Looked At Another R33 Today

[defari]

^ no problems mate.. just be wary of buying cars with mods already done to it.. If they are just soft mods like intake/exhaust etc they should be ok.. just remember that the more mods on the cars, usually means the car has been given a bit of a beating. Even though doing the mods yourself will be more expensive than if they are already done, at least you have peace of mind that the mods are being done correctly..

[Rolls]

Find something with a rebuilt motor and receipts to prove it, you'll save so much money and it is good insurance. Make sure it has at least 2000kms on it so that you know the build is going to last.

Even if it costs you $5k more than every other example, you'll have saved $20k in 2 years time.

I bought an R32 for $11k recently and it had $20k of mods on it, sure it still needed things done to it but the amount of money I saved is incredible.

[Touge Kyousou]

Definitely on rebuild plus some km's to know it will last like i posted before.. i think maybe more than 2000kms though Rolls ? In the SAU failed engines thread i think there are a few rebuilds in there that started failing at around the 6000kms mark or so.

[juzz88]

What constitutes a rebuilt engine?

This? : Silver R33

I love the look of it, and if it's making 210rwkw @ 11PSI then it leaves me plenty of growing room for later. Anyone think that number is BS? Or do all those mods he did to the engine make a big difference?

The only other car I like atm mods wise is this one: White R33

As it has a high flow, fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator already done. All I really planned to do to this one was put in an EBC and get it tuned.

However neither of the above two have gotten back to me yet. I've called the first guy twice in the past 24 hours with no answer, and sent 2 emails to the guy who owns the white one and haven't heard back from him yet either. lol

Edited September 10, 2010 by juzz88

[juzz88]

Had a look at this skyline today

WhiteSkyline

All was looking good until I took it for a test drive. It was pinging at about 4-5000 rpm.

How much of a problem is this? If I get it stateroads checked and all is well except or the pinging, will an EBC and a tune fix the problem?

The seller seems to think so, but just thought I'd get your opinions. Cheers.

[Rolls]

Definitely on rebuild plus some km's to know it will last like i posted before.. i think maybe more than 2000kms though Rolls ? In the SAU failed engines thread i think there are a few rebuilds in there that started failing at around the 6000kms mark or so.

Yeah that is a good point, probably a bit longer is the best bet.

[juzz88]

Yeah that is a good point, probably a bit longer is the best bet.

Looks like I may have found one.

White R34

It has a new motor that was put in at 115,000. So I shouldn't have any worries hopefully.

Looks like we have agreed on My smashed Prelude + 13k cash his way for the car. However, he is going to get the front bar fixed for me, respray the whole car and put on new tyres for me too. He will also supply the RWC. I test drove the car tonight (it belongs to my cousin's boyfriend's best friend) and it drives very well. He says it is running at 5psi atm because he got trouble from the police, but he said it he will go back to his mechanic (who originally imported the car and who he bought it from) to get it tuned back up to 10psi, which is how he had it previously.

I'm guessing I won't get anywhere near 200rwkw @ 10psi with those mods (full exhaust, pod, FMIC, hks wastegate, fuel pump <--- unsure what brand, full locker diff), but if I use the Apexi EBC that it comes with to pump it up to 14psi every once in a while I'm guessing I'll be there or there abouts? 10psi should be ample for a daily though.

If stateroads give it the thumbs up hopefully this will be the one.

Thoughts?

[Ten Four]

Heh, I wouldn't be touching that white R34, but thats just me.

Just looks like a car thats been thrashed to hell... New engine at 115kms?? Hows the box, clutch and rest of it doing?

I'd get the White anniversary 33gtst. The pinging could even be fuel... But yeah, a tune should fix.

[juzz88]

Heh, I wouldn't be touching that white R34, but thats just me.

Just looks like a car thats been thrashed to hell... New engine at 115kms?? Hows the box, clutch and rest of it doing?

I'd get the White anniversary 33gtst. The pinging could even be fuel... But yeah, a tune should fix.

Clutch and gearbox both seem fine. The clutch in the 34 is a lot better than the one in the 33 I saw yesterday. It's a HD clutch, just wasn't mentioned in the ad. The car looks to be in a lot better condition in person than it does from the pics. I was apprehensive about looking at the car too based on the pics. My only real complaint is the front bumper, but that will be fixed. Anything else you think I should look out for?

The guy with the anniversary white R33 won't get back to me, but the 1996 R33 with the pinging has been thrashed too. The owner was very honest with me lol. Plus he has done a lot of the work himself. Whereas with the 34, everything has been done by a mechanic.

I'll get the 34 stateroad checked, if it's thrashed I'll try the other 33.

Also keep in mind that the pics from the white 1996 R33 are very old, the car doesn't look like that anymore. The paint is a lot rougher than the 34.

Cheers mate.

Edited September 12, 2010 by juzz88

[mad082]

the 34 has been thrashed. no one puts in a locked diff just to drive like a granny. they put it in to drift, so i'm guessing it's spent a fair bit of time bashing on the limiter. stateroads check won't be able to tell you things like that.

[alr33x]

plus its from oak park...

lol

[juzz88]

the 34 has been thrashed. no one puts in a locked diff just to drive like a granny. they put it in to drift, so i'm guessing it's spent a fair bit of time bashing on the limiter. stateroads check won't be able to tell you things like that.

I understand that, but at the end of the day I'm looking at Skylines. Do you know of any that haven't been thrashed a bit at some point? Please don't take that the wrong way, I'm not trying to be smart. It's like people who high flow their turbos, they don't do that to drive at the speed limit and change gears at no higher than 3000 rpm.

