R32 Reliability

[chopperkid]

Hey guys, ive searched the forums and cant find a topic on this so sorry if there is one already

i am hopefully purchasing my first skyline . I have found an R32 GTS-T for a really good price and have worked out insurance if i do chose to buy it.

i am a huge lover of the R32 but money is fairly tight and i was wondering how reliable the car will be as it is 20 years old i am getting a trusted friend who is a respected mechanic to look the car over with me but i am asking you guys who own similar cars. should i expect it to break down every week and cost me an arm and a leg to fix or should it run well as long as i look after it (which i will as i have a huge respect for cars in general haha )

so yeh any feedback would be great before i let my emotions take over and just hand over the cash

thanks in advance

Brendan

[bubba]

My 32 gtst has never left me stranded (came close a couple of times.. snapped the clutch pivot once and another time split a heater hose) but being 20yo, you're going to have to expect that things are going to start needing replacing.

I think the major costs that *could* be involved would be replacing all bushes/wearing suspension components.. if the engine dies then a 2nd hand RB20 isn't very much but replacing all the bushes etc can be very labour/time intensive.

[Hibino]

I've never had a break down in my car *touch wood*.

Nothing major needed to be replaced really (other than by choice i.e. diff/engine conversion etc).

Just do a full service on it and drive it gently till you get a feel for how strong it is etc.

[tiberis]

only advice that i can give is from experience with my 1989 180sx (not a skyline, but from same era and similar build).

what i noticed is that when stuff starts going (like radiator hoses) it's a good indication that other similar items are going to fail. ie when one radiator hose goes, get them all changed. i went through all the hoses on my engine in like 6 months, one breaking after another. so basically it's worth doing things properly once

but if the previous owner(s) have respected the car then you will be fine. so things like not pushing it until the engine is hot etc.

[chopperkid]

thanks for the reply's guys

ive heard and reseached and stuff and they seem pretty tough. i just wanted to check from actual owners as to how they are. i will hopefully be buying one soon then:) as all ive heard is good things.

ill definately drive it gently haha. they dont deserve to be thrashed as they are amazing machines:)

thanks again

Brendan

[Rekin]

its a second hand sports car which has been driven like a sports car in japan and in australia.

If you expecting the same reliability as a family toyota corolla then you might be surprised.

Regardless if it is a skyline, any second hand sports car will require maintenance. What you should be looking into is the costs when things break, because thing will break.

Luckily for skylines there are plenty being destroyed by kids and there are plenty of spare parts and aftermarket parts floating around.

So once something goes pop it is quite easy and cheap to find a replacement part from Nissan Australia, skylinesaustralia or an import wrecker.

Plenty of r32 parts can be interchanged with r33's (starter motor, alternator, clutch) and GTR's (coilpacks, injectors *with some rewiring) etc

[Louloudias]

My gtr32 is costing me an arm and leg atm but thats because i thrash it.. look after it and it should be ok. also 32 gtst are cheap parts to find once you know were to look... =)

[Jenius]

I had my R32 GTS-t for about 5 years and it served me pretty well. I gave it slightly more frequent than usual servicing which kept in top condition.

It was well modded and I tracked it at least 3-4 times a year but it was also a daily car for me and I'm normally a very sedate driver. It never really gave me any grief aside from the usual RB engine hassles like the Coil-packs failing and the turbo manifold gaskets and bolts breaking.

I would also say the suspension arm bushes given that the car has double wishbone suspension all around they need to be replaced as mine started to rattle quite a bit and affect camber during cornering.

But those are really things from wear and tear due to its age. Those items mentioned above you'll only have to do like once every 6-8 years depending on how you drive it.

But like everyone else says it is basically a money pit and now that I've moved to a GTR. In comparance I kinda miss the simplicity of the GTS-t. Both cars are really reliable though. But I'd say the GTS-t was cheaper and easier to fix.