Buying 2005 V35 250Gt Premium - Any Tips

[LegionMe]

First Post and thinking I might be doing this wrong and I should do it in the Newbie's area however I have my heart set on getting a 2005 V35 250GT Premium (ok don't hang me because it's not a 350GT im after the 250 - and no im not a girls blouse)

I have just picked myself up form the floor after finding out the cost of insurance (im not on P plates), which is not the end of the world however I want to make sure I do all I can to get the best car.

Plans are:

1) Find a importer who has one of these cars available for a reasonable price.

2) Make sure the KM are low or around the 50k mark

3) Prefer vehicle with No prior damage (rely on the honesty of the person)

4) Make sure it's got a Australian compliance

5) Get RACV check? will they check these cars?

6) Get New Alarm/Immobiliser as I have been told the one factory fitted doesn't comply with Aust rules? is this true?

7) If I do get the car ask for the import certificate with the car? is this the norm

Just want to make sure I have everything in order before I take the plunge.

Is there anything else I need to consider or look out for?

If this post needs to be moved please let me know.

thanks

Matt.

(prior vehicles: 1963 Triumph Spitfire Mk1, 1976 Triumph 2500TC) this is first Skyline Import for me.

Edited March 5, 2013 by LegionMe

[AlexanderWilde]

3) check the boddy lines usualy if the panels are closer at 1 end or more distant from eachother then the pannels have been taken off and placed back. not a must but this usualy indicates repairs or replacements. also if you look at the screws where the quarter pannels are connected in the engine bay if you see that the screw was undone and redone or sometimes the lines where it used to be and then painted over that is another indication repair or repaint was done.

check engine bay paint collor as some spray painters wont remove the engine to paint the engine bay so you may notice new paint lines defining the old paint from the new one

5) Get RACV Check is good to make sure there is no loans or encumberance on the car. but other than that you wont know if it was a whreck in Japan and fixed up and sent over for cheap. i think u may need to do your due diligence when it comes to picking the importer.

7) Never heard of an importer bring a car and not provide a import cert to the owner. then again murder still happens in this day and age. im a second owner of my v35 and i called the original importer and asked them for teh certificate and after 2 years from import day the guys still had it on record and faxed it thru.

[LegionMe]

Thanks for that information Alex, appreciate your help with this.

6) do i need to replace the Immobiliser? or is this part of the Australian Compliance process.

[Seano350GT]

Chris Rogers would be the man to speak to about alarms

Alex has already given you a good couple of points but there's a bit more to it.

Take the car for a GOOD test drive, make sure you go over some rough bits of road and please for god sake don't let the owner turn up the stereo - he will be hiding noises, make sure it's OFF.

Inspect the car thoroughly, then get a qualified mechanic to check over the vehicle for you. I got a RACQ check done on my car pre-purchase and came back all good so i went for it.

If the car is manual - Make sure you go through ALL the gears, this is a mistake i made i only got up to 4th gear on the test drive. Drove the car 1000km home first change into 5th was a nasty crunch - Cost me a new gearbox.

If you go through a dealer, be careful. Do a google search on the name, if you read a whole lot of horrible reviews then i'd go elsewhere.

If you are paying cash for the car, make sure you do a REVS check (otherwise known as a PPSR) this tells you if the car is encumbered (money owed) written off or stolen. If you send me the VIN i can do this for you for free, i sell cars myself.

Weigh up the differences between age km's and condition. E.G if the car is 8 years old and claims to have only done 50,000km the interior and exterior should back this up. Look for common wear signs like the bolsters on the seats, condition of brakes and the hubs.

Think that's about it, goodluck!

[LegionMe]

Sean, thanks for the update I will keep my eyes and ears open.

Cheers. Matt.

[Seano350GT]

No worries dude, out of curiosity why the choice of a 250gt instead of the 3.5?

[LegionMe]

Dont need the 3.5 and happy with the Slow turtle 2.5.

Start off slow then get the wife/family use to the car then get something with a little more grunt/dignity.

By the sounds of this forum I need to take it up to QLD when I get one, thats apparently where all the people live who know all about these cars.

Edited March 6, 2013 by LegionMe

[Seano350GT]

All about making the Mrs happy isn't it haha.

Yeah pretty good community down in Brissy, wish i could say the same for up here. 1 of 2 V35 owners in Mackay

[t5iv]

In relation to the 250GT, from what I hear, parts seem to be a bit rarer.

SInce the 350GT shares a lot of components with the 350Z, you can easily get stuff you need.

Come and join us in Brisbane. We catch up weekly and have a good laugh. Details can be found in the QLD events section.

[Seano350GT]

Yeah the modification potential with the 250GT isn't much at all but if you don't need to make it fast then that doesn't really matter.

[t5iv]

Yeah the modification potential with the 250GT isn't much at all but if you don't need to make it fast then that doesn't really matter.

Also the availibilty of replacement parts if anything goes wrong...

[sonicii]

Shouldn't be too bad, many parts on the car are the same as the 350gt or the 350z, it is really just some specific engine parts and transmission parts. I would expect normal consumable parts like radiator hoses and spark plugs should be easy enough to obtain.

The items that are different aren't really know to fail or be problematic.

[LegionMe]

Thank you Greg for filling me with a bit of confidence now, was getting a little worried about from Tony's comments however in this modern times im sure the internet will be able to help me track down parts if normal channels cant help.

I appreciate all your comments and I hope I can find the right one soon!.

[Seano350GT]

Yeah don't stress man you'll be right.

[junkie]

I just bought one a month ago, so far id suggest checking the front rotors (mine were shot), check the radio has an FM expander, unless you are planning to replace it, and check all the interior electrics carefully. Also check the crappyness of the tyres, they will mostly be pretty cheap compliance parts but its not always bad.

Bad repairs should be easy to spot. Paint thats too "fresh" looking for the age of the car, paint missing from bolts around the door hinges, buffer damage on plastic trim parts, body parts that dont quite line up, ripples under the paint when you look down the side of the car, etc

Edited March 6, 2013 by junkie

[Chris Rogers]

make sure if you get one with the smart key that it has TWO keys. local nissan dealers tend to bitch at me when I send them cars to rekey.

keys will be a sticking point with these. find a nissan dealer that speaks import and works on imports.

parts - easy. I can get most things for these quite easily and quickly.

Immobilser - that was a insurance requirement actually. ADR 82 I *think* has been updated.

questions - ask. I will reply when I have time.

[LegionMe]

Everyone thank you all so much for your help advice and confidence.

Somehow from an act of God my wife has agreed that the 2006 V36 350GT SP is a better car for our family!

So if everything goes well late next week I should be driving this instead for the 250GT.

Rally appreciate the help and assistance as some of these points assisted with the decision.

I will upload some photos when I get the car.

Looking forward to becoming part of this community.

Matt.

Edited March 14, 2013 by LegionMe

[Seano350GT]

Good decision! My mrs encouraging me to spend MORE money in unheard of so I wouldn't argue with that haha.

[sonicii]

Nice.. I am sure you will be happy with it!!

I have considered upgrading to a V36, especially with some of the prices importers are quoting lately. - I probably would have one by now if the sedans were available in a 6sp manual.. the coupe is a bit impractical for me at the moment and I really don't want an auto.

[Gnome73]

Somehow from an act of God my wife has agreed that the 2006 V36 350GT SP is a better car for our family!

Awesome!! V36 sedans look soo much better than the V35 sedans, good result. Extra 90 hp too