My car tuning story/diary...

[Ares Helix]

So building a nissan engine to scare the bejesus out of people is kinda a straight forward thing, hell even going out and
buying a GTR or Spec R S15 will get you good results, but how about the road less travelled?

Last year I found myself with a bit of spare change, so had the opportunity to retire my (now scrapped) well maintained
and much loved '92 Toyota Levin.
But what to get?
I'd narrowed the field down to four different coupe's:

First off; the Nissan 200sx Sylvia S15 R spec
A fantastic looking car, great engine and great spec, BUT...
when we think about it, how much time do we spend looking at our car, rather than being in it and driving? I was all
set to take one for a test drive when I had a look at the interior. To say it's bad isn't right, it's not bad, but it's not good either!
I found it bland and boring, so had to discount it!

On to option number two; Mazda RX7 series 6 on...
Truth be told, this was the car that made me sit up and take notice of cars! Low slung, great curves and an interior to match.
Of course, the downside imo is the rotary. Whilst I don't have a problem with the engine itself, as long as it hasn't been ruined
by porting, it's more the associated scene that goes along with the rotary engine. As I'm now needing to dye my hair out of
necessity, rather than for fun, I really don't wanna run with the rotor boys and their associates, so sadly the RX7 was a no go.

Numero tres: Toyota Supra Mk IV
The fact I almost bought a Supra as my first car speaks volumes about how I feel towards them. One of the most classic of
Japan's offerings, the Supra has always (since becoming a petrolhead at least) held a special place in my heart. The 2JZ
engine is as much a legend as the Supra, being highly sought after the world over by import tuning enthusiasts. Whilst I know
the engine is bulletproof in every way, sadly, I couldn't bring myself to spend a considerable amount of money on a car of that age.

So, that left one logical choice...

[Apteryx]

And the logical choice was?! come on, don't leave us hanging

[Scorched_onion]

Damn you! hahahaha

RX7 would be nice although too many rotors explode.

S15 would be teh sex.

You should get an R34

[Ares Helix]

The Nissan Skyline is probably one of the most recognizable, even iconic, Japanese cars ever made.
It's a legend with the tuning scene over the ditch after kicking so much ass at Bathurst they had to
change the rules to stop it from competing!
This being said, I'd never been too fussed on the shape of them, until 1998's R34 came along. I
remember the first time I saw one in real life cruising along the motorway heading north from
Auckland to the shore. I guess for me the styling of it was the key, the fact that the R34 just
looks surly, yet athletic i guess.

So, where to? The debate was over the GTT or GTR. I love the R34 GTR's and whilst I had the money, I
 just didn't want the hassles of owning a car that was on most car thieves top 10 list. After more
deliberation I decided to go with the GTR's lil brother, the GTT.
Unlike previous generations, the newer RB25DET Neo engine had a lot more down low torque and
drivability, and still retained the looks for the most part! The other big thing influencing me was
the fact I was after a rwd car. The GTR's ATESSA ETS system would mean that it would never be a true
RWD car, and if I disabled it, what was the point?

So it was settled, now where to find a non thrashed one?!?!?!
I guess non-thrashed is open to interpretation. I know that anyone buying a second hand sports car
has to have a certain amount of common sense about things. It's a car made to go fast, so it's resaonable
to assume that the one you buy has been driven fast! The things to look for I guess would be signs of
neglect or of dodgy modification. With this in mind, I hit the pavement...
Ok, ok, I logged into trademe...

[mattnz]

1. Don't use so many unnecessary line breaks.

2. Use paragraphs.

3. Get a Mitsubishi.

[Scorched_onion]

3. Get a Mitsubishi.

Evo9 or die.

Tbh get an R34 though.

Just doit.

[Ares Helix]

Ahh Trademe, never a dull experience! My advice for anyone looking there, especially if you're
looking at cars, know what you're looking for!!! By this, I guess I mean that you need to check
out the specs and details of the item you're after before jumping on trademe and doubly so for
ebay, but we'll get to ebay later. Essentialy, learn everything there is to know about the car/
device/ person/ animal/ non-terrestrial item you're looking at buying, as you can NEVER trust a
product description. Well, after doing some Wiki-ing I found out enough to know what to look for
wear and tear wise, as well as the aforementioned dodgy mods. I found a white R34 GTT beastie in
West Auckland, gave the guy a text and arranged to have a look see and a drive. My wife and pet
mechanic (and flatmate) went on the mission out to that side of Auckland (always an experience!)
My flatmate runs a manual 2003 Legacy GT, in which he demonstrated one of the best features of a
car I've ever seen, just for sheer comic value, the 'ECO' button. Whilst most auto drivers may
be familiar with this lil guy, it's a bit of an enigma in a manual. When the button is pressed,
a light on the dash comes on to let you know you're driving economically. If you put the boot
in, it turns off again.

