Someone Slap Some Sence Into My Friend

[SKYL1N]

Hey guys

My mate came up to me last night (his 19 years old) and said he wants to buy a 32 GTR as a daily driver

he doesn't have a steady job, nor access to his dads credit card so he will be buying one on the cheap.. 15-17k

I told him that tha maintenance is going to be ridiculously high but he seems to think nothing can go wrong.

so i guess what im asking for is 32GTR/Ex 32GTR owners to share some experiences so i can print this off and show him..

personally id love it if he bought one id be in his car every night. however i know he cant afford to maintain it esopecially as a daily.

[Tomek]

There easy to buy, but harder to maintain..

It's an old car, things can go wrong and most of the time often..

Rego, insurance, regular maintanance, fixing broken things, fuel, fines & if your lucky mods. It's a huge burden on your wallet...

[Iron Chef]

A disaster in the making...

[JAS-25T]

A disaster in the making...

or a perfect buying oppurtunity for someone else

[Chris Rogers]

A disaster in the making...

+1. at 19 he can't legally drive it anyway. if he does drive it and acts a twit then he's dead.

[Medium Dave]

Here is a good thread with plenty of info for you Running costs

[SKYL1N]

thanks guys

[trism]

if he doesnt have a steady job, how is he gonna buy it?

bank loan? they wont give him money if he doesnt have a steady job

[SKYL1N]

his got a car now his going to sell +bit of $$ saved up

[-Dukes-]

What he looses in dollars he'll make up for in coolness... and brainlessness...

[GTR-N1]

+1. at 19 he can't legally drive it anyway. if he does drive it and acts a twit then he's dead.

Little Q> Does he read this thread?

BIG Q> WOULD HIS MOTHER READ THIS THREAD?

Let's say a prayer together...

Christian Guy

[ssshonky]

or if he is REALLY hell bent on it despite all the comments above- tell him to use public transport most of the week - save big$$$ on parking and fuel - and drive the GTR only occasionally - or just have it as a weekender..

[Beelzebub89]

I was going through the same thing as your friend. I have a steady job and can afford to pay for insurance, rego n etc. But really what I've gathered from the owners on here is if your going to own a gtr and drive it everyday your going to need an Uh-Oh fund of about 10 - 12k that you can drop into the car straight away. This is even more important if your going to buy a cheaper version for 15 - 17k. You might not need so much if you find a nice example with a sensible owner who has done engine rebuild with receipts etc. But these will cost upwards of 22k.

The bottomline is there is alot more costs involved than just the purchase price.

[GTS4WD]

You know what?

I’m going to play devils advocate.

If he can buy it. Buy it.

Isn't the whole idea of this "game" we play to make sacrifices all for the enjoyment of your car?

I am a uni student. I pay for my own on-campus accommodation. I receive very little financial support from the folks (only now and again for rego or insurance). I pay for MOST of my rego, insurance, all running costs, all petrol, all mods etc.

I realise how hard it will be, but he MUST CONTROL HIMSELF! Not only when driving it. But in all aspects f his life. He has to be VERY disciplined;

Public transport throughout the week

Occasionally drive on the weekend – not all day everyday

Do his own work on it (bonus is you learn the mechanics, knowledge and experience – which are priceless)

Hunt for cheaper parts.. not buy from the first workshop/website

Cut down on going out/non essential buying

SAVE SAVE SAVE

Take the necessary precautions to LEARN HOW TO DRIVE the car – defensive driver courses, skid pan days, track days – Im sure his parents will help chip to better educate him as a driver and not be a deadshit on the road. He has to realise that its not the car that makes the driver, it’s the driver that makes the car. He isn’t any better a driver after buying a GTR than he was with his old car.

His focus must be on becoming a better driver and bettering his skills, not driving fast. There is no such thing as an un-skilled fast driver.

Of course he will want to give it a squirt. But this is when control must come in. Track racing only. No street hoonism! Or else the can wave goodbye to 15 grand, his licence, get slapped with a MASSIVE fine (thousands of dollars) and even face jail time.

Unless you/he can honestly say 100% that he can control himself behind the wheel of a GTR and not be a wanker and make the sacrifices that need to be made, then don’t bother. It will end bad for everyone with massive repercussions for him, for the modified community, for P platers and (god forbid) an innocent person/s and family.

Just because he is young.. does not mean he is an idiot.. we all were/are young. Some people just have their head screwed on. So question is, does your mate have his head screwed on? Or is he in it for the "street cred", the race scene and to "prove" himself? Is he going to be thrashing around town because he has a GTR?

Its far more impressive to see a good driver that can control themselfs than a dickhead.

I too am on my greens and will rarely drive dads 220kw rb25det 32. I know the tempations. I know the feeling you get. You think your god. You continuously want to feel boost and hear the turbo spool up, in ever gear. You feel superior than everyone on the road. But its not you. Its the car. You have to be VERY down to Earth. You have to be focused on keeping your licence, life and car. You have to realise that ANYTHING can happen. And more often than not, it happens when you least expect it. Before you do ANYTHING, he has to think, "what could go wrong? What are the negative outcomes?". The answere to both of thee questions is NEVER "nothing".

Thats my 2cents..

I just turned 20.. I think its possible.. but its a very VERY VERY long shot.

Its a complete lifestyle change.

Edited August 2, 2008 by GTS4WD

[Duncan1]

You know what?

I'm going to play devils advocate.

If he can buy it. Buy it.

Isn't the whole idea of this "game" we play to make sacrifices all for the enjoyment of your car?

I am a uni student. I pay for my own on-campus accommodation. I receive very little financial support from the folks (only now and again for rego or insurance). I pay for MOST of my rego, insurance, all running costs, all petrol, all mods etc.

