Hey Prime,
I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, but I have been away from Prime and NSXs here for a bit while I take a detour.
I moved to Japan about 6 months ago and have had alot of good car experiences since getting here, from the anxiety of driving on the left side of the road for the first time to my first trip to Daikoku Futo in my S15 Silvia Spec R.
I bought and drove around a Suzuki Alto for about 3 months while I got situated and it was one of the most hilarious (and lowest mileage) cars I've ever driven/owned. Sold the car and bought a black '99 Silvia Spec R to experience. That was a good car, and very solid, but I could see how I would enjoy an S2000 more however.
I helped a friend purchase an '89 Skyline GT-R a couple months ago and started to look for my own, so I listed the Silvia for sale. For those who are unaware, the NHTSA and DOT 25 year exemption is rapidly approaching for the earliest R32 GT-Rs, the first of which will most likely land on US shores next August in 2014.
I found a buyer for the Silvia at almost the same time as I found a car I wanted to buy from auction out of Nagoya. This is #2317, a Gunmetal Grey Metallic Nissan Skyline GT-R manufactured the second week of October 1989. My buddy's car, #2555, is in the background. Here is the way I found the car.
About to go through inspection. The wheels are Volk GTP 17x9JJ +23 I found on a local ad site.
How it looks currently. I purchased R32 GT-R specific nismo LMGT4s from a guy in Iwakuni a month ago. Extremely difficult to find.
A few bonuses I found after poking around at the car include a rather large intercooler, BNR34 injectors (they don't flow any more I don't think), Blitz SBC electronic boost control, Apexi intakes, MOMO wheel, HKS cat-back exhaust (not sure if Hi Power or something else), what look like tein springs on stock strut/damper assemblies, 320km/h nismo speedo/odo cluster, nismo hood lip and front fascia (w/ brake ducting) and an aftermarket clutch. Some of these pieces will have to be removed or hidden in order to export the car to the US.
A few things I found that weren't so great was the glovebox door lock was broken (replaced the whole box), the front seats have considerable wear, and there's a gaping hole where the audio used to be.
I'm going to go through the car and change all fluids, inspect for wear and get a good baseline before any real mods occur. A few things needed to be fixed before the rigorous Japanese inspections.
Just thought I would share how I have been coping sans-NSX. I am completely dedicated to coming back to the NSX world. Once I return to the US with this car in tow, another NSX will be priority #1, because while this car is a lot of fun, it pales in comparison to an NSX.
If anyone is considering purchasing a federally legal R32 GT-R here in the near future, be very wary. These cars are very complex and are prone to rusting. I have seen quite a number of these cars and finding one without rust is very very difficult.
I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, but I have been away from Prime and NSXs here for a bit while I take a detour.
I moved to Japan about 6 months ago and have had alot of good car experiences since getting here, from the anxiety of driving on the left side of the road for the first time to my first trip to Daikoku Futo in my S15 Silvia Spec R.
I bought and drove around a Suzuki Alto for about 3 months while I got situated and it was one of the most hilarious (and lowest mileage) cars I've ever driven/owned. Sold the car and bought a black '99 Silvia Spec R to experience. That was a good car, and very solid, but I could see how I would enjoy an S2000 more however.
I helped a friend purchase an '89 Skyline GT-R a couple months ago and started to look for my own, so I listed the Silvia for sale. For those who are unaware, the NHTSA and DOT 25 year exemption is rapidly approaching for the earliest R32 GT-Rs, the first of which will most likely land on US shores next August in 2014.
I found a buyer for the Silvia at almost the same time as I found a car I wanted to buy from auction out of Nagoya. This is #2317, a Gunmetal Grey Metallic Nissan Skyline GT-R manufactured the second week of October 1989. My buddy's car, #2555, is in the background. Here is the way I found the car.
About to go through inspection. The wheels are Volk GTP 17x9JJ +23 I found on a local ad site.
How it looks currently. I purchased R32 GT-R specific nismo LMGT4s from a guy in Iwakuni a month ago. Extremely difficult to find.
A few bonuses I found after poking around at the car include a rather large intercooler, BNR34 injectors (they don't flow any more I don't think), Blitz SBC electronic boost control, Apexi intakes, MOMO wheel, HKS cat-back exhaust (not sure if Hi Power or something else), what look like tein springs on stock strut/damper assemblies, 320km/h nismo speedo/odo cluster, nismo hood lip and front fascia (w/ brake ducting) and an aftermarket clutch. Some of these pieces will have to be removed or hidden in order to export the car to the US.
A few things I found that weren't so great was the glovebox door lock was broken (replaced the whole box), the front seats have considerable wear, and there's a gaping hole where the audio used to be.
I'm going to go through the car and change all fluids, inspect for wear and get a good baseline before any real mods occur. A few things needed to be fixed before the rigorous Japanese inspections.
Just thought I would share how I have been coping sans-NSX. I am completely dedicated to coming back to the NSX world. Once I return to the US with this car in tow, another NSX will be priority #1, because while this car is a lot of fun, it pales in comparison to an NSX.
If anyone is considering purchasing a federally legal R32 GT-R here in the near future, be very wary. These cars are very complex and are prone to rusting. I have seen quite a number of these cars and finding one without rust is very very difficult.
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