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My first car was an NA r33, had it for 2 years and not a thing went wrong with it. I serviced it every 5000ks still. The things do still go rather well and can top out their speedo fairly fast to, but if you have any common sense it will be fine. Just remember that they will still slide in the wet if you are not careful and can be a bit under braked. HICAS is also there which doesn’t really help you if you loose traction on the rear. The interior is comfortable and everything is easy to use, they will fit 4 people fine, they’re not to bad on petrol as long as you are not a maniac and they still go fairly well, so get one and have fun

The only NA skyline I'd get is an Aus R31.

there are so many other BETTER cars for beginners.

I would much prefer a Corolla sx or gti, Pulsar SSS, swift gti over an NA R33, R32.

or since your old mans a mechanic, why not get an old school escort and build it with him?

little hatch fwd's are perfect for beginners.

not only is it harder to get in to trouble, they are cheaper to buy, they are cheaper to maintain, less on insurance, less on fuel, more rewarding to drive.

for $7500, you could get a REALLY good condition version of the above cars.

My opinion only of course.

I had a Pulsar SSS before my R33 turbo. I'd have to say that the SSS was more of a fun car due to its peaky engine and light weight. The Skyline (turbo) on the other hand demands so much more respect as you can get in trouble quickly. Never been in a NA Skyline so I wouldn't exactly know how they perform. But Skylines are a heavy car and I could easily see a Pulsar SSS out running it if that is your thing. At the end of the day though, if you really want a Skyline, then just get one!

  • 3 weeks later...
im driving my parents car at the moment and im looking at a non turbo r33 for $7,500

it has a decent sized scratch/dent on the front left pannel going onto the door. kinda looks like freddy krueger got to it but im not to fussed about it.

things id like to know is are they expensive to keep on the road?

are they reliable

and any things i should know before buying a non turbo r33?

i am aware that being a 2.5 ltr car will mean more money out of my pocket but ever since i was like 8 i wanted a skyline

and now when i can get enough money i want to get the new GT-R but thats another topic

cheers in advance

Hi J

Looks like you're venturing into your 1st car. All of us at SAU as well as your dad will remember his 1st car! How exciting!!!

But that's also where the dangers lie. Most of the guys on the forum are wise enough to give you some wise feedback. Will you also be wise and read out this feedback back to your dad?

For instance, he can tell you some of the differences and dangers between the Maxima (FWD) that you're driving now to a Skyline (RWD) - even though they're both Nissans. Do you know that whilst braking and turning at the same time that one of these cars will tend to understeer whilst the other can tend to oversteer?

How many years have you been driving? If you don't have too much experience yet, you can't do much worse than to do advanced driving courses especially stages II and III.

I'd say, try out all the cars that the guys on the forum have recommended and add to them a Honda Prelude or Civic (V-Tec) '95 onwards.

Lol and drive like you own it - not like you stole it!

stock standard turbo skylines aren't that quick. they're actually slow...

you'll get sick of non turbo alot sooner than you think. dont make the same mistake everyone did (including me) of buying a non turbo skyline. just get a turbo and be done with it.

they require no driver training at all seriously dont listen to that bullshit its just a waste of time. its not rocket science.... you know how to drive a car dont ya?

/

I too am looking at a R33 Skyline as my first car, I got my licence late last year and have been driving my dads honda legend.

Will deffinately be a turbo and manual if I do get one though.

I don't know what advice I can give considering I don't own one as yet.

My 2c would be, drive sensibly and maturely and you will be fine :down:

I too am looking at a R33 Skyline as my first car, I got my licence late last year and have been driving my dads honda legend.

Will deffinately be a turbo and manual if I do get one though.

I don't know what advice I can give considering I don't own one as yet.

My 2c would be, drive sensibly and maturely and you will be fine :)

Easier said than done. :down:

Just get another car altogether. Drive the other car till you get some experience under your belt then jump into the skyline. You'll have to wait longer and feel shitty about it, but when you do get into one, you'll feel much better about it then if you were to get it now.

  • 2 weeks later...

I was in a similar situation when i was 18. Had enough for a non turbo (just barely) but instead i took a hand me down Daewoo nubira station wagon. Best choice i ever made, saved tons in petrol, no police trouble at all and when you fang it round a corner and the $20 hubcaps go flying off you feel like frikking champ!

I drove that for almost 3 years then got a 33 gtst. Now i have enough to pay for maintenance, mods, premium unleaded etc etc... plus turbo shits all over non turbo ( except when changing the spark plugs...frikking inter cooler piping!!)

My long winded point is if you chill out for a year or two you get a better car. If you save your cash and if you end up getting a similar car to what you were looking at in the first place they are fair bit cheaper a year or two later.

In regards to being inexperienced, having driving experience in a shitbox behind you when you get behind the wheel of a decent car it helps alot.

Get the car if you want but just consider that when the power is there its hard not to unleash it :D

PS. i dunno if that made any sense or was relevant but meh i had fun typing it

non turbo, shouldn't be a problem, my younger sister is on her l's and drives a na supra :D . Best advice as u have proberly heard before. if you buy that car think is it worth the time and money or should i wait a bit and buy somthing that i really want. in the end its up to u oh and dont be like me and rush buying cars and end up spending close to 20k on them to only sell them :) lol and they werent even imports.

bollocks na its a waste of time

just get a r32 gts and learn how to drive

i just got off my p's

i has a supra na

i supra twin turbo

and ar32 gtr

if your responsible u will be fine

i dont know how laws affect u but thats my opinion

I 1st car when I just got my P's was my current R33GTS-T. Used my mum's old VN (was sh*t as hell) and the Camry as my L car.

Like some others have said, if you use your head & don't drive like a moron then you'll be fine. I haven't had any major accidents or troubles with the cops yet.

Also in regarding to FWD understeering & RWD oversteering, if you take the corner at the speed shown on the sign (ie 60km/h road then going into a large corner sign reads 40km/h) then I doubt you'll notice a difference. Well I surely didn't.

Also I would say just get 3rd party, full one isn't really worth it in my book.

Other than that, enjoy your 1st skyline, I know I did.

Non-turbo may present less mechanical problems for the same age car as the turbo version. However, in the grand scheme of things, I don't believe a 10yo+ Skyline is a reliable car. If you are a student and/or working and need to be on time to places, I wouldnt get it. I figured it out, and my turbo R33 costs me about 40 bucks a day to drive (inc fuel/loan/insurance/rego, but NOT including repairs, which have totalled more than the purchase price of the car so far).

If you need a mode of transport for A to B, buy something else. If you have that 7k, plus another 7k (no matter what you think now, or what ppl on here say, you'll inevitably want to upgrade the wheels, tyres, stereo etc), then add fuel on top (it's not representative in that 2.5L uses 20% more than a 2L engine, you'll use a lot more), plus attention from police (compounded by being a young drive, it's not so bad if you're older).

On the other hand, if you're a complete car nut, and you want a toy, and can afford to lose that money mentioned above for a bit of fun, go for it. PS, I may be a little jaded lol At least the interest rates should decrease soon. Personally, I wouldn't get an NA, buy a cheap run about for now and save up for a GTST or GTR later on (depending on ur level patience). Also, insurance may be more affordable.

On the OTHER other hand, if you've got rich relatives who'll give you whatever you want, buy whatever you like.

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