Considering this R32 with rear quarter panels replaced...stay away or ok?

[Hella_GTR]

Thanks man I just sent Garage Defend some questions on that one, like what is up with that spray on the blue plate.  I have had zero luck finding someone to check cars out for me but I'll keep trying.  Perhaps Garage Defend will allow me to take the car to Garage Yoshida for inspection since they're not TOO far from one another.  And you're right, would need to source OEM parts to pass CA emissions...$$$

Appreciate the help! 

Edited August 14, 2019 by Hella_GTR

[joshuaho96]

Yeah when I got a PPI I had to pay 800 dollars to make it worth someone's time. Also helped that a friend of his was willing to make an introduction.

[Hella_GTR]

That's a lot but worth it for an expensive car like what we're getting.  A lot of shops are closed now so hopefully I'll hear back next week. 
 

I did get some clarification on the chassis number plate from Garage Defend.  They say it is peeling from the previous owner using some cleaner or just age.  That makes the car more promising but still waiting to hear about accident history. 

[Sirx5]

With the blue plate like that I would steer clear.

Im new here and currently an R32 owner but feeling like upgrading to an R33, still on the fence.

spending most nights watching everything possible to help me decide

[Hella_GTR]

Let me know what you mean about upgrading to the r33. The locals here prefer the r32 for driver satisfaction but I know the r33 is a faster car around the track with more modern tech too. I'm curious your thoughts. I spend most nights wishing someone would find a cheap solution to California emissions requirements... 

[joshuaho96]

R33 is going to drive more like the R34, the chassis is better laid out, more rigid, better aero. The R32 is really its own thing. At low speeds it will be the most tail-happy of the three, at high speeds it will understeer a lot.

Also, the R33 is American sized because the coupe and sedan are about the same length. Or if you're Japan-sized, 4 real adults will fit in the car.

Edited August 14, 2019 by joshuaho96

[Sirx5]

So confused atm. I might create a new thread, don’t want to take away from the OP.

[joshuaho96]

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n362292896

Garage Yoshida posted up a new R33. This isn't very stock though, it would take some work to get it ready for CA emissions.

Edited August 14, 2019 by joshuaho96

[Hella_GTR]

1 hour ago, joshuaho96 said:

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n362292896

Garage Yoshida posted up a new R33. This isn't very stock though, it would take some work to get it ready for CA emissions.

Good info here man.  I actually saw that on yahoo auctions too and emailed them about it but I think they're closed.  I was worried about the r34 engine and CA compliance.

 

Ok I have a new question about this CA stuff.  I did some intense reading on the long train ride here, and the CA law says the car does not need OBD if bringing it in as an individual, it just needs to pass the FTP-75.  So why does Toprank tell me 1996+ won't work if OBD is not an issue.  What's the difference between a 1995 and 1996 passing FTP?  I know 1996's won't be federally legal until 2021 but that's not an issue to me since I don't plan to return to CA until at least 2021.  I would really like to understand this better as 1996's are much easier to find and lower priced.  I also love 1996 ITR's.

Anyone know or understand this or there's probably no Cali love peoples here lol.  Thanks!

[Hella_GTR]

https://www.goo-net.com/usedcar/spread/goo/16/700070889930190813001.html

 

Man yoshida's R33 is looking really good and good price.  I need to find out more about the repair history though but Garage Yoshida sells quality stuff. 

Do you know if passing CA FTP-75 would be a problem with a R34 engine? I don't think they care about the engine matching at all, I think it's more about the pollutants that come out of the tailpipe.  So hard to find info on this stuff.

Thanks!

[joshuaho96]

1 hour ago, Hella_GTR said:

https://www.goo-net.com/usedcar/spread/goo/16/700070889930190813001.html

 

Man yoshida's R33 is looking really good and good price.  I need to find out more about the repair history though but Garage Yoshida sells quality stuff. 

Do you know if passing CA FTP-75 would be a problem with a R34 engine? I don't think they care about the engine matching at all, I think it's more about the pollutants that come out of the tailpipe.  So hard to find info on this stuff.

