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Hello all
So i am turned 16 couple months in the past , and now trying to purchase my first automobile. I saved up some cash so I in a position to purchase one thing good however non turbo. I now drive my mother and father 2016 corolla, however i would like one thing that appears good (i am simply not into corollas ). And I feel that skyline must be good possibility. However I need to know , is it laborious to keep up r33 ? Automotive is fairly previous although , and in my finances I solely in a position to purchase one thing with extra 150k kilometres on odo. 150 not very a lot for 25 + years previous automobile , however nonetheless generally is a downside.
So individuals who personal r33 , I would like your recommendation , specialy folks from Australia
Thanks.

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  • There is absolutely no point in buying an R33 if you can’t afford a good one. Just get a sensible car or keep your parents car and continue saving money.

  • I’m also Aussie, but almost 3x your age. When I owned a GTST over 20 years ago, they were great fun and reliable. Plus I only paid about AUD$15k (~USD$10k for those out of Aus) for it landed and registered here in Australia (I don’t know how the Americans stomach their prices).

    Back then I was able to source a one owner car directly from the Japanese owner (not an auction). It had a full history and was completely stock apart from a cat back exhaust. I used that as my daily driver and it never gave me a mechanical issue. However, it was less than 5 years old at the time.

    But R33’s have had decades of possibly hard lives, mistreatment, and questionable modifications.

    Can you even find a clean unmolested example anymore?

    You have to have patience and a little mechanical confidence to drive old sports cars as daily’s IMO. I say that as someone who drives a 20 year old 911 as my daily now…

    Best advice I ever got about cars at your age was: *“Buy something you love. Because when it inevitability breaks down, you won’t be quite as pissed off.”* That was from a guy who was driving a 1970’s Alfa in the mid 90’s.

  • I’d recommend using that Corolla, Treat it like an r33 (as in care for it greatly).

    It saves on insurance, gas and it is also safer. Sure, It’s not a cool car, But it’s more forgiving for a new driver and you can learn on a car to isn’t expensive to find parts for…

    I just think that will benefit you in the long run.

  • Probably one of the worst choices you can make getting a first car. Stick with Toyota or Honda, as they are reliable and sensible

  • 16? You are going to demolish any car you own for at least a few years until you learn proper maintenance, Care, and most importantly, how to drive. Drive that Corolla for as long as you can and put your money toward your future. It’s so easy to get ahead in life with just a few thousand invested and lots of time.

  • Hope you have money for two cars, the r33 isn’t unreliable it’s just older. The issue is when it comes to the age of the parts. Things are going to start wearing out. Sometimes, multiple things at once. If you don’t have a decent chunk of change, it could put you into a financial hole. If you want a daily-able, cool car, just pick up a Subaru. You’re still going to have to turn a wrench, but they’re easy af to work on and CAN get good gas milage, plus parts are fairly cheap.

  • Aussie here. I got a R33 GTST when it was mostly affordable (about 6 years ago / $10k). I have spent on average $2000 a year on maintenance and tyres. I take it to a specialist mechanic I trust who does the work to a higher standard than I could ever hope to, and which (I believe) extends its usable life. The costs aren’t just servicing, and I’ve never done any performance upgrades. This is just stuff that needs replacing and fixing on a 27yo car. I only put 98 in it.

    I am worried about parking it in public in case it gets pinched. I park it in a locked garage not visible from the street at home for the same reason. When I park it at work, or in shopping centres, I park away from public view, and look for other nice cars that aren’t going to ding it. I have comprehensive insurance which is about $100 a month (Shannon’s). I’m older than 25.

    The air conditioning is not great and now doesn’t work (another on the list of things to get fixed), which will be a consideration if you’re driving in Oz in summer.

    It gets heaps of attention. Teenagers tell you to rev it up and I do and it’s fun.

    The ride is harsh, and I have to watch out for potholes, speed bumps, concrete parking lips, etc. It doesn’t accelerate like a modern car. Be very good at driving manual.

    It’s RWD, and a turbo. The back kicks out and it took me 6 months of driving it to get used to the feel of it. The first week I had it, I almost spun out at an intersection. I had my full license for almost 30 years at that point. You’ll need to become a very aware, considerate, intelligent driver. That thing your folks tell you? “Drive like everyone is a maniac and trying to kill you!” That’s true. Be sure you know what you’re doing.

    As far as finding a non-turbo R33 in Australia? Carsales has a few in different states. $20k looks like about the price. But their kms are high, and there’s not many. Are you willing to travel to inspect? Or pay to have a local mechanic’s report? Just some things to think about.

    I’m not going to tell you whether they’re good first cars or not. Other commenters will put in their opinions. It might be perfect for you to learn lots about looking after and driving safely and enjoying what can be a tricky car to live with, depending on your situation.

    Ask me anything else you might think of. Good luck.

  • Yell looking at your other post you don’t know how to drive stick yet and your budget is probably a lot lower than what one of these would ultimately cost so be realistic here your fist car should be something sturdy so you can learn in and probably cheaper helps too so you’ll have some money to put into it when things eventually break because that’s just what happens with older and worn parts.

