Good Deal?

[kawasakirider]

Hello everyone, I'm new here! I haven't had much to do with skylines, but I've always loved them. I've been driving and modding fords since I got my license about a year and a half ago.

Anyway, long story short, I want to have a change and go to a skyline.

I saw an R33 GT at a dealership about half an hour away from my house yesterday and I noticed it had no cooler on the front (I'm a p plater so if I buy, it has to be N/A ) anyway, I went in there today and asked about it. Here are the details (they are limited)

130,000 KM (supposedly)

5 speed

RWD gt (no way do I want an AWD natro)

17's with new rubber

Good paint work

Supposedly new gearbox

Five stud conversion

and here's the tempting part.....

Price: $5000....

My jaw dropped because every other N/A 33 I seem to come across is 7+ continuing up to and over 9 grand.

I asked why it was so low and he said that he couldn't move it. I said to him would he take my AU falcon as a trade and he said he'd give me 3 grand for it. Leaving me to find the next 3 grand or so (2 grand for the car, the rest for a bit of maintenance, reg and insurance)

Here's the tricky part... I asked him what it needed for a RWC, he said that it needed rear pads and the speedo hooked up because it had a new gearbox put into it. This leads me to believe that the KM's could be wrong. Apparently his son owned it, so I have no idea how many KM has been put on it since the new box, or even if it's a different dash cluster with the 130,000 on it.

The other thing is, it has a deposit already (but the area is quite a low socio economic area, I have my fingers crossed the deal will fall through, or he was just baiting me to get me really interested).

So what do you guys think? I snapped a couple of pics of it....

Any oppinions would be appreciated (I know I probably won't get this car, but I also know I won't rest until I have one, so any advice will be taken on board). I thought this was a pretty good deal, almost too good to be true?

Cheers,

Kawasakirider.

Edited June 21, 2010 by kawasakirider

[UNR33L]

Sounds a bit dodgey to me, how a dealer would let a n/a R33 go for 5k is beyond me there must be something wrong with it. Usually manual goes for a little more as well and being a coupe.

If you look on carsales most decent ones are around 10k or over ultimately its up to you but I wouldn't buy this one, maybe check out a few others and spend a little more.

[kawasakirider]

Sounds a bit dodgey to me, how a dealer would let a n/a R33 go for 5k is beyond me there must be something wrong with it. Usually manual goes for a little more as well and being a coupe.

If you look on carsales most decent ones are around 10k or over ultimately its up to you but I wouldn't buy this one, maybe check out a few others and spend a little more.

I was thinking the same thing, man. Wish I had the $$ to buy your's, it's gorgeous . I opened the bonnet and a few things were missing... Airbox (just had a pod on the end of the intake), the garnish that sits in the middle of the rocker cover etc. I'm not too sure what a nice 33 engine bay looks like and I didn't have a reference with me at the time. I'll get a photo of the engine bay tomorrow.

[Marcus89]

It is cheap as anything but that normally means you need to be careful. you would have another year and a half till your off your p's? If so I would stay with current car your halfway to going to being allowed turbo (unless there are other reasons you don't want turboed).

Photos of exterior make it seem pretty nice. You could pay to get it properly inspected if your really set on getting it. Having incorrect k's is no big deal most imports would have incorrect mileage. Look at other wear and tear parts of the car to get an idea on how it's been treated and how far it's actually traveled. Look carefully around the car cause that price seems way too low for dealer as has been said and more often than not if it seems too good to be true then it probably is.

[kawasakirider]

It is cheap as anything but that normally means you need to be careful. you would have another year and a half till your off your p's? If so I would stay with current car your halfway to going to being allowed turbo (unless there are other reasons you don't want turboed).

Photos of exterior make it seem pretty nice. You could pay to get it properly inspected if your really set on getting it. Having incorrect k's is no big deal most imports would have incorrect mileage. Look at other wear and tear parts of the car to get an idea on how it's been treated and how far it's actually traveled. Look carefully around the car cause that price seems way too low for dealer as has been said and more often than not if it seems too good to be true then it probably is.