Thats. It.

It does nothing to the fuel mix, nothing to the intake or cam profiles, just lights up to tell
you you're not driving fast enough. Heh, I think it's main use would be on the track, where if
it comes on, you know you're not pushing hard enough! :p
Anyhow, got out to the place, met the owners father, pretty decent guy, selling the car on behalf
of his son who'd recently gone for a holiday in Aus and decided to stay.
The car, a white R34 GTT was in good nick, with a pretty nice aftermarket body kit and decent rims.
Interior was in pretty good condition too, but the aftermarket boost guage was cause for concern.
So, the only thing for it was to take it out on the road and see what it was like!

[Scorched_onion]

Better have been a manual, what was the drive like? my mates sisters boyfriend (lol) has an R34 turbo'd with mags, carbon fiber spoiler, bodykit, all that shit, soooooo quick.

[Nyan]

Buy my silvia tbh

[Ares Helix]

 This was to be my first time out in an R34, so decided not to go too crazy,
especially since the owner's dad was coming along with me (fair enough
really!) I was actually pretty nervous as I adjusted the seat, but they
say small things comfort! Over the last few years, I've really come to
appreciate orange as a colour, I guess it had something to do with a
favorite pari of pants I have, which are an Orange Camoflage pattern. I
know, not overly useful in everyday life, but I love them! Anyhow,
sitting there in someone elses R34 GTT and you start thinking "What if I
break it? What if I lose it around a corner? What if a Piano falls on
it?" it was a lot to take in! Not to mention it was dark out, so flipped
on the lights and was greeted by a bright orange dash. I've never been a
great believer in portents, signs from the universe or gods or powers
that be or whatever, that we're on the right track but lately, I've
started to wonder if there's more to that way of thinking. This was
definately one of those moments!
 
Handbrake down, gear in, clutch out and we were off. out of his drive,
hooked a left, down to a roundabout, another left then up into a 70km
zone.
To be honest, I played a lil bit! How could you not though. The inline
six was great down low very responsive and pulled cleanly into the
turbo's power band. I suppose the biggest shock for me was how similar in
handling the car was to my Levin, which is almost an absurd thought,
given the difference in drive train! The turn in was a little sharper and
crisper, but the overall feel of it was very similar, to this day, I
can't explain it! Whilst I was completely sold on the car, I had my
doubts about this particular one. Things felt a little sluggy for me,
like it was struggling to do the basics.

We got back to the sellers place and I gave the keys over to my flatmate,
who again, went for a wander around the block. He got back and we said
thanks and headed on our merry way home. During the trip, we had a
chat and all felt that something didn't add up. It didn't feel like the
thoroughbred sports car it should have been. To this day, I can't put my finger
on what was wrong, but the end result was that it wasn't the car I was after,
but it had given me enough info to make my mind up about them.
So it was back to Trademe that night to see if we could find one somewhere
that was more true to its original form...

[Apteryx]

Good move bro, this is turning out to be an entertaining read.

Looking forward to the next installment, hopefully we are getting closer in the story to what you actually ended up with? I'm taking it this is all past tense?

[Donkey]

Should have got a Toyota. Your posts are painful to read, please use paragraphs.

[Tandoori]

Blue Skidder.

[swindle]

Skidline ftw

Are you a bot? I don't think so, but you make posts like a bot.

[XEQTR]

I like this thread

S15's also have a weak 6speed so you'd have to swap it for a s14a ( facelift) 5 speeder as the 6s dont like being driven hard when they've done 150thou kms, that seems to be the only fault with them and after-market gear is easily attainable for them and lots of spares for them too!. And i know what your saying about the rotor boys, my first turbocharged ride was a series 5 RX7 and if your not wearing a NewEra cap, celtics/magic/bulls/heat singlet, nikes and cut off denim shorts and have a tattoo on your forearm you were made to feel like you werent meant to own one.

