Buying Advice V Series

[Redhill68]

HI All - I have been coming to this forum for some time and am now even more confused about what I should do. It is time for me to retire my SV6 and I really really like the look of the V Series GT's that I have seen on the net and also on one of my trips to Sydney (Am from Canberra)

I am 43 and my budget is anything between 20 to 35k. I am looking at getting either a 350 or a 370GT from one of the dealers in Sydney (The one that I visited was Prestige Auto Centre - Arncliffe, near the airport). Does anyone have any feedback about them? Is there any other dealer that you would suggest? My main concern is that the vehicle should be in good condition (No Major Damage), so some advice on whom I should engage for inspections would be great. I dont mind spending more for an inspection to make sure that I have peace of mind that what I am buying is good.

Thanks to this forum, I have learnt that the ODO meters are already tampered and that is what it is, I am not too fussed as long as the vehicle is in good condition. Is the 370 a better buy or should I save the money and get a 350? I am not going to race it etc, I just want something that is good to look at and has the power when I need it. (My 10 year old son is the driving force)

Any advice would be great, thanks in advance.

Raj

[Alkatraz]

I know that it is probably a scarey proposition but I would recommend importing your own if you have the money. From what I have seen if you buy an import from a dealer then you are taking a risk. If you buy a $35000 car from a dealer then he has to have bought it from Japan cheaply, ie. there was something wrong with it in the first place.

I know that some dealers in Japan are probably no better but at least there is some sort of quality control.

If you have the cash and can handle waiting then I would recommend speaking with one of the importing specialist on here and having them help you source the perfect car. 350's and 370's are so cheap and plentiful in Japan that you will end up with a much nicer car.

Or just go and buy a 370gt base spec model that a dealer in sydney is claiming to be an SP model.......whatever floats your boat.

[asitag]

buy a V35 with low k's. you will not get a v36 for $35k. unless it's a 4 door with a million k's

welcome to the family if you do go ahead with it

[VNS 24]

HI All - I have been coming to this forum for some time and am now even more confused about what I should do. It is time for me to retire my SV6 and I really really like the look of the V Series GT's that I have seen on the net and also on one of my trips to Sydney (Am from Canberra)

I am 43 and my budget is anything between 20 to 35k. I am looking at getting either a 350 or a 370GT from one of the dealers in Sydney (The one that I visited was Prestige Auto Centre - Arncliffe, near the airport). Does anyone have any feedback about them? Is there any other dealer that you would suggest? My main concern is that the vehicle should be in good condition (No Major Damage), so some advice on whom I should engage for inspections would be great. I dont mind spending more for an inspection to make sure that I have peace of mind that what I am buying is good.

Thanks to this forum, I have learnt that the ODO meters are already tampered and that is what it is, I am not too fussed as long as the vehicle is in good condition. Is the 370 a better buy or should I save the money and get a 350? I am not going to race it etc, I just want something that is good to look at and has the power when I need it. (My 10 year old son is the driving force)

Any advice would be great, thanks in advance.

Raj

Hi Raj, I would recommend a V35 coupe for the price range of $20k - $35k. You will surely get a mint condition top-of--the-range V35 for that in medium kms range, but not V36 coupe.

Also, whenever importing yourself or buying from import yard, you will definitely have to make sure the car is in mint condition. Because of that big earth quake and flood in Japan this year, I would be extra careful in buying imports after that time frame.

I would have happily tell you to come have a look at my V35 coupe which is for sale, but you are in NSW.

Anyway, good luck with the process. I really hope you find a mint condition V-series car and enjoy it as much as we all do on SAU.

Edited August 26, 2011 by VNS 24

[jawrgy]

Yes!!! be very careful when buying from Japan. Without a trusted contact in Japan and when importing yourself you have 0 warranty. If you buy from a dealer in NSW you most likely get 3 years warranty and peace of mind.

