Question About Gtr's

[Chrisdef]

Im looking to upgrade my S14 and am looking for some info.

I was planning on buying an S15 as ide prefer a 2000+ model but after looking on carsales there are a number of R33 GTR's falling into the same 15-20k range as an S15. Obviously they are slightly older but well its a GTR.....thats really all that needs to be said.

What are the maintenance costs like when compared with an S15 would it really be that much more expensive assuming nothing major like a blown engine happens?

Obviously a few phone calls to some insurance companies will answer this but while im asking questions does anyone have any idea what the differences in cost for full insurance would be? Im 27 and have never made a claim before. If there is anyone out there a similar age ect ide be interested in what you pay and who your with even if you just PM it to me. Car would basically just end up with some nice wheels, coilovers and exhaust for the first year or so till i pay it off if that makes much difference

And alot of the ads on carsales (like 95%) claim under 100,000k's how seriously should i take that? I will almost certainly stay away from anything with a changed cluster like the Nismo ones ect but is there anything in particular i should be looking for (other then the usual seat, steering wheel ect wear) that will give me an idea of whether they are genuine or not?

Any help appreciated.

[mad082]

probably 90% of imports have had the clocks wound back, so even if the owner is telling the truth that he hasn't wound the clock back, it was probably wound back in japan.

as for maintanence costs, they aren't too bad, however if you are looking at the cheaper end of the scale of gtr's then you are more likely to get one that is going to have some underlying issues and may cost a bit to fix.

[Chrisdef]

Thanks for the answer, Thats a worry that so many have there clocks wound back. I spose just looking at the condition of the car overall is probably the only real way of guessing how many k's are really on it then.

And yes i realize the cheaper cars would probably be worse condition but ide happily spend more on a GTR then an S15 if i can find one that is in good condition and im looking for one as standard as possible so that should hopefully help keep the cost down abit.

Anything i should especially be looking for to stay away from?

And do many imports come with log books and would you trust them anyway?

[GodziRRa]

Well it would more complicated to maintain than a Silvia. Ya know the so called "technological tour de force" the GT-R is tagged in... But you won't use it as daily driver anyway right? Twin turbo, inline 6, awd, g-sensors, 6 throttle, etc. etc. But bottom line when you own this legendary beast from Japan. It's all worth it. If you could find a low mileage BNR32 that would be another option I recommend also. Since we all know what the original Godzilla did in motorsports, while the BCNR33 is treated as the least achiever of the R bros. by critics. Low mileage BNR32s can go as high as 34s in Japan.

Edited October 21, 2010 by GodziRRa

[GodziRRa]

-- double post --

Edited October 21, 2010 by GodziRRa

[R.3.2.G.T.R]

gtrs can be a money drain very easily, fixing or replacing things can cost an arm or a leg.. i'd choose very carefullly, if u go with gtr, hope u handy with spanner as it helps being able to do as much yourself.. also no guarantee r33 motor wont blow up like a r32 so factor in a stash of cash to keep on reserve.. all the best

p.s in regards to insurance, im with shannons, u can opt for the weekend only (limited use) which reduces the premier by a fair bit, otherwise $2k odd in insurance p.a

Edited October 21, 2010 by BWRGTR

[usmair]

gtrs can be a money drain very easily, fixing or replacing things can cost an arm or a leg.. i'd choose very carefullly, if u go with gtr, hope u handy with spanner as it helps being able to do as much yourself.. also no guarantee r33 motor wont blow up like a r32 so factor in a stash of cash to keep on reserve.. all the best

p.s in regards to insurance, im with shannons, u can opt for the weekend only (limited use) which reduces the premier by a fair bit, otherwise $2k odd in insurance p.a

I dont think Shannons insure anyone under 30

[Chrisdef]

Thanks guys.

Yeah im still abit unsure of what way to go, guess ille just havta get out there and look at a bunch of cars and see what i can find.

[GTR-N1]

My son is 27 and he's had very little trouble with his R33 GT-R at all.

Admittedly, it's not tracked.

It has had its 100,000km service done through Tune House a little while ago.

If you're interested, it's coming up F/S soon.

* It won "Best R33 GT-R" Award last year in the 10th Anniv R34 GT-R SnS.

[NickR33]

a cheap GTR is going to cost you at some point but if you get one in good shape they're no more expensive to maintain than a GTSt or Silvia etc... if driven hard they use more tyres and fuel as they're a heavy car...

the driveline is pretty bulletproof (more than a silvia)... the only thing to really worry about is engine condition... a proper RB26 rebuild is likely to cost you 7-10K... that said if street driven and not thrashed they are pretty tough motors... if your going to track it then its a different story

you might want to look for one that has some of the more expensive wear items replaced recently... clutch, tyres, pads/rotors etc

also Shannons will insure you under 30... I pay $1600 but my car is highly modified and I have it insured for 38K

best bet go to a reputable GTR tuner and ask them if they have any customers who want to sell... that's the best way to find out the condition of the car... from the guys who do the work on it

[mad082]

Well it would more complicated to maintain than a Silvia. Ya know the so called "technological tour de force" the GT-R is tagged in... But you won't use it as daily driver anyway right? Twin turbo, inline 6, awd, g-sensors, 6 throttle, etc. etc. But bottom line when you own this legendary beast from Japan. It's all worth it. If you could find a low mileage BNR32 that would be another option I recommend also. Since we all know what the original Godzilla did in motorsports, while the BCNR33 is treated as the least achiever of the R bros. by critics. Low mileage BNR32s can go as high as 34s in Japan.

however if you were wanting to track it the r33 is a better option. from what i understand they don't have oil starvation issues like the 32's did.

[R.3.2.G.T.R]

however if you were wanting to track it the r33 is a better option. from what i understand they don't have oil starvation issues like the 32's did.

oil starvation is problem on all rb26's, its the early model 32 that needs crank collar due to short nose, fixed on late model 32 and subsequent 33 and 34 model

[gtr_scottie]

I bought a cheapish r32 with a built motor well i thought it had the right gear in but it wasnt serviced probley and ended up needing a rebuild so my cheapish gtr ended up owing me over $35 k thats because i went all out on a reliable motor setup, i love my gtr but it has hurt my back pocket bad it is up to you in the end what ever puts a bigger smile on your face.

[Chrisdef]

Thanks for the info guys.

Im worried now about the whole imports mileage being wound back thing does anyone know if its as easy to wind back the digital type ones like in an S15? Just not sure if they are mechanical still which then converts too digital on the cluster. Guess it would have to be mechanical still somewhere though?

If i go the GTR route i guess i might find the best one i can and see if i can get owner to meet me at a reputable workshop and get them to check it over or even dyno it, might get expensive but still cheaper then buying a dud.

And for those that asked no i dont want it as a track car, just a fun street car. May consider tracking it (circuit or drag) later but would get a decent rebuild if i was gonna go that way.

[boosted_andy]

shannons wont insure anyone under 25

[Moodles2]

Actually they do make exceptions, it depends on who you speak to and the said exceptions like having a CAMS license etc.

[mad082]

oil starvation is problem on all rb26's, its the early model 32 that needs crank collar due to short nose, fixed on late model 32 and subsequent 33 and 34 model

yeha i wasn't sure on what the story was with the later ones, but i thought the issues were worst on the r32's, which is what i meant by "from what i understand they don't have oil starvation issues like the 32's did".