  • I have never owned this car, but when I was 15, I wanted a 240sx so bad and was set on getting one. This is back when you could get one for 3 grand. Ya know what my first car was? It was a Chevy Cavalier that was my sister’s, and I loved that car. It wasn’t the coolest, but it got me where I needed to be. Drive the corolla into the ground and save your money. That’s the best advice I got for you, some may have a different opinion.

  • I’m 16 and I want “insert JDM car” soon. Spoon feed me info please Reddit thanks

    I wish these posts were banned on this sub lol

  • The cars aren’t that bad, it all depends on how well they were taken care of and maintained. If they regularly skipped maintenance it will be a POS.

    Body and interior parts are hard to find and can be expensive. Mechanical parts are still pretty easy to find.

    Honestly they were popular because in 2010 they were cheap as shit with decent power, nowadays if you look at carsales.au any manual turbo car is $25,000+ in bad condition and will get beat by a Camry unless you throw money at the RB.

    If you can only afford a non-turbo I would really not recommend one. A newer 2000+ skyline or 350z would be a much better car for around 10,000 AUD.

    Looking at carsales the cheapest R33 in Australia is a manual 1994 GTS for 15,000. They only have 130hp from a rb20. You’re Corolla would probably be faster.

    Looks like you need 20,000 for the cheapest turbo model, but it’s also an automatic.

  • Idk any 16 y/o that can afford a clean r33 gtr and upkeep/maintain it well. Also that’s after fixing whatever needs to be done initially especially on that high km car. Unless your parents are helping you immensely, this makes no sense. On top of all that new drivers, especially young new drivers almost always have at least one accident/fender bender if not a few and I wouldn’t want to mess up a dream car. It’s almost always smarter to start on a cheaper car for the first couple years as you get more comfortable driving and become a better driver in general. It can still be a cool car for example an e36/e46, civic/integra, miata, older wrx, etc.

  • They are extremely overrated and overhyped, and should not be bought as a ‘main’ car or daily driver, instead get one if/when you can afford a project car, because buying a skyline on a budget is going to be something that you’ll be working on more than you’ll be driving it.

  • Any skyline is a terrible idea. Get something cheap if you want a intro to jdm just get a 350, a 240, Miata, Mr2 literally anything else.

  • I’ve owned a 32GTR and 33GTR… you will never be sad behind the wheel on either. That’s all I have to say

  • Way worse than my 32. Best way I can describe it is in stock form it’s like an mma fighter (32) quit put on a suit and went to work in an office cubicle. The beast is still there is just restrained and boring and you have to invest way to much time and money in waking the monster.

    And they’re not worth anywhere near what they’re selling for. All of them not just the 33. People need to understand these things aren’t gods stock… they’re gods after you spend 50-100k modifying them… stock, you can buy more powerful na cars for 12k than a 90s skyline.

  • I work in insurance in the US. Customers total 5-6 of these a month. Considering how many are in the US it’s a lot. Don’t drive it like an asshole

  • Best damn car in the world. Owned a ton of cars I thought were “fast”. My runs 9s on street tires and it’s absolutely terrifying. 10/10 would recommend.

    But with the new crackhead pricing of RBs at 16k when they used to be 1.5k. They aren’t as cheap to build. You could build a 9 sec gtr for under 10k (car cost included) less than 6 years ago.

    But my BEST advice is get a Subaru Brighton. Or any 90s 2 dr. Beat the piss outta it and have fun. The 90s 2.5rs are expensive but if you can find a Brighton they are way lighter and designed like the record attempt cars. But no one knows about em yet so you’ll still find one for cheap

  • 3s swap the Corolla, it’ll probably cost as much as the R33 by the time you’re done. I’ll advised life choice aside, save for a better version of the R33 (ignoring riding prices) drive the brakes off the Corolla.

  • Owning a JDM car in America is a pain cause you can’t walk into AutoZone and pickup any part you want.

  • Mmmm yess….. 1st car must be unreliable jaydeeemm from the 90s

    Get something reliable or new around somewhere u can afford or continue to drive your mom’s car until you have enough savings for something u want in the modern age

  • The r33 was a technological marvel in its day. 30ish years out, most of which has failed/expensive to fix now.

    From that, i own a vintage car, but one that s minimalist in 90s era car technology, since reliability is so important as an owner (nothing fancy, just another 1994 toyota mr2 gt-s). Its almost as fast as an r33 of the era, but has significantly reduced points of failure. It’s beauty is in its simplicity.

  • It’s been an awesome experience. Still sucks driving RHD in a LHD country as you basically cannot overtake on any b-roads. I was always afraid breaking something as anything is $$$ if available at all.

  • Get a 4 door base model, they are very reliable and a good first car without being boring. The only thing you should worry about is rust and engine modifications, if the engine is modified then don’t get it cuz it will be a unreliable pos and rust is hard to fix, if it’s in the sills, rocker panels, wheels wells or on the brace point in the engine bay then dot buy it.