Skyline GTR:Best winter alternative to a 7

[SR27.Seth]

I know this car well and it is one of the cleanest and original R32 Skylines around- I don't know if you can plate it in the US of A but it would make a great track car. I would say the actual value of the car is $17000-$19000 (here in Montreal where Skylines are as common as Sevens in England) but the owner is starting a new business venture and needs as much capital as he can get.:
BTW- it is charcoal grey

Yes, my baby has to go and time is running out (1989 GTR, 118.XXXkm).

I am willing to let her go at 14,000$ with two sets of shocks (quantum adjustable and stock GTR), Clarion 5 inch CD/DVD payer, Weds racing wheels, a new MOMO mod.08 deep dish steering wheel (still in the box) and a brand new set of Yokohama's (not even on the car - the Yoko's on it are still over 50% good).

Other then that the car is stock. Clean inside out. Mint interior (scratch on steering - perfect condition stock bucket seats). Close to perfect exterior (one scratch and small hood chips). Engine is stock and was tuned at Teknica Industries a couple of month ago to be extra reliable (all seals, gaskets, belts, hoses change + radiator and battery - no mods). Engine starts, idles and run perfect. Car was also inspected by the SAAQ.

Bottom line the car is in awesome condition and all the hard work and money to get it as is has already ben done. I did everything I could to keep it, but new priorities obligates me to get rid of it asap.

Now all she needs is a new good home.

I can drive the car anywhere from Eastern Canada to West of Toronto.

If anyone wants more information about the car don't hesitate to call me at 514-944-2823 or pm me

Alex Crapault

[Al Navarro]

Seth...what do you know about the do-ability of bringing one into the states?

[AK Seven]

I believe that the whole process is easier once the car has been registered elsewhere in North America, however I'm not sure of lighting and other regulations in NJ.

[yellowss7]

Al, My bet would be that you can't import it. Something to do with EPA regs, and DOT regs for cars. Our sevens come in as auto parts so don't get hung up on the regs. That being said I have seen one on the road here in PA. recently. Right hand drive to boot. Tom

[Al Navarro]

Well, one could always buy it as a track car, right? Or get someone in a very liberal (in terms of restrictions) state to buy it....keep it for a little while...and then buy it from them.

Does anyone know if border states have any easier time with buying canadian vehicles?

[AK Seven]

Trying to keep it in the Northeast... New Hampshire does have 'Live Free of Die' on their plates. ;)

[Robert O. Urfer]

A friend of mine in Cleveland bought one from Canada and could not plate it in the U.S. to save his life. He ended up selling it. The only viable option on getting one on the U.S. highway here in Ohio seems to be buying a 240sx and swapping the vin tag over to the skyline.

I have friends that have done this with Ford Sierra cosworths as well. Go to England with a Merkur vin tag in hand, buy a sierra cosworth, swap the vin tag and ship the car to the U.S.

pretty simple but a little on the shady side.

[Boxologist]

an r34 rolled into our tuesday night earlier tonight. we we're talking about getting another one into the USA. its not easy anymore, and it was never easy. the last 2 people who worked as importers fled the country. one to Peru, and the other to europe iirc. all r33s are illegal, and technically all plated r32s and r34s can get impounded by both locals and feds on a whim despite several crash tests that have not been invalidated as of yet.

easiest way is just to get one of the ones already registered.

now, if u had dealer plates, there's a little gray area you can play with. my friend may get his ex-gf's car in the country that way.

[Deman USA]

actually, one of our friends has one here in Chicago, registered and drives it everyday. it is even right hand drive

[ayseven]

Pictures please, Mr. Patterson. And no, I don't need another silly car. I'm getting in enough trouble at home.

[slngsht]

What are the performance numbers on these cars? I've googled them, and from what came back, they're at best a mid 13 second car :sleep:

Hardly an alternative to a Seven. 10 years ago, those numbers were fairly decent. These days, they're... well... very average for a sports car.

[SR27.Seth]

from what came back, they're at best a mid 13 second car



You V8 guys are all the same- living life 'a quarter mile at a time'

First off- they do high 10's just by turning up the boost. But the car was not built for 0-100 straight line speed, just drive one and you'll see what I am talking about- our 260 hp SR27 will whip this car up until 180kph- when gravity starts to have much less of an effect than air flow- from 180-300kph the skyline accelerates with the same enthusiasm as it has for the the first 100, that is what makes it a Supercar. (and the fact that the suspension, hydraulic awd control and 4 wheel steer make it incredibly poised at those speeds)

I'll see if I can post up some pics

[slngsht]

You V8 guys are all the same- living life 'a quarter mile at a time'

First off- they do high 10's just by turning up the boost. But the car was not built for 0-100 straight line speed, just drive one and you'll see what I am talking about- our 260 hp SR27 will whip this car up until 180kph- when gravity starts to have much less of an effect than air flow- from 180-300kph the skyline accelerates with the same enthusiasm as it has for the the first 100, that is what makes it a Supercar. (and the fact that the suspension, hydraulic awd control and 4 wheel steer make it incredibly poised at those speeds)

I'll see if I can post up some pics

heh, you 4 bangers underestimate the v8's all the time. There are quite a few V8+ cars that are quite capable performs... unless you don't consider Ferraris, vettes, carrera GT, etc... capable cars for some reason.

That said, if I'm offered a drive, I won't turn it down for sure.

[manik]

You cannot legally import a Skyline from Canada into the U.S, unless as a racecar. Would be nice though... This shop seems to bring in very nice ones to Canada:

http://www.theskylineshop.com/

I saw a very nice Skyline in Dallas the other week. It was being towed to an event somewhere. I would be VERY interested to hear how the guy in Chicago registered one for road use, unless it was one of the batch that Motrex or RB Motoring brought in.



tm

[Sean]

I will be going to look at the 2008 Skyline GTR tomorrow morning.

