Which R33 Gts-t Would You Get?

[shoebox]

Okay here's the problem: I have shortlisted 2 R33 GTS-25Ts, 1 sedan, 1 coupe, and both have auto transmissions.

Car #1 (sedan)

Faults:

1) Rear seat belts clips are facing the wrong direction. Seat belts look too new for 5 year old.

2) Air con vents don't close fully.

3) Left side mirror doesn't fold in.

4) HICAS diagnostics show an error code of #21: Vehicle Speed Sensor not present. (Could it be because the speed limiter on the ECU was removed?)

5) Alarm doesn't work sometimes.

6) Car steering wheel pulls to the left even on a straight road. But, it doesn't vibrate even at 100km/h.

Note: The log books are missing! All minor maintenance such as oil changes are supposedly done by the owner himself. Major servicing such as replacement of timing belt done at a non-nissan service centre.

Car modifications:

Nismo speedometer, Turbo Timer, D2 adjustable suspension, Spitfire coils, exhause changed from turbo-back, ECU changed and car tuned on a dyno.

Edit: Dyno results here:

Auto sedan going for 12k (or 11.5k w/o the D2 suspensions).

Car #2 (coupe)

Faults:

1) Left side mirror doesn't fold in.

2) Air con not working (apparently, it needs gas).

3) Small dent and scratch on left side of car.

4) Boot doesn't open with the key.

5) Right front speaker not working.

6) A bit of black smoke present when revving engine at neutral.

7) Spare tyre area might have been repaired.

8) Transmission slips a bit.

9) No alarm system at all.

10) Not really a fault, but there's no turbo timer installed.

Car modifications: Apparently, it hasn't been modified before and everything is stock.

Going for 11.5k.

I can tell that Car #1 is better maintained then #2. Which one would you get, and why?

I'm torn between these two options... what would it cost to repair them?

Edited September 30, 2006 by shoebox

[Al]

None keep looking.

If you are looking for a Skyline with log books, fat chance. These are 10+yr old imported cars, most don't come with log books from Japan to begin with.

Sounds like you may be a novice at this, may be a good idea to take a car, you are interested in buying, to a good mechanic to check it over for you.

[toffy]

id pick 1 because the gearbox doesnt slip, $500 is nothing really since you said the gearbox slips in the other. i have a nice manual 4 door you can buy off me for 16.9k, its immaculate s2 wif 85000klm (shameless plug)

Edited September 30, 2006 by toffy

[d0p3y]

Both sound like shitters to me..

[shoebox]

Yea, i'm new to this (it's my first car actually!), and i'm intending to take car #1 it to a mechanic maybe next week.

I can understand why #2's bad, but why not #1? I don't think the repairs will be expensive, will it?

By the way, dyno graph for car #1 is below.

I was *this* close to buying car #1 until i came here.. ^_^"

Edited September 30, 2006 by shoebox

[eMsta]

keep hunting - better to spend a bit more and get a decent r33

[Konrad]

I dont think #1 sounds that bad... that power rating seems ok considering the mods so sounds like a healthy engine, dont write it off yet get it checked out by a mechanic.

Only problem is the idea of an auto, dont wanna buy one then regret it later on..

[Al]

Car #1 (sedan)

Faults:

4) HICAS diagnostics show an error code of #21: Vehicle Speed Sensor not present. (Could it be because the speed limiter on the ECU was removed?)

6) Car steering wheel pulls to the left even on a straight road. But, it doesn't vibrate even at 100km/h.

These two points are pretty major. One may think number 6 could only be an alignment, but it could also be the HICAS playing up. Causing the rear end to be "floaty" and majorly diminishing the handling. R33's are in abundance, why bother buying someone elses problems when you can find a clearner example for the same price .

[Link]

Keep looking mate - you will find one

I helped a mate look for one - we looked at about 6 in the end before he found the right car

There are so many around - they can be bargained down too

[shoebox]

Hmm.. i'll think about it. It's hard to find a cheap and good car

*sighh*

[Kinks]

there's no such thing as "cheap" and "good"

I vote for keep looking, and keep saving. 12k won't get you a good 33, you'll end up having issues with it and spend more in maintaining the thing I guarantee.

Don't worry about log books, use careful judgement to evaluate whether the cars appear to have been looked after. Neither of those cars excite me at all, but then I was more interested in spending up to $20k on a mint example (and loving it ). My car didn't have log books but a careful inspection by me and a 5 page report by State Roads pretty much guaranteed it had nothing to hide.

[r33madd]

keep looking dude there will be better options out there.

[NISZILA]

I agree, keep looking.

I looked around for months before I found mine. If you're not sure, then its probably not the right one. When I saw mine, it was perfect. Looked like a brand new car (both the engine and interior)

Thats what you're looking for.

Keep in mind, some repairs can be more costly than you expect. I looked at one that only needed its front bumper repaired. Got a panel beater friend to have a look, and he told me that with the brackets that were missing and the work that needed doing, it would cost over $1000. Too much for just a front bumper.

[Modena]

I paid nearly 18 grand for my car back in April and so far nothing major has gone wrong (only needed to replace bushes that cost 70 or so bucks after a few months). The car has now done tad over 53,000 Kms and Im very happy with it!

I did nearly make the mistake of paying around 15 K for a car that had an oil leak and a faulty seat.

Keep looking and dont be afraid of paying extra if the car is perfect.

Edited October 2, 2006 by Sir-D

[Kennedy]

Import one through a reputable broker

[Link]

there's no such thing as "cheap" and "good"

I vote for keep looking, and keep saving. 12k won't get you a good 33, you'll end up having issues with it and spend more in maintaining the thing I guarantee.

I disagree - i picked up mine for 11k and apart from a dirty aac valve the car is spotless

There are heaps and heaps on carsales around 12-14k which have been on there for a good 6 months - a lot of owners are getting quite desperate to sell

[shoebox]

Hmm~ yea, i agree that both cars aren't exactly very good...

I'm sending the sedan for an inspection at a workshop though. Hopefully nothing big comes up, but I'm not very optimistic about the HICAS.

I've just found a 13.5k auto coupe which the owner says is in excellent condition (don't they all!)... maybe I'll take a look at that one ^_^

[toffy]

I agree, keep looking.

I looked around for months before I found mine. If you're not sure, then its probably not the right one. When I saw mine, it was perfect. Looked like a brand new car (both the engine and exterior/interior)

Thats what you're looking for.

thats exactly what i did , mine is the tidiest gtst in my state imo .... i must admit theyre hard to sell though, at 16.9 k i dont think mine is dear for a s2 that IS faultless i havent even had 1 person look at it yet though .... not even a phone call

[shoebox]

thats exactly what i did , mine is the tidiest gtst in my state imo .... i must admit theyre hard to sell though, at 16.9 k i dont think mine is dear for a s2 that IS faultless i havent even had 1 person look at it yet though .... not even a phone call

Wow, that is quite steep actually (at least to me). What year is it, and where're you located? Any mods?

[toffy]

Wow, that is quite steep actually (at least to me). What year is it, and where're you located? Any mods?

lol,you get what you pay for . too far away for you to look at mate, its in taz. its got a few mods, 18in wheels , factory manual 4d, 96 or 97... avatar pic<<