[R6n350GT]

I brought my car from Dmitiry when he worked at Nagoya, gave me a good deal at the time but didnt include imobilizer when he said he would, never sent trhough the extended warranty so got burnt with that.. Apparently he did alot of dodgy stuff and didnt keep promises so avoid him...

I contacted Nagoya thinking he still worked there asking for some of the stuff he promised and the Manager there Cody was so helpfull, gave me refund on the imobilizer, sorting out warranty and even sending me a new set of car mats, was such a relief that after almost a year later he was still willing to go to all the trouble of helping me !!! Amazing. So i would recommened you go see Cody at Nagoya, he will look after you. They give u 3-5 yrs warranty, free delivery, 12mths rego and prices are great. Plus they have constant stock so u can go look.

Who ever you buy from check this stuff out

Check for any puttering of the exhaust

take off the oil plug with car running and make sure you can feel a vacume with you palm over the hole

check the rotors and see how big the lip is

check the gear knob for wear

check the right thigh cushion on the drivers seat for wear

if they let you take the air tube off and take the # 6 coil off the spark plug and check for oil in the hole - You will need flat blade screw driver, star and 10ml socket

While the air tube is off check the throttle body, push the valve open and shine a torch in there and check for how much carbon build up there is, if low Km should be next to nothing

Check the windows and see if they have trouble moving up and down - is one slower than the other when you push both down and up and let it auto go up

Get a large flat blade screw driver and hold it against each cylinder on the head, old your ear up against the handle and listen if any one of them is worse than the other

Make sure when pressing the lock and unlock on both remote and the door button that each door can easily lock and unlock and not just go half way

Tune the stereo to Bass 3 and Tremble 2 and turn up so like 17 and listen for any distortion. i once checked out a car which was obvious wound back and they had base turned right down as the back speakers were f#$ked

[turbosuk]

as nate said nagoya are good got mine from alex 3yrs ago no probs at all

[Redhill68]

I brought my car from Dmitiry when he worked at Nagoya, gave me a good deal at the time but didnt include imobilizer when he said he would, never sent trhough the extended warranty so got burnt with that.. Apparently he did alot of dodgy stuff and didnt keep promises so avoid him...

I contacted Nagoya thinking he still worked there asking for some of the stuff he promised and the Manager there Cody was so helpfull, gave me refund on the imobilizer, sorting out warranty and even sending me a new set of car mats, was such a relief that after almost a year later he was still willing to go to all the trouble of helping me !!! Amazing. So i would recommened you go see Cody at Nagoya, he will look after you. They give u 3-5 yrs warranty, free delivery, 12mths rego and prices are great. Plus they have constant stock so u can go look.

Who ever you buy from check this stuff out

Check for any puttering of the exhaust

take off the oil plug with car running and make sure you can feel a vacume with you palm over the hole

check the rotors and see how big the lip is

check the gear knob for wear

check the right thigh cushion on the drivers seat for wear

if they let you take the air tube off and take the # 6 coil off the spark plug and check for oil in the hole - You will need flat blade screw driver, star and 10ml socket

While the air tube is off check the throttle body, push the valve open and shine a torch in there and check for how much carbon build up there is, if low Km should be next to nothing

Check the windows and see if they have trouble moving up and down - is one slower than the other when you push both down and up and let it auto go up

Get a large flat blade screw driver and hold it against each cylinder on the head, old your ear up against the handle and listen if any one of them is worse than the other

Make sure when pressing the lock and unlock on both remote and the door button that each door can easily lock and unlock and not just go half way

Tune the stereo to Bass 3 and Tremble 2 and turn up so like 17 and listen for any distortion. i once checked out a car which was obvious wound back and they had base turned right down as the back speakers were f#$ked

Wow, as expected, you guys at the forum have come up with some great advice. So thanks Alkatraz, Asitag, R6n350GT and others.

I will definately contact Nagoya and see what they have to offer. I will also try and do all the tests as suggested by you, will actually get a friend of mine who is a proper mechanic check these things out. Do you knowif Nagoya will let us check those things in their garage? Given that I am from Canberra. To tell you the truth, I did think Dimitry was dodgy in the one time that I had met him, so thanks for the confirmation. I will probably up the budget a little and get a 370GT, depends of what they have or is coming.

