New Member, Looking At An R34 Gtr - Advice Needed

[ShortCircuit]

Hi All

Very new to the forums, I have been reading up as much as possible on information regarding GTR's. Currently have my heart set on buying an R34 GTR. I have been in love with these cars for a long time and I'm in a position to purchase one. I have done a heap of searching on the internet and forums and I'm still unsure of a few things. I'm hoping some of the more experienced heads can give me some advice!

1/ Import vs buying locally. Prices in Australia tend to be around 10-15k more than what I could import a GTR for. I love the fact that I can view/touch the car before buying. Can anyone share their experiences here? Leaning towards importing at the moment and probably going through J-Spec.

2/ Common issues on 34 GTR's? From what I have seen, RB26's seem pretty reliable if they have been maintained, just like any car I guess. A friend of mine keeps telling me I'm going to regret buying one as they have nothing but problems. (Welsh plug issues has been mentioned a million times by him).

3/ I've been looking at a few GTR's interstate and most of them have coil over suspension. Reading through this forum, and google search has still left me puzzled if this is a legal modification or not! I looked through VIC roads, and download a document. It didn't specifically mention coil over suspension. From what I have read, as long as the original mounting locations have been used this should be ok?

4/ Value - GTR's seem to be holding their value pretty good. Are most people of the opinion that this car will hold it's value?

5/ Is there anyone in Victoria that would be willing to take me for a spin in their car? I've been in a 32 GTR before and loved it. I've never been in an R34 before.

6/ My budget is approx 65k - Buying a vehicle from interstate will obviously eat into this as I'd need to do my own RWC, transport, rego

That's it for now, If I think of anything else I'll post in here later on. Apologies for the noob questions. I know a lot of them have been covered off before but a lot of the threads I've read through were a few years old so not sure if the information was still relevant.

Thanks in advanced - Johnny

[Birds]

Coilover suspension, all modern Skylines have non-adjustable coilover suspension from factory - this term "coilover" simply refers to a type of suspension where the spring sits around the strut, so you'll need to be more specific than just using that term. When you say coilover suspension, do you mean to say that the vehicle has had its coilovers changed for adjustable aftermarket coilovers? Adjustable coilovers are technically illegal if they can be adjusted to lower the vehicle lower than a legal ride height (100mm). Vicroads *may* or may not call you up on that when it comes to a RWC / getting registered. However, in saying that, as far as driving around with it goes, you shouldn't have any trouble from police etc. as long as your vehicle isn't set too low.

Yes 34s will hold their value; they are the last of the true Skylines, as R35 are not really considered a Skyline by Nissan either. They may come down a little in price as R35s do, however we may see a day where an R34 well kept is worth more than an average R35. I think all GTRs, 32/33/34 are going to hold their value over he next decade, perhaps even see an increase as long as they are well kept.

65k is plenty for a well kept 34 with some nice modifications (if desired), be it interstate or local. Interstate, you need to account for ~$700-1000 transporting from (worst case scenario) WA. Allow another $600-1000 for your flights to go view a potential car over there. RWC doesn't really come into it as you can negotiate that off the price of an interstate vehicle if it's stated as included; it's a cost factor that has to be paid either way. I recommend considering interstate cars, as many gems can be found where other people in your state don't want to travel to buy something; as a buyer you're competing with buyers from your local market when it comes to finding bargains / gems. There is a competitive advantage for those who are happy to put in the effort to find the right car for them.

I do not know about common problems but your friend's blanket statement about unreliability is false - this all comes down to the individual car and to make a generalisation based only on your experiences with a vehicle is silly. There are plenty of RB26s with no problems, however they do reputably tend to suffer from oil feed issues (there are remedies / preventions for these; larger oil pump, bigger sump etc.). Generally not a huge issue unless you are tracking it or doing a lot of hard driving in the street.

[ShortCircuit]

Thanks for the response Birds.

In regards to coilovers - I was talking about adjustable ones. I recently got a RWC for my Monaro and I was informed that due to the crackdown on dodgy people doing RWC's part of the process is to take all the wheels off and take photo's of the car. So if adjustable coilovers are not legal, then it's just another price factor I need to take into consideration.

As soon as I posted this, I just come across an ad on here for a nice looking GTR in Melbourne. I'm going to have a look at it on Monday. Hopefully, it all checks out.

[Birds]

It's still no huge deal IMO, stock suspension can be had for / borrowed pretty cheap. Put that in there to clear the RWC and put the other suspension back in once done.

[choyda]

As Birds has said, it comes down for how the car was looked after. I've had mine almost 9 years and have only really had minor issues. Mine doesnt get tracked though other than happy laps. Be prepared for coil packs, fluids, belts etc. the boost sensor hose on a few I've come across breaks at the connector. The lcd screens tend to deteriorate. New screens or film are available pretty easily

[Birds]

And above all...take your time! The perfect car won't come in a week (it may), but some people spend months, even years looking for the right car. 65k is a lot of money to put into a toy, so don't rush into anything and all those pre-purchase checks like mechanical inspections and even getting forum members from interstate to have a look for you can save you a lot of money down the track.

[JGTC]

If you're into white and stock original, V-Spec performance have a low km example for a very reasonable price considering today's market

http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/462427-for-sale-gtr-r34-vspec-2000/#entry7671761

[ShortCircuit]

Thanks for all the replies. I've even received a PM from a forum member offering to take me for a drive. Great people on this forum!!