im currently searching for a pic of my uncles old r34 gtt, 132kms when he brought it, just had an HKS hard-pipe intake, wank valve and after-market front pipe and 3inch exhaust.... it was big and heavy plenty of torque for rolling burnouts on the motorway, but lacked the 'peppiness' of cars of smaller displacement, and for a newish car by boyracer standards, it got walked on by a few cars my mrs and I own/owned.

are you going for a balls out drivers car? japanese decent? have you considered something a little more classy that still has balls? maybe an aristo or soarer if you go toyota? luce or cosmo if you go wankel ? g35 fairlady or 350Z if you want to go nissan? they are all fast as far as jap tourers go and you get all the dope creature comforts too!

personally id go supra with the 6speed getrag box, purebreed true rwd sports car. need for speed road and track was my first time seeing a supra! loved them ever since...

[XEQTR]

3. Get a Mitsubishi.

Like the 50000 other Evo owners in NZ.... haha

[Donkey]

Don't get a jzx100, they are shit.

[XEQTR]

Don't get a jzx100, they are shit.

how so?

[Donkey]

Because they are too awesome for everyone to own.

[Ares Helix]

 Whilst hitting up trademe the first time out, we'd actually found a really nice GTT down the line in New Plymouth but were
hesitant to check it out, due to the distance required, so had written it off. After taking the white one out for a test, I was
in a better mindset to contact the owner and look at his prices etc and so I flicked him a text. I've never really been a fan
of text messaging, it has its uses for sure, but there's the whole waiting, praying, hoping that the person at the other end
has read your message, or even recieved it! Then there's the whole tone thing, where you type one thing, and they read
it a different way, simply because they aren't you! YAY! Anyhow, after a day or so I got a message back and we arranged
a time to call.
 I gave him a call about a day later and we had a chat about the car. It's kinda funny thinking about it now, but his main
concerns were that it was 'going to a good home' more than the money side of things. After selling my Levin I can completely
understand where he was coming from. When you're a petrolhead, your car becomes part of you, defining who you are and,
to a point, how people percieve you. You have feelings for it, you worry about it when it's in at the shop or parked in a dark
alley somewhere. Heh, I always say that the best part of a night on the town is getting back to your car and finding it still
there and in tact! People always smile or laugh when I say that, but I'm 100% serious! Anyhow, I could totally hear what he was
saying and after talking to me, I think he was a bit happier to go to the next step. I asked him to get an AA report done, which he
emailed through. I passed that on to the flatmate to check out and he said it all seemed ok, so did a background check with
Carjam to make sure the car was legit, no money owing etc. So with the fact finding done, We arranged to meet up at a cafe on
the main highway running through Te Kuiti, that Sunday, figuring it was about halfway for both of us.

 So at a chipper 7am my two flatemates and I roared out of Auckland in the Legacy, straight to Pokeno for a bit of breakfast. Gotta
love GT cars, you can never appreciate them enough until you get out on the open roads outside the city! I have to say that again,
I was impressed by its grip and precision, and to be fair, it's got really nice guages too! We made good time after leaving Pokeno
(yeah, we bought some bacon too) heading away from the motorway somewhere around Hamilton. Now I guess I should point out
that I'm a great fan of 'B' roads, call them what you will, backroads, the 'alternative route' whatever, I love them! I guess you have
more freedom to play a little, as there are usually less people and traffic around. I'm not talking about speeding, but just a bit less
pressure about following distance etc. Anyhow, at around 10:15 we came in sight of the cafe and pulled in next to a bright blue GTT.

[Ares Helix]

 There are few things in this world that actually give me pause. I've spent enough time
in the inner city to not get freaked out by drag queens or homeless people. In fact
it's kinda fun to stop and have a chat to society's more colourful people from time to
time! Likewise celerities don't give me the willies anymore, I guess when you get to a
certain age, you realise their just doing a job, like you or me, sitting at work at our
desks or respective other activities. Sure, their seen more publicly, but other than
that, their just well paid workers, so in my book, their no different to me. All that
goes out the window when I'm walking through a carpark or car yard.I honestly don't
know when it happened, but I've found more and more that I check out nice or
interesting cars parked nearby. I'm sure it looks pretty dodgy too, but there's nothing
in it, I'm just appreciating the machinery of the vehicle and the ideas of other
people, when looking at 'ricer' and tuned cars anyhow. It's getting worse too, since
I've started giving thumbs ups to and even chatting with people at traffic lights or
just whilst driving. It's a strange reality I find myself in, as my family aren't
really car people, with the exception being my wife...