Thanks!

R34 engine is not a problem, it looks like they actually modified it to fit the original R33 harness, you can see the power transistor/ignitor pack on the back of the spark plug cover. As far as BAR is concerned you just broke the original engine and put in replacement parts to fix it. As long as the engine has all the same parts as the original 1995 car it will pass for emissions purposes. They won't spend a ton of time hassling you because you put a different CAS sensor and repinned the CAS harness. Their primary concern is stuff like making sure you have a factory downpipe, the right cats, factory PCV, intake, turbos, ECU, etc.

Sean Morris is the one that actually goes and discovers what happens when you try to register a car. If you read the CARB site page on direct import they mention a limited exemption for people that own their car a full year or more before moving back to California, but they actually quietly changed the regulations there to close that loophole back in 2017. Sean follows these regulatory changes closely. It is looking like even though CARB claims an equipment exemption for OBD compliance on direct import, the DMV will not register a 1996+ car that is missing OBD2. There is no procedure to smog a 1996+ car with no OBD2 connector so you can't pass the smog referee. 

The FTP-75 test is a drive cycle test, so it is about how much NOx, HC, and CO the car emits per mile over a ~23 minute temperature controlled dyno run. So the R34 engine is no problem as long as you don't have anything problematic like a low temperature thermostat or faulty evap canister.

The 1995s spiking in price is entirely related to US demand, they're by far the most common and arguably the least desirable for those outside of CA. Series 3 has the HIDs, a better airbag setup, better ABS, trunk rigidity reinforcements, and a different front lip that looks better to most. Also a different front bumper with oil cooler cutout. If not for CA's inane emissions laws I would get a series 2 or 3 VSpec instead of faffing about with a series 1.

[Hella_GTR]

9 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said:

R34 engine is not a problem, it looks like they actually modified it to fit the original R33 harness, you can see the power transistor/ignitor pack on the back of the spark plug cover. As far as BAR is concerned you just broke the original engine and put in replacement parts to fix it. As long as the engine has all the same parts as the original 1995 car it will pass for emissions purposes. They won't spend a ton of time hassling you because you put a different CAS sensor and repinned the CAS harness. Their primary concern is stuff like making sure you have a factory downpipe, the right cats, factory PCV, intake, turbos, ECU, etc.

Sean Morris is the one that actually goes and discovers what happens when you try to register a car. If you read the CARB site page on direct import they mention a limited exemption for people that own their car a full year or more before moving back to California, but they actually quietly changed the regulations there to close that loophole back in 2017. Sean follows these regulatory changes closely. It is looking like even though CARB claims an equipment exemption for OBD compliance on direct import, the DMV will not register a 1996+ car that is missing OBD2. There is no procedure to smog a 1996+ car with no OBD2 connector so you can't pass the smog referee. 

The FTP-75 test is a drive cycle test, so it is about how much NOx, HC, and CO the car emits per mile over a ~23 minute temperature controlled dyno run. So the R34 engine is no problem as long as you don't have anything problematic like a low temperature thermostat or faulty evap canister.

The 1995s spiking in price is entirely related to US demand, they're by far the most common and arguably the least desirable for those outside of CA. Series 3 has the HIDs, a better airbag setup, better ABS, trunk rigidity reinforcements, and a different front lip that looks better to most. Also a different front bumper with oil cooler cutout. If not for CA's inane emissions laws I would get a series 2 or 3 VSpec instead of faffing about with a series 1.

Wow man you're like the only one who seems to get this stuff.  Sounds like you have a series 1 GTR in CA.  Agreed that the series 1 is the least desirable and the steering wheel...uggh. 

Regarding the Garage Yoshida one, what you say sounds right but there's this one clause that scares me:

 

A vehicle is exempted if it has been 21 years or more since its original production year and it is in its original unmodified condition. Vehicles in any condition may be excluded if they were manufactured prior to the year in which EPA's regulations for the class of vehicle took effect. Vehicles at least 21 years old with replacement engines are not eligible for this exemption unless they contain equivalent or newer EPA certified engines and emission control systems. Upon entry, the importer must file an EPA Form 3520-1 with Customs and declare code “E” on the form.

