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R32 Gtr Common Problems/maintenance Costs

Comsic Gate
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Comsic Gate Enthusiast

Comsic Gate

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi guys!

New to the boards and fairly new to the Skyline/GTR scene.

I myself own a 2001 Nissan Skyline R34 25GT that i am in the process of selling and am looking into getting a R32 GTR.

I have found a nice one on carsales that i am very much contemplating. 1994 model, 113,000kms done, mildly modded (tasteful mods i say), N1 turbos, strut braces, Viper alarm system, exhaust (unkown what type) and coil over suspension, other than the mentioned mods, it is as stock standard as they come.

Anyways, with all this in mind can anyone give me a quick listing of common R32 GTR problems and things to look out for?

Lastly if lets say this GTR that i am looking at has NO major problems, the 100km service has been completed and just general 20 year old wear and tear....would $5000 be a safe budget to get it driving up to scratch for a few years? I don't plan on touching it at all in regards to mods, just maintain and service.

Thanks guys and cheers!

PS. I am sorry if this thread has been done 1,000 times, i have tried the search function but can't find anything in regards to budgeting, so thought i would make a new thread.

Edited by Comsic Gate
HR32GTS 4DOOR Community Regular

HR32GTS 4DOOR

Posted
Posted

Have A look through here. Its pretty over the top but it gives you a dam good idea of what to look for.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/35129-im-buying-a-skyline-what-should-i-look-for/

Aussie_Delivered_R32_GTR Veteran

Aussie_Delivered_R32_GTR

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome........

I did a quick search and found the car that you are looking at............ It looks pretty clean and tidy to me.

Do you plan to drive it as a daily or a weekend fun car? Regardless, $5k should put you in a good position, especially if all the major stuff has been done.

When I bought my car I replaced all consumables (belts, hoses, fluids, plugs, seals, leads ets etc) plus had a dyno tune and the total bill was around $2200.00.

That said, if you have any major issues then the rest of your $5k won't take long to disappear. I noticed that your car has pods but the seller is offering the original air box with the sale.

Make sure you take that as here is NSW the police are rather strict on the intakes and defect plenty of cars for this reason. Personally I'd sacrifice some performance but be comforted by knowing your not going to be hassles by the boys in blue.

Other guys on here are a lot better equipped to advise on the pitfalls of the R32 GTR but after 17 years most obvious issues would have been sorted by now.

Good luck with it............

Bob.

Comsic Gate Enthusiast

Comsic Gate

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the reply's!

Yes i do plan on driving this car as my daily. I don't plan on driving it on track or thrashing the hell out of it.....just getting too and from work with little bursts here and there when safe :).

As mentioned i don't plan on adding anymore mods, i want to keep it as stock standard as possible and the one i mentioned from carsales is very close to that.

I guess i just have to confirm that the 100k service as been done, who its been done by and then get the car mechanically checked out.

My knowledge on cars is limited and i'm not very mechanically minded, so i dont want to deal with a lot of issues that the car might have.

iplen Mentor

iplen

Posted
Posted

In 2 years mine has done turbos (running 20psi, thought they were N1s...) water pump and exhaust cam. My biggest problem is that I hate working on it, with practice I could get the front turbo out and in in 5 hours. Nothing is an easy job. However for a daily car what you have now is 5x the car. The only benefit I can think of with the gtr is that sometimes, in a straight line you will have awd, which if it happens to be raining, you are silly with the throttle and there is something solid, might make a difference.. In every other way the 25gt is a better car

Comsic Gate Enthusiast

Comsic Gate

Posted
  • Author
Posted

In 2 years mine has done turbos (running 20psi, thought they were N1s...) water pump and exhaust cam. My biggest problem is that I hate working on it, with practice I could get the front turbo out and in in 5 hours. Nothing is an easy job. However for a daily car what you have now is 5x the car. The only benefit I can think of with the gtr is that sometimes, in a straight line you will have awd, which if it happens to be raining, you are silly with the throttle and there is something solid, might make a difference.. In every other way the 25gt is a better car

How many mods did you have?

Kms on the car?

20psi sounds hell of a lot compared to what i am thinking....i don't plan on modding this car, so it will run on stock boost, so i doubt it will have the same turbo issues yours had.

As mentioned i am talking in relation to this car having a full service history, 100km service complete, timing belt, oil changed etc. So if all of these are complete and i don't mod the car or thrash it, is a $5k budget enough to keep it running and well maintained for say a couple of years?

iplen Mentor

iplen

Posted
Posted

20psi is way too much for standard turbos.... so the only 2 probs I have I asked for, the front of the exhaust cam can be an issue too. The drive gear gets worn and the ignition timing will move, and that can be hard to pick up, these cars are 20 years old now.. I love my gtr, but in all honesty stick with what you have or go something newer like an Evo. If you are adament though $5k should be ample, and get it checked by a mechanic

Comsic Gate Enthusiast

Comsic Gate

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Well i inspected it today.

