Moral Dillemma Regarding My Gtr

[spec-V]

okay guys heres my dilemma..

i happily own a 1995 R33 GTR vspec, proudly the second owner since NEW.. YES NEW.... only mods are

-ohlins coilovers

-18x10 rims with semi slicks

-updated S2 interior (retrimmed gearboot, steering wheel, handbrake, armrest etc etc)

-hks turbo back exhaust

-hid lights

-short shifter

-perfect motor - 155 across all six still going hard and strong!

this car has been the best car i have ever owned and ive owned xr6 falcons, vy ss's and ss utes the problem i face is its getting abit on the slow side and my old man wants back into the car scene..

hes owned more cars than i have underwear, and he has a good taste for things that goes fast (hes hanging up the helmet and boots for good - and going back to 4 wheels) and i can see him buying a big hp 32 (hes always had a soft spot for them) and me wanting to take out a loan and try and play catch up!

...anyways enough rambling my problem is where do i go with my gtr.. i love it to bits and its a good strong car, its been babied its whole life and i can see once i start going down stage one mods the vicious cycle starts.. weakest thing goes, then the next then the next then the next. etc etc weve all been there, speshially when it ends up alot of money and tears later.

should i just bite the bullet and sell the gtr and buy something with big hp? or should i just stick to my guns and build my own?

the gtr isnt my daily driver, just my weekend car, and im not exactly rolling in money.. id i could sell the gtr for 30k id love to go straight back out and buy another one with 500hp plus..

what would you guys suggest or am i a dreamer thinking that a stockish 2nd owner vspec is worth 30k, and that i can get straight back into another (good) one for under 30k with some serious HP

please by all means guys insight is appreciated.

[Iron Chef]

Hmmm...how many kms on your current one?

My suggestion, personally, would be to go an buy one already built. It might not give you the same satisfaction as building your own, but it's a hell of a lot easier on the wallet...

[Brandon]

I think buying a built one would be a lot simpler and if you get it from someone that's done it probably, it'll probably be more reliable too. Having said that, to be able to sell a 33GTR for 30k now, seems a little hard. Not including the exceptional ones, the typical 30k mark for 33GTRs are normally the series 3. And sometimes you'll find a few thats going for 28-29k. I'm not saying its impossible to get that price but depending on how urgent you need it gone, you might have to wait for awhile.

"...anyways enough rambling my problem is where do i go with my gtr.. i love it to bits and its a good strong car, its been babied its whole life and i can see once i start going down stage one mods the vicious cycle starts.. weakest thing goes, then the next then the next then the next. etc etc weve all been there, speshially when it ends up alot of money and tears later."

Couldnt agree more. Thats also another reason why I dont really wanna mod mine really hard.

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

If your dad wants you to get back into the car scene, ask him if he is willing to help you out with funding...

If so go for it LOL!

Either spend a bit on your R33 GTR atm,

sell it for a descent price, buy another car with all mods done to it (Like what Iron Chef said) That's if you are willing to part with it...

Borrow your dad's car(s)

IMO your R33 GTR sounds nice and I would keep it how you got it just for 'Collectible' sake, due to it being a V-Spec...

Tough choice...

[sneakey pete]

Depends what you define as "big horsepower" aswell. 500hp... 750, 1000?

[spec-V]

Hmmm...how many kms on your current one?

My suggestion, personally, would be to go an buy one already built. It might not give you the same satisfaction as building your own, but it's a hell of a lot easier on the wallet...

yeah ofcourse, i can't really afford to build my motor how i want (about 20k) but if i did sell it i could buy one that needs a little attention but already has had someone spend 20-50k on the motor..

I think buying a built one would be a lot simpler and if you get it from someone that's done it probably, it'll probably be more reliable too. Having said that, to be able to sell a 33GTR for 30k now, seems a little hard. Not including the exceptional ones, the typical 30k mark for 33GTRs are normally the series 3. And sometimes you'll find a few thats going for 28-29k. I'm not saying its impossible to get that price but depending on how urgent you need it gone, you might have to wait for awhile.

"...anyways enough rambling my problem is where do i go with my gtr.. i love it to bits and its a good strong car, its been babied its whole life and i can see once i start going down stage one mods the vicious cycle starts.. weakest thing goes, then the next then the next then the next. etc etc weve all been there, speshially when it ends up alot of money and tears later."

Couldnt agree more. Thats also another reason why I dont really wanna mod mine really hard.

Yeah ofcourse, I understand that if I wanted to chase 30k that id be waiting a long time.. i just thought original keys, books, manuals blah blah blah might make it that little bit more desireable than your run of the mill gtr whos ben thru 20 hands, thrashed here and there, along with it being a v-spec (only 2000 or so vspec's were produced)

If your dad wants you to get back into the car scene, ask him if he is willing to help you out with funding...

