Lolrick

ER34007263 Legend, thank you!

So I've taken a few vehicles for test drives, how rare is it to have something drive in a straight line without any movement from the steering wheel? no pulling, no vibration etc?

My issue is that I don't have any mechanical experience, nor the tools or social connections to really get into working on/building it myself. I've just been going through a few build threads, and some things you guys do is just absolutely crazy - some people just live and breath Skylines. I more so want the driving experience, and it has been a long held ambition. It's the main reason i don't see myself holding onto it forever - frankly, if something goes wrong with it, I'll be left high and dry. I'm really liking the silver GT-Ts with GT-R spoiler and wheels - pretty much exactly like this: http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Nissan-Skyline-1998/SSE-AD-2304825/?Cr=14&sdmvc=1 Is there any way i can find out more about this owner (legally lol) as he doesn't appear to be a SAU member? The car ticks most of my boxes spec-wise, I'm just not sure (especially pre-inspection) about the overall condition. Are there any threads where we can post links to advertisements and have people give opinions based on what they see in the photos/description, or mention if they've seen the car in the flesh? Cheers!

Was genuinely hoping to have bought before the Supercars on the 6th December so I can take the car around parts of the track! Now i've read in many places that the odometer is largely irrelevant - does this go both ways, where if the odometer is high, i should not consider it an issue unless most of the car looks in bad shape (seats, steering wheel, areas showing general wear and tear) Found an R34 on carsales that is located in Homebush, but has 195k on the clock. Warning bells, or? Probably won't bother with the import or interstate route, I'll just wait for something to pop up. Might consider it if my search is fruitless. damn those walls (and gutters)

I wouldn't have though that selling through SAU would be so significant, I'll definitely hold out until something pops up on the for sale section Quick note - can anyone sell me the benefit of importing? I haven't considered it due to the implied hassles, but that said, haven't particularly looked into it Yeah, depreciation can be bad... though i bought my 380 wholesale and got a ridiculously good deal for a reliable, comfortable car. Which brings up another question - running two cars; would you suggest I keep the 380 in case something renders the Skyline unable to drive? Currently I'm thinking of just letting the family use my car, and having them pay the running costs if they end up using it more. I'll definitely be looking for an R34 now, though the problem is that i know exactly what i want.. Thanks for the input guys! It seems that overall the differences in resale will be negligible, being that these vehicles are getting old and imported, and that the value will depend solely on their condition - something that will be hard to improve during ownership, and fairly easy to ruin if careless. As the 'slow season' of the christmas period is approaching, I'll look to buy as soon as i can find an example that fits my criteria, and won't bother holding onto it until the 'market' is up or anything - this seems arbitrary and wont make more than a $1000 or so difference, which isn't worth it. I was under the impression that there were more forces that dictated the skyline values, but it seems to just come under condition. Thanks again guys, looking forward to going on a cruise once i'm comfortable (and actually own) the car And mick-r34gtt, I'm in NSW, sorry! Not looking to buy interstate (assuming you're in Geelong)

Hi Trent, C4a0s, cheers for the quick replies! I assure you, I've been all over the private whole cars only and carsales. Why do you say those are all sorted? (regular servicing, maintenance, modifications, dyno reports and blemishes) Is it because they're selling internally with SAU, there's more transparency and honesty? I'd tend to lean towards the R34, only because it's newer (interior and safety are the biggest positives), but I'm pretty picky with how it looks, and currently there isn't much on offer, so this might all come down to how much patience I have (lol, probably not much) As for keeping it for five years, I don't know if I can make that sort of committment to a car... there's a long list of vehicles i want to get through and have the pleasure of owning! And as I said, i'm not too handy mechanically and these cars are only getting older... that said, I may hold onto it for a while! As for modding, I think that i can show restraint and not throw too much money after it Either way, I'll be happy with the car, I just want to try and hedge on the future values

Dear ladies and gents, I have my heart set on purchasing a Skyline, and have decided that it will be either an R33 gts-t or an R34 gt-t. I understand buying an old turbo import isn't a sound financial move, so i'd like to rationalise the decision. (This will be a daily driver) I've heard mention of the 'market', where sometimes the cars are easier to sell at higher prices than at other times. Where do you (the experienced experts) feel that the market is? Ideally I want to buy a car in decent condition, drive it and love it for perhaps a year, and then sell it without having significantly reduced the value of the vehicle (let's exclude fuel, scheduled maintenance and government costs). Am i being completely naive to think that i can get most of my money back? If the answer is "that's plausible", then what vehicle would you suggest I look for? I.e. will a lightly modded R34 Gt-t hold it's value best if purchased currently for $14k? Or should I go for the best deal i can find for a R33 ($8K) and see if i can sell that? It seems the R33 market is relatively saturated, meaning it's easy to find a nice vehicle, but is then harder to sell later on. For those that say 'it's your own personal preference', I want to point out that I am not particularly skillful as a mechanic (but i'm alright at research!) and have never before pushed a car to it's limits, specifically at corners. I am very eager to learn and try things out. This is one of the main reasons for getting into the skyline - take a few advanced driving courses, see what levels my skills are actually at. For this reason, I am not interested in buying a highly modified, powerful vehicle - stage 1 modding is more than enough for me (for now i guess haha, judging how hard the modding bug bites) It seems that an R34 will be the best for me, with little 'creature comforts' such as traction control and advanced safety features (being a newer car). However, they seem to fairly rare (I'm west of Sydney, NSW) and command quite a price premium over R33s of similar condition - R34s are currently listed around $14,000, whereas the better R33s are closer to $10,000. I'd love to pay less, of course, but would you say that extra few thousand dollars is worth it for an enthusiastic new-comer? Should I shell out the capital (i wont need finance) on the newer R34, or will I have the same experience with the R33 with less financial risk? As i said, I will be more than happy emotionally with either car, and can refine my tastes for specs and performance and upgrade later on. Thank you for taking the time to read all this crap that I've just written, and I can't wait to be a part of this legendary club. Mick