Is This Real, Or A Chop?

[asitag]

do you live in sydney?

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Nissan-Skyline-2003/SSE-AD-1129847/?Cr=0

i would just offer the guy 15k see if he takes it. low mileage and some tasteful options

Dude, you are kidding yourself if you think this has original Kms on it!

[AxlOz]

I hate that about these cars...

So as I understand, the only way to find one with genuine kms is to get the de-reg papers from Japan - and then hope that it wasn't dodged before being auctioned!

This sort of caper actually really turns me off buying one at all..

[n15m0]

Winding back kms is not limited to jap imports only. It is common practice in any used car industry which is a risk u take when u buy 2nd hand. If you want to avoid this then you are better off buying a brand new Australian delivered car which for the budget you are on will probably get you a Nissan Micra.

[AxlOz]

Winding back kms is not limited to jap imports only. It is common practice in any used car industry which is a risk u take when u buy 2nd hand. If you want to avoid this then you are better off buying a brand new Australian delivered car which for the budget you are on will probably get you a Nissan Micra.

True! But I feel there's more opportunity for a grey import to be dodged up than a local car.. I'll just have to be careful and have it checked out properly. Probably take all the odo readings with a grain of salt.

Would you say that buying from a dealer is safer than private sales in this regard?

[n15m0]

I wouldn't necessarily conclude buying from one is safer than the other. Remember, at one point in time, you will probably be a private seller as well. One positive from buying from a reputable dealer is that you normally have an option for warranty and someone to fall back on in case something bad happens. At the end of the day it all comes down to a bit of common sense, a bit of intuition/gut feel and doing the normal checks to find the best bang for buck car out there. go out and test drive as many as you can. no point posting links in here...everyone is going to have their own opinion on different cars and you could be missing out on an otherwise well presented car. Good luck with your search.

[asitag]

Just be realistic. a car that is 10 years old will be closer to the 80k mark.

also, look at the interior. the interior condition is an indicator of how much a car has been used.

[AxlOz]

I wouldn't necessarily conclude buying from one is safer than the other. Remember, at one point in time, you will probably be a private seller as well. One positive from buying from a reputable dealer is that you normally have an option for warranty and someone to fall back on in case something bad happens. At the end of the day it all comes down to a bit of common sense, a bit of intuition/gut feel and doing the normal checks to find the best bang for buck car out there. go out and test drive as many as you can. no point posting links in here...everyone is going to have their own opinion on different cars and you could be missing out on an otherwise well presented car. Good luck with your search.

Some sound advice there, thanks n15m0.

I've been driving a bunch to get a feel for them. Dealers/importers seem to have a good number to choose from, and I'm starting to get a feel for which dealers are the shadier ones.

Being very new to the Skyline range I'm absorbing as much info as I can, and you guys are a great help, so thank you!

[Nightcrawler]

NEVER buy an import without getting an import specialist mechanic to look over it - a decent one will be able to tell you the genuine km quite easily.

It is amazing when you watch the Jp auction sites how many cars with XXXkm on them get sold in Jp, brought here then appear in car yards with YYYkm. Happens all the time.

At the end of the day if you get a decent mechanical check and are happy with the car, then buy it.

I am quite sure that my V35 that had 48k on the odo when I bought it in 2008 had more like 80k on the car .... now it has 125k on the odo (so probably more like 155k in reality) but still runs like a dream and is quite flawless apart from the usual window and door lock motors going and needing to be replaced, and the lower control arm bushes going (which I replaced with nolathane bushes).

Of course I have replaced the shocks, springs, sway bars, wheels, intake, exhaust, radiator and lots of other things - but most people will change these to their tastes anyways.

[Nightcrawler]

Just be realistic. a car that is 10 years old will be closer to the 80k mark.

also, look at the interior. the interior condition is an indicator of how much a car has been used.

Redbook and the RAA claim that average km on a car is about 15,000km a year nowadays ..... but I guess in Jp it is lower than that. Still, given the price to register and insure a car in Jp they do tent to get used quite a lot - I have seen 4 year old V36s come through the auctions with 100,000km on them already.

[500hp]

Redbook is the market value

[AxlOz]

Redbook is the market value

which puts them at:

2003: $13.100 - $15,600

2004: $14,300 - $16,800

2005: $16,300 - $18,900

So why am I seeing '03 models with asking prices over 20k..?

[Nightcrawler]

Man I hate idiots (500hp). If you took one second to pull your head out of your arse you would realise that Redbook also has the indicative average km a car of the age should have on it too .... thanks for 'correcting' me though.

http://www.redbook.com.au/cars/research/used/details/2003-nissan-skyline-v35-111364?R=111364&Silo=spec&Vertical=car&Ridx=42&eapi=2

So, as I alluded to, expect a 2003 V35 to have 100,000-180,000km on average (assuming no wind back, which is rare).

[AxlOz]

yeah, I think there's a medium to be found somewhere between redbook and reality.

There are some 2003 v35's out there with 120k kms+ that fit within the redbook 'price guide'. Its just most of them on the market are showing rediculously low kms, compared to redbook's guide, so I think you're on the money saying that most have been wound back somewhere in their life.. And sellers are cashing in on it.

It really is just a case of buyer (me) beware!

Edited July 30, 2013 by AxlOz

[Nightcrawler]

Yes!

Or just buy mine and you know what you are getting .... do you like black?

I am considering trading up to a V36, so will sell for the right/realistic price.

[n15m0]

which puts them at:

2003: $13.100 - $15,600

2004: $14,300 - $16,800

2005: $16,300 - $18,900

So why am I seeing '03 models with asking prices over 20k..?

At the end of the day, a seller will always want the most they can get and the buyer will want to pay the least for the best. Sellers can price theirs cars any which way they want to. Whether they will get that price is another story. At the moment I think buyers have the upper hand as there is more supply than demand. I could buy a V36 from Japan with what some sellers are expecting for a V35

[AxlOz]

I agree its a buyer's market at the moment. There's quite a few v35's out there, with all the options etc available. I tested one a few days ago that I would've bought, but the seller wanted too much for it and wasn't interested in negotiating at all.. I asked him how long he'd been trying to sell it for and he said about 6 months...

Nightcrawler - shame you're in Adelaide! Its not my usual preference, but I think the v35's look pretty good black. And I like the white wheels you've put on yours. I'll buy locally, but if you have a FS thread or carsales link I'll check it out nonetheless.

[Seano350GT]

do you live in sydney?

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Nissan-Skyline-2003/SSE-AD-1129847/?Cr=0

i would just offer the guy 15k see if he takes it. low mileage and some tasteful options

Lol GTR badge on the rear same with Infiniti G35 badges paired with hellaflush stickers on stock suspension/wheels = f*ckhead owner.

all that paperwork says G35 on it too, shit people are dumb.

[Seano350GT]

people need to realise that Redbook offer a ROUGH guide to the value of ones car. I sell new cars myself and i sometimes hear the same old "but redbook says my car is worth x" but the reality is Redbook bases their prices between x and x with the km's between x and x and what they don't consider is that EVERY used car is different. Different accessories, damage, km's, owners, thrashed/not thrashed and not to mention how the market is. At the end of the day Redbook don't buy cars..

[AsM]

^^ very very true.....

[Nightcrawler]

AxlOz a flight from Syd to Adl is under $100 if you shop around ..... but no for sale ad as such yet - I am not really ready to sell, unless it was very easy