Merli

No, don't do that either.

Don't do it or I'll have to kill you.

I'll be driving up in the morning........... and @ all the guys thinking about trailering their road cars up for this event.

Christian ain't gonna be happy with this thread It wasn't an accident predator

BUT IF YOU'RE CLEVER YOU CAN GET AROUND IT

Like This Obnoxious Post

No Jimbo, the first one was fine because you had all this in lowercase: It only changes "TEST" to "Test" when your ENTIRE post consists of capital letters, and I think that's a good thing.

Mate, you could have just blown your seals on the turbo... It's about $400 to get them fixed, or you could take the opportunity to upgrade if you wanted!

Congratulations Dan Better luck next time Jody Ho ho ho... I should be a comedian :D

Take it for a drive: DON'T SWITCH ON THE RADIO/CD... It will mask any squeeks or rattles the car might have. Start the engine and check the warning lights and gauges. Check for normal operating oil pressure. Check that the steering wheel doesn't shake above 100km/h (arbitrary value, but choose a high one). If it shakes, it might mean it needs a wheel alignment, or that the car has had horrible accident repairs. Previously accident damaged cars with suspension damage almost NEVER EVER drive straight and true again. How does the gearbox feel? Smooth to shift? or notchy and graunchy to put into gear? Any gearbox whine? Any grinding on gear changes? Might mean worn out synchros. Drive the car on hills, highways and in stop-and-go traffic. Listen for noises which could indicate engine problems. Put the car in neutral and rev the engine. Check for smoke from rear exhaust. Punch the gas pedal. Does engine respond without hesitation then return to normal? Check the lights on the control panels. Make sure they all work. Does automatic transmission shift smoothly? Clutch should engage and disengage smoothly without grabbing. Floor it at 3000rpm in 4th gear to make sure the clutch isn't slipping. Drive in reverse. Does car pull or vibrate when driving on a flat, smooth road? Do the brakes grab evenly and does the car slow down in a straight line? Make sure it doesn't pull to one side under brakes. Drive at 60km/h and listen for any unusual noises. Accelerate to 80km/h, does the front end shake or vibrate? Drive quickly over a rough road and listen for any loud squeaks or rattles. Does the car bounce or bang over small bumps? Check the temperature gauge to see if it shows a high reading Accelerate hard on an empty road, does the car respond immediately? Try it again. Accelerate on a hill, does the car respond immediately? Cut off the engine. Then restart the engine -- does it restart easily? Nissan Skyline-Specific Details: Unfortunately, Skylines are commonly targetted by thieves who feel that they are too fsuking stupid to make a living doing anything legally. (I hate thieves more than anything) And believe it or not, Japan has thieves too (albeit a LOT less than we do). There is a large market for stealing cars and forging their identity and putting them back on the market. This is called "rebirthing"... Here's how it's done. The BLUE Nissan Build Plate should have the details PRINTED on it... i.e. If you run your fingers over the details printed on it, it should be smooth. IT SHOULD NOT BE ENGRAVED... If it's engraved, it has a fake Nissan Build Plate with a fake Chassis Number. These are forged and put on stolen cars with a new and legitimate chassis number. This BLUE Nissan Build Plate *should* also have two white plastic rivet-like fasteners holding it on... If they're missing, ask yourself why. The Build plate should NEVER be removed, unless perhaps for a full respray including engine bay... How's this for a story. I checked out a 1997 Series 3 Silver R33 GTR a few years ago. It had this engraved Nissan Plate, but at the time I didn't know that this meant that it was a forged build plate. I had a very close look at the paint, and it was immaculate. DEFINITELY factory paint, so I was happy about that. I wrote down the chassis number, paint code and all the rest of the details from the BLUE Nissan Build Plate and the GREEN Compliance Plate. The details matched, but I thought I'd check them out anyway. So I rang a contact at a Nissan Spare Parts dealership and gave them the Japanese chassis number (not the import one that's given to the car at compliance) and asked him to tell me the details of the car. He told me that it was indeed a 1997 Series 3, but it was QM1 White, not KR3 Silver like the paint on the car. This made me very confused as that chassis number DEFINITELY belonged to a QM1 White car, but the car DEFINITELY had factory KR3 Silver paint!! It suddenly hit me that the car had been stolen in Japan, and the theives forged a real Series 3 chassis number and put it on the car. The car came to Australia and was complied with that forged chassis number, so everything matched up with the Australian compliance details!!! If they had chosen a chassis number of a KR3 Silver car, there would have been NEXT TO NOTHING to indicate that the car had been rebirthed! The only thing that would be telling would have been the engraved BLUE Nissan Build Plate. Please be VERY careful. A few more points to remember: Accident damage is a very subjective thing. If it's had panel damage, then all it means is the car is wearing new clothes. Doesn't affect the way the car performs, and if it's been repaired professionally, there really isn't anything wrong with it and it shouldn't put you off buying it. HEAVILY accident damaged cars with suspension damage almost NEVER drive straight again. Do you want iffy steering when barrelling down the straight of Eastern Creek at 240km/h? Steer CLEAR away from these cars. Do not be afraid to take up the salespersons' time. Stay in control. Do not let anyone talk you into buying a vehicle you do not want. Don't buy the vehicle the first time you see it. Go home and have a GOOD think about it. One more day isn't going to kill you, but it might stop you from making a bad impulse decision.