 

But maybe that doesn't apply since it's a newer engine...if they even care or would know.  I will try to talk to Yoshida to find out more about that car and why the v-spec sticker is gone and who knows what the interior looks like.  I'll keep on searching man.  Or I may just go for a 96 Honda ITR since they come OBD2a and figure that out and they haven't gone crazy expensive like the R33's.  I need a Asahi Superdry to think this over. 

Thanks for the info, you seem extremely knowledgeable on this stuff.  It's just crazy how you need to pass the FTP-75 which doesn't say you need OBD but then to pass BAR and SMOG you need OBDII.  WTF. 

[joshuaho96]

8 minutes ago, Hella_GTR said:

Wow man you're like the only one who seems to get this stuff.  Sounds like you have a series 1 GTR in CA.  Agreed that the series 1 is the least desirable and the steering wheel...uggh. 

Regarding the Garage Yoshida one, what you say sounds right but there's this one clause that scares me:

 

A vehicle is exempted if it has been 21 years or more since its original production year and it is in its original unmodified condition. Vehicles in any condition may be excluded if they were manufactured prior to the year in which EPA's regulations for the class of vehicle took effect. Vehicles at least 21 years old with replacement engines are not eligible for this exemption unless they contain equivalent or newer EPA certified engines and emission control systems. Upon entry, the importer must file an EPA Form 3520-1 with Customs and declare code “E” on the form.

 

But maybe that doesn't apply since it's a newer engine...if they even care or would know.  I will try to talk to Yoshida to find out more about that car and why the v-spec sticker is gone and who knows what the interior looks like.  I'll keep on searching man.  Or I may just go for a 96 Honda ITR since they come OBD2a and figure that out and they haven't gone crazy expensive like the R33's.  I need a Asahi Superdry to think this over. 

Thanks for the info, you seem extremely knowledgeable on this stuff.  It's just crazy how you need to pass the FTP-75 which doesn't say you need OBD but then to pass BAR and SMOG you need OBDII.  WTF. 

I have a series 1 waiting in Japan, I will be headed out there soon to make sure that I have a solid base to work with. If you find Garage Yoshida is willing to work with foreigners and their work is up to par for quality I may delay import to let them work on it instead of crossing my fingers and hoping a US body shop can do what I'm hoping for. As long as the cost is reasonable and not Omori Factory tier which is like 200k+ for a restoration.

Frankly if you want an ITR I would just buy a US one, CARB compliance is a nightmare. They literally have told people point blank the whole point of the process is to discourage you from trying to import your own car.

The EPA 21 year clause refers to engine swaps from what I've seen, not rebuilt engines. You need to import a basically stock car anyways to get past CARB so you shouldn't be worried about that part. Source: https://www.epa.gov/importing-vehicles-and-engines/learn-about-importing-vehicles-and-engines

Quote

EPA has long interpreted the equivalence requirement to mean that the engine must be identical to the engine that was originally installed. Such an engine is one that is the same model and configuration as the original engine.

 

[Hella_GTR]

Gotcha, thanks man.  Looks like the Yoshida r33 has a swapped engine, a Nur spec one with a light tune so I don't see that being easy to get back to original, but anything is prossible right.

I've heard nothing but good things for Garage Yoshida.  Also, Midori Seibi is good but probably more $$$.  Best-R is also good and less expensive.  It's hard being in the US and navigating all this.  Luckily I've got some OG Skyline guru's at work to help me out.  However, they all seem on the expensive side, but they truly know the GTR.  I think you should visit some shops if you make the trek out here.  Midori has an english speaker but many others don't.  Check out Prostock and Craftsports.  They have english speakers and can help out too.  They are both highly recommended around here.

