Opinion/advice On This Car (Want To Buy)

[darksky34]

Hey all,

found another GTT which I may be interested in, this time the price is extremely low which has me really curious as to why it is so.

anyway, anybody have intel on this one?

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/guildford/cars-vans-utes/1999-nissan-skyline-coupe/1009797388

I've messaged asking for VIN to run a history check, awaiting reply.

Cheers for any help.

And yes I know "you get what you pay for" but hey, there's something called a bargain....right?

[Hadouken]

Use common sense. Get a compression test. Do all the usual checks.

If you take the right measures you should not be dissapointed

[Plattsy]

i always suspect steering wheel covers....

why would you put one on a skyline!!? just do your due diligence. test drive the shit out of it. we all know mileage is almost never real on jap imports. so be careful bud!

[darksky34]

yeah the steering wheel cover really raised my eyebrows, OR this guy just wants to protect it from tattering!

will be approaching this with caution, but fingers crossed!

[Plattsy]

best of luck mate keep us updated.

[GTR-N1]

Use common sense. Get a compression test. Do all the usual checks.

If you take the right measures you should not be dissapointed

Yup

When emotional, I always take a friend or two; and we all have a list to check off.

Then my emotions don't rush ahead of my logic.

[niZmO_Man]

Don't forget the look under the car.

[xntrq]

Talk to Garland from Top Secret Imports. Give him a call or email him at [email protected].

He can help and tell you what to look for and show you some examples of good ones and bad ones, what to look for and the origin as well. He's got pics of good and bad underbodies, engine bays, rusts etc.

The tests I did during my test drive before I got my 34 were:

- Hold high rev

- check all controls/switches

- 2K RPM launch

- tip tronic (if auto)

- low RPM steep hill climb

- Drive on a straight and flat road and let go of steering wheel and see if it holds a straight drive line

- Check all gaps and crevasses

- jack car up and check underbody

- check shocks

I believe some GTTs are fair for that price since they are widely available. N/A's (2 doors anyway) seem to be higher market value than the GTTs despite the difference in power. I think it's cause more P platers are looking for cars like skylines as their first pride and joy, like myself.

P.S: the driver side seat belt "arm" appears to be broken.

[JGTC]

the rear fog light/reverse light setup come standard on GTRs, however on 25GTs and GT-ts, it was fitted on R34s as an option sold in the north of Japan - where there is alot of snow / adverse conditons - which means salt is used on the roads

check the undercarriage - exhaust, spare-wheel well, suspension arms and any nooks and crannys where salt can fling up and manifest into rust

- the brake caliper in the picture looks shot/faded to kingdom come - make sure you have a thourough look under the car looking for rust

ask about who installed the power mods as well as what brand and if they were bought new (intercooler, air intake, exhaust) - as you can see all the underbody splash guards have been gutted to accomodate these - a good installer will try and retain as much as this as possible to maintain a cleaner look - if they have been installed carelessly your car will not forgive you constantly throwing ECU errors, unforseen air/fluid leaks etc - this can even happen when things have been done correctly

sure the car has new tyres but are they cheap china-made one there to simply keep your rims from touching the floor? - this indicates the financial priority the seller places on the car as a whole - approach with caution - theres a difference between good value rubber and just plain nasty accident inducing rubber

if you are able to take it to a mechanic or can bring one with you;

- have the compression of each cylinder tested

- scan the ECU to see if there are any error codes that have been previously thrown up

- being a manual - ask if u can start and test drive the car cold so i can see how the car (engine & gearbox) reacts after its been asleep

- do a REVs check to see if it has been written off or more improtantly stolen

- take the steering wheel cover off and inspect the condition

- check the blue VIN plate is

a. there

b. engine no. reads the same as the number engraved inside the engine bay

c. colour code corresponds to the car in question - in this case it should say GV1 which is Black Pearl - no word of a lie i went to see a Bayside Blue R34 at a very reputable parts trader in Kirrawee, and the VIN plate indicated the car was Black - guy got very defensive when i asked about the auction sheet and pressed a little bit - i simply walked away having wasting only my time