First points: Check the car when it's clean. Ask the seller to wash the car before you go and see it. Dirt tells a lot of lies. Check the car during the day. NEVER look at a car at night. If possible, look at it on a sunny day so you can use the sun to check the paintwork. Examine the car up-close AND from a distance (front and back, and both sides). Open and close all doors, boot, bonnet, and any panels that can open and shut. What questions should I ask the buyer/myself? (Remember ask the seller the questions, but answer them yourself with your own eyes and brain): Does the seller have a genuine reason for selling? Does it have a full service record of it's life in Japan? (If it does, check that it's real and not forged. This is very rare as Japanese owners rarely throw the Service or Owners Manuals in the car when it goes to auction) If it's a local car, does it have a full service record of it's time in Australia? Has the car been in any previous accidents? Ask, but don't take the seller's word for it. Look for yourself! - Check the nuts along the front quarter panels and the radiator support in the engine bay... Are there signs of those nuts being removed? If so, ask yourself why. - Check for other signs of engine removal. Has the engine been removed? Why? - Check the paintwork!!! Check that all the paint on the panels match colour tone and depth. Stand back from the car at a slight angle and run your eyes along the panels with the sunlight and check for any blending marks. Look for ripples, waves, poorly fitted panels and mismatched colors. What condition are the tyres in? Are the rear tyres worn a lot more than the fronts? If they are, I'm pretty sure you can figure out what the previous owner's driving style is like. Remember to factor in the price of replacement tyres into the buy cost. Don't skimp on tyres or continue to use bald ones. They're the only things sticking your ass onto the road and saving your life. Check for even wear marks, uneven wear indicates bad wheel alignment. Another thing you'll have to fix. More money. Check the condition of the interior. Does the wear and tear on the steering wheel and driver's seat match the kms shown on the odometer? Which brings you to checking the kms. Is this a 1994 Skyline with 30,000kms? It's 2004 now, do you really think the previous owner drove 3000kms a year? Contrary to popular belief, Japanese owners drive their car a LOT, just as much as we do. Expect to find in the range of 9000-13000kms per year on the odometer reading. Don't convince yourself that this is a "rare super buy with low km granny owner driven on weekends car"... Bullshit. It's a Skyline you idiot. Check that the numbers on the odometer are aligned properly. Carefully push down on the front bumper and rear bumper and see how the shocks are. Ideally, shocks and springs should be rebuilt/replaced every 60,000kms, but this never happens. Check for rust. Surface rust is okay and needs to be cleaned and treated with fish oil to stop further growth. Look for rust around the bottom of the doors and fenders, and around the boot area... Basically where water has a chance to sit and gather. Check that the compliance plate date and make sure everything is okay. Check to see if the car has any defectable modifications. Are you happy with those? Rembember if you get defected for them, that will cost you many hundreds of dollars. Detailed Checklist: Body: Check for bubbles along molding or chrome (indicates rust underneath). Stand back approximately 10 to 15 feet from the car and see if the car is level. Interior: Compare mileage on service stickers (door jamb/under hood) to the odometer reading. Check the condition of the seats, belts and carpeting. Check the windows to see if they open and close easily. Check the brake, accelerator and clutch -- should work smoothly, no strange noises. Check all exterior lights and flashers on the car. Make certain that the air conditioning blows very cold air. Check the glove box for the service manual and owner's manual. (Probably won't be there ) Engine: Check for leaks in the Power Steering, Clutch Reservoir, Brake Fluid Reservoir, ABS Unit. Get the engine compression tested and if it fails that, do a leak-down test. Check the engine belts and hoses for cracks and wear. Radiator coolant should be a clean, usually greenish (but sometimes blue or yellow) color. Pull out the oil dipstick. Oil should not be gummy or grayish or smell burnt. Check automatic transmission fluid, should be clear and reddish. Check the spark plugs to check for overfuelling, detonation, sulphur deposits from octane booster. Put the car on the dyno if you want to. I usually do as a last step just for interests sake. If it passed the compression test the engine should be okay. Undercarriage: GET THE CAR UP ON A HOIST!!!! How can you thoroughly check for accident damage if you don't look underneath the car where the most obvious signs of repair lie? Look for weld marks, or thick black underbody tar. Welding marks are usually hidden by panel beaters with lots of underbody tar. Check under the engine for leaking oil. Alternatively, if it has been wiped clean (the bottom of the engine, ie. the sump and crossmember), ASK YOURSELF WHY!! Who wipes the bottom of their engine? Be VERY wary of clean underbodies. Check for leaking transmission fluid, power steering fluid, etc... Check each and every shock absorber for leaks. Shock aborbers are expensive to rebuild. Look for overspray on the bottom of the car, like the tow hook or suspension parts. This is a tell-tale sign of a respray. Boot: Look inside the trunk for an inflated spare tire. Has it been used? There should be a jack and a lug wrench and wheel chock. Most came with a leather pouched tool kit with screwdriver, and allen keys too. Check around the water galleries for rust. Pull out the spare wheel and check the boot floor for rust and accident damage/repair.

