SMOKEYV35

hi, can i get my username changed to SMOKEY - it's what i'm known as on most other forums. thanks.

that is a sickening feeling, rod. i hope that it turns out for the best. i'd also be having a think back on who has come to see the car, i know you had it for sale - this is the reason that when i'm selling a car i always meet the person at a public location like a petrol station or a car wash, some of these 'prospective buyers' aren't looking to purchase your car, they're just scoping out how secure the vehicle is, finding out what hours you work, and who is at home at what times etc....it sucks but it's true.

clearly it has nothing to do with a sleek 'looking' shape - the LS400 when released had the lowest drag coefficient of any production car at the time 0.29 - and that thing has a front end on it like a tugboat.

lol, you live in the western suburbs of melbourne and you can't find an R33. try tieing a blindfold to your head, doing 30 spins on the spot, and walking in any given direction - the first thing you hit will be an R33. in all seriousness, what makes you think you'll get a better deal importing an unknown quantity. all you have to go off is an auction sheet plus a guaranteed 3 month wait. based on that, you can spend the next 3 months looking for a car locally and still be in front. as has been said, if you know nothing about cars, find someone who does and take them with - or buy off this forum - a good tip i have learnt when looking at cars off forums is to go back through that members posts, you usually learn a LOT about the history of the car ;-) you could also use the reports you have from your previous checks, photocopy them and do your own assessments on cars you view. you'll start to know the common model specific problems to look for. but ultimately, if you know nothing about cars - is a 15 year old performance car really the best car for you - i would think not.

hahah, well he is stupid - sorry. and i am not, hence the point of this thread that is about 'which insurance should i get' not 'should i get insurance?'. seems as though the M35's are getting cheaper rates. interesting. maybe not enough have been crashed yet to bump up the premiums!

just found this thread trying to shed some light on my own FAST results. it appears everything is in order, it is a 99 RSfourV, manual, pearl white, with dual roofs. for options 14 to 18 Option 16 = sunroofs (and obviously the 1 or 2 number denoting if it is single or dual roofs and interior code "Z" must be the velour/suede bucket interior (similar to 260RS). the car i FAST'd has this interior, and so does deceiver33 - so that explains that. i think one thing that confuses me though, is for driveline the options are 'A = 2wd' or 'N = 4wd' and my code reads "P"??? i'd also love to know what the letter after the number '34' is. one of the options being 'E = EGI' or 'U = jap jibberish'. what is EGI??

also, just got the car FAST'd - can someone help me decode the options?

your car sounds like a weapon, got a build thread? think i remember seeing this for sale through an importer in qld and on ebay a couple of years back? anyway, i'm at peace with the fact that the insurance policy will cost more than average, just like everything with an import! can't wait to get my hands on the car, still tied up under finance, but hopefully for not much longer!

anyone got access to FAST who can run a VIN for me? WGNC34127284

nobody out there? i suspect my 1.6 gig copy of FAST will download before i get a response!

ah well, looks like unfortunately i'll just have to go with whoever is cheaper. i would like to go shannons, but its just disappointing that even despite their obviously stringent check process and 'hand picking' of their customers, they still have significantly higher premiums. where as justcars, which obviously is the 'go to' for every other import owner, including all the hoons and young 'at risk' drivers is still the cheapest. i guess the only way to voice my protest is with my wallet when i take my business elsewhere. anyway, enough complaining. at the end of the day i just hope i never have to use the insurance!

i've heard of people doing this and getting their quote down over successive calls. just goes to show though, that they must be fairly arbitrary with their quoting. if i sign up for an SAU membership today, i bet that will knock money off - but i honestly don't understand the logic behind that - belonging to a club that does khana's, drag day's and is generally performance driving oriented , and that drops my premium?? the other option i'm considering is calling them and playing my justcar quote against theres and seeing if they will match. i'd much rather go with shannons because of their lifetime repair guarantee, and choice of repairer.

hi can someone FAST this VIN for me please? WGNC34127284 THANKS IN ADVANCE

i'm 27, nil accidents, nil claims, have had one speeding fine in the last 5 years (5km/h over, fixed camera on the freeway) - and the car will be garaged in an underground security gated carpark in southbank. i pretty much DEFINE the perfect insurance candidate. i've also had two other policies with justcar before, both for turbo skylines from the age of 21 till 24. every year the policy price dropped significantly so hopefully this is the case again this time.

ok, so why did shannons give me such a b/s price then? i told them i was a car enthusiast, had been involved with clubs, and even been an organiser for the 2001 skyline nationals in shepparton. yet still they quote over 2k without even asking the purchase price. i spoke politely and honestly, so what gives? i can get it as low as 855 with justcars, just means i'll have a 2000 excess which to me is acceptable risk. any damage less than 2k i would fix myself anyway.

thanks terry, i'll follow it up tonight. how do you get a copy of your driving record, out of interest?

my old man is a doctor and my old lady is a registered nurse? he owns his own practice, so there is a very good chance that might be helpful to me. can you send me some more details?? otherwise i'm going to go with justcars and bump the excess up.

shannons is underwritten by AAI. and they were not the cheapest - over $2k. i told them i was a member of NDSOC, and i am over 25, so if that is the best they can do then i'd be interested to hear who is getting cheapest prices off them. justcars is undewritten by AAMI. the car is fitted with a blackwired alarm so should be no dramas there. i can get the price down lower if i want to pay more excess, which is what i might do ultimately. i'm really only insuring against the financial loss of the car, so that if i do total the car - i can at least get some money back to get another car so i can get to and from work every day.

hey, i've read the stickied thread for insurance, but it doesnt seem to have been updated recently, and not much that is helping me in my quest to get insurance quotes. i have called lumley special vehicles: no famous: no (nobody under 30 as of 5 months ago) shannons: $2,186 pa (this after a 10 minute bloody phone call building a 'profile' and proving i was a 'car enthusiast'.) justcar: every one i speak to says 'just cars', and justcar has quoted $1,242 pa (27yr old, rating 1, no claims, 1 speeding fine in 5 years (5km/h over). AAMI and GIO don't even list nissan stagea's in their online quote system, so i doubt it's worth bothering - so does anyone have any other leads?

wow, interesting! considering it was a 4B car, i'm surprised. not to worry, i put a deposit down today on a pearl white stagea and pretty happy with the purchase! looking forward to being an active and contributing member on the boards.

umm yeh.....i think you're still missing the point. i think it is you have failed - twice now. i was just reinforcing the comments by all those people saying that it could be lower, including the owner. he obviously follows the fatlace and hella flush sites (hence the 'illest' stickers and plate surround, and custom plates!). but if you see the cars on those sites, they are a lot lower, with a lot more agressive fitment than this car. stance works is another site which promotes impossible low vehicles with flush and 'hella flush' fitment, as it is referred to in the states. if you don't know what i'm talking about - then visit this site: http://www.hellaflush.com/ - i'm fairly sure jacknessA31 knows what i'm talking about, even if you don't. so yeh, i wasn't actually taking the piss - it WAS a constructive comment - i belonged to all those sites and had a 'stanceworks - low is a lifestyle' sticker on my last car, so not only do i know what i'm talking about, i actually like that style :

PCV valve is positive crankcase ventilation valve. most cars have them - they basically release any buildup of combustion gasses that sneak past the piston rings and in under the cam covers. this is also called 'blowby'. the PCV is the factory way of releasing that pressure. the valve opens when the crankcase is under positive pressure, releasing the gasses and any oil vapour back into the intake where it cycles back into the engine and is burnt off in the next combustion cycle. a way that tuner's approach this is to get rid of this system and run a breathable catch can - which vents that vapour to the atmoshpere naturally, and then using a series of baffles, attempts to get the oil particles out of the vapour, where the accumulate in the bottom of the catchcan to be drained later. because it is unmetered exhaust releasing to atmosphere, they're illegal. after that explanation, i'd be curious to see how he thinks the PCV is contributing to the miss. unless it is sticking shut, and then snapping open and releasing a big pressurised hit back into the intake - but that could only upset the AFR if it was entering the intake before the AFM?? either way, it's easy to eliminate the possibility just remove the return pipe from the intake and plug the intake hole with your thumb. if its still doing it, it's not your problem! EDIT: just thinking this over in the back of my head, it could be stuck - yes. but it could be stuck OPEN, which would cause a vaccum leak and create a lean misfire. to check this, take the hose off at the PCV valve, and block the PCV valve with your thumb. all in all, pretty quick checks! and if you just want to service it for peace of mind, grab some throttle body cleaner (carby cleaner) and remove the PCV. soak it in a cap full of the stuff. shake it round a bit and it should start moving freely again. do your throttle body while you're at it.

either you have failed to detect my sarcasm, or i have failed to detect yours.

usually a signal that the bearings in the turbo are cactus. the shaft has excessive play or float allowing the blades of the impeller to rub against the housing. only way to confirm this will be to pull the intake off the front of the turbo and give it a little wiggle (obviously with the car off!). a tiny bit of movement is normal, but anything significant is a problem.

oh i see, yeah i did notice that - very ordinary addition! i was hoping that it could be removed and plugged with two of those spoiler delete type grommets. the ganadors are nice though!