Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

There is no way you can get the rex to go like the R , if you manage to get it to go anywhere as quick you will be braking it every time you give it  a bit .

yeah i love my rex, but this is what i'm afraid of. would be awesome to not have to worry about driveline probs.

What sorta power levels can they get to without having g-box troubles?

and whats a basic rebuild worth if the donk is getting tired?

  • Replies 65
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Guest two.06l
Heres my dilema, I currently have an MY00 WRX which I have had from new (some mods) and am thinking of getting an R32 GTR.......................

Problem is I am so confused as to what to do, keep the WRX or sell and buy a GTR, is there anyone out there that has done the swap??? If so what are your thoughts.

Cheers  :)

Why dont ya get the Painters and Dockers to buy ya one Keithy. Im sure they'll look after you, or have we had a falling out with them. lol

yeah i love my rex, but this is what i'm afraid of. would be awesome to not have to worry about driveline probs.

What sorta power levels can they get to without having g-box troubles?

and whats a basic rebuild worth if the donk is getting tired?

Look it this way , in the rex you will bust second gear changing hard 1st - 2nd .

In the gtr if you manage to bust the box, ( you have to have very agro clutch , button or twin plate and heaps of grunt 500-600 + ) it will be 3rd gear , 1st and 2nd are very strong .

Another important thing to consider , you can buy a gtr box anytime you want second hand for about $1 k and a new one for around $3 k .

A second hand box for a rex is $2400 from a wrecker exchange and i wouldn't buy one , it maybe busted . Just the parts to fix 2nd gear alone are $1 k , you have to change main shaft ( it will be stripped ) 1st + 2nd gear , second gear hub and reverve idler cause subaru changed something to make you buy more parts .

I just did a wrx box for a friend last week it cost him $1200 in parts including 3rd gear syncro ( it was stuffed ).

To rebuild a donk in the R will cost anywhere from $6 - 10 k depending on what you do .

Parts are not that expensive , pistons +rings $1 k from nissan or from $1 k for forgies . bearings are cheap like 250 for both big end + mains , less for aftermarket , $500 for oil pump , $120 water pump , $90 timming belt $300 for a full gasket set then you have maching and cil head . Labour is much dearer than a rex rebuild though .

Gruntn , yea i'm in sydney + don't come to Newcastle that often , only on the way to Nelson bay .

two.o6l , how is the R going ? done 11's yet ? If you haven't you should be doing it every run , maybe low 11's i would think .

I owned an my00 from new and sold it to get a ........... *boom tish* R32 GTR!

Obviously a GTR is a better performance car, no arguments there.

However it has been a very loooong and painful year for me getting it on the road and keeping it there. had I had my time again I don't think I would have bothered with all the trouble. Mine was a highly modified example when I bought it and each car will be a different experience. If you feel the need for speed and have plently of money / patience then why not. If you value other things in life and don't want to be owned by your car, perhaps reconsider. hope that helps...

Sheez maybe I shouldnt have asked, now even more confused!! :headspin: Thanks for the replies though

I think I can live with the harshness/non daily driver type ride of a GTR, my rex has upgraded bushes, bigger sways etc and the ride is pretty firm, its also not that user friendly having a VF30 turbo, FMIC and different comp.........

Having done these mods I dont really get to use the power i have to full potential, the only way to get the most out of it is 7000rpm launches which I wont do cause I know the box will sh*t itself pretty quickly

I am 95% convinced that a GTR is what I want but the only factor is as mentioned going from a 4yo car I have had from new and looked after to a 15yo car that I have no idea about...................I guess you takes your chances in these circumstances

And as for going to the painters and dockers "out there I was the painters and dockers in here I'm just another bare bum in the shower" so to speak

I owned an my00 from new and sold it to get a ........... *boom tish*  R32 GTR!

Obviously a GTR is a better performance car, no arguments there.

However it has been a very loooong and painful year for me getting it on the road and keeping it there. had I had my time again I don't think I would have bothered with all the trouble. Mine was a highly modified example when I bought it and each car will be a different experience. If you feel the need for speed and have plently of money / patience then why not. If you value other things in life and don't want to be owned by your car, perhaps reconsider. hope that helps...

