After much research and deliberation I took the plunge and purchased a 2008 JDM GTR.
The car was for sale in Melbourne, so I took a day to fly down from Brisbane and inspect it.
After hours of travelling in planes, trains and taxis, I was relieved to find the car in exactly the condition described by the seller i.e. brand new with 109km on the clock.
Owners’s Experience Purchasing a Grey Import Nissan R35 GTR back in 2009
Over the course of the following week a deal was struck on the purchase price and I was soon on a plane back to Melbourne to pick the car up. Before handing over the bank cheque, a test drive was in order to ensure everything was in perfect working order and once I was satisfied, the transaction was completed.
I then organised a permit from VicRoads which would allow me to drive this unregistered car to Brisbane. This was a surprisingly pain free process completed over the phone in minutes and I was soon on my way.
Interestingly, the dealership I purchased the car from, also was selling a Jade R34 GTR V-Spec II Nur for approximately the same price as my R35 - a car which has appreciated significantly in value and if I had a crystal ball, would certainly have purchased instead.
I then drove out of the car yard to embark on the 1900km journey back to Bris Vegas. I had a good mate of mine along with me for the trip during which we took turns at the wheel.
My first real impressions of the car were driving through mid afternoon traffic. The car is very easy to drive, especially if you leave it in auto mode. Very docile. We spent most of our time playing with the multi function display and trying to figure out all of the buttons, a few of which are in Japanese.
We then reached the point when it was time to merge onto the highway. I was keeping the gearbox in auto mode in a bid to keep the revs under 3500 to run in the engine, but even on fractional throttle the car slingshot us onto the Hume Highway with both of us grinning like idiots.
The rest of the day was spent on the highway, where overtaking semi trailers was all too easy. Someone once described this car as being like a 'mini-Veyron' and I think they are spot on.
After a stop over in Dubbo we continued 'jetting' on towards Brisbane. As the car is from Japan, we could not pickup FM radio, however I brought a CF card with me that contained 25 hours worth of music and set it to random. The GTR is an effortless car in which to travel long distances. Much is made of the 'harsh' ride but I found it to be completely acceptable, especially when the suspension is set to comfort mode.
The car certainly attracts plenty of attention. I am going to need a very dark window tint! Each time I stopped for fuel someone questioned me about the car. The weirdest question I received was in Warwick when a bloke asked me, 'Is that a real one?'
Once in Brisbane, I took the GTR to J&S Autocare to get a Safety Certificate so I could register the car in Qld.
While I was at J&S Autocare a guy with a tidy R34 GTT pulled in just to say hello - got to love the Skyline community!
After an agonising week and a half away at work, I finally found the time to register the car yesterday and have been driving it all day today. A few other impressions I have of the GTR are:
it accelerates like nothing else. It is as if your are teleported into the distance!
visibility out the back when reversing isn't great. I may resort to a reverse camera but I'll see if I get accustomed to it.
it is a big, heavy car and it likes to drink
I think manual mode will take awhile to get used to. I have come from a manual car and am used to changing down and skipping gears e.g. from 4th to 2nd. At this stage, it is sometimes hard to know what gear you are in without looking at the display. I much prefer the gearbox in 'R' mode as the shifts are much more responsive. I quite like the throttle blips on downshifts.
the handling can be quite communicative and playful. I have managed to slip the rear a little bit on a couple of occaisions accelerating out of corners.
the car is a bit quiet. I am looking at mid pipe options.
the sound system isn't great, although I don't have the premium Bose sytem - this isn't why I bought the car
I am not sure Nissan should have bothered with the rear seats, they are fairly useless. Maybe Nissan should hve left them out and reduced the weight. The boot however is very useful - it swallowed two large suitcases with ease.
the GTR travels at high speeds so effortlessly that I have grave fears for my license.
I can't wait to get this car out on the track. I plan on a Cobb tune and a mid pipe. Some aftermarket transmission oil will probably be required for track days.