

Hey everyone

I'm looking at buying my first skyline in the next few months, so I wanted some info on R32 Gtrs for those who have them or have had them. What was good, what was bad, weaknesses, strengths, whether you recommend buying one. Also it would probably be used as a daily, what are the pros and cons of using it for this. Any feedback would be sweet.

Cheers

Dec

[bubba]

I hope you have deep pockets.

[Dec23]

haha so con = expensive to run.

I dont do a heap of driving, work takes me about 15 mins.

[bubba]

Yeah you just have to remember that they are nearly 20 years old so the price of the car is almost inversely proportional to the cost of maintenance

That and there seems to be a GTR tax

[Public Enemy]

GTR tax FTL

[Chris89]

Daily drive my GTR, think its the best car to own especially come the winter months when the roads are less than perfect. Havent really had any downsides and have owned it for 2 years and have never had a problem. Just buy a decent one and not the cheapest u can find

[shaund]

As some one who was badly burnt importing an R32 GTR, I personally would recommend not importing one sight-unseen, no matter how many photos you see, or descriptions of "in perfect condition" etc. Mine came in with a shagged engine, gearbox, diff, busted 4wd system, and structural rust. Took 3 years to rebuild and got a bit out of the guy in japan I bought it from.... The import agent was great... did everything he could short of refunding me his $1100 fee. The guy in japan basically needed bullying into doing the right thing. Eventually I got a small sum of money to go 'towards' the rust work, and a 1/2 cut for a replacement engine/gearbox/diffs etc.

If I was doing it again, the only condition I'd import one under is if the company doing the importing did everything... you pay a fixed ammount, they bring it in, comply, rego, and any other roadworth work, and hand the keys over to you and you just drive it out of their yard and straight onto the road. I'm sure there are a few places around that do that sort of thing.

So even if you do buy locally thats already rego'd.....

Things to look out for include: Shagged engine, gearbox, diffs, 4wd transfer case, bushes, CVs, tierods, engine mounts, bushes (anything rubber underneath), rust.

On the point of rust, mine had really bad rust in the floorpan - it'd been jacked up just about anywhere on the floor pan rear of the front wheels, and forward of the rear wheels, damging the floorpan, the rust proofing, etc... there were holes in the floor pan in every corner. We had to straighten the floorpan, replace the doorsills, and re-infoce the inner pseudo chassis rails. I've got lots of photos along the way incase anyones interested... Its a great car now, but a much larger undertaking than I was expecting to get it there.

Get a proper inspection before you buy from some one who knows about the 32 GTR

[Mr. Keets]

Tough break on the buy there Shaun. Sounds like a worst case scenario.

I would'nt even bother importing a 32R right now unless it was an N1. Buy local. These cars are getting on a bit so even if you find a good'un it will still need work to bring it back to it's best...and when it's there it's great. Suspension components will need changed out. everything from shocks, which will probably have been attended to, rubber bushes, subframes bushes etc. The gearbox may be worn and need work especially if it is a higher mileage car that has seen upped horsepower and "spirited driving"...syncros and 3rd gear are something to watch . It's worth spending the money to have it inspected by a specialist tuner. If your keen on one they may even have a customer who is looking at moving on.

If you find a well maintained one and are prepared to attend to the maintenance on time and with out being too cheap these are rewarding cars to own.

Good luck

[FullySick26]

The best money i ever spent on buying R32 GTR. It worth it.

[Dec23]

appreciate the input guys. helps an ignorant turd like me get some knowledge

[nism0man]

best car to own

very very expensive to run

take ur time to buy a good example, maybe look for one with a rebuild or even replaced motor

how much money do u have to spend?..

[bubba]

Personally I would steer away from buying a built engine, god knows what was actually used and done during the build.

However, I'm all for buying something that has a lot of the minor mods (exhaust, suspension, clutch, bolt on engine mods etc etc) already done.

[stormtrooper]

The ONLY time you should buy one with a built engine is if you know exactly what is in the block, what has been done to the car and who did the work. Not just that but ALWAYS look for the guy who has receipts for everything aswel. I did and it was the best import purchase I have made. R32 GTR's are they way to go for sure. There are always GTR's floating about, but you just have to really have patience. Do the homework, know exactly what you are looking for, and what the guy has done to the car and if the work done is viable for you to maintain and upkeep if something goes wrong. Always make sure you have a spare few $K somewhere just in case heh. I'd probably recommend not looking at anything below the $20k mark.

Good luck dude, go out, test drive a heap and see where you end up at. Remember that power is not the most important feature to look for as it doesn't cost an absolute arm and a leg to get power out of them.

Also, learn how to drive them efficiently else they will burn a hole in your pocket at the petrol bowser heh. I managed to get about 450kms out of my tank this week and that's with running 700cc injectors.

-Chris

Edited June 5, 2009 by stormtrooper

[Hanif85]

Just bought one about a month ago, best advice would be to prepare for the worst! Obviously you can minimize this type of mentality to a certain extent by getting the car checked out by a competent mechanic - make sure you get a compression test too. Just remember EVERYTHING on the car is bloody old!!! and you will probably find a few little annoying things that have gone wrong with it over the last TWENTY years... just takes time and $$$ to fix. I'm sure people have said this heaps but it requires heaps of maintenance and many previous owners were probably not willing to go that extra mile, this is why engine rebuilds can be shortly fused timebombs because some owners just want a cheap build to get rid of the car.

Having said that, I've owned a few hi-po cars in the past but was always too scared to take the 32GTR plunge. Everytime i see it now puts a big grin on my face... wonder how long it will last haha, but yeah I pretty much have a sum of money set aside for catastrophic mechanical failure. I guess the moral is you gotta make sure you're passionate about it before taking the plunge. You could buy a MUCH newer performance car for the same monies.

[Ten Four]

Buy http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/89...tr-t271574.html

Doesn't even have the usual R32 dash bubble....

[SLIPPERY]

Hi chris welcome to sau! Glad to see the old girl is still treating you well. On a good tank you might be able to push 550kms to the tank.

Maintenance is a very big thing as was said earlier. If you know the history of the car and what the previous owner did then you have the added assurity of peace of mind

[stormtrooper]

Damn straight. Yeah took it easy on the last tank, managed close to 500, pretty pleased with that...

Need to get me a S1 cluster now though coz I need to keep track of KM's traveled for work heh. I just sanded back the timing belt cover on the weekend too, gotta prime it and paint it a gloss black, just gotta get to the automotive paint shop and get the goods so I can do it this weekend.

Might have to post some pics afterward though, I am starting to go through the engine bay earmarking stuff to strip and spray Gotta say it Trav, but your new GTR's engine bay has given me ideas hahah

[Mr. Keets]

GTR tax FTL

23AG Tax FTL lol.

In the end if you really want one and are prepared to put some time into finding a good one and coin into some remedial work followed by preventative maintenance you'll be fine. Remember, your buying a car designed as a race car, not a taxi; why do knuckleheads want to race you all the time?...because the R32 GT-R is a pretty cool notch on their gun.

That sort of cool takes money

[Ashy Larry]

5 and a half years and counting.

Will not own anything else.

Be sure to factor in a ton of cash to keep your pride and joy to the level that these cars should be kept.

And if my misses ever found out the true total I have spent, it would be grounds for instant divorce.

[SLIPPERY]

haha make sure you show me the progress Chris...what do you have in mind or is it all hush hush?