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How many people bought a 89 GTR, is their that many coming and what has broken.


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I was driving along the free way the other day and saw another R32 GTR on the back of a flat top,

So with all the talk of 89 GTR's coming in and the condition I would like to know who has one coming, who has had problems and what the klm's were.

As an example of what comes in I was moving 3 Pajero's on a flat top and one was 104,000 klm, one 105,000 klm and one at 106,000 klm. All were from the same supplyier in Japan and it was ovious the clocks had been fiddled.

Doing the emission test for compliance the Dyno Workshop estimated 150,000 to 170,000 klm minimum but a diesel Pajero is cheaper to repair than a GTR.

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what gets me, is when people say, my skyline has only 60k or 80k or whatever.

like they have a near new car.

without the jap and aus service history i would rarely beleive them.

why is it so many jap cars are missing the servicing handbook?

what they should say is, it claims to have 60 or 80k. (and look further for evidence of such low km's, warn pedals, steering wheel, suspension bushes, plugs, timing belts etc etc)

as if all these 10year old jap cars all have 60 or 80k, lol

I got my 1989 GT-R a couple of months ago. Its has just ticked over the 70,000 KM mark: the compliance place thought the KMs were genuine based on the condition of the car.

I generally agree with what RB30-POWER has said. My car was auctioned with log books which weren't in it upon arrival. However I am inclined to believe that they did exist and have just gotten lost somewhere: the compliancer thought the KMs were genuine; the auction listed log books; all other paperwork is missing too (ie. owners manual, original key, etc) which suggests to me they were either swiped or not passed on, and I payed an appropriate amount for a car of this condition. I am trying to contact the seller to retrieve them, but I doubt that will ever happen.

Nothing has broken at all (well, AFAIK), though a couple of rubber door seals have seen better days.

LW.

Its a shame the books are missing, if you had them the re-sale would be much higher should you ever sell it.

You should try to pursue it,

but i would say if that mich time has passed they won't be seen again.

I bet their has been some people that have lost alot more than logbooks too off their cars on transport over.

So many places that bits can go missing, Japan after auction, boat over here, docks, customs, transport here in aus, very hard to track it down....

Its a shame the books are missing, if you had them the re-sale would be much higher should you ever sell it.

You should try to pursue it,  

but i would say if that mich time has passed they won't be seen again.

I bet their has been some people that have lost alot more than logbooks too off their cars on transport over.

So many places that bits can go missing, Japan after auction, boat over here, docks, customs, transport here in aus, very hard to track it down....

Losing a boost gauge or a scratch or two is expected, but there are one or two examples that go well beyond that. Hardest part is finding out when/where it happened. I was unlucky enough to be on the worst end of the scale.

It's hard with cars sitting in storage for so long in Japan but with 1990 models more are around for sale so less problems should arise and you have more choice.

I know of one RX7 that was in storage and pushed from behind with a forklift as it has two dents in the hatch and the poor guy was told shit happens, next car you buy I will only charge $500 instead of $1,000.

An engine rebuild is one of the biggest things I know of at $8,000 to $10,000 and a few of them have happened or more panel work than quoted, it is one of those things like rail damage unless you inspect the damage your self or personaly know the buyier and trust him it is a numbers game.

I know of one with 60,000 klm and service books for everything, not a mark on the rims, 34 GTR wheels as well, R33 GTR brakes, and so on.

It has been stored in a warehouse under cover and started every week, it is like a brand new GTR and will cost $30,000 plus rego.

If you were a GTR freak and want one for the collection it would be what you want but it is still 15 years old.

It's hard with cars sitting in storage for so long in Japan but with 1990 models more are around for sale so less problems should arise and you have more choice.

