The Americans Are Cranking It Up..........

[Aussie_Delivered_R32_GTR]

Just out of interest how many 32 GTR's have been imported here?

Good question.......... I doubt anybody knows or is able to get the answer to this.

What I have done is compared it to other cars currently for sale built between 19898-1994.

My guesstimate is somewhere between 4000-5000 cars but that's all it is, a guesstimate.

I'd be keen to hear from importers who would have a better idea.

Bob.

[GSX-R35]

A few random things.

1. If you had have seen the rubbish that was imported to Straya under the 15 year rule (1989 & a few 1990 model R32's) you would have a healthy scepticism for anything that is left. To be honest I don't know whether or not we got all the crap ones or just all the 89 MY 32's that were ever built. If it were me I would wait for a 1991 version as supply will increase greatly I would have thought as they were mostly not allowed to be imported into Oz.

2. Parts are pretty easy, all things considered.

3. Nostalgia is most of the reason for owning an old car. Most old cars are never restored properly - R32 being no exception.

4. Most cars ont he internet look better than they do in real life. It is only by owning something that you get to know its faults down to the tiniest missing nut, bolt or washer. This was reinforced to me when the owner of a car I thought was the business said of an oil leak "It was only the old dipstick being pushed out of the holder". Well that is ok then. May need to reconsider my position in the whole stand up shouting match I had with my ex engine builder about that very thing.

I'm not knocking nostalgia and I don't expect that all R32s are going to be fully restored - that's generalizing my comment to the extreme. What I'm worried about is that a lot of people won't do their homework and buy a "cheap" Skyline only to end up facing the reality of trying to keep a 25 year old car running that was never sold in the US. I know parts are RELATIVELY easy to come by considering it was never sold here but only when you consider it's a 25-year old JDM car. It certainly isn't a matter of just popping to the corner parts store or even your local Nissan dealer to get one. Compared to Australia or even Canada finding R32 parts in the US right now isn't a simple matter since only a handful of big Nissan dealers and a few import car stores that do a lot of online business even deal with these parts. Even those that do deal in Skyline parts are often out of stock or have to order them from Japan.

Here's one example - I wanted a new clutch for my R32 and I wanted a Nismo Coppermix Twin Plate. US stores - the three that knew of this part - wanted 2200-2500 USD for it and their sites said it would take 4 weeks to get one. I did my homework and ordered directly from Japan for just under 1600 with shipping. It took about 11 days to get the part - fast, all things considered, but not the "around the corner" situation that the video describes.

You guys in Australia are lucky, you've had these cars since they were first produced so you have a solid support structure over there of shops that can work on them and suppliers that can get the parts (heck, I just ordered a couple of parts and new carpet from your fine country for my car). Here in the US though it's going to be a bit of a struggle. Even getting the cars registered has been a nightmare for many owners, myself included. Unfortunately, the importers don't really make much mention of the problems with actually owning a Skyline here in the US (e.g this Motorweek video) so I fear a lot of guys will bite off more than they can chew.

[jiffo]

I don't know about being lucky here in Aus.

Things have certainly improved in the last 5 -10 years but prior to that……..

Go to a Nissan dealer for import parts and practically get spat on.

Over time I found the dealers who showed an interest in imports and stayed there.

How many times explaining that the 32 GTR was actually sold here.

For the 20 I'd have to buy an Rb30 exhaust manifold gasket, cut into into bits and massage out the ports.

Cambelts were a dark art with the idler costing mad money from Nissan. Once my local bearing shop did some investigation, cheap as chips.

And as for water pumps, the mix ups are still happening.

Now that most Skyline manuals are available on the net, things have certainly got easier.

Hell I can't even buy a manual for Mr's i-30.

[r32-25t]

I've never had an issue buying parts for my Gtr and I bought it in 2003

[Aussie_Delivered_R32_GTR]

Hi Guys,

I find ordering parts a piece of cake.

I first go to this website and find the part that I need - http://jp-carparts.com/nissan/figlist.php?maker=nissan&type=79&cartype=50

I then copy and paste the full part number into here - http://www.amayama.com/ build my basket and wait 14 days and it's here.

Pretty easy stuff!

Bob.

[GSX-R35]

I don't know about being lucky here in Aus.

Things have certainly improved in the last 5 -10 years but prior to that……..

Go to a Nissan dealer for import parts and practically get spat on.

Over time I found the dealers who showed an interest in imports and stayed there.

How many times explaining that the 32 GTR was actually sold here.

For the 20 I'd have to buy an Rb30 exhaust manifold gasket, cut into into bits and massage out the ports.

Cambelts were a dark art with the idler costing mad money from Nissan. Once my local bearing shop did some investigation, cheap as chips.

And as for water pumps, the mix ups are still happening.

Now that most Skyline manuals are available on the net, things have certainly got easier.

Hell I can't even buy a manual for Mr's i-30.

I'm sure even over there a Skyline isn't as common as say a Commodore or a Civic but it can't be as bad as over here where you have to first explain to EVERYONE that your right-hand drive Skyline is legal. Heck, I still run into people occasionally who think my R35 is a grey market import even though it's left-hand drive and been sold here for 7 years now lol.