So you've decided to take the plunge into the rewarding world of Skyline ownership. In this brave new world, you'll find breathtaking performance, camaraderie between owners, constantly growing list of expensive modifications... Unfortunately the first step can often be a faltering step, with many car yards and shonky private sellers out there to sell you a lemon, and believe me, there are plenty of lemon Skylines out there. From accident damaged Skylines, to rebirthed, stolen, and/or submerged Skylines, there are many things to check before handing over your hard earned cash for your new car. This is a list compiled from the input of several members, and if you have anything else to add, please feel free to do so!! Check (if you live in usa): Kroger Weekly Ad, or Myer catalogue.

One time special folks Sorry, I can't get anymore gauges... $500 for both gauges, AND the control unit. Everything brand new... ABSOLUTE BARGAIN!

Are you stripping it? I'll take the gearbox :D

Gauges come with everything ready to go and ready to install... BRAND NEW. $500 for both!

Try JustJap or UniqueAutoSports... One of them (if not both) will have the front GTR badge in stock if you're in a hurry...

Good to hear Neil, I took extra precautions with lots of bubble wrap and insurance (at my cost) just in case of Australia Post incompetency

I'm just selling the Intake one, although I can get you an Exhaust Cam Gear as well if you wanted both. $480 for both, or $250 just for the Intake Cam Gear. It will take me a few days to get the Exhaust Cam Gear for you. Cheers, Andrew.

Pivot... order from Japan to save money.. you won't get slugged with tax on such a small package.

Can't make this Sunday. Next monday or thursday works for me I think....