I'll let you know if I make the visit to Garage Yoshida and what I think.  I"m also thinking hard about what you said regarding a USDM ITR, but those are like $$$ now too.  A JDM ITR can be had for like $15k.  There's a super clean 98 CTR for like $25k but it's like brand new.  

Thanks!!

Evan

[joshuaho96]

The hard part will be swapping out the turbos + intake components. The HKS ECU to my knowledge does not require tearing up the harness, it's a plug and play ECU. It also mentions repair history. Even if you don't buy it, I think checking out that car + Garage Defend's car will help.

[Hella_GTR]

4 hours ago, joshuaho96 said:

The hard part will be swapping out the turbos + intake components. The HKS ECU to my knowledge does not require tearing up the harness, it's a plug and play ECU. It also mentions repair history. Even if you don't buy it, I think checking out that car + Garage Defend's car will help.

 

I talked a bit with Garage Yoshida.  They said they can put the stock computer back but I'm waiting to hear back about the turbos and intake components.  If they can, then I think it can work.  They said "small repair on the right front," and , "no problem,."  The language is hard here.  But their shop is well known so I suppose I could just trust him.  I'll keep you posted.

https://www.goo-net.com/usedcar/spread/goo/16/700070889930190813001.html

Thanks!

[UWISSH!]

Can’t you just move to a different state?
Seems like it would be a whole lot easier

[Hella_GTR]

14 minutes ago, UWISSH! said:

Can’t you just move to a different state?
Seems like it would be a whole lot easier

Trust me, I've looked into this as well.  Thing is, CA is where home, family, and friends are.  And driving down Pacific Coast Highway is just amazing.  I know CA has it's issues though, but some does everywhere.  I'd have to leave that all behind and make trips back there.  Plus my future work is back in California.  I'd have to start over so-to-say in a different state.  I was thinking about Portland or Seattle but i need the sun.  It would be neat to live in Australia or Germany for a bit but I'd have to find a job to sponsor me for a visa.

[joshuaho96]

1 hour ago, UWISSH! said:

Can’t you just move to a different state?
Seems like it would be a whole lot easier

I think California is a crazy place to live for reasons other than just grey market import laws. If you want a house near work here be prepared to pony up 1.2 million dollars for a 2 bedroom townhouse with a tandem garage, even more if you want to be within biking distance. Traffic is unbelievable but driving is often the only way to get work. I used to have a commute that was ~45 minutes without traffic but turned to 75-90 minutes with traffic from 7 AM to 9:30 AM and 4 PM to 7:30 PM, sometimes even longer if people were especially bad at driving that day.

But people stay in this crazy place because many of the high paying jobs are here.

[Hella_GTR]

27 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said:

I think California is a crazy place to live for reasons other than just grey market import laws. If you want a house near work here be prepared to pony up 1.2 million dollars for a 2 bedroom townhouse with a tandem garage, even more if you want to be within biking distance. Traffic is unbelievable but driving is often the only way to get work. I used to have a commute that was ~45 minutes without traffic but turned to 75-90 minutes with traffic from 7 AM to 9:30 AM and 4 PM to 7:30 PM, sometimes even longer if people were especially bad at driving that day.

But people stay in this crazy place because many of the high paying jobs are here.

You sound like you live in the SF bay area, right?  I lived in SF for 17 years, left in Jan 2018 to Japan.  i was hoping that a recession would happen while I'm gone so I can have a chance to own 2bedroom 3-sorty 11' wide tandem garage townhouse with $500 HOA dues/month with a 45 mins commute.  The american dream lol.  Too many tech bros there now with tons of cash and not enough new development due to various reasons.  This is going off on a tangent.  But man, the beaches, the food, the weather, the sightseeing.  It's just a special place.  I can't think of a better place in the US.  If you don't mind not having sunshine there's plenty of other great options.  Living in Japan was the first time i've lived in my own apartment.  Can't go back to a sharhouse...I'm 36 damnit.  You're right, I don't even know why i'm buying a car I can never afford to park in a garage.