At least as Aussie_R32 points out getting parts from Japan is relatively easy - we just have almost no one domestically who stocks parts for them. On a positive note, I'm hoping that with the renewed interest in the R32 because of the US market opening up it might stimulate companies here and in Japan to start developing new parts for them. The US market has been very good at responding to the needs of the import crowd so fingers crossed enough Skylines will find good homes here to get a proper support network set up

Hi Guys,

I find ordering parts a piece of cake.

I first go to this website and find the part that I need - http://jp-carparts.com/nissan/figlist.php?maker=nissan&type=79&cartype=50

I then copy and paste the full part number into here - http://www.amayama.com/ build my basket and wait 14 days and it's here.

Pretty easy stuff!

Bob.

That's what I've been doing for my OEM stuff. Just placed another order yesterday and should hopefully have all I need now for the car to go in and get a full respray soon

[jiffo]

Clearly I'm showing my age and like I said, things have improved here as they surely will in the US.

It's a niche market waiting to be exploited and with your massive population…….

[GTR-N1]

There's been the occasional vehicle that's travelled Japan > UK > Australia.

For instance we had a ZTune go from Japan > Australia > Eastern Europe

I wonder if the same can go for Japan > Australia > USA/Canada?

[Anfanee]

Would think so terry. It's probably just a matter of the need at the moment. For them getting a car for Australia would inflate the cost more. So until prices go up a bit it may not be worth it.

[funkymonkey]

Kinda feel for the yanks, they get sloppy fourths. First NZ had the pick of the bunch, then AU under RAWS and SEVS, then 15 year rule, then Canada got a whole heap of them under their 15 year rule... so now the stuff that's left in Japan is either top notch examples owned by collectors that command top dollar, or nasty ones that the rest of the world doesn't want.

Getting a GTR out of AU might be better in some cases than out of JP. Lots of Porsche owners are starting to buy cars from AU instead of EU cos of the condition that the cars are used in. Plus we have tighter regulations on repairs and roadworthiness than in JP.

[pol1on1]

Wow

so much tyre shine silicone spray in the engine bay they really want to hide the leaks.

Potentially a major rebuild due soon.

Lol

I think they should keep to their v8's

[GTR-N1]

USA car turnover is massive due to population, a throwaway culture and most states using salt throughout harsh winters.

Garaging collectibles is mandatory.

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

That's exactly what will happen. You can thank this car:

I believe that is a R32 GTS-T... Unless GTR's came with a Sunroof?

Here+s+some+freedom+with+your+freedom+i+heard+you+like_d35717_5366537.jpg

Love it!

[GSX-R35]

USA car turnover is massive due to population, a throwaway culture and most states using salt throughout harsh winters.

Garaging collectibles is mandatory.

That's one thing I'm thankful about living in Southwest Arizona - it may get hot as f*ck but we don't have to put up with snow or salt so AZ is great for keeping cars good for years. I'm lucky my Nismo has almost no rust and I plan on keeping it that way lol.

[niZmO_Man]

I believe that is a R32 GTS-T... Unless GTR's came with a Sunroof?

Yeah it's a GTS-t. But it looks like a GT-R!

[BoyWhoCriedWolf]

I have had a bit of interest on mine from Canada and the US.

It's very hard for them to understand the rarity.....there in lies the problem.

[GH05T]

yeah, it dosnt really translate well. to them it would be different but not special.
for it to be valuable to resell they would realistically have to sell it back to aus.

[GSX-R35]

I have had a bit of interest on mine from Canada and the US.

It's very hard for them to understand the rarity.....there in lies the problem.

Are the ADM cars any different from JDM GT-Rs in terms of specs and equipment? My understanding was they were pretty much identical in that regard but please correct me if I'm wrong. The problem with getting interest for an ADM car outside of Oz is that the rarity is of more local significance to Australia - basically they're rare for Oz because they were white market instead of gray market cars but here in the US and Canada an ADM R32 is just another grey market GT-R with the same specs as any other non-limited edition one.

It's a different situation compared to the Nismos and N1s because they were rare globally and were factory specials with a different level of equipment from regular GT-Rs. Being that they're factory limited edition cars Nismos are commanding around twice as much as regular GT-Rs here in the States especially with the motorsport connection thrown in. An ADM car on the other hand would be viewed by a non-Australian as just another GT-R that came from overseas, just not from Japan, and that may actually hurt interest because import fans here in the US are all about the connection to the land of the Rising Sun so honestly the only person I can see that might be willing to pay a premium for an ADM car would be an expat Aussie. I'm not surprised at all that the rarity of the ADM cars is getting lost on us North Americans since to us it's just like deciding between two hot girls who happen to be twins and have PhDs but one wants you to take her out for filet mignon while the other just wants to go grab a burger.

[GH05T]

Yeah, that's what i said.

[niZmO_Man]

Did AUDM cars come with a diff cooler?