If so go for it LOL!

Either spend a bit on your R33 GTR atm,

sell it for a descent price, buy another car with all mods done to it (Like what Iron Chef said) That's if you are willing to part with it...

Borrow your dad's car(s)

IMO your R33 GTR sounds nice and I would keep it how you got it just for 'Collectible' sake, due to it being a V-Spec...

Tough choice...

Hahaha, I owe my dad wayyyy too many favours to ask for more money! Yeah its a hard choice, i have been told by numerous older guys in the scene (friend of my father who happily own a ADM R32GTR) to hold onto it its worth more than what people will pay. I was in the right place at the right time when I bought it, not many people can say they own a grade 5 auction vspec and they bought it off the original owner who bought it new..

And as for the borrowing the old mans cars, been there done that many years ago when i was younger... lets just say i have 2 chances on that happening again.

Depends what you define as "big horsepower" aswell. 500hp... 750, 1000?

I am not silly, theres no way ill find a 750-1000hp example for under 30-35k.

Therefore I'm looking at 500hp exxamples etc etc

thanks for your input guys, more opinions welcome

[NZM.031]

power isnt everything

bakes r34 is (to me) perfect across all aspects... its got 400hp at the wheels... but bakes has never been further than 62% throttle... hes never needed to.. it has the driveabilty of a street car, comfortable ride, a/c, low nvh levels.. immaculate inside and out, but power to boot, it puts a massive smile on your face and plants you back in the seat.

its just got bigger turbos and what not, engine hasnt been opened however, its a safe tune without stressing the engine. he drives it every single day and loves it.

youve had your car for a while by the sound of it... and youve got a connection with it... you know its history, you know whats in it and where its been... that counts for something.

buying someone elses built up gtr just wont be the same.. it wont have the refinement yours does... you wont know whats in it, whats been done to it, how and where its been driven... say you buy a stroked 600hp r32 gtr... it comes over here and its clapped out.. and the engine lets go... years of thrashing.. what do you do??

happened to a friend of mine, he had a 180sx from stock... over 3-4 years he added bit by bit and ended up having a really nice 180, had 240kw at the rears, he had a hand in all the work done.. and he still had more to do, we had hardly touched the suspension... but he sold it for less than it was worth, bought a phat FC rx7 straight off the boat.. full drift spec, bolt in cage, brides, bolt on guards, etc.. it was fast... but rough, noisy and thirsty, and didnt have any personality like his 180.. then it blew the engine, as rotors tend to do.. it was his daily driver, so now he was in a bit of a jam.. he got the engine stripped down, and it turned out it some pretty hardcore bits in it... which most were now toast and it was going to cost him a fair bit to rebuild it back to the spec that it was.. he couldnt afford it as he just extended his loan to get the car... so his only option was to drop in a stock 13b... completly changed the car and he hated it.. ended up selling it for much less than he paid, driving a shitty cressida around until he paid enough off his loan to go again, now hes got a big yellow soarer..

moral to the story, had he kept plodding along with his 180... it would an animal by now.

your r33 has got much more potential left in it without changing the character of the car.. and if you keep doing it bit by bit.. then look back over the years youve owned the car... youve seen its journey from stock to rocket.. youve single handedly watched it grow... built it to your specs.

if you buy someone elses... what happens when you get to your current stage... you're a bit over having 600hp as you cant really use it anywhere except the drag strip.. what little things can you do to it?? its got everything... you cant just add this here, or adjust that there.. if you cant drive it or work on it then whats the point of having it??

dont do it i say!

cheers

Linton

[R31Nismoid]

^ bakes 34 could be better too with the right sized turbos

That's the scary part

Anyway - if you think you can sell and upgrade without loosing cash, you are mistaken.

R34 GTR's can be landed here for WELL under 50k these days, virtually 40k give/take.

So honestly you'll be hard pressed to get anymore than 30k for a R33.

Also, if you think you can find a well maintained R33 GTR with 500hp for 30k, again you are going to struggle.

Any 500hp R33 GTR you find making 500hp will need cash spent on it, no longer making it a "30k-500hp" result.

You are looking probably closer to 40k for a properly built & maintained R33 making 500-600hp IMO.