The interior of the car is in good condition, minus missing the head unit lol. I'd have to take it for a ride. Are there any tell tale signs of abuse when driving a 33? Will you hear knocks if the bushes are ruined etc?

The body is EXTREMELY straight.

There would be no reason for me not to have a turboe'd car once I'm off my P's, it's just that if I could get into this for cheap as chips it's not like I'm selling my soul to get it. So it's no biggie if I stay with my current car now, or get this skyline, because I probably will get something turbo'd once I'm off my P's.

But yeah, the price tag was an alarm bell for me.

[krzysiu]

It has had a manual conversion. It will cost you about 700 bucks to get the speedo working.

[kawasakirider]

It has had a manual conversion. It will cost you about 700 bucks to get the speedo working.

Ouch... Why is it so expensive? When the box is changed, wouldn't the loom and ECU need to be changed as well, meaning everything should plug in?

I thought it had a conversion myself, but may I ask how you can say that it's 100% definitively had one? I believe you, I just wanna know what I can call him on.

[krzysiu]

No because the speed sensor is in a different place in the manual and auto. A new sensor needs to be put in and it all wired to the ecu

[kawasakirider]

No because the speed sensor is in a different place in the manual and auto. A new sensor needs to be put in and it all wired to the ecu

Thanks for the tip, mate. I'm assuming there's no cheaper way of getting out of it? Could a manual gearbox/engine bay loom and ECU be fitted instead?

[WYTSKY]

if your that keen on it mate spend a couple hundred (150-300ish i think) for an inspection.

definitely worth every cent and will tell you so much more about the car then you can see..

You know the saying when something seems too good to be true.... 5,000 is too cheap imo and therefore I think hes trying to get rid of it quick..

could have had a accident and he's a mechanic, chuck on a few new parts (ie the front bar, thats not a factory bar and the rest of the car has no body kit... look at the side pic how low it sits compared to the rest of the car) and a cheap spray and the body looks new again.... list goes on for possibilities...

so a proper test for the car is worth every bit.

Also, why can he not move it? other then rear pads and speedo it should still be able to be started and moved and all that, seems fishyy....

P.S I waited and looked for 14 months at flogged skylines until I found my current car and she has always been reliable and a dream to drive... along the way i spent 600 bux on 3 different skylines to get them checked out and the things that came back from the tests you would never have thought... was well worth it. My point is, waiting for the right one is the best thing to do when looking at these older imported cars.

gl.

[kawasakirider]

if your that keen on it mate spend a couple hundred (150-300ish i think) for an inspection.

definitely worth every cent and will tell you so much more about the car then you can see..

You know the saying when something seems too good to be true.... 5,000 is too cheap imo and therefore I think hes trying to get rid of it quick..

could have had a accident and he's a mechanic, chuck on a few new parts (ie the front bar, thats not a factory bar and the rest of the car has no body kit... look at the side pic how low it sits compared to the rest of the car) and a cheap spray and the body looks new again.... list goes on for possibilities...

so a proper test for the car is worth every bit.

Also, why can he not move it? other then rear pads and speedo it should still be able to be started and moved and all that, seems fishyy....

P.S I waited and looked for 14 months at flogged skylines until I found my current car and she has always been reliable and a dream to drive... along the way i spent 600 bux on 3 different skylines to get them checked out and the things that came back from the tests you would never have thought... was well worth it. My point is, waiting for the right one is the best thing to do when looking at these older imported cars.

gl.

Cheers for your advice mate, i'll take it on board. I don't have the cash to just drop for an inspection like that I have to wait for my 3 cars to sell and possibly my dirtbike if I get antsy haha, so I'll wait until I have a ton of cash and some more honest cars come up.

What I meant by not being able to move it was not being able to sell it.

Yeah, I saw the front bar was aftermarket, it didn't occur to me that it was crashed and replaced, though. I just thought the guy skimped on the body kit haha. The radiator support panel didn't seem bent, but I guess people can do wonders with a hammer and a bit of paint, or even re welding one in there.

Patience is a virtue, one that I struggly to utilise when something so cheap comes up haha.

[kawasakirider]

While I'm at it, I may as well ask questions in here rather than starting a new thread...

