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heya guys,

been lookin at buyina GTR for some time now and i have found a sik 89 GTR. What does everyone think about that model? Ive heard that the brakes arent too good on them and that parts are hard to find and that buy now machanically they are gettin a bit past their used buy date. I would really love to buy it but just want to get everyones opinion first.

thanks guys

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https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/23258-r32-gtrs-specially-89-model/
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Cool. Get it man if it'll really make you happy. They are getting on, and as everybody else will tell you, '89 GT-R's have had a hard life, and if they haven't, they cost as much as an R33 GT-R. About the brakes, they're satisfactory IMO, but could do with an upgrade.

I have a 32 GTR and love it. It is an incredibly impressive car. Brakes are pretty bloody good with the right fluids and barke pads. They certainly could be better of course. I persoanlly prefer the 32 to the 33 due to the lightness of the car which makes it more impressive in corners and braking. Not to say that the 33 is not an awsome car.

If you were to be buying a 89 chances are it will be rough and abused so you would need to have a fair bit of money to reco the car. You would need to be able to rebuild the motor if it needed it. I would only want to pay under $15k for an 89 but would be happy to pay $30k for one here that I can drive and test etc.

Mick.

I recently pm'd Ben Ellis who is the editor of HPI about the 89 GTR's because I was looking into possibly importing one. He told me that there were definately good examples floating around and just basically to be choosy and be prepared for higher running costs. Whether this referred to fixing the RB26 & other parts of that age or just general maintenance I wasn't too sure but it did add some food for thought. The way I see it, there are two sides to the coin and atm the 89 model R's are a bit of an unknown quantity coz nobody has one yet. Until they are finally available to import under the 15yr old rule nobody here will know for sure whether they are worth it in terms of bargain prices. I know i'm hesitant on the gamble. If they are pretty decent, disregarding age, because it all comes down to how they have previously been treated, then they will turn out to be quite a purchase. The general mentality is that once a car reaches a certain age then they become susceptible to a buyers caution (esp with this model Skyline) which isn't the case all of the time. I have been looking at getting a 92/93 model but might wait and see how these 89's fair at the start of next year. Because i really can't justify spending the extra 10k if I can get a decent example and save the 10 g's. The only thing holding me back is the uncertainty of not being able to drive the car. At least with the newer models already in Oz, you can have that peace of mind. The last factor is the comparative value. Once the market starts taking more of these 89 models in i wonder how prices on the 92/93's will fare...of course they will always be higher but I just wonder if they will drop below the $35g mark for decent mildly modded examples?

Originally posted by GT-Rmgedon

Until they are finally available to import under the 15yr old rule nobody here will know for sure whether they are worth it in terms of bargain prices. I know i'm hesitant on the gamble. If they are pretty decent, disregarding age, because it all comes down to how they have previously been treated

I went down to the wharf here in Kobe 2 weeks ago to see my Pajero, and while I was there I inspected about 6 `89 GT-R`s, and drove one. Basically, they were *used*. The one I drove was ok, had some rock-hard coil overs fitted, but the gear shift action was sloppy as, there were squeaks and rattles while cornering, and scratches, small dents and what have you on practically every panel upon closer inspection... oh, and it had previously been in an accident. On the up-side, the engine seemed solid, no leaks, had a few mods and it pulled really hard.

A mixed bag really, but try and budget 800,000yen ($10,500) for the car at auction. That should get you a decent one for sure.

I think the price of any R32 GTR will drop by a few $k as a result of the 89 models.. whether they are in great condition or not. Its just increased supply leads to decrease in prices no matter what the condition.

Even assuming a few problems. $10k goes along way in making a rough GTR a very nice one (paint job, replacement suspension, even a few internal fixes).

Personally I'd just be waiting 12 months and seeing how it pans out.. you might miss out on some bargains, but then again, there are going to be a few 89 cars where guys are going need a few $k thrown at them that some people just weren't counting on. When that $17k was all they could scrape together (we're talking about many p-platers here), there are going to be quite a few people where the realities will hit home after a few months.

Thats of course assuming the government doesn't change the whole 15 year scheme..

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