I realise how hard it will be, but he MUST CONTROL HIMSELF! Not only when driving it. But in all aspects f his life. He has to be VERY disciplined;

Public transport throughout the week

Occasionally drive on the weekend – not all day everyday

Do his own work on it (bonus is you learn the mechanics, knowledge and experience – which are priceless)

Hunt for cheaper parts.. not buy from the first workshop/website

Cut down on going out/non essential buying

SAVE SAVE SAVE

Take the necessary precautions to LEARN HOW TO DRIVE the car – defensive driver courses, skid pan days, track days – Im sure his parents will help chip to better educate him as a driver and not be a deadshit on the road. He has to realise that its not the car that makes the driver, it's the driver that makes the car. He isn't any better a driver after buying a GTR than he was with his old car.

His focus must be on becoming a better driver and bettering his skills, not driving fast. There is no such thing as an un-skilled fast driver.

Of course he will want to give it a squirt. But this is when control must come in. Track racing only. No street hoonism! Or else the can wave goodbye to 15 grand, his licence, get slapped with a MASSIVE fine (thousands of dollars) and even face jail time.

Unless you/he can honestly say 100% that he can control himself behind the wheel of a GTR and not be a wanker and make the sacrifices that need to be made, then don't bother. It will end bad for everyone with massive repercussions for him, for the modified community, for P platers and (god forbid) an innocent person/s and family.

Just because he is young.. does not mean he is an idiot.. we all were/are young. Some people just have their head screwed on. So question is, does your mate have his head screwed on? Or is he in it for the "street cred", the race scene and to "prove" himself? Is he going to be thrashing around town because he has a GTR?

Its far more impressive to see a good driver that can control themselfs than a dickhead.

I too am on my greens and will rarely drive dads 220kw rb25det 32. I know the tempations. I know the feeling you get. You think your god. You continuously want to feel boost and hear the turbo spool up, in ever gear. You feel superior than everyone on the road. But its not you. Its the car. You have to be VERY down to Earth. You have to be focused on keeping your licence, life and car. You have to realise that ANYTHING can happen. And more often than not, it happens when you least expect it. Before you do ANYTHING, he has to think, "what could go wrong? What are the negative outcomes?". The answere to both of thee questions is NEVER "nothing".

Thats my 2cents..

I just turned 20.. I think its possible.. but its a very VERY VERY long shot.

Its a complete lifestyle change.

Nicely written, lets just hope his friend takes it all in....

[madbung]

Tell him to do whatever makes him happy, deal with whatever consequences those choices bring like a man, absorb the lessons that come free with said consequences. Then repeat for the next 50+ years if he's lucky.

Break the law ect..as long as he doesn't cry when it all turns to poo.

He's 19 years old so he'll most probably do whatever he wants regardless of advice or reason.

[infamous_t]

Just make sure he gets full comprehensive insurance, as he's probably reckless enough to write it off in 6 months.

Actually, no, I don't want my premiums to go up... just kick him in the head.

[Iron Chef]

^^^ Good point.

[GUN_METAL_GTR32]

TELL HIM NOT TO DO IT, TRUST ME ILL TELL U MY GTR STORY LOL.

I WAS YOUNG AND DUMB (20) AND JUST WROTE OFF MY SUPRA BEING A SMART MUTHERf*kA I THINK ILL GO OUT AND GET SOMETHING BETTER (GTR).

my insurance payout was not what i was expecting i only got 17k for my supra, so i went searching for a gtr on the cheap, this was 3 years ago as well when they were still selling for reasonable mid to high 20s lol

i found one on carsales which i quickly bought (the dude was also on this forum btw and his name was rowdy32 or something like that) anyway, i went checked it out and it wasnt running but he said he would have it running in a couple of days so a few days later i went down there and it was running, now me being a dumbflamin mongrel think to myself it should be ok its just a car. boy was i worng.

as soon as i get it home it conked out lol

take the car to a mechanic who promtly tells me that there is a crack in the block and a blown h/gasket, so im like what do we do.

rebuild he reckons. so im like lets do it lol

$8000 later AND LIKE 5 MONTHS WITH ME CALLING HIM EVERYWEEK AND HIM SAYING TO ME THAT IT WILL BE READY NEXT WEEK WERE WAITING ON A PART FROM JAPAN AND THE BOAT IS STUCK IN THE DOCKS OR SOME BULL SHIT. he calls me and says come pick up the car (it wasnt registered so i went with a towie) gave him the cash and said good bye.

get it home and all was good for a couple of weeks until one night i take it out for a drive and the oil guage went to "0"

the car limped home only just. (i didnt have a licence so couldnt really call racv lol and had to get it off the streets pronto)

one "mechanic" i will never go to again and none of my mates go there now either . . . stupid lebo f**k!!! he also later got a dude i know his car and it was there for like 6 months and for like something very small, after like 3 months he went down there and the car want even there lol. it was quite an ordeal i heard

anyway after getting quotes from another mechanic for another build i just moved the car on and swapped with someone for a much cheaper car.

so the moral of the story is this

gtr $16000

rebuild 1 $8000

a hole bunch of little things i got for it $2000

nearly a year of bullshit

tell him not to do it.

it seriously is not worth it, save till he finds a quality one and he has a job to buy/fix/maintain

A GTR NEEDS MORE THAN ALOT OF MONEY.

even though i was a dickhead who just went in straight out and bought a car i have definately learnt my lesson. my next car will be an r34 gtr and will be checked out meticulously.

ps if anyone in victoria wants the name of the mech that did all the bullshit pm me