Is maintaining a skyline more expensive than other cars? I religiously maintain my falcons (oil every 5,000, brakes, tires, etc) and can't see any reason for an N/A skyline to cost any more, but people keep saying they are a money pit.

Also, what is an N/A 5 speeds fuel economy like? Keep in mind my current cars are a 2001 AU falcon (auto) and an EA with a 2003 XR6 engine in it (both are 4L engines if you're not familiar with falcons). They both drink a fair bit (the AU is rather economical, though) and I drive 100KM every day (50 Km each way) and extra around town. Is this too much for a daily skyline?

Once I get a turboe'd one, is it possible to have it a bit more powerful than your average one, but still be reliable? 250 kw atw sounds excellent, but I feel like it'd be more hassle than it's worth until I'm rich hahaha, so I'm talking relatively sane boost levels and not a ton of $$ in the engine department.

That last questions is pretty irrelevant, I'm just curious.

BTW, thanks to everyone for the help, I really appreciate it.

Edited June 21, 2010 by kawasakirider

[WYTSKY]

While I'm at it, I may as well ask questions in here rather than starting a new thread...

Is maintaining a skyline more expensive than other cars? I religiously maintain my falcons (oil every 5,000, brakes, tires, etc) and can't see any reason for an N/A skyline to cost any more, but people keep saying they are a money pit.

Also, what is an N/A 5 speeds fuel economy like? Keep in mind my current cars are a 2001 AU falcon (auto) and an EA with a 2003 XR6 engine in it (both are 4L engines if you're not familiar with falcons). They both drink a fair bit (the AU is rather economical, though) and I drive 100KM every day (50 Km each way) and extra around town. Is this too much for a daily skyline?

Once I get a turboe'd one, is it possible to have it a bit more powerful than your average one, but still be reliable? 250 kw atw sounds excellent, but I feel like it'd be more hassle than it's worth until I'm rich hahaha, so I'm talking relatively sane boost levels and not a ton of $ in the engine department.

That last questions is pretty irrelevant, I'm just curious.

BTW, thanks to everyone for the help, I really appreciate it.

first of all... 3 cars! wow... yeh sell a few!

If you do that same service to an N/A skyline that will be perfect. I dont know about other cars, but in N/A skylines the oil need to be changed every 10,000kms, 5,000 i guess if you want to.

Economy... I got about 350-400 kms a tank (65L tank) before the fuel light would come on, in city driving, not flooring it at every set of lights. It sounds like you live further out ie.. 100kms travel min every day... the thing is the falcons have much longer legs, their gears and diff ratios accommodate for cruising on the highway and because of this they rev at roughly 1,800 doing 100km/h.... A skyline, will sit at about 2,800-3,000 at about 100-110, so its almost double the revs for the same speed...

for a single turbo skyline (a GTST) you can extract up to around 200kw atw reliably with only a few things probably around (2-4 grand for that depending on what the car already has and if u want good bits or second hand bits, etc)

for 250, reliably your probably looking at 5-10 grand, again depending on what parts you want.. brand name good stuff vs second hand vs cheap ebay blowup crap...

worry about that when it comes to it...

[kawasakirider]

first of all... 3 cars! wow... yeh sell a few!

If you do that same service to an N/A skyline that will be perfect. I dont know about other cars, but in N/A skylines the oil need to be changed every 10,000kms, 5,000 i guess if you want to.

Economy... I got about 350-400 kms a tank (65L tank) before the fuel light would come on, in city driving, not flooring it at every set of lights. It sounds like you live further out ie.. 100kms travel min every day... the thing is the falcons have much longer legs, their gears and diff ratios accommodate for cruising on the highway and because of this they rev at roughly 1,800 doing 100km/h.... A skyline, will sit at about 2,800-3,000 at about 100-110, so its almost double the revs for the same speed...

for a single turbo skyline (a GTST) you can extract up to around 200kw atw reliably with only a few things probably around (2-4 grand for that depending on what the car already has and if u want good bits or second hand bits, etc)

for 250, reliably your probably looking at 5-10 grand, again depending on what parts you want.. brand name good stuff vs second hand vs cheap ebay blowup crap...

worry about that when it comes to it...