It was so damn clean! The paint work was immaculate, not old or worn at all, no noticeable scratches or dents.

The engine was real nice, everything was in tact and the car drove well, there wasn't any unusual sounds, the gear box didn't crunch and shifted well, the clutch was good, air con was good (spat out cold air), the clock works (unusual for a R32 GTR lol).

I work at Nissan and my work colleague who is the head GTR trainer (has been for 20 years) inspected it with me. This guy seriously knows his stuff and was very impressed with the condition of the car.

The 100km service had been done, timing belt replaced at 92,000kms (car is at 114,000kms now) and everything looked good.

I still would like it to get checked so i am thinking of getting taken to Racepace for an inspection before i commit. At work we are also going to do a VIN check on the car to see its history as well.

Edited by Comsic Gate
GTR_JOEY Grand Master

GTR_JOEY

Posted
Posted

Did u compression test it? May be well worth it.

4th gear will b the one that crunches so check it by giving it a bit in third and then a firm shift into 4th will tell a story...

That's cool the air con works though.. Not many do

Also look into changing cv boots and suspension bushes with that 5g if not already changed

At the end if the day I'd never buy a 34gtt over a 32 Gtr, u just don't get the same feeling when u drive it, even with all it's faults I love it

Comsic Gate Enthusiast

Comsic Gate

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Did u compression test it? May be well worth it.

4th gear will b the one that crunches so check it by giving it a bit in third and then a firm shift into 4th will tell a story...

That's cool the air con works though.. Not many do

Also look into changing cv boots and suspension bushes with that 5g if not already changed

At the end if the day I'd never buy a 34gtt over a 32 Gtr, u just don't get the same feeling when u drive it, even with all it's faults I love it

Nah no compression test, didn't have the time to do it.

During the driving test we told him to drive in all gears and listened very carefully to the gears. They didn't crunch at all and were quite responsive. There was no turbo lag either and the clock even worked lol!

We are going to chuck the car on a hoist at work tomorrow and fully inspect the undercarriage and do some further tests on it ( checking bushes, tie rod ends, cv boot, clutch inspection plate, clutch master/ Slave Cylinders). So far it looks legit and a nice car!

Only issue is there is no confirmation that the 100,000km service has been completed, the only little give away is that the timing belt has 92,000kms written on it, so i assume that means the belt got changed then along with the 100,000km service.

Not going to take any chances, if i get this car i will be doing the 100,000km service again to have peace of mind.

Edited by Comsic Gate
GTR_JOEY Grand Master

GTR_JOEY

Posted
Posted (edited)

Id say there's a pretty good chance it's been changed if it's been written on but if it makes u feel better then do it for sure...

Compression/leak down test it as well, at least if it dies u know u did everything u could to avoid it.

Hell even get the oil sampled if ur mega keen

Edited by GTR_JOEY
Comsic Gate Enthusiast

Comsic Gate

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Id say there's a pretty good chance it's been changed if it's been written on but if it makes u feel better then do it for sure...

Compression/leak down test it as well, at least if it dies u know u did everything u could to avoid it.

Hell even get the oil sampled if ur mega keen

If i buy, will most likely get all oils changed bro.

GTR_JOEY Grand Master

GTR_JOEY

Posted
Posted

Ahhh...

No as in get an oil sample and have it tested in a laboratory... It will tell u if there's components with excessive wear as well as which component it is...

This happens before u buy lol

Comsic Gate Enthusiast

Comsic Gate

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ahhh...

No as in get an oil sample and have it tested in a laboratory... It will tell u if there's components with excessive wear as well as which component it is...

This happens before u buy lol

Ah right lol...i'll keep it in mind bro! :thumbsup:

r32line Mentor

r32line

Posted
Posted

Hahaha i wouldn't be so pedantic if it wasn't a 17 year old car ;).

Based on what you have said so far the car sounds good, but no matter what I would NOT buy a GTR without doing a compression test. I have heard of one horror story where someone bought a GTR and then the engine blew up a few weeks after purchase despite test drive seeming fine..... The previous owner put in very thick oil to mask the enginges problems for the test drive etc. A compression test will give you satisfaction about the condition of the engine itself. Other things like alternators etc etc can go at any time but that is the same with any old car. Your $5k maintenance budget for the next few years seems resonable though I think, on the basis the car is in good running order and you look after it.

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