Buying An R32

[JVP]

hey guys...

i am in the process of looking to buy an r32 gts in the very near future.

i was just wondering what i should look for when i go out to have a look.

i have a couple lined up, so i just wanna know what to look for.

thanks for your help in advance.

cheers

jazza

[Spangers]

Hi

I imported my R32 GTS-t about 4 months ago after looking for a year and a bit. My advice to you would be to get a mechanical inspection done, trust me its worth the money, I had 3 inspections done on 3 different cars until I found 1 that didnt have to have major repair work done. I imported my car, which is cheaper but be prepaired to get screwed around alot and if your not patient then I wouldnt recomend it (it is also risky buying sight unseen).

If you have got any other questions id be happy to help, the R32 is a fantastic car and im sure you will love it. You wrote GTS, are you actually looking for a non turbo? Because if you get a GTS you missing out on alot of fun

[ignuz]

Hi

I imported my R32 GTS-t about 4 months ago after looking for a year and a bit. My advice to you would be to get a mechanical inspection done, trust me its worth the money, I had 3 inspections done on 3 different cars until I found 1 that didnt have to have major repair work done. I imported my car, which is cheaper but be prepaired to get screwed around alot and if your not patient then I wouldnt recomend it (it is also risky buying sight unseen).

If you have got any other questions id be happy to help, the R32 is a fantastic car and im sure you will love it. You wrote GTS, are you actually looking for a non turbo? Because if you get a GTS you missing out on alot of fun

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It could be the new P plate laws affecting him.. much the same as they affected myself...Everything else the guy above mentioned is helpful.

[Big Rizza]

Hey couldn't you get the R32 with the 130-ish kw RB25DE? The GTS25 Type S or something? That would be a sweet P-plate legal ride! You won't get one in under the 15 yo rule though (i.e. the CHEAP way) as there were none made in 1989/90 I beleive...

Happy Hunting!

[monso]

on this topic

i am looking at buying an r32 gst-t.

what years were better, ie is it worth getting a newer one?

Do these models have any common problems that i should be look for?

There is one on car sales for example for 12,500 with gtr brakes, drivetrain, AWD etc

http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/...rch_distance=25

Does this seem dodgy or a good deal?

Also, what should i expect to pay?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and cheers in advance

[foznice]

mecahincal inspection is definalty a go... but the main things to watch out for with r32's are rust: check all the places where you might find water to accumulate, as well as underneath the car...

check the bushes too, it's quite common for these to go, and apparently the japanese don't change them for some reason... :S

make sure you have a drive in the car when it's cold, I have spoken to alot of r32 drivers (including myself) who have very worn synchros that are much more noticeable when the car is cold.. eg my 32gtst won't go into second when it's cold at all, but when it warms up second is incredibly smooth.. so if i wanted to be dodgy when selling the car, I would take it out quickly before the potentiall buyer arrives and warm it up, so that if they test drive they won't notice anything (not that I would actually do this.. but it could happen)

Listen for noisy thrust bearing too.. put the car in neutral and press the clutch - listen to the engine.. then release the clutch while it is still in neutral. If you hear a sort of strangish noise.. this is apparently a telltale sign of a worn thrust bearing (yes my gearbox has this also)...

If the 32 your looking at has a sunroof, make sure you carefully check that sills are in roughly good nik.. at least so that it's water tight.. They are expensive to repair if leaking.

Other than that.. just remember the normal things that you would look for in any car, signs of accident damage (check in the little compartment where the jack is for tail light lens), respray bla bla bla.. also make sure you look underneath the car..

I would definatly recomend a mechanical inspection if possible, there are alot of dodgy roadworthy places out there..

if you can't fault anything, go and get an RACV, or NRMA check.. It will cost you 100/200 dollars, but it will be well worth it if it stops you from buying a lemon...

hope this helps

[ToF]

This should give you an idea of what to check when you go look: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...showtopic=35129

[foznice]

on this topic

i am looking at buying an r32 gst-t.

what years were better, ie is it worth getting a newer one?

Do these models have any common problems that i should be look for?

There is one on car sales for example for 12,500 with gtr brakes, drivetrain, AWD etc

http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/...rch_distance=25

Does this seem dodgy or a good deal?