2 things thing people never check on private cars

- engine oil level / condition - check if low / very black - take a torch and shine into the engine where you take the oil cap off - ask what oil he/she uses - the nerdier they are the better

- transmission oil level / condition - ask when this was last done and with what oil

- ask if 98 octane has been used and if yes ask if the owner has any spare receipts to prove it

no offence to the sydney's western suburbs (i live in it myself) but the more affordable these cars become (used to be 25K+ only 5-ish years ago), the more dropkicks / hectics are getting into them and raping them / treating it as an accessory rather than a living thing - im talking not warming it up, thrasing it from the turn-key, doughies, skids (guilford is right next to whetherill park's industrial area), not warming it down after hard driving, cheaping out on servicing / extended fluid change intervals (ask how often it is serviced and if there are receipts/proof) between services etc - pretty much buying a skyline but treating it like a charade/beater

nobody who buys a jap import drives it like a granny - it's just a matter of how they treat it when / before / after being on-boost / driving enthusiastically that makes the difference

not saying this doesn't happen outside the western suburbs but you would be ignorant to assume all areas are equal

if you're part of this forum my blind assumption is you're one to look after your car, just try and find a car from an owner who cares about cars as much as you do, not some oink who is trying to offload his car because he has finished having his way with it

if any of these inspection tests / questions extract a bad attitude or discomfort from the seller or give you any impression he/she is a deadbeat or hectic - walk away because its always better to look a bit like a goose than to pick up someones third world raped sloppy seconds

Edited November 26, 2012 by squareznboxez

[portaz]

What he said if u follow the above post u will be ok , good luck btw

[Ruxis]

"spare petrol receipts" made me lol

[Manuel Kasko]

Yeah I always throw them away.

Not doing that anymore

I'm going to collect all of them to show the buyer

[Ruxis]

what about if you fill up once a month though? i may be a tad screwed on this point...

might have to fill the tiida with 98

[Manuel Kasko]

"ohh that block of chocolate umm yeah I hadn't had lunch"

[JGTC]

its a bit anal mate but the amout of R34's u see pulling into a woolies servo going for the cheap stuff + the 4c discount - i wouldn't be taking anyones word for gospel - esp with the cars going for the bargains they are now - you would be kidding yourself to assume that only enthusiasts own them - too many dropkicks to take anyones word - becuase everyone says they fill up with 98 - which is bollocks

Yeah I always throw them away. Not doing that anymore I'm going to collect all of them to show the buyer

[oweban]

...i can't remember the last time i bought fuel for the R33 august?

[R34NeoGTT]

yea there's a fair few people now that owns cars in general not just skylines that dont look after their cars like most of us do here.

which makes us look bad sometimes too. i service my car every 2500kms lol abit to anal but thats just how i am. its only a weekender too.

[suwidji]

When i bought my 34, I made sure to do a lot of research prior. I got state roads to check it out before i bought it with minor aesthetic faults.

how did you go with this car OP? did you end up buying it? I also found mine from an ad on gumtree, didn't know how reliable it was, but im happy with it

My old car (kia rio lols) wasn't looked after very well *shame on me* but then again it was my first car and i really had an "i dont care" attitude haha. just something from A to B.

But getting my 34 (almost dream car....dream car being the r34 GTR) i wasn't going to skimp it cheap. 98 premium all the time (i tried 95 but the drive felt crap), fluids changed regularly etc. Expensive being on a student budget, but worth it

[darksky34]

thanks everyone for their help, i didn't end up getting this car because by the time i messaged him/ found this ad, he'd sold it already for 11k. which makes me wonder if it was a bargain, or something wrong with it. but we'll never know...

[suwidji]

wow 11k?

sounds even more dodgy.

haha, but keep hunting one down I got mine for a bargain at 14.5k, and like i said it only had minor aesthetic faults.