From what my cousins have told me he bought the locked diff so it would go sideways better as you said, but he doesn't do it very often. Doesn't go drifting at the track and doesn't drive like a hoon. Gives it a bit of a lead foot from time to time, but no more than the average performance car owner.

What do you mean there is no way a stateroads check can see if the car has been thrashed though? The guy was able to tell with the black 33 I looked at last week. Failed compression test and the car ran like crap.

[Rolls]

I wouldn't buy a car with a locker unless the motor had been rebuilt so you have some insurance it isn't on its last legs, make sure you get a compression and leakdown test, also check the oil etc.

[juzz88]

I wouldn't buy a car with a locker unless the motor had been rebuilt so you have some insurance it isn't on its last legs, make sure you get a compression and leakdown test, also check the oil etc.

Will definitely be doing a compression test. Is a leak down test necessary only if the compression test fails? Or should I do it anyway?

What do you mean by rebuilt motor? As in a second motor?

What am I looking for with the oil? Burnt oil?

[Rolls]

I mean a motor that has been stripped and has brand new bearings etc in it. A second hand motor is no better than the original motor.

Compression test won't cost you more than $200 if you couple it with a full inspection at any decent skyline workshop.

With the oil just check that it actually has oil and that it isn't 100% black, dark brown is normal and means it is doing it's job, just watch out for a car that looks like it has never had the oil changed.

[juzz88]

Yeah I'm getting a compression test done, but is a leak down test necessary if the compression test is ok? I thought leak down was only to see why the compression test failed. Either way I'll speak to the stateroads guy and see what he says. If I have to pay more for the leakdown test I'll do it.

I'll have to ask more questions about the engine. Not sure if it was second hand or new when put in. But I do know that it hasn't been touched since being put in. So obviously it hasn't been rebuilt.

Will definitely get him to have a good look at the oil too.

Cheers mate.

[mad082]

the stateroads check that showed low compression didn't tell you that the engine had been thrashed, it shows that the engine was tired. this can be caused by many things, and thrashing it is only one cause. poor maintainance is another, or just simply a mechanical failure of internal parts.

also there is a difference between a car that has a few mods and is given a bit of a squirt every now and then on the street and someone who takes the car to the track and has it banging on the limiter for ages. the compression test may show that it's fine, but that doesn't mean that in 2 weeks time the turbo is going let go or the bearings aren't going to let go, etc. sure this could happen on any engine, but the chances of it happening on an engine that has spent a lot of time at very high rpm are more likely.

[juzz88]

also there is a difference between a car that has a few mods and is given a bit of a squirt every now and then on the street and someone who takes the car to the track and has it banging on the limiter for ages.

From what I've been told, the first scenario applies to this car. I would hope that my cousin and his sister's boyfriend wouldn't lie to me about that lol.

[mad082]

i would also find out what "fully locked diff" actually means. is it a 1 way, 1.5 way, 2 way or has it just been welded up? if it has been welded then walk away and don't even bother getting stateroads to look at it. how was it turning sharp corners (like turning sharp from an intersection)? could you hear the inside wheel spinning?

you mention in your post linking to the carsales ad a hks wastegate. what turbo is it running to need a hks wastegate? and what manifold? bit hard to tell from the pics, but i doubt it has a hks wastegate and either the guy selling it thinks it has one and knows too little about cars to know that it actually doesn't or is lying to you.

it sounds a bit like the guy doesn't know what he's talking about though. he has said it has a stainless steel radiator but it's actually alloy. i'd also find out the reason for getting the alloy radiator. also find out the reason for the new engine at 115,000kms (if he was the owner when it happened). how many kms on the engine that was put in? has it had the timing belt changed? also very unsure about the "whole car resprayed" bit. is it going to be some backyard job done in acrylic or will it be professionally done in 2 pack?

for someone selling a car he hasn't exactly gone to much trouble to try and make the car look tidy for the photos. interior is dirty, engine bay is dirty, hasn't even washed it.

don't want to scare you off it too much, but these are just a few things i would be finding out before spending a cent more on getting the car looked at.

[juzz88]

Yeah he doesn't know a hell of a lot about cars. He doesn't even know how to use the boost controller, hence why it is at 5psi still.

Turning corners was fine, I had no problems with it. My mate Pedro reckons it makes a sound when turning corners because of the diff, but I couldn't tell. I was too busy concentrating on the road I guess lol. I will ask Pedro to find out what the diff is now.

Why is welded bad? Just because it is unroadworthy or because it is very dangerous?

To my knowledge it has the stock turbo. At least that's what he said. Again, he seems to know very little about cars like myself.

The new engine was because the old one was starting to have problems. But if it was showing 115,000 who knows what the real Ks on it were, as a lot of skylines are clocked back prior to importing correct?

I will ask about the timing belt too.

For the respray he is getting his brother in law to do it, who is a panel beater. Will just be plain white as far as I know, which doesn't bother me. Hell I'd take the paint as it is now if he gets that broken front bar fixed and touched up, but he offered to respray the whole car. I'm guessing he will just go over the current coat. I'm not expecting a full rub down and brand new paintjob from scratch. My only concern with the car is the mechanics. I've seen cars in a lot worse cosmetic condition. You'd be surprised how many people don't bother to wash the car or clean the interior before having the car looked at. Like I said, it looks nicer in person than it does in the pics. Whilst the other cars I've looked at are the opposite.

Thanks for all the advice though, I've got some more questions to ask next time I speak to him now.