[spec-V]

power isnt everything

bakes r34 is (to me) perfect across all aspects... its got 400hp at the wheels... but bakes has never been further than 62% throttle... hes never needed to.. it has the driveabilty of a street car, comfortable ride, a/c, low nvh levels.. immaculate inside and out, but power to boot, it puts a massive smile on your face and plants you back in the seat.

its just got bigger turbos and what not, engine hasnt been opened however, its a safe tune without stressing the engine. he drives it every single day and loves it.

youve had your car for a while by the sound of it... and youve got a connection with it... you know its history, you know whats in it and where its been... that counts for something.

buying someone elses built up gtr just wont be the same.. it wont have the refinement yours does... you wont know whats in it, whats been done to it, how and where its been driven... say you buy a stroked 600hp r32 gtr... it comes over here and its clapped out.. and the engine lets go... years of thrashing.. what do you do??

happened to a friend of mine, he had a 180sx from stock... over 3-4 years he added bit by bit and ended up having a really nice 180, had 240kw at the rears, he had a hand in all the work done.. and he still had more to do, we had hardly touched the suspension... but he sold it for less than it was worth, bought a phat FC rx7 straight off the boat.. full drift spec, bolt in cage, brides, bolt on guards, etc.. it was fast... but rough, noisy and thirsty, and didnt have any personality like his 180.. then it blew the engine, as rotors tend to do.. it was his daily driver, so now he was in a bit of a jam.. he got the engine stripped down, and it turned out it some pretty hardcore bits in it... which most were now toast and it was going to cost him a fair bit to rebuild it back to the spec that it was.. he couldnt afford it as he just extended his loan to get the car... so his only option was to drop in a stock 13b... completly changed the car and he hated it.. ended up selling it for much less than he paid, driving a shitty cressida around until he paid enough off his loan to go again, now hes got a big yellow soarer..

moral to the story, had he kept plodding along with his 180... it would an animal by now.

your r33 has got much more potential left in it without changing the character of the car.. and if you keep doing it bit by bit.. then look back over the years youve owned the car... youve seen its journey from stock to rocket.. youve single handedly watched it grow... built it to your specs.

if you buy someone elses... what happens when you get to your current stage... you're a bit over having 600hp as you cant really use it anywhere except the drag strip.. what little things can you do to it?? its got everything... you cant just add this here, or adjust that there.. if you cant drive it or work on it then whats the point of having it??

dont do it i say!

cheers

Linton

Hey mate i can fully understand where youre coming from, i have beenthere before. As has my father.

I agree with you that my car has character, because it has history, especially in my family. I purchased it stock as a rock and have done everything myself, from replacing the factory 6 stacker with a sony headunit to coilovers and bushes.

I know that once i buy someone elses toy they've built i wont be able to do as much work on it myself (as it becomes its own leauge requiring professional tuners and mechanics) - its just that the fact i will have a big amount of HP on tap will outweigh the cons to my decision..

unfortunately i probly along with everyone else want just that little bit extra yesterday instead of waiting and doing it over time..

i guess at the end of the day i wouldnt sell it unless it was a generous offer, the car keeps me from going insane between my family and the missus it gives me a sense of calm as soon as i jump in and go for my weekend drive (or lock myself in the garage)..

not having that ability to tinker with it like you say will be something that i will miss..

maybe i should put a poll on this topic hahah

[Iron Chef]

Anyway - if you think you can sell and upgrade without loosing cash, you are mistaken.

R34 GTR's can be landed here for WELL under 50k these days, virtually 40k give/take.

Unless you shop somewhere in Japan that I don't, no they can't, unless you want one that has 150,000km knocked back to 50,000km or has been hit by a bullet train. R34 GT-Rs are actually going back up in value at auction in Japan, not down. I don't recommend spending any less than $45K as an absolute minimum for a 34 GT-R.

[spec-V]

^ bakes 34 could be better too with the right sized turbos

That's the scary part

Anyway - if you think you can sell and upgrade without loosing cash, you are mistaken.

R34 GTR's can be landed here for WELL under 50k these days, virtually 40k give/take.

So honestly you'll be hard pressed to get anymore than 30k for a R33.

Also, if you think you can find a well maintained R33 GTR with 500hp for 30k, again you are going to struggle.

Any 500hp R33 GTR you find making 500hp will need cash spent on it, no longer making it a "30k-500hp" result.

You are looking probably closer to 40k for a properly built & maintained R33 making 500-600hp IMO.

Of course i am not silly, i am familiar with many R34's under the 50k mark, unfortately i dont have the extra money to step that extra 15-20k

I have had a look on carsales and from what i can see in my local market (within 100kms of where i live) most GTR's are chasing 23-26k for a stockish/okay one (personally i think they look shit) and 25-29k for vspecs and mildly tuned ones with 350-450hp (again look like ass! and look neglected)

Obviously its hard to part with something i very much love! and everyones the same when it comes to selling, they want top dollar..

Please also note i was just using 500hp as a reference.. obviously if one turns up at 400hp and is very well presented, id take it over a rough 500hp one anyday.

I just seeing what the SAU community has to say about where i am at (and maybe find a fellow enthusiast on here who has a nice example for sale )

[spec-V]

Unless you shop somewhere in Japan that I don't, no they can't, unless you want one that has 150,000km knocked back to 50,000km or has been hit by a bullet train. R34 GT-Rs are actually going back up in value at auction in Japan, not down. I don't recommend spending any less than $45K as an absolute minimum for a 34 GT-R.

