Help? R34 Owners Please Read...

[Factory 5]

Evening all,

I am looking at purchasing a R34GT-T, 4 door sedan, tiptronic.

Problem is, its in Melbourne (I have actually found one than im very keen on)

Can anyone please add comments or anything that will help me look for problem areas or issues? And is ther anyone in ACT that would be willing to take me for a spin in theirs (to see if i actually fit?)

Main reasons for purchasing an R34:

Nice for long drives, good looks, good power, not 20 years old like R32's, and not as common as R33's

Comparable economy to commhoore or falcon,

The Rb25det NEO is a much better platform to mod from

Im not going to build a balls out track waepon, just a nice daily with some good takeoff ability and overtaking on the way to syd etc

Please any posts are welcome!

[a20089]

Shell, Steddy Eddy, all I can thin off off the top of my head with these cars.

[Randon_I_Am]

I have a 34 coupe, man, VERY VERY happy with might i add.

It's currently cluchless atm, well not quite, but its slipping, so no drivey for me. so i can't take ya for a spin. not till next week or the week after...

I'm not much of a fan of the whole 4 door Tiptronic thing though, but each to their own.

but yes It's a very nice car for long drives.

as for any issues before byring the car, just the usual stuff... theres a thread on here somewhere (not in the act section) that has many a comment on "what to look for when buying a skyline" pretty sure thats the thread name.

[Randon_I_Am]

Shell, Steddy Eddy, all I can thin off off the top of my head with these cars.

HU HMMMM...

[Factory 5]

4 door mainly cos of the kids factor in the next year or 3

Tiptro cos my clutch foot (left) is pretty much shattered from field exercise with the army at the start of the year! I can drive manual, but no longer than an hour , and after that it just swells up for the next 24 hrs or so.... farkin shithouse! It looks to be permanent so tiptro it is for the meantime.

I drove a 2000 mod stagea (tiptro) and didnt mind it at all, stagea was friggin heavy though! Like a boat.

Its either an R34 or a GT Subaru Forester...

[Shell]

I luuurve my R34... so much nicer and newer than my R33

Can't tell you any issues cos it's been perfect, just look for a good clean one I guess!

happy to let you drive it, but it is a manual coupe so a bit different to what you're looking at buying. But seeing if you fit should be the same? I'm away for 2 weeks (leaving tomorrow) so it would have to be after that

[putraged]

long drive is good. the only thing that trips me around is the unavailability of cruise control.

imagine putting ur right foot for 8 hrs of canberra - melbourne journey. been there done that.

[Shell]

Mine came with cruise control, previous owner installed it ($700!!!). It's awesome! Although I'm so used to not having it I keep forgetting to use it lol

[tridentt150v]

factory cruise or aftermarket???

[a20089]

HU HMMMM...

And some random guy might have an R34

[putraged]

factory cruise or aftermarket???

i dont think they have factory cruise control. might as well putting some bricks on the pedal.

[TiTAN]

so install aftermarket cruise control if you want it that badly.

[tridentt150v]

so install aftermarket cruise control if you want it that badly.

I could have done with one when I drove to QLD, and also SA. Long straights, speed camera's and cops.

Been thinking about it for a while, but usually end up spending my $$$ on GFB's.

One day............one day..........

[NJR 34GTT]

In no particular order. Some of my firsthand experiences and issues I've consistently read about over the years (I've had mine for 5 years now):

The tiptronic can be very slow on the upshift, even when you are intimately familiar with when it will and won't upshift smoothly. The downshift is nearly always very fast.

The tiptronic struggles with anything upwards of ~250kw atw without strengthening.

The coils will need replacing at some stage, but that's a given on most skylines.

Your choice of aftermarket ECUs is limited because many don't handle the tiptronic properly.

The insurance is a bitch even when you're bordering 30.

You will go through front brake pads like no tomorrow.

Check the middle brake light for signs of rust as water can and does get in there.

[mrgilly]

In no particular order. Some of my firsthand experiences and issues I've consistently read about over the years (I've had mine for 5 years now):

The tiptronic can be very slow on the upshift, even when you are intimately familiar with when it will and won't upshift smoothly. The downshift is nearly always very fast.

The tiptronic struggles with anything upwards of ~250kw atw without strengthening.

The coils will need replacing at some stage, but that's a given on most skylines.

Your choice of aftermarket ECUs is limited because many don't handle the tiptronic properly.

The insurance is a bitch even when you're bordering 30.

You will go through front brake pads like no tomorrow.

Check the middle brake light for signs of rust as water can and does get in there.

^^^

All sound advice! (with the exception of the brake pads comment, I've never noticed bad wear even with trackwork). Downshift slows down a little when the box heats up (think 40 degree day at QLD raceway... 51deg track temp!) but this isn't that common. Upshift isn't lightning but it's not bad, and a shift kit from MV Automatics will make your tiptronic day...

I've had 3 R34's, a tip coupe, a tip sedan and a manual coupe. All great cars to drive and own, highly recommend them for the sheer satisfaction of ownership

[Factory 5]

Thanks heaps for the comments ppl!

I will hopefully see a few at tomorrows ICU Cruise...

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=55291692108&ref=ts

Shannons sad $1544 per year full comp value up to $15000, 26 y.o. no accident or all the good stuff

compared to an XR6, $900

[pintaline]

get a stagea!!! i love mine... she's a little heavy on fuel around town but it still hasn't been tuned since it came from japan... but a power fc will fix that very soon (mine's a manual)

anyway, get one. they're getting nice and cheap now for autos and a 2wd one will be a little cheaper again. even the m35s are getting cheap, you can pick one up from around $20k, vq25 turbo......

a mate of mine got a GT-T 2 door, loves it but admitted to me the other day that it has no space for anything... unlike my car if the boot space in a 4 door is anywhere near similar to the 2 door, i wouldn't recommend it for travelling...

D.

[mrgilly]

boot space is what you make it... I've done a few days camping at the snow in my 34 2-door!

[Factory 5]

Hey thanks for the comments

at the minute my total monthly expenses on this will be over budget, so i have to keep an eye out for something aussie delivered like a SV6, VRX, or XR6, also in the package at work they dont allow imports