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Skyline R33 Review Gts-t

chris melb
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chris melb Apprentice

chris melb

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Been on here a little bit, just wondering if there is any sort of review, or recommendations, things to look for when buying a R33, are there any common problems to watch out, ive heard they are great cars, and reliable is this true, can others agree with me here?

Would really appreciate any feedback, ive been looking into to purchasing a Skyline last couple of months, haven been able to find many reviews of the car as it is an import.

As a car overall, how reliable are they?

What is the life expectancy of engine before rebuild etc, (given one keeps it on the calm mod end)?

Is it difficult to get parts given it is import (although they are nearly as common as the commodore these days)?

What if any are the common problems associated with these cars, i am currently the owner of a calbira which has had endless problems so am after a solid reliable car.

Any advice would be great

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RedEmblem Proficient

RedEmblem

Posted
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There's a thread on here about what to look for when buying a Skyline. Can't remember where though, sorry.

They're reliable. Start modifying them and you can expect to reach (roughly) between 270-300rwkw before having to play with the internals.

There are parts all over the place for these. Hardest things to get are the original parts of course. But 99% of parts are easily sourced. And they're nowhere near as common as Commodores, they just stand out a whole lot more.

No common problems as far as I know.

eMsta Grand Master

eMsta

Posted
Posted
Been on here a little bit, just wondering if there is any sort of review, or recommendations, things to look for when buying a R33, are there any common problems to watch out, ive heard they are great cars, and reliable is this true, can others agree with me here?

Would really appreciate any feedback, ive been looking into to purchasing a Skyline last couple of months, haven been able to find many reviews of the car as it is an import.

As a car overall, how reliable are they?

What is the life expectancy of engine before rebuild etc, (given one keeps it on the calm mod end)?

Is it difficult to get parts given it is import (although they are nearly as common as the commodore these days)?

What if any are the common problems associated with these cars, i am currently the owner of a calbira which has had endless problems so am after a solid reliable car.

Any advice would be great

look for a thread by merli - its got all the info u need when looking for skylines or any other import for that matter - its a sticky thread too.

reliability depends on the condition of the car - u can get an r32 for say 4 grand, but u gotta question how reliable it is. Look for tell tale signs, such as wear and tear in the interior and general condition of the engine (some engines look like they were salvaged from teh bottom of the ocean).

I had my welsh plugs changed just last friday - and my mechanic was telling me that the welsh plugs will have to be checked on all imports. And this is a very important thing to check imo - as my car was leaking/loosing a lot of coolant and the plugs had been rusted big time. If you find it later, expect to pay around $500 for the replacement of the welsh plugs. You can check this by having hte car on the hoise - and its not hard to miss, but you may need a mirror and bright light to view the condition of the plugs.

Reliabilty - so far my car has been very good (apart from the welsh plugs) - did a dyno run, the afr, psi and power seem to be intune with a healthy engine and according to the mods I have on. Have driven the car for up to 200km in a single day, and through windy mountain roads - seems to go fine - but other people who have done the rebuild would tell u when u might need to do it. I think from memory - a compression test will tell you whether or not you need a rebuild.

Parts are plentiful - u can buy them at wreckers, through traders on this site, the for sale section. I went through my dealer to get me a tail light from japan. The only thing though, from japan, it takes a very long time - and u have to be patient.

If you dont want a car with problems, use that thread that I mentioned above. Then test drive heaps so U know what to look for. Finally, if there is one that you like, get it inspected via the workshop.

anymore questions, let me know.

chris melb Apprentice

chris melb

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Posted

Thanks everyone for your help, ive read Merli's what to look for which is very comprehensive, im still at the conclusion that skylines in general if well looked after are reliable strong cars, with no common mechanical problems which is great, to be honest i dont think ive heard a single negative comment about these cars, one last question though, any trusted mechanics in melb that people take their skylines too? i was thnking the Zshop?

Yo-Yo Grand Master

Yo-Yo

Posted
Posted
Thanks everyone for your help, ive read Merli's what to look for which is very comprehensive, im still at the conclusion that skylines in general if well looked after are reliable strong cars, with no common mechanical problems which is great, to be honest i dont think ive heard a single negative comment about these cars, one last question though, any trusted mechanics in melb that people take their skylines too? i was thnking the Zshop?

To buy one brand new back when they were released you would be looking at over $60K+ equivalent aussie dollars, so you can rest assured of their quality.

That said, there will always be lemons whatever car model you choose to buy, but it looks like you know what you're looking out for now that you've read Merli's sticky.

I've now owned 2 skyline imports & my next car down the track will most probably be another skyline import (possibly in a 4door variant). I swear wholeheartedly by them.

Good luck with your search mate! :(

  • 3 weeks later...
chris melb Apprentice

chris melb

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Firstly thanks everyone for your advice spent the whole day looking at skylines, test drove one, was impressed, ive read Merli's what to look for, but just want to confirm the build plate, According to his post the Nissan Blue Build plate should be printed (i.e. smooth) not engraved, otherwise it is considered re-birthed, is this true for all R33 series I & II? i mainly looked at series II and from memory all of them were not smooth, i had a look at three series I and found only one to be smooth.

MANWHORE Grand Master

MANWHORE

Posted
Posted

My advice would be you get what you pay for (with the exception of good bargains).

e.g. if there is an owner selling a perfect sII for a high price, it's high for a reason (generally). If you buy a cheap one e.g. 10k expecting it to be perfect, it won't be.

**i.e. unless if the owner is selling urgently for whatever reason, or is not aware of the market price etc, then you can snap up a bargain.

chris melb Apprentice

chris melb

Posted
  • Author
Posted
My advice would be you get what you pay for (with the exception of good bargains).

e.g. if there is an owner selling a perfect sII for a high price, it's high for a reason (generally). If you buy a cheap one e.g. 10k expecting it to be perfect, it won't be.

**i.e. unless if the owner is selling urgently for whatever reason, or is not aware of the market price etc, then you can snap up a bargain.

I totally agree, i have seen some nice clean ones just concerned about this nissan build plate, majority of the ones i have seen have been engraved i.e rebirthed is this correct?

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