In japan maybe, i can rattle off 3 GTR's to which I know the owners and they are chasing a few k shy of 50

And they are well maintained and very nice (i would definately buy them, but alas, i am on a budget )

[R31Nismoid]

Unless you shop somewhere in Japan that I don't, no they can't, unless you want one that has 150,000km knocked back to 50,000km or has been hit by a bullet train. R34 GT-Rs are actually going back up in value at auction in Japan, not down. I don't recommend spending any less than $45K as an absolute minimum for a 34 GT-R.

I've seen two personally come in, last 6 months. Minor body work touch ups, less than 45k for each.

Interiors super clean, KM's are low. Motors are top notch.

There was another one recently i was looking at as it happens... same deal. So that makes 3 without even making any effort to look.

[Iron Chef]

Feel free to send me pics of their service histories verifying their kms, then I'll stand corrected...

[NZM.031]

400hp is not hard to acheive on a late model GTR that is still fresh like you say yours is.. its a simple case of bolt ons basically.. on a 20 year old r32 gtr its a different story, the fact that half the electrical stuff is most likely dead or dying and parts are near the limit from shear age, let alone thrashing.

N1 turbos... power fc... 550cc injectors... = 300kw at the wheels or 400hp.

[GTR-N1]

...the car keeps me from going insane between my family and the missus it gives me a sense of calm as soon as i jump in and go for my weekend drive (or lock myself in the garage)..

Moral Dilemma is right!

[spec-V]

400hp is not hard to acheive on a late model GTR that is still fresh like you say yours is.. its a simple case of bolt ons basically.. on a 20 year old r32 gtr its a different story, the fact that half the electrical stuff is most likely dead or dying and parts are near the limit from shear age, let alone thrashing.

N1 turbos... power fc... 550cc injectors... = 300kw at the wheels or 400hp.

Without sounding like a total noob, but still with todays exchange rate I'm looking at about 4-6k there arn't i?

Moral Dilemma is right!

Hahahah f**ken tell me about it!

[NZM.031]

yes... 4-6g is about right.. given that you have ohlins shocks... and 18x10's with semi slicks... i imagine you want the best components money can buy... if you cant afford to do it properly once... you cant afford to do it twice..

so with that in mind... if you dont want/cant afford to get your r33 gtr that you love.. up to 400hp for 4-6g... how are you going to go when that stroked rb28 lets go... and you cant afford to replace the bits with high quality items of your standards... and if it goes bang... its gonna go bang in a big way.. specially if it has a t51 or t88 strapped to the side of it.

whereas on your near standard engine... you have room to move and you may get away with just doing the rings and maybe a crank... should something go bang that is.

[spec-V]

yes... 4-6g is about right.. given that you have ohlins shocks... and 18x10's with semi slicks... i imagine you want the best components money can buy... if you cant afford to do it properly once... you cant afford to do it twice..

so with that in mind... if you dont want/cant afford to get your r33 gtr that you love.. up to 400hp for 4-6g... how are you going to go when that stroked rb28 lets go... and you cant afford to replace the bits with high quality items of your standards... and if it goes bang... its gonna go bang in a big way.. specially if it has a t51 or t88 strapped to the side of it.

whereas on your near standard engine... you have room to move and you may get away with just doing the rings and maybe a crank... should something go bang that is.

Yeah although i bought my shocks secondhand.. I do like to do things correctly, i am quite OCD on alot of things especially my car..

I hear exactly what your saying, but rather than put 4-6g into my gtr, why not sell say for a price of 28k. then purchase a allready well setup one (not just motor, suspension etc etc) and then put that 4-6g into a mild rebuild and new tune just for peice of mind?

as an old wise man said to be once. buy someone elses mistakes on the cheap, rather than make your own not so cheap

that said, if i hypothetically did buy something with some big balls i dont think id run it to its max power output all day everyday.. like commonly known in the GTR, if you dont have 5k on hand at any given time for a rebuild.. you cant afford to own any gtr.

[NZM.031]

bingo...

i had that intention with my r32... granted its just a gtst... but its more than my budget can handle... i bought it as someones mistake... overall in solid condition... but needed a few little touches here and there.... its come to the point where ive taken it off the road and am completly going over it front to back as im sick of chasing gremlins and finding the weak links.. everything will be replaced, refurbished, or binned.

ive also heard stories about high hp cars, being "built" by top japanese workshops... that are nothing like their big dollar demo cars that draw you in.. so even if it says its been built by "such and such" doesnt necessarily mean they have actually touched it.

its difficult to spot a high hp gtr with a problem as they generally cough and sputter and cam away... hiding all sorts of possible malfunctions that are being sold as "highly tuned"