Thanks for the link squareznboxez, That car is silver/grey. I have already messeged V-Spec performance and I'm going to have a look at that vehicle on Monday. I'm hoping it's as good as it looks in the pictures.

[ShortCircuit]

OK guys...thanks for all the help so far.

A few more comments/questions...

1/ I had a look at a GTR today. It looks good and drove great. I'm currently getting a history check done on the vehicle.

2/ The car does not have a user manual/service history. Is this common on Japanese imports?

3/ Owner was happy enough to put the car on the hoist and do a system pressure check on the car for me - which I will organise to have done sometime soon. Is there anything specific I should be looking for while I have the car on the hoist?

4/ How long do standard turbos last generally before they are due for an overhaul?

Thanks again

-edit- One more thing. Car has done approx 80,000kms. I've asked if part of the deal, the timing belt can be changed. Anything else that might need to be done around this stage??

Edited January 25, 2016 by ShortCircuit

[XGTRX]

This is what I would do if I was to buy a keeper.

Take it to a Gtr specialist, like Racepace before you part with a cent. If buyer is not happy with that walk away.

Have 20 grand spare after you by it.

Edited January 25, 2016 by XGTRX

[milanr34]

Like any other car as long as regular maintenance is done on it it will last. Granted parts and labour are more expensive but worth it in the end.

1/ I had a look at a GTR today. It looks good and drove great. I'm currently getting a history check done on the vehicle. A De-reg certificate and auction papers can validate KM's

2/ The car does not have a user manual/service history. Is this common on Japanese imports? Some have them some don't

3/ Owner was happy enough to put the car on the hoist and do a system pressure check on the car for me - which I will organise to have done sometime soon. Is there anything specific I should be looking for while I have the car on the hoist? Taking the car to a specialist like Racepace or Edgemotorworks they can do a complete review of the car and tell you the good and bad points of the car

4/ How long do standard turbos last generally before they are due for an overhaul? ​If its stock boost and maintained they will last a long time.

Thanks again

-edit- One more thing. Car has done approx 80,000kms. I've asked if part of the deal, the timing belt can be changed. Anything else that might need to be done around this stage?? Generally the 100k service would be the right thing to do

[ShortCircuit]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

BIG thanks to milanr34 for taking the time to show me his car and take me for a spin. Very impressed with his car. Gave me some great advice aswell.

[Daz]

Taking the car to a specialist like Edgemotorworks they can do a complete review of the car and tell you the good and bad points.

*fixed

[Birds]

lol

[34GDZ]

Adjustable coil-overs can pass RWC you do not need to worry about buying stock coilovers

the stock coilpack tend to shit themselves over time

you wouldn't want to import a 34 gtr as there are only poor condition ones for your budget...plus import fee,tax, etc would set you an additional 5-10k on top of the selling price e.g

http://www.global-auto.ne.jp/stock/public_stock_detail.php?entry=0335.dat&model=BNR34

quoted over 80k completed

check for common areas of for rust such as the boot, by where the bonnet hinges are and underneath (ask the seller if they can remove the rear diffuser and front underspoiler if you're looking at a vspec)

there is a yellow vpsec in NSW asking 55k if you're interested

owned by van dam

[ShortCircuit]

Adjustable coil-overs can pass RWC you do not need to worry about buying stock coilovers

the stock coilpack tend to shit themselves over time

you wouldn't want to import a 34 gtr as there are only poor condition ones for your budget...plus import fee,tax, etc would set you an additional 5-10k on top of the selling price e.g

http://www.global-auto.ne.jp/stock/public_stock_detail.php?entry=0335.dat&model=BNR34

quoted over 80k completed

check for common areas of for rust such as the boot, by where the bonnet hinges are and underneath (ask the seller if they can remove the rear diffuser and front underspoiler if you're looking at a vspec)

there is a yellow vpsec in NSW asking 55k if you're interested

owned by van dam

Thanks for your post.

I'm pretty close to purchasing a car in Melbourne. In regards to purchasing one from Japan, I see Grade 4 cars going for 40-50k daily. J-spec also says you'd need around 50k for a decent one. So I'm certain I'd be able to find a nice one for my budget. I'd just feel more confident in seeing what I'm purchasing with my own eyes.

Cheers

[Birds]

Agreed^, plenty in good condition for your budget. Otherwise the Australian ones would be worth more than they are; they are usually worth more than fresh imports for the sake of not having to mess around with importing yourself.

Also, you may get through a RWC with adjustable coilovers but they are technically illegal afaik, if they can be adjusted to below legal ride height, so that will come down to the RWC tester.

[jaysevu]

Where are you finding grade 4's going for 40-50? I've been trying to import for a few months now and haven't seen anything grade 4 and above go for less then 60k imported and complied.

Did you happen to look at the white Vspec that V-spec performance have also?

[ShortCircuit]

Where are you finding grade 4's going for 40-50? I've been trying to import for a few months now and haven't seen anything grade 4 and above go for less then 60k imported and complied.

Did you happen to look at the white Vspec that V-spec performance have also?

http://www.j-spec.com.au/recent/Nissan/Skyline_R34/030

Vspec performance have a silver on for sale. I've put a deposit on it.

-edit- also, by 40-50k I meant the actual price for the vehicle at auction. add approx another 10k for it to be delivered, tax and complied.

Edited January 31, 2016 by ShortCircuit

[Leroy Peterson]

add approx another 10k for it to be delivered, tax and complied.

my eyes water when I see those figures.

how much do they charge for compliance?