I assume you imported yours? What sort of problems did you have, were they mainly from it being modded/age or both?

Hey if you would like to revert back to an MY00, now that you have sorted the probs out with the GTR we could come to a deal.....he he as if you would!

i'd personally go for the GTR, (I hate WRX's coz they are notorious for understeer) and i think that's what most people are saying.

Though i might add, if you ask the same question on a WRX forum, everyone will tel u to keep the rexy - so you might be gettign a biast opinion.

I am 95% convinced that a GTR is what I want but the only factor is as mentioned going from a 4yo car I have had from new and looked after to a 15yo car that I have no idea about...................I guess you takes your chances in these circumstances

well u know the pros and cons, wrx is a nice car, but a very different experience from a gtr, from the sounds of it, i think you should get a gtr, 95% convinced would be convinced enough for me!

just be prepared for problems, but also for more fun :)

I assume you imported yours? What sort of problems did you have, were they mainly from it being modded/age or both?

No I bought it locally already modded. Got it for a reasonable price but have spent >$10000 to make it a nice car. engine rebuild, new gearbox, new suspension, new rims, interior parts etc.

My advise would be buy a stockish one in good condition with just a few mods. Or a full house one where no expense was spared. It really comes down to the treatment it has received I think. Thrashed cars will show you no love...

Hey if you would like to revert back to an MY00, now that you have sorted the probs out with the GTR we could come to a deal.....he he as if you would!

Ha ha. not likely at this stage! Besides, you guys don't pay enough for them over there :)

so is the general idea that, if you buy a 32 gtr, regardless of it's apparent condition, its common that you'll need to spend some big $$$ to have it running nice?

is the engine and gearbox the usual things needed to fix?

or are some of the things like interior and suspension common to replace too?

you would probably pay around 5 grand more(looking at how much they are for sale for here from a private sellers)atm) for a local one, prices for r32gtrs have doubled since everyone is importing the 89 models, in japan they used to be ~400000 now they are 800000 (10 grand, just the car btw.)

but i would never consider importing one as with a gtr there is plenty of things that you would want to check out in person, if u import there is a chance that u will get a troublesome pile.... so i wouldnt do that if i were you..

There are a few things you need to keep in mind when considering buying a GTR IMHO.

For starters there is the age factor. ****, mine is a 1993 model and I have had absolutely no end of trouble with it. From niggly little things, to catastrophe's such as engine rebuilds (x2). People talk it up about 89 GTRs having minimal problems, but I cant seem to accept this considering my 93 model has caused me so much grief.

Additionally, when comparing it to the WRX, just remember that the GTR when delivered to Aus new was around 120K brand new, whereas the WRX is 40 odd thousand. Due to this huge difference in price, in my opinion, prices for parts for the GTR are ridiculous. Just for example, I was driving down south into the country one weekend when I managed to crack the windscreen. I needed a replacement asap. Anyway, I rang Nissan and the guy told me to sit down.......the answer.....a new windscreen with in-built arial was $2, 700! And a normal windscreen without in glass arial was $1, 700. However, I managed to find one for $400....thank god.

Basically, owning a GTR in my opinion is much like a hobby....They are a high maintinence car and require lots of attention and a fair whack of money (depending on what you are wanting to do with them).

Even if the car is in good condition, chances are you will need to fork out to keep the thing running because stuff breaks....full stop.

I think you'll find difference people have difference experiences with their cars also... but all things being equal I see things like this-

the wrx is a great beginner car (not saying wrx drivers are all beginners but it is a car I'd buy for my mum).

the gtr is a car that is not as fool-proof - it will bite back if pushed too hard and I think needs to be treated like a RWD (compared to the wrx).

Mind you i've never driven a gtr and I haven't driven a rex in anger so I could just be talking crap - it's just always seemed like that to me :)

Good luck.

the gtr is a car that is not as fool-proof - it will bite back if pushed too hard and I think needs to be treated like a RWD (compared to the wrx).

Good luck.