 The car we pulled in next to would have easily fallen into the "Hang on a minute I
wanna have a nosey" category. A completely stock 2000 R34 GTT. The first of the series
two shape, so a bit nicer interior and slightly different body. Either way, it had the
big round tail lights and a factory pearescent blue paint. We piled out of the Legacy
and my first thought was: It looks just like a matchbox car, made bigger!
 Initial shock and awe subsiding, we started chatting with the owner. As on the phone,
he was a really great guy, very down to earth and I think more than a little sad to
think he might be selling the car. After having a chat about his reasons for selling
(upgrading to a new HSV clubsport!) and a bit about the cars (his and the flatmates)

 We got in and went for a run.

 I took it down the road, about a kilometer, then the mechanic/flatty took it back to the cafe.
This was what was missing from the previous. It came on power better, was much smoother
down low, had a nicer feel to it and just felt more solid. Oh yeah, did i mention the
exhaust? The only mod done to this beast was a Kakimoto N1 spec straight through
exhaust. I'd find out later the exact size was 3" leading to a whopping 4.25" tip. To
say it was loud would be like saying that it gets a bit cold in Antarctica. Still, this
felt right, I got that sense that this was the car I'd been looking for. We got back
and i had a brief pow wow with my flatties. Another chat to the owner later, a price
was agreed upon, a call to the bank, a call to the insurance company and done. We
waited with him til a mate picked him up. I really felt for him as he drove off,
staring out the window. He requested that I look after the car and believe me,
that's exactly what I intended to do.

[Scorched_onion]

Oh shit yes good choice my friend, did you see it on saturday? because i was in new plymouth and we were in town, we rolled past a really shiny stock blue R34 heading out of town which was towards te kuiti.

[Tandoori]

A completely stock 2000 R34 GTT. The first of the series
two shape, so a bit nicer interior and slightly different body. Either way, it had the
big round tail lights and a factory pearescent blue paint.

Blue Skidder.

OMG I PREDICT FUCHAZ

[Ares Helix]

 We took a moment or two to take in the scene: A gorgeous yet crisp late autumn day,
outside the city. The mate's Legacy and of course, my brand new Skyline. Wow. Oh, I
forgot to mention: I've seen/worked on many imports in my time, as you do, from cursory
glances at an engines, to helping mates with various stuff running cables for amps etc.
So to see English written on fuse covers and other various stickers around the place
was crazy!
 The moment over, I sat down and adjusted seat/mirrors/pants and started it up. So, to
sum up, brand new car (for me) and the drive ahead was Te-Kuiti to Auckland.
 Hell freakin yeah!

 You can say what you want about defensive driving courses, about instructional videos
or even copious laps of xyz circuit on your pc or favorite game console, nothing beats
the back roads for learning a cars personality. You learn its strengths and weakneses,
how it handles through long corners or short sharp ones, up-hill, down-hill, over
crests and along straights. You get to feel how it reacts to pretty much any situation
that may arise, barring peak traffic crawling perhaps. This drive more than anything
else, vindicated my choice of car. We pulled out and started the drive back.
 We (flatmate two and I) decided to go first, leaving flatmate with Legacy to follow in
case sumin went wrong.

 Out of Te-Kuiti, headed north to Otorohonga, where we hooked a left. As we were
approaching the turn, coming from the direction we were headeed were three police
cruisers. With the exhaust how it was, I nearly had a coronary! I guess though, with
their stereos blasting, they didn't notice the passing bass tone generator and didn't
spare us another thought. After the turn, over a bridge at 50, then back into highway
speed I thought it was a good opportunity to test the pickup. So I waited til the
hundred sign had past and Mr. Legacy was right on my bumper, before dropping a pair of
cogs into third and planting it. All of a sudden he wasn't right on our tail anymore!
 It was an epic day, the first of many. I took it easy for the rest of the run back,
letting my flatmate charge ahead (he got carried away through some bends and developed
quite a lead, stopping to check out a church fair and wait for us, LOL) Got back into
Auckland and went to my wife's work to show her, parking next to her S2000. The smile
said it all really, the cars looked excellent together. She was really impressed by the
condition of the car, the Trademe pics didn't do it justice! Headed back to the flat
and spent the rest of the day buzzing that I'd got such a great ride (yup that one above!)

[Scorched_onion]

Did you go see it on saturday? cause if you did then i saw it too and thats one sexy as hell ride man!