Raj

[n15m0]

+1 for Nagoya too...I bought mine from them 4 yrs ago got it delivered up to QLD...never missed a beat.

[fcruz3r]

having looked at so many other cars before buying the V ...and even now when I'm selling mine ...you'll be impressed with the build quality of these cars. just beware of imports that have too few kms ..a car from japan should have around 10-12k per year coz they dont travel far but anything less then be wary...also if you can, ask to view the auction papers. grade 4 and 4.5 generally do have low kms

[Alkatraz]

If you are going to up the budget a little then I can tell you that if you are patient then you can get a 370 for around the $40k mark if you import. Search for my post in the newbies section and you will see the auction sheet for the car that I just got. I know that I did apparently get an awesome deal as the car now only owes me around $38k.

If you are willing to be patient then Im pretty sure that you can get something similar for around the same price.

I've had the car for a few weeks now and am over the moon with it. It basically looks and feels like a brand new car. Obviously importing does include time and risk but from my experience it was more than worth the hassle and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just wish that GTR's could be brought in as I would get one tomorrow at the Japanese prices.

[liger]

not all imports have been woundback, When i received my car from the import company that i used, the car had one of these on the windscreen.

they go through all of the records of the car when it was in Japan, aswell as check for evidence of ODO tampering/rollback. and if it passes you will see one of these stickers on the car somewhere. so you can be sure that the odometer reading is 100% genuine.

So, i try to buy imports that have this sticker whenever i can. their website is below if you would like any more info

http://www.aisnz.co....tionProcess.htm

Edited August 29, 2011 by liger

[skyline37]

I agree def. import is the way to go. Provided you buy from a Japanese auto auction you wont go wrong.. I imported my 2009, V36 GT37, SP full luxury pack; sourced it myself directly from auction with complete docs, only 23,000km and in mint condition!! I have purchased a number of imports this way over the years and not once have I had a problem with ODO or vehicle condition.

I also continually check out the auction market on a regular basis just to see whats available. You can get yourself a good V35 for the price tag you mentioned. But if you have the finances and can upgrade to the V36 I say, GO FOR IT!! You wont look back!

You can get a 07-08, V36 SP, less than 40,000km, grade 4-4.5, for max. 45K. My advice, first, decide what you really want and how much you can spend!

If you need some more info or help searching your car drop me a line and I'll be happy to help!!

You can also check out my V36 which is for sale.

[Stuart McK]

+1 for Nagoya. I'm in Canberra too, and Alex at Nagoya was very accommodating when I was organising additional work before pick-up (cruise control and different tyres).

The 370 is a great car but you will be paying ~$40K for a decent one (Nagoya has a couple currently). If you go for the 350, as I did, make sure it's a Series 2 (Dec 2004 onwards) as there were numerous improvements over the Series 1. You can pick up a good Series 2 for $25-30K now.

I'm older than you and this is the 3rd Skyline I've owned. Loved them all. The HR32 and HR33 were fun cars, but the 350GT is a more comfortable tourer.

[Skyracer]

Guys i m the owner of three imported nissan's. Had about 5-6 of them now imported.

I can tell you that yes i have dealt with Nagoya, enjoyed their service, and i was looked after by Dmitriy and Alex.

Dmitriy had exceptional skills with advising me on the cars and explaining what sort of difficulties i might have.

Therefore, respecting myself and my cars that were brought by Dmitriy I can definitely suggest to use him as i got v35 4door from him, never had problems, after i bought Skyline v35 which came in bad condition and Dmitriy replaced it out of his own expense to a premium version at no cost for me!

After that i have bought Stagea m35, good but wasnt happy, and then he traded it back to a better newer Stagea with awesome rimms and lots of extras at only 1000$ difference.

Anyway, i can tell you for sure that he isnt dodgy!

