R33 Gts-t

[macca20042]

hi,

im looking at purchasing an R33 GTS-T and was just wondering what to look for when buying one. eg problems, mods etc. i dont want one that has too many mods cos i still have a year on my p's .. I guess im just wanting to know people's experiences with owning these cars with repairs, running costs, fuel just anything thats good or bad with the car. also is it better to import one or buy one private/with a dealer

thanx

Edited April 25, 2007 by macca20042

[Freddy Kruger]

get one that already here imo. sure it may be cheaper to import but you can inspect it yourself. Petrol wise they are ok, repairs are a little pricey but it depends what breaks. some cars may have some quirks while the engine etc are still cold, but thats with many cars.

***BUT*** insurance. prepare to get owned hardcore. expect to pay $2500-3000 a year.

Owning one if fun, but expect it to be a money pit with the costs that rack up. and any fines you may get along the way... trust me i know

Oh and theres is an awesome thread in the FAQ section if its still here on what to look for when buying a skyline. print it out and take it with you.

Edited April 25, 2007 by Freddy Kruger

[Nismo_God]

make sure it has an engine...i have always found it to be very useful!!!

do a search and you will find all the possible info you could ever imagine...

[macca20042]

get one that already here imo. sure it may be cheaper to import but you can inspect it yourself. Petrol wise they are ok, repairs are a little pricey but it depends what breaks. some cars may have some quirks while the engine etc are still cold, but thats with many cars.

***BUT*** insurance. prepare to get owned hardcore. expect to pay $2500-3000 a year.

Owning one if fun, but expect it to be a money pit with the costs that rack up. and any fines you may get along the way... trust me i know

Oh and theres is an awesome thread in the FAQ section if its still here on what to look for when buying a skyline. print it out and take it with you.

thanx for that. yeah the insurance side is nothing new to me as i own an elxr6 which costs me bout nearly 2 g's anyway... ill make sure the thing has an engine too i spose lol. repairs i can hopefully do myself as im an apprentice mechanic but they can b pricey with any car really... also, whats about average k's for them?? ive seen alot around the 100-130,000 km mark..

[Freddy Kruger]

with an import, trust the condition rather than what the odo reads. there heaps of skylines for sale and there are some with ~90k on them (like mine ) and even few less than that, but as i said....

[33drifter]

thanx for that. yeah the insurance side is nothing new to me as i own an elxr6 which costs me bout nearly 2 g's anyway... ill make sure the thing has an engine too i spose lol. repairs i can hopefully do myself as im an apprentice mechanic but they can b pricey with any car really... also, whats about average k's for them?? ive seen alot around the 100-130,000 km mark..

freddy has the right idea, definantly dont trust the odo. a good tell tail sign is if the trip meter numbers dont line up perfectly to horizontal, then you can be 99% sure it has been tampered with.

be sure not to over look the simple things like i did, oil or water in places it shouldnt be, also be aware of new stock parts they are a dead give away for after market parts that have been removed for the sale

[Modena]

Check the interior, engine bay and the general feel of the car. If it looks like it still shiney and new, chances are it has been well looked after. If the seats, dash, engine etc looks worn but it says 60 000 KMs on the odo... comon.

Be prepared to pay a few grand more for nicer examples, they are worth it.

A great way to overcome mechanical and maintenance problems is to service your car regularly, every 5000-7000 KMs. If you suspect such things like coolant and sprk plugs have not been changed prior, do it.

If you keep up this type of attitude then the only thing you really will need to pay for weekyl is petrol and annualy insurance and regestrations.

They are great, quick and reliable cars. Ive had mine for over a year and the only thign that went wrong was my right bushes popped and spat grease under my car. It cost $60 bucks to get two replacement ones, I replaced both at the same time... the labour was a bitch so I got my family mate mechanic to do it.

So yeah if you know how to do half the labour yourself or with a close friend or relative, your laughing.

[/2on]

Yeah common faults with the r33 is Idle hunting make sure the car idles ok give it a bit of revs and see if it goes back to ide because a few lines ive seen in the past when looking for one for me and a friend had that prob also make sure the car isnt blowing any smoke and just check the condition of the engine (check for oil leaks etc)

Imo it would be good to get a car your really interested in checked by a qualified mechanic like the RAA who come out and do it for a fee, better to be safe then sorry....

[zaffa]

with an import, trust the condition rather than what the odo reads. there heaps of skylines for sale and there are some with ~90k on them (like mine ) and even few less than that, but as i said....

Yeah this is totally true.

In regards to insurance though mate if you go for a later model r33 say 97 or 98 prices are reasonable Or at least they were when i got mine. And generally there a little cleaner.

I was 19 when I got mine had never lost my license luckily had suspensions overturned etc but wasnt a perfect driver and was obviously still on my p's but full comp insurance from just cars was 1850 a year with an excess of 400 which I found pretty reasonable. Shop around mate and have a look at few dont buy the first you see because you have your heart set on it be smart because no matter how good a car they are theres plenty of lemons around!

Good Luck!

[macca20042]

thanx for the help guys. sounds to me like its better to get one thats already here than import it even though its cheaper to do so.. also sounds like they have the same sorts of problems as most cars do in regards to oil leaks and coolant. im an apprentice mechanic so labour and stuff that needs fixin i can do so labour is cheap from what ive seen a nice series 2 will set me back bout 16-19g's but thats not too bad considering im not gonna rush into it.. i want this one for keeps and for some serious mods down the track!! thanx again for ur help

[stolen_s15]

Also dont buy the first one you see. Check a few out so you can get a feel for what a good or bad one actually look/drive like. There are some good deal out there.

[Bo0oSt]

insurance isnt that abd im on a rating 3 and only pay about 1400 p/y

[ossie_21]

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...showtopic=35129

[Freddy Kruger]

insurance isnt that abd im on a rating 3 and only pay about 1400 p/y

insurance is f**kin terrible to what you could pay for a diff car... i could have an oldschool v8 deathtrap for me and pedestrians for less than $500 year full comp.

[HotPlates]

I would say go for one here already landed. I bought a direct import, but if I had to do it all over again I would have bought one already landed that has receipts for work done. I'm saying this because I had to allow for $1,500 (excluding insurance & rego) just to get the car up to good running condition & for an insurance approved alarm. This meant things like all oils & fluids replaced with top quality stuff (coz for compliancing they put in cheap s%#*), alarm, new o2 sensor, NGK iridium spark plugs, tune with compression test etc etc. But not all Skyline owners are this fastidious. I made sure I did all maintenance on the car first to get it running like it should. Now I can look at cosmetic mods like rims, kits etc.

I own a series II and would recommend them over the series I as they are improved (as any incarnation) and look much nicer. My late 97' series II came with every factory option available bar body kit, which is the way I like it. I spent a good few months looking for the right one to come along too. I paid a bit more than most, but it's in extremely good condition in all aspects and I believe the condition of the car to be indicative of the kms on the odo. Happy hunting.