i was just wondering is it just the all mighty gt-r thats so expensive, or is it the whole skyline model line up? if not would a 4 door base line model be that much cheaper(both gtr and 4 boor are r32's)?

there are 4 door GTSt's in Okinawa for anwhere from 500 to 5000 dollars. or 2 doors for that matter. R32 GTS's are very cheap. But why would you pay over 16 thousand dollars to legallize a 1000 dollar car?
So to answer your question. There are cheap skylines. But factor in the motorex costs alone and even if the car was free it's still expensive.

i was just wondering is it just the all mighty gt-r thats so expensive, or is it the whole skyline model line up? if not would a 4 door base line model be that much cheaper(both gtr and 4 boor are r32's)?

Not to mention the cheap skylines really arent worth it :D.

actually it depends. for a thousand or so bucks you can get yourself a low cost of ownership and maint. 230HP rear wheel drive cheap ass FUN car. I'd say that's pretty damn well worth it. But not if you're in the states. then hell no. it's not worth it.

actually it depends. for a thousand or so bucks you can get yourself a low cost of ownership and maint. 230HP rear wheel drive cheap ass FUN car. I'd say that's pretty damn well worth it. But not if you're in the states. then hell no. it's not worth it.


My point exactly. Also...arent those GTS's pretty crappy as well? Something like...130 hp or somethin like that. You could buy a s2kfor less than the cost of the car + legalization and it would have 110 hp on that skyline.

I have been seeing many people buying GTS' and GTS-T's in japan and just grafting on GT-R fenders, bumpers and what have you so it looks like a GT-R.

GTS's are slow as hell. GTS-t's aren't too bad.

If you're in Japan, or some country where you can get a skyline without going through motorex, A GTS-t is a pretty fun cheap daily driver.

so its like 16,000+ for a a basicly 5,000$ car, that sucks...but why do they coust so much?

two reasons,

1. The cost and pain in the ass that goes with getting them shipped and legalized for use in the U.S.
2. Market Value.

It's that simple.

how long does it take to legalize a car and ship the car?

how long does it take to legalize a car and ship the car?

around the area of 3 months.

what gose in to "legalize" a skyline

what gose in to "legalize" a skyline

lots of stuff. some minor, like changing the gauge cluster from kph to mph, and some more major work like changing the bumper cross beams to 5mph, and upgrading side impact beams.

Well it can take a while.

First after we get an order for a peticular car we shop the different auctions and talk to other dealer contacts to locate a car that matches the description and fits the price-range. Then, it takes a few days for the vehicle to be sent to our lot. Once there, we inspect the vehicle for major flaws and anything that the auction house or other entity didn't find. If it's serious or a potential deal-breaker, we fix it. Then we make arrangements with our shipping company that we send through and we have to coordinate a delivery date with the arrival-departure window of a ship destined to the port of delivery to meet up with their pick-up people. During that time, the buyer makes arrangements with the RI to have the vehicle legalized to U.S. Standards. Once the plans are made and the date rolls around, we send the car over to the port and it gets loaded into a sealed container and the ship sets off for it's destination.
Once it arrives, the vehicle is promptly removed from the container and loaded into the back of a truck where it reaches it's final destination whether it's the new owner's home, or (preferably) the RI. Depending on the deal that the new owner made with the RI will govern the approximate completion date of the vehicle. Once it is modified and all the paperwork is finished on the car, the buyer must then pick up the vehicle or arrange for shipping to his home.

So if you want an accurate time quote... forget it. It won't happen. A guess would be around 2-4 months from start to finish.

I thought it would be longer, but that sounds fair.