If you want things for free and trying to get the cheapest bargain, then surely people will not look after you, doesnt matter what you are and who you are!

I had personal experience selling cars, and you cant imagine how many dodgy bargain hunters are there and they come and do your head in, i wana kill em sometimes !!!

Be a good customer, and dealer will look after you.

[wizlb]

REDHILL

I have purchased two skylines since I moved here from the states and both times I got them from www.northshoreprestige.com.au. If you contract Ben or Alex and tell them what you purchase requirements are I am sure you will be very happy with the outcome.

[M34N]

Coming from someone that bought their V36 from Sydney and drove it back to Melbourne... I would recommend Nagoya in Sydney, got my V36 sedan from them last year in September and also dealt with Dimitry. He wasn't that great to deal with personally, had a couple issues with him - most notable was him trying to palm off another car on me after putting a deposit down on a car. Also never had the registration for my old Maxima transferred to their name after trading it in, and was sent toll notices for using the Harbour Tunnel in Sydney a few times - very painful. Had to chase it a couple times, lots of time wasted there. Was also promised the front grille, which had a couple cracks in the plastic, would be fixed - but never happened. So I made them swap that grille for another before I left. But otherwise was able to negotiate the price down a fair bit and got good money for my trade-in.

Got talking to one of the guys that works there in the workshop, can't remember his name (he was from Perth and lived in Melbourne) - was very good to talk to and was genuine. Told me they were a good company and that Dimitry often promised too much and struggled to deliver - he hit the nail on the head with that comment. Dimitry did deliver on a couple other things though, like giving me the 3-year guarantee on parts, roadside assistance and other stuff thrown in for free.

But overall the car I got was pretty much perfect, only a couple minor scratches on the exterior, and had a mechanic look over the car and was very impressed with it overall, and even today it has been perfect and never had an issue with it. Still learning new things about the car every now and then, makes things interesting when you don't know what the car is saying half the time.

I would definitely do it again if I had the chance, though. The drive from Sydney to Melbourne in the brand new V36 was for sure one of the best experiences of my life, no number plates + freeways = heaven

Edited October 8, 2011 by M34N

[Decepticon]

I bought cars from both Nagoya and Prestige Auto Centre in Arncliffe. Alex at Nagoya is a good guy to deal with and seems genuine and straight to the point never had a problem with the car I bought from him and the service before and after the sale was always good.

The same can be said at Prestige Auto Centre Dimitri had went the extra mile and waited for me to come after work till 730pm just so I can look around on 3 separate occasions, I was very happy and there was no stuffing around with the price I got for my trade in which was higher than allot of other dealers. I received everything that was promised during the sale and the after sales service is still very good.

Dimitri was also happy to negotiate on price by comparing prices I got from other yards at a fair compromise, also I was able to contact Dimitri at any time when I wanted to ask something about the car I bought which I have not had any problems and loving it.

I found that prestige's price's are quite cheap compare to allot of dealers.

[asitag]

I bought cars from both Nagoya and Prestige Auto Centre in Arncliffe. Alex at Nagoya is a good guy to deal with and seems genuine and straight to the point never had a problem with the car I bought from him and the service before and after the sale was always good.

The same can be said at Prestige Auto Centre Dimitri had went the extra mile and waited for me to come after work till 730pm just so I can look around on 3 separate occasions, I was very happy and there was no stuffing around with the price I got for my trade in which was higher than allot of other dealers. I received everything that was promised during the sale and the after sales service is still very good.

Dimitri was also happy to negotiate on price by comparing prices I got from other yards at a fair compromise, also I was able to contact Dimitri at any time when I wanted to ask something about the car I bought which I have not had any problems and loving it.

I found that prestige's price's are quite cheap compare to allot of dealers.

I also vouch for Dmitri. he was quite good to deal with.

recommended

[scarf]

I got mine from IMG (international motor group) in Lidcombe/ Sydney.

Car had about 5500km on the clock and was immaculate.

Dealt with Gavin, and the service was superb.