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Going to start looking around for an R32 to tinker on. It's been at least 8 years since I sold my last 32 and I'm starting to feel like an R32 Yoda with no light-sabre. Should I buy a GTR and leave it as it is with a proper refresh, or should I buy a GTSt or GTS4 and pull everything out and restomod it?

  • GTR is getting smashed by american fanboys snapping up even rusted out shitheaps for premiums, while the non GTRs seem to be going relatively cheaper without markups/competition.
  • Non GTRs have sunroofs!
  • I'd love to pull out all the antiquated ECUs and sensors, for lols switch the clunky gearbox to maybe a BMW gearbox with a paddle shift, hell I'd even love to switch to a bullet aluminium block and build the engine up at some point. The more of these "mods I like to try" I think of, the less of an original GTR I want to retain.
  • I've got spare GTR quarter panels, hood, dash, grille, indicators etc accumulated over a decade of owing all flavours of R32s.
  • I've got a daily driver that's fun to drive and really buying an R32 is really just to get back to my youth and tinker, learn and share. I dunno if I'd be satisfied with just leaving something stock.
  • It'd be cool to go on a spirited drive from time to time, but reality is with 2 kids that need baby seats any outing with the family is in the SUV. I can count on one hand the number of times I've driven anywhere on the weekend solo. I don't commute to work due to working from home. Takig the car out will probably be just for cruises, SAU events, the occasional track day.
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Definitely GTS4. 99% identical to a GTR and it doesn't really matter whether it makes 150kw instead of 200. Don't modify it, that is just a descent into the 100 levels of hell and a way to spend unlimited money. Enjoy it as the antique it is.

GTR is stupid money if you don't already have one and non-GTRs will be looked on with just as much fondness in the future, have a look at that 2000 GT-X Skid Factory did

  • Like 1
On 2/7/2023 at 11:10 AM, Duncan said:

have a look at that 2000 GT-X Skid Factory did

watching stuff that skid factory do is definitely influencing my want to tinker. I'd love to take all the knowledge i have about the R32, and all the modern stuff that I've got access to now because it's commodity or I've got a little more disposable income compared to 10 years ago, and make my own modern take on a 32.

Plus I just clocked 40 years so my mid-life-crisis boner is rock solid.

Really comes down to budget and what your doing with it? Decent 32 gtr is around 60-79K ish then another 50-100k to fix it properly after the last 20 owners have fcuked with it.

Go drive one first then go drive something modern from 2015 onwards. See how bad they are and then go buy the newer car.

@Dose Pipe Sutututu tell him he should buy a BMW and live the life of not always fixing sheit bok 😂

I am off old nissan's as street cars at the moment, I have found my 370z is a good in between compromise of can tinker with it and has some modern features. 

100% don't buy a Skyline, all you do is send your time and money fixing the piece of shit.

Just buy a M2 Comp, maybe flash it and enjoy your life. Before Wakefield Park closed down I would often see M2 Comps, near stock bar maybe a reflash, dump pipes and R compound tyres doing 1m5s with ease. Then the owners would then head home on the same tyres, most likely the same tank of fuel too.

Meanwhile all the Nissan shit boxes are swapping out wheels, spannering, filling up their cars with jerry cans, or booking in a tow truck because something has just sent itself.

Everytime I go to the track something breaks, last time was a power steering belt, previous time ABS died, previous previous time I binned a freshly built motor.

Sure people say BMWs are not reliable, but I mainly see or hear of Nissan shit boxes failing.

Ok, end rant. 

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
On 2/7/2023 at 2:31 PM, robbo_rb180 said:

Go drive one first then go drive something modern from 2015 onwards. See how bad they are and then go buy the newer car.

I've owned 1 R32 GTS Type X, 1 R32 GTSt, 2 R32 GTRs, 1 R32 GTS4 and 1 R32 GXi (with an SR20DET swap) in the past (plus a bunch of silvias/180sx's, a cefiro and an AE86). I know the pain I'm getting myself into with 80's/90's cars :D

On 2/7/2023 at 3:14 PM, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

100% don't buy a Skyline, all you do is send your time and money fixing the piece of shit.

I've got an Audi SQ5 for daily. I want something to tinker on with no specific purpose other than just owning another R32 for nostalgia sake.
 

On 2/7/2023 at 1:33 PM, Ben C34 said:

Live in regret of selling something for not much money, not buying something for too much money.

 

I think. Unless you have a questionable cash income stream of course!

Great advice. I wish I had a questionable stream of income.

Okay, well go find the best example of a r32 gts4 that fits criteria and budget 😁

If your going to do any wiring/tuning stuff I highly recommend the HPA courses.

Painting is painful but all in the prep.
Fabrication of alloy and stainless is fun but time consuming
Composites are cool but way too time consuming

Its rewarding when you do it yourself.

There is rumour of a dct to awd adapter being made. From everyone I know thats done a dct swap the turbolamik is the way or wait for the Australian version from Mectric Motorsport still cheaper than a samsonas 😛
Wait out on ecu as Link and Motec both have something new coming.

Its okay to bin the rb20 for a k24 

Find that questionable income

Happy modding and good luck with bad choices 
 

Edited by robbo_rb180
  • Like 1
26 minutes ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

If you're interested in buying my croc of shit, please have a squiz at my build thread (amongst the house renos)

@funkymonkey do it
We need @Dose Pipe Sutututuin a BMW so we can stop hearing about him wanting a BMW

  • Like 1
  • Haha 3

All cars are toys. Nobody needs them.

If it does not make you happy, then don't do it. If it does, then do so. You will know how you feel after you do it. You will know yourself if you would rather see a GTR instead of a Modded GTS4. Logic never mattered. It never _will_ matter.

It's like putting a V8 in. It just feels right. I do not wish I secretly had a R34 GTR. I would not prefer to drive a Z tune if you gave me the keys to both. Others would disagree.

In these cases you already know what you want to do.

  • Like 2

I prefer an old cruiser over a sports car now

 

 

 

Slow and low

 

 

 

Or in my case, fast(ish) and not so low that I cannot clear speed humps, driveways, and the occasional parking spot concrete block thing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the way GT-Rs are appreciating, if you get one (even if it already has some mods), leave it alone!

If you want something approaching a GT-R, GTS4 with RB25DET Stagea engine. When I first did mine, cranked 180Awkw - I reckon very close to a stock GT-R.

Here’s best advice I can think of. if you want a gtr then buy a gtr, don’t settle for gts4 because you won’t be happy with it. if you buy a gtr and want to modify it then do that to, these are the number one tuner cars for a reason and they’re slow as hell from factory anyway 

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