hep with R32 buy

[awner]

i need some advice!

living in las vegas, nv, usa. looking in to buying a '92 GTR R32. fully stock down to the paint. the buy is from a reputable party and the asking price is $31K plus change.

now- any thoughts? does the price sound fair?

guys- any ideas to consider would be greatky appreciated!

thx-

[Gtr2.7L]

How many km? When was the last time the AFM's were changed? Plugs? Timing belt? Turbos? Look for roll cage holes...you should also put it on a lift and check the turbines for oil leaks. How well does it run? For $31k...it should be 50,000Km or less, and it better look nice. NISMO or Non-NISMO....I'm assuming NON.

[awner]

thanks much!
these were all very good points and i am waiting for the seller to respond. i know the car is supposed to be very close (if not totally) stock, no accidents or racing (hmmmm...) with around 32,000 miles (0.62km=1 mile)...

[R33]

V spec or non V spec?

[awner]

non

[awner]

the car is non v-spec. from what i know they didn't start production on v-spec models until 1993. am i right?

oh and what about the GTS models? i know they don't have the AWD and twin turbos like the GTRs but how do they drive? anyone out there who loves theirs??

[Gtr2.7L]

VSpecII came around in '94.
It's not worth bringin in a GTS. The import costs are the same...and they aren't as fast, and take more money for the same output power.

[awner]

thanks! i think the overall response was the same- not worth inporting a GTS. so- now the question is R32 vs. R33. all things considered, which is the better choice and why? all i know now is that one can come by a '93 R32 vspec for 47K USD, non vspec (std) for 38K. (You can get 90-92 R32s for less, but no vspec). a '95 R33 vspec for 45.9K and std for 46.5K. as you can see the prices are pretty close...so anybody have a preference?? why?

[RazorGTR]

The R32 is lighter and in my own opinion a better looking car. Nissan did not do too well with the R33 and sales were horriable. The R33 Vspec's are better thant he non-Vspec's for sure as they have mechanical diffs which are stronger and react better. They also come with Brembo brakes factory which is a much better braking system than the regualar GTRs

Still at the end of the day the R32 is getting old but it is still the first of the Godzilla's and there are a heap still out performing a lot of the newer versions. They respond so well to mild tuning and with the weight less acheive more with less power.

[awner]

Thanks for the advice!! Now more questions… your car looks beautiful, but how much work do you have to do to it to keep it that way? Since the last R32s were made in 1994, the newest of these is already 8 years old. Since it’s a high performance car is there anything that should specifically be avoided or demanded on when buying one? (Aside from the standard low miles, minimum modifications, etc.)

[RazorGTR]

Actually I got it in that condition. That picture was taken 3 weeks after I bought it and only did a wash to it. Now the wheels on the other hand were oxidized really bad and there is about 5 hrs of hand rubbing to bring the shine back out. All the things list in my signature came already on the car.

As far as buying one that is a fresh import things to be aware of are GTR's coming in with full race spec suspension. That is a sure fire hint that the car has seen a lot of life on one of the race tracks in Japan. Mine came in with Nismo shocks and factory springs. Also look for the tell tail signs of heaps of guages put in and if they have been removed ask where they are? Usually the are sold with them. Mine also came in with 105,000 kms on the clock but I had a compression test done and all 6 cylinders were identical, that is a huge bonus. A mate of mine had his checked and there was 30 psi difference between them, which would indicate a real hard time in Japan.

[awner]

good advice!! i hope to get one (whatever "one" ends up being!) that's as close to stock as possible. anything with extreme race mods can stay in Japan! I want a car that's been babied because once it's here it's mine to modify Plus, if things are really off there's no warranty or other protection. Ok, so now to play the devil's advocate. All R32, R33 and R34s have the same powerplant and can be equally modified right? And the R33s have the largest wheelbase of all the Skylines which make it better for drag and handling(?) and i'm pretty sure that Brembro brakes are standard in the R33s- vspec or non, but only in the VSpec R32s. SO: what is the weight difference between an R32 and an R33 and does it REALLY make that much of a difference??

[Gtr2.7L]

100 kg....and think of it like this. Compare a run with just you in the car...with a run when you have your Linebacker buddy sitting in the passenger seat with you. That's a lot of weight.
Does V-Spec matter? In the R33.. not if you're going to be doing any real racing with it (in a non-stock form anyway). The differences that matter are all going to have to be upgraded anyway.....and the speed of torque transfer won't do a lot for you with the exception of drag racing...maybe.....
In the R32...you can get those nice Brembo brakes....which are probably worth the extra cost.
If you can find a low mileage R32....gauranteed it will have been exceptionally cared for, as those people who can afford such a car in Japan, usually have the means to take good care of them.