You are very right and im sure most wrx and gtr owners would agree.

if you like adjustability in the way the car handles(ie. more like normal sports car rwd fun) a gtr is much better, a wrx is much less interesting in comparison, not to mention slower.

gtrs just feel more twitchy and active on the road it feels like a rwd, whereas a wrx just feels planted and very safe/stable (good if you are into that sort of thing..not me though;) )

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Next, remove the upper and lower radiator hoses, both are held with a spring clamp. While you are under there, tackle the Auto Trans cooler lines.  Again both are held on with spring clamps, and as mentioned above you should cap them on the radiator side with an 8mm cap, and on the car side loop them with a length of 8mm pipe - this will stop you losing a dangerous amount of AT fluid during the rest of the job If you've been meaning to add a sender for AT trans temp, this is a great time to do it; put a sender fitting into the passenger side line as that is the inlet to the cooler/radiator.
    • Next you need to remove the intake duct (as with pretty much every job on these cars), it is a series of clips you gently remove with a flat bladed screwdriver. They do get brittle with time and can break, and I have not found a decent quality aftermarket one that fits (they are all too soft or flimsy and don't last either) but the nissan ones are a couple of bucks each (ouch).  Once the clips are off (either 8 or 10, I didn't check) you lift the intake duct out and will see the reservoirs Undo the line into the radiator side cap (some bent needle nosed piers are awesome for spring clamps) and then remove the 4x 10m nuts that hold both in place.  I didn't get these pics, but remove the line under the radiator reservoir (spring clamp again) then remove that reservoir. Then you can get at the intake reservoir, same thing, spring clamp underneath then remove it. BTW This is a great time to put in a larger (+70%) combined reservoir that AMS makes..... https://www.amsperformance.com/product/q50-q60-red-alpha-coolant-expansion-tank/ They also make an Infiniti branded and part# version if that is your thing
    • To drain the Intake Heat Exchanger, there is a crappy drain plug in front of the driver's side front tyre: You should use the largest headed phillips screwdriver you had, and in my case I needed vice grips on the hose above as the plug was tight (tighter than it needed to be, since it has an o-ring seal).  After you have a tray down and open the drain, open the intake heat exchanger reservoir cap (drivers side one) and you should get a couple of litres of coolant To get to the radiator, you need to remove the plastic engine undertray. It is held on with a series of 10mm headed bolts and some clips. For the radiator, there is another type of crappy drain (kind of like a plastic banjo bolt) and you should attach a length of hose to direct the stream of coolant per this pic (otherwise the coolant hits the rad support and goes everywhere). The drain is on the rear of the radiator on the driver's side and a bit hard to find. Put a big tray or bucket down (5l won't be enough) and slowly unscrew the fitting by hand. You only want to remove it far enough for coolant to flow, it you unscrew it right out the whole fitting and direction pipe will come off and you will get a coolant bath (yum!). Undo the radiator reservoir cap and it should empty about 8l
    • So, this shouldn't be such a mission, but there were a few tricks so I thought I'd post up a DIY for it. This was on a Q50 Red Sport but I doubt any other V37 model is very different (maybe just less steps for the intake heat exchanger hoses) I pulled the radiator out to flush it because the car was running hot at the track, but obviously the same steps apply for changing a radiator for any reason including an upgrade. If you are removing the radiator, you of course need to drain and refill, so have 5+ litres of blue coolant ready. You also need to drain the intake heat exchanger to remove the radiator so you will need a couple of litres for that as well. You will also need something to deal with the auto transmission lines, I used 2x 8mm rubber caps on the radiator side, and a short length of 8mm pipe on the car side.....unless you can block these lines quickly you will loose AT fluid and it may be enough to hurt the transmission if you don't refill it. 2 other tools that really help dealing with coolant lines and spring clamps are Bent Needle Nose pliers Hose pliers Between them they will reduce the frustration (and injury) potential by about 1000% Other than that....lets go... "First, jack up your car". Yes really, and put it safely on stands. If you are not confident doing that you need to give this job to a mechanic
    • If the forester is anything like our old 2007 GTB Liberty, I could near on run ling Long's and "rate them", as no matter what, it just hung to the road, even when abusing it in a hard launch in the wet, or throwing it at corners.
×
×
  • Create New...