Also, what should i expect to pay?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and cheers in advance

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

looks ok.. but those photo's aren't the best quality.. I don't have a very good idea of how much stock gts4's sell for over here, but 12k to me seems quite reasonable.. I would definatly go and have a look at it..

also forgot to mention before.. there is an excellent guide to shopping for a skyline in the tutorials section.. definatly worth looking at.. pity im too lazy to link it for you....

Edited November 15, 2005 by foznice

[foznice]

ah well.. there ya go.. TOF's done it for me.

[Spangers]

http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/...rch_distance=25

Thats a GTS-t, so the P-plate laws dont effect you? Also the 15yo rule is finished so scratch that idea, the government ruled that importing cars 15 years or older dont comply with Australian emission standards *cough* bullshit *cough*. But anyways with regard to looking for rust I would recomend looking underneath the car, under the spare tyre (water often pools there) and around the rear lights (there is compartments in the boot you can open and look at the back of the rear lights). Some of that has been said above but betta safe than sorry

Oh and 1 last thing tell him not to wash the engine bay and if the engine looks clean then expect an oil leak, take the car for a drive and dont be afraid to open it up (ask the seller first obviously) then listen for detonation "pinging".

Good Luck with finding the right car and take your time man dont rush into 1 and regret it after

Edited November 15, 2005 by Spangers

[monso]

well im from QLD so those laws dont affect me.

Also, do the 32 gts-t's have a stock intercooler of some sort?

i cant seem to find this info

also when it says like on that one above that it has gtr running gear, does this mean its just a gts-4 or a gtst where the parts have been transplanted?

what is a good price to pay for a stock gtst?

sorry for questions but im new to skylines

and i already read that guide to buying, but its all fairly general and not model specific

[monso]

anyone?

sorry to be a pain

[boj01]

well im from QLD so those laws dont affect me.

Also, do the 32 gts-t's have a stock intercooler of some sort?

i cant seem to find this info

also when it says like on that one above that it has gtr running gear, does this mean its just a gts-4 or a gtst where the parts have been transplanted?

what is a good price to pay for a stock gtst?

sorry for questions but im new to skylines

and i already read that guide to buying, but its all fairly general and not model specific

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The R32 GTST/GTS4 have a standard side mount intercooler in the LHF guard area.

The car you are looking at is a GTS4, it has similar running gear to a GTR, although from memory the diff ratio in a GTS4 is a 4.3 and the GTR has a 4.1.

Edited November 15, 2005 by boj01

[xr8eater]

i bought my R32 for $9,000 yea its an auto thats why it was so cheep but it required alot of general mantenence things done to it it also had the starting points of rust near the rear wind screen (a common atribute of the R32) wich i got on to fairly fast. My car has a sun roof wich dosent leak but was worred it would so i replaced the rubber. The car had many every day scraches wich i got resprayed or touched up. Another pain in the arse was the hoses in the car were perishing so i replaced the lot and the car acually performes better for it. None of the gear oils were changed or sreviced a big no no in my book so i had that done hell i could go on for ever pm me if you want to know all the little bits and peices you may need to replace, just keep in mind my car is a 92 m-spec an had a five year service agreement and still had all these problems. a 1989 car may or may not be worse off depends on the previous owners pride

[BL01]

A mechanical inspection before you buy the car is a MUST. When i import cars for my customers, i usually ask for the cars to be tested in Japan even before they get shipped here. I will only ship the car over if i am assured that the car will be problem free.

R32s are pretty old cars, so you can expect them to be free from the normal wear and tear. The RB20DET engine runs well even if it's done 200,000kms from my past experiences.

If i'm not wrong they do have a side mount intercooler? can anyone confirm this with me?

[xr8eater]

yes they have a side mount intercooler

[monso]

there are a couple of GTS-4's with approx 100,000k for $13,500 to 13,800. is this too much?, what should i bargain him down to?

[xr8eater]

if you can aford the 4 week wait import one your self through an import company like www.imports101.com.au you may get one for $10,000 or less

[xRHETTx]

4 week wait? More like 2-3 months...

and the 15 year rule is pretty much over, hardly anyone has any import appovals anymore. and IMHO noone has RAWS approval for r32s.

[monso]

is it worth the extra dosh for a gts-4 over a gtst?

the gtst's seem to be around the 10k mark but the gts4 are around the 13k mark