[slngsht]

I will be going to look at the 2008 Skyline GTR tomorrow morning.

Now THAT's supposed to be a beast

[slngsht]

Seth, check out OT... I just posted up an article about the new Chevy Cobalt SS... Looking at Nurburgring lap times, it's nearly identical to a R32 :willy: (and my trusty C5). Performance of cars has improved SO much the last few years.

BTW, I just noticed the subject says best winter alternative to a 7. I thought you said "best alternative to a 7". That didn't make any sense. I guess reading is fundumental. :crazy:

[slngsht]

I will be going to look at the 2008 Skyline GTR tomorrow morning.

How did it go?

[Sean]

How did it go?
Great! Not enough time to sort through photos yet though. This morning we are headed to a mountain resort in or near Hakone national park for the weekend. I hope to be able to post a few photos of the Skyline and Lotus 2-Eleven from the Tokyo Motor Show here on Monday.

[Sean]

Photos of 2008 Skyline GTR posted in the "Off Topic" forum.


SR27.Seth - Please accept my apology for the unintentional thread hijack.

[Alaskossie]

The fact that a car may be legally importable into Canada doesn't gain you any traction at all for importing it into the USA. And swapping VIN numbers can land you in jail, and your car goes to the crusher.

A good winter alternative for a Seven is a 1992-1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth 4X4, like my 1995 model. There were about 15 of them legally imported into the US by Sun international (Tom Cahalane) in the mid-1990's, before production ceased, with a total run of 7145 cars. This car was designed in England for world rally competition, but was assembled by Karmann in Germany, so the build quality is very good.

i had no trouble at all in registering it in Alaska, as it has its own assigned VIN number, and all the emissions and crash ("simulated crash") testing was done on the model by Sun International before importation began. Most of the emblems identifying it as a "Ford" product were removed by demand of FoMoCo, and it is officially registered as a "Rally Sport."

in stock form, the car has a kerb weight of around 3000 lb., and 220 horsepower from a 4-cyl., 2-liter Cosworth turbo motor. My particular car was tuned by Eggenberger Motor Sport in Switzerland before being imported. It has an engine enlarged to 2.3 liters, revised engine management, and 378 hp at 5500 rpm and 435 lb./ft. of torque at 3500 rpm.

Needless to say, this pocket hand grenade moves -- particularly with studded tires on snowpacked roads. Top speed is limited by gearing to around 160 mph, so it is not an ultra-speed supercar. But it is extremely quick, responsive, and tossable, as a rally car should be. It is also a sleeper among the rice-burners with their gills, fins, and coffee-can exhausts (though the Cossie's huge rear wing is a dead give-away among the knowledgeable).

Tom Meacham
Anchorage, Alaska
Alaskossie

[slngsht]

~ 400hp in an AWD 3000 lbs car... :cool:

[SR27.Seth]

The fact that a car may be legally importable into Canada doesn't gain you any traction at all for importing it into the USA. And swapping VIN numbers can land you in jail, and your car goes to the crusher.

A good winter alternative for a Seven is a 1992-1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth 4X4, like my 1995 model. There were about 15 of them legally imported into the US by Sun international (Tom Cahalane) in the mid-1990's, before production ceased, with a total run of 7145 cars. This car was designed in England for world rally competition, but was assembled by Karmann in Germany, so the build quality is very good.

i had no trouble at all in registering it in Alaska, as it has its own assigned VIN number, and all the emissions and crash ("simulated crash") testing was done on the model by Sun International before importation began. Most of the emblems identifying it as a "Ford" product were removed by demand of FoMoCo, and it is officially registered as a "Rally Sport."

in stock form, the car has a kerb weight of around 3000 lb., and 220 horsepower from a 4-cyl., 2-liter Cosworth turbo motor. My particular car was tuned by Eggenberger Motor Sport in Switzerland before being imported. It has an engine enlarged to 2.3 liters, revised engine management, and 378 hp at 5500 rpm and 435 lb./ft. of torque at 3500 rpm.

Needless to say, this pocket hand grenade moves -- particularly with studded tires on snowpacked roads. Top speed is limited by gearing to around 160 mph, so it is not an ultra-speed supercar. But it is extremely quick, responsive, and tossable, as a rally car should be. It is also a sleeper among the rice-burners with their gills, fins, and coffee-can exhausts (though the Cossie's huge rear wing is a dead give-away among the knowledgeable).

Tom Meacham
Anchorage, Alaska
Alaskossie

And of course a cheaper and no less fun alternative (of which I just happen to own 2) is to buy an 85-89 'XR4ti', cut out the false C pillar, find proper front and rear bumpers and pull out that pinto engine (which should'nt be too underestimated) for whatever you can fit in the hole- I prefer a CA18DET, but with an engine bay that large the options are limitless! Then you have a Ford Sierra Cosworth (without the Cosworth) for around $6000. And I do drive the beater in the winter- tail hanging out everywhere!

[Robert O. Urfer]

I second the Merkur as a great alternative to the 7 for the winter or for a cheap daily driver. I have had 15 of them over the last 14 years and plan on buying a couple more shortly. I sold my last one in pieces to finance my 7 purchase which by far is the most fun you can have for the $. Merkurs are just damn fun cars to drive and can be modded to be incredibly quick for next to nothing and the engines are bullet proof. O.K. if you haven't figured it out I kind of have a fettish for Merkurs.:jester:

[Mandurath]

Hehe I am considering purchasing the engine-trans-driveshaft assembly out of a merkur right now as a spare that i can mod at my leisure. Though I would love to have a skyline as they are super fast and durable. So many cars, so little money.