I know of one RX7 that was in storage and pushed from behind with a forklift as it has two dents in the hatch and the poor guy was told shit happens, next car you buy I will only charge $500 instead of $1,000.

yeah, i talked to that guy, that was just ****ed, photos of the damage didn't look too bad but you know it would've cost a fortune to fix and the hassle of it when it shouldn't of happened.

anyways, my car had 50**** kms, i'm still not sure whether i believe it or not, the wear is minor, and it still has a sticker when the last oil change was done at 35000kms, so... you never know, best bet is like always, thoroughly inspect the car.

mine is only a gts-t but.. mine had a what looked like a fresh scratch down the side that was never in the initial inspection - mostly buffed out.. bonnet had a dent which wasn't really indicated other than "blemish" so needs a new one. Brakes need attention - they wouldn't be safe to drive around with (why fix if owner new they were getting rid of the car? think like a seller when u buy the car). Interior requires fix up on a couple of the trimmings. Suspect there is leak in engine main seal.. as its coming out the bellhousing a bit. Reckon that is why the old owner sold it in japan, gearbox out job = costly for a workshop to fix.

All of these are a bit minor to me as I can address them mostly myself, but if you took it somewhere to fix even these things could add up... and I'm a bit lucky as i think mine has had a pretty easy life and would still rate as "good" condition.

But it still cost ~$5k less than market value, and is going to cost a lot less than that to fix up what I want. I'm still happy.. but i did buy it to fiddle with :cheers:

Just be wary a bit - For those thinking about it, I wouldn't get one if you want that "perfect" car.. or don't want to put a fair amount of time / money into it. That is what these cars are great for, but if not buy something newer.

hey guys. i am new to this forum and would like to say allo.

saw my gtr for the first time a few days ago and was blown away by the condition of it. i was told of scratches through the paint but all i found was a minor scuff. i was told of a mark in the interior and me and the missus both found nothing. the interior is a little dusty but the trim is mint, nothing is missing either.

the front has had a minor accident as the front bumper is now a vspec item and the intercooler and radiator are spotless. the paint and bodywork are almost perfect. the only problem is that the tyres are shagged but i was going to replace these anyway and there is a minor brake seal leak.

this was a car with limited info as the someone else bought it 4 months previous at an auction and then lost his lisence and got in trouble with the police so did not want the car. apparently he got lucky at the auction and bought it at the reserve price which was low anyway. the car was then advertised for sale at the same price but was turned down by heaps of people because all that was shown was 2 photos and the price. people thought it was too cheap....

my wife talked me into taking the gamble on it as i too thought it was too cheap.

it even has some custom bodywork at the rear end. the badges have been removed from the rear and the skyline indentation between the rear tail lights has also been deleted. it looks soo fat.

iam based in WA and am lookin forward to cruisin in the future with some of you guys

kermit

Kermit

Have you had the car looked at for chassis damage?

You say you are sure the front was involved in a prang as it has a new bar, cooler and radiator.

You then say the rear has custom body work. Have you ever thought the custom body work was performed as the rear has been in a bingle as well? If not at the same time as the front in a major accident?

I sincerely hope it hasnt and hope you did get a great deal but it would be wise to get it checked out nonetheless.

well i was told that the paint was 'faded' on the bonnet and mirrors, and to my disappointment the clear was peeling off on almost all the panels which= respray

but other than that the engine started first go and i've driven it on the road a few times, and seems to run well and is quick (as you would hope), but didn't give it too much thanks to the the whole not registered thing

I just picked my 89 GTR up 2 months ago also. I think i've the distinction of being the only person in oz needing a replacement ABS unit. It leaked like a seive, every time I used it there was a huge pool of brake fluid under the car. The 2nd hand unit set me back $550 !!!!!. Apart from that & fairly ordinary door seals, the vehicle is in excellent condition with 106K on the speedo.

We have had a few 89 GTR's coming throught the workshop and have found that engine problems are one of the issues. Anything from inconsistent compression readings, fast and erratic idle due to air leaks and noisy top end.

Not all, but more than you would like considering that the repair cost may be as much as 1/2 the original purchase cost.

Fading paint, split driveshaft boots and rooted clutches are the other dramas.

What people fail to realise is that these cars have probably been through 3 or 4 hands in Japan with each owner( usually younger as it gets cheaper) testing the limits of the drivetrain.Servicing is poor and not very consistent and the RB26 GTR engine is a race based one which needs regular servicing with quality products.

Having said that rev210 has an Oz spec 91 model GTR which has 220,000km on the clock but has been REGULARLY serviced and the engine is in bloody good nick. Take that as a sign that there can be good high km ones around but beware...

Cheers

Ken

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