Cheers mate. I'd post my cars for sale here, but I doubt they'd get a warm reception haha. Yeah, I understand falcons are geared higher, but if you get 350-400 KM to a tank during town driving, the skylines go alright. The falcon would struggle lol, especially the EA.

Yeah, I'll worry about the turbo stuff later, was just curious. I'd like to have a monster, but at the same time it isn't really practical. I'd enjoy something I can drive all day every day

It sucks, I've been bitten by the bug and I haven't even driven one lol.

[UNR33L]

make me a offer for my car

[FrangaR33]

Sounds a bit dodgey to me, how a dealer would let a n/a R33 go for 5k is beyond me there must be something wrong with it. Usually manual goes for a little more as well and being a coupe.

If you look on carsales most decent ones are around 10k or over ultimately its up to you but I wouldn't buy this one, maybe check out a few others and spend a little more.

+ 1 for dealers being full of shit when offering a car without RWC and rego. If it seems to good to be true it usually is. About 2 years ago I was looking at a cheap run about VN wagon, the guy wanted $500 and when I started the thing it was pissing oil out of the rocker covers and the dealer looked at it and said it was normal, my ass it is.

[kawasakirider]

+ 1 for dealers being full of shit when offering a car without RWC and rego. If it seems to good to be true it usually is. About 2 years ago I was looking at a cheap run about VN wagon, the guy wanted $500 and when I started the thing it was pissing oil out of the rocker covers and the dealer looked at it and said it was normal, my ass it is.

Hahaha, that sucks man.

Unr33l, I would man but I'd just be insulting you haha. Payment plan? LOL. Swap for 2 falcons and a ute

[curlyjimbo]

The saying is true - You do get what you pay for.

They're cheap for a reason - and to save you money in the long run, look at a different car.

My 2c

[Galois]

there is always a one off deal that seems amazing that you have to move fast one, i am always told this by my dad whenever i buy something lol. but don't buy something that you can't test drive first.

Is maintaining a skyline more expensive than other cars? I religiously maintain my falcons (oil every 5,000, brakes, tires, etc) and can't see any reason for an N/A skyline to cost any more, but people keep saying they are a money pit.

Also, what is an N/A 5 speeds fuel economy like? Keep in mind my current cars are a 2001 AU falcon (auto) and an EA with a 2003 XR6 engine in it (both are 4L engines if you're not familiar with falcons). They both drink a fair bit (the AU is rather economical, though) and I drive 100KM every day (50 Km each way) and extra around town. Is this too much for a daily skyline?

Once I get a turboe'd one, is it possible to have it a bit more powerful than your average one, but still be reliable? 250 kw atw sounds excellent, but I feel like it'd be more hassle than it's worth until I'm rich hahaha, so I'm talking relatively sane boost levels and not a ton of $ in the engine department.

maintenance is more expensive than for, say, a camry lol. depends what you compare it to. you should use decent oil (tho with na you'll be happy with a good mineral one) and 10000km changes will be ok, see the oil thread if you want to see what people tend to do. for example, a service for mine was more than double than what i paid for my cold camry, and it needed lotsa crap done, needless to say i do it all myself (not complaining, its good to learn). tyres are more expensive than normal cars, and only go up with the coolness of your rims haha

fuel economy is ok, there are threads dedicated to this though so have a bit of a look round. in my r34 gtt at a modest 110km/h it's at 3100rpm (urgh) nice to be in boost territory for overtaking but that many rpm isn't great for petrol.

many, many, many people on here have reliable 300rwkw skylines, but the more power and reliability you want the less reliable it will be. for over 200rwkw you're looking at a turbo change which is a lot of dough, and you also wand damn good exhaust and intercooler kit etc, at least a grand each for those, and turbo kit will be more than double that.

good luck with it mate, just make sure you don't buy a bomb, have a good look through the for sale section on sau, people tend to offer a lower price on the forums than on carsales or trading post

[ClutchBurndout-:(]

all questions are answered with

if you want it and its cheap, the only thing u can do is get it inspected by racv

nuff said