Gt-r thoughts opinions?
Discussion
It's great car if you like to drive - go for it!
Expensive bits (other than petrol) would be tyres followed by brakes/discs. There are cheaper alternatives for tyres (Michelin Pilot Super Sports) and also excellent aftermarket brakes (Alcons, Pagids...) I wouldn't worry so much about 59 plates going out of warranty as long as it has full Nissan HPC service history. Running in service is a must and make sure it doesn't miss any service (every 6 months for pre-2011 cars).
Plenty of tuning options and very easy to unlock almost 100bhp from standard which brings MY09/10 cars to around 550-570bhp! The GTR needs to be looked after though in terms of servicing so make sure you find out with proper service history - don't be too tempted with the cheap ones as sometimes they are cheap for a reason!
Expensive bits (other than petrol) would be tyres followed by brakes/discs. There are cheaper alternatives for tyres (Michelin Pilot Super Sports) and also excellent aftermarket brakes (Alcons, Pagids...) I wouldn't worry so much about 59 plates going out of warranty as long as it has full Nissan HPC service history. Running in service is a must and make sure it doesn't miss any service (every 6 months for pre-2011 cars).
Plenty of tuning options and very easy to unlock almost 100bhp from standard which brings MY09/10 cars to around 550-570bhp! The GTR needs to be looked after though in terms of servicing so make sure you find out with proper service history - don't be too tempted with the cheap ones as sometimes they are cheap for a reason!
funbobby said:
I'm guessing most people who owns these are very unlikely to skip on servicing, how much were they when first come out?
You'd be surprised 
It's easy to hide potentially expensive repair bills on a test drive unless you are clued up. The early GTRs 09/10 were around 50k iirc but Nissan realised they are selling them far too cheap so now they are around 70k new...I'd advise to look out for a low mileage 59 plate. Best bang for buck at the moment. Get the Litchfields Stage 1 remap + 2012 gearbox update for around £1200 which will instantly transform the car!
funbobby said:
Apart from consumables what else do I need to be aware of? I'm aware of the gearbox mod but from what I have gleamed from net seem pretty reliable, I guess now they are hitting 3 years old and 30 odd k on the clock I wonder if other issues are becoming apparent.
If the car is modded in any way make sure there's history and also done at a reputable place. Gearbox can sound very "rough" which is normal but if it's too excessive it could mean that the bellhousing needs replacing. Try to get one with bellhousing done under warranty. Check the tyres on the inside (GTRs normally wear more on the inside). Try to get a copy of the health check from Nissan HPC if possible.funbobby said:
Is the bell house issue quite common then? Seems litchfield do an upgrade and to be honest would prob use them for servicing as not too far from me. Should I be too concerned about the different specs from a resale point of view?
I'm not sure how common the issue is but it's always good to know it's been replaced. Mine was done under warranty.Different specs? You mean Black Edition vs Premium? Not that much of a diference as long as there's nav.. I think the earlier UK GTRs doesn't come with Nav.
crazy about cars said:
The early GTRs 09/10 were around 50k iirc but Nissan realised they are selling them far too cheap so now they are around 70k new...
IIRC they are the same price in Japan, the conversion rate has changed and pushed the price up.Unfortunately this has worked wonders for the used car values.
The one I drive at the nurburgring needed a new gearbox, 12 grand in parts alone if it hadn't been covered by the warranty.
Me personally, I'd buy through Nissan. They've been fantastic with steves (my mate who owns the car) though maybe because of all the money he spent through them! He doesn't use them exclusively though, he also used Lichfield & has now got the box of tricks to be able to remap & service it himself-very handy!
Big bills are par for the course, it's not unusual to see 4 grand blown in 6 months if you use it properly.
A full tank of super at the ring does four flying laps!
Tyres last 2-3 weekends there, same with discs & pads.
It's an expensive hobby but one that needs to be done right to enjoy to the fullest.
We're always very careful with how we drive it, never let the gearbox get into the danger zone, never do launch control but for a long time it was his daily driver & it soaked up hundreds & hundreds of track laps.
Andy Middlehurst drove it at oulton & said it was the best & fastest standard mk1 he'd driven, which sums up a lot about how these things need to be used.
Don't listen to any rubbish about badge snobbery either, at any point it just generates a massive amount of good attention wherever you go, people still just love them.
Me personally, I'd buy through Nissan. They've been fantastic with steves (my mate who owns the car) though maybe because of all the money he spent through them! He doesn't use them exclusively though, he also used Lichfield & has now got the box of tricks to be able to remap & service it himself-very handy!
Big bills are par for the course, it's not unusual to see 4 grand blown in 6 months if you use it properly.
A full tank of super at the ring does four flying laps!
Tyres last 2-3 weekends there, same with discs & pads.
It's an expensive hobby but one that needs to be done right to enjoy to the fullest.
We're always very careful with how we drive it, never let the gearbox get into the danger zone, never do launch control but for a long time it was his daily driver & it soaked up hundreds & hundreds of track laps.
Andy Middlehurst drove it at oulton & said it was the best & fastest standard mk1 he'd driven, which sums up a lot about how these things need to be used.
Don't listen to any rubbish about badge snobbery either, at any point it just generates a massive amount of good attention wherever you go, people still just love them.
New Alcons (400mm) Fronts / Rears and Cosworth Pads will set you back around £2800 as an idea for full brakes overhaul costs. Tyres things like RE070's if you want to remain on the runflat option will set you back around £1500 so thats the tyre and brake costs.
My gearbox died and was replaced as gesture of goodwill although if Litchfield repairs it would of been around £3k to have sorted.
My car is 3 years old in December but is Stage 4. I have it serviced and maintained by Litchfield and therefore have now taken out Litchfields own warranty so long as I stick to there servicing plan I'm covered on everything you'd expect (not wear and tear like tyres for example) for peace of mind.
My gearbox died and was replaced as gesture of goodwill although if Litchfield repairs it would of been around £3k to have sorted.
My car is 3 years old in December but is Stage 4. I have it serviced and maintained by Litchfield and therefore have now taken out Litchfields own warranty so long as I stick to there servicing plan I'm covered on everything you'd expect (not wear and tear like tyres for example) for peace of mind.
from what i can gather knowledge of the gearboxes from indies seems better now and talk of new gearboxes are not always the case.looking at litchfields service plans it doesnt seem to bad for the type of performance you get and too be honest wont really be tracking it. by the way no one has mentioned the good stuff come on this is piston heads
funbobby said:
by the way no one has mentioned the good stuff come on this is piston heads
The good stuff is the power makes me feel like a kid on a wicked roller coaster ride I can't believe how effective the car is at transferring all that power to four wheels. I can accelerate and corner harder and faster than I would be able to in my other cars. That's in the hands of amatuer like me so I'd imagine in hands of a pro this machine would definitely be a supercar killer.Oh also, it's relatively easy and safe to achieve performance boost from stock too!
funbobby said:
i understand the different trim levels but what else could be specced thats worth looking out for?
Earlier GTRs (09/59) might not have Nav while MY10+ (late 2010/2011) cars have better interior trims. Black Edition (apparently) does boost the resale value but not by much. Not many other options on GTR except for Track Pack but that only applies to 2012+ GTRs. I believe there are a few rare "Nismo" editions about. They have different (and highly desirable) wheels and exhaust.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff