Has the GTR lost its luster?

[unknownpharoah]

So we all know the GTR is a fine vehicle. It's fast, looks good, comfortable and until the last few years relatively affordable. In recent times the MSRP of the Nissan has steadily creeped to the 100k mark. The used market is obviously strong, I see them much more frequently than in times past. So much so that they barely catch my eye at car gatherings anymore. So I ask, is it just me or has the the famed GTR lost some of its sparkle? There is no question about its performance, it just seems to be another car in the crowd these days.

 

[racer9x]

In my opinion it never had the wow factor in the esthetics department, yeah it made you look when first introduced and you came across one on the road or at a parking lot, just like a new corvette or mustang does, but once you have seen it a couple of times and the curiosity is satisfied. you don't walk up to them anymore in search to fall in love with it once again; The fact of it being spotted frequently also causes it to lose its sparkle as well. I look at the GTR, the same way as I look at the Toyota Supra "it does nothing for me esthetically but I appreciate its performance"; That being said I'm a sucker for beauty, which ultimately is in the eye of the beholder:smile:

 

[pjr300]

to my eyes, an R32 has more wow factor than the current gtr....

 

[unknownpharoah]

To be honest the 60's something VW Zillion window bus was getting more looks than the flock of GTRs at today's meet.

 

[pjr300]

did you know that the zillion window bus is getting $125k at auction? crazy... I sold one for $700.

 

[unknownpharoah]

Yeah it's nutty. They are big freaking dollars right now.

 

[99problems]

I never got caught in the hype. Always thought all Skylines were boring. *FlameSuitOn*

 

[nsxotic911]

In stock form, it runs laps on all but the most well tuned and tested NSXs, e.g 99%. Stock form. I have much respect for Godzilla - in stock form.

 

[RYU]

Has it lost it's sparkle? The R35 never had any.

It's an engineering marvel. Kudos to the engineers for building a car like they wanted. It's ugly as sin.

My 3 favorites are R34, R33, and the Hakosuka

 

[hlakhani]

i think its singular purpose of being a great performance weapon is almost a fault.

I reconsider picking one up every so often, but it's a compromise as a daily driver, too expensive as a dedicated track car (for me), and not special enough to keep as a weekend/occasional cruiser.

 

[Zoom]

We see quite a lot of them around here. My feeling about R33 and R34 was they looked like a riced-up family sedan, for dads on a rush. That's also my feeling about Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.. they have no class, very ugly (even if i know first hand the Evo is also a monster in performance).
I also appreciate the technology that goes in them, but not as much as Honda high specific power NA marvels, or Mazda rotaries. Even though i am a geek, i am maybe not geek enough to fall in love with the R35, to me this car is all about numbers and nothing else.

 

[unknownpharoah]

......it's a compromise as a daily driver, too expensive as a dedicated track car (for me), and not special enough to keep as a weekend/occasional cruiser.

well stated.

 

[bngl3rt]

I think they just overproduced the crap out of them and now they're absolutely everywhere and don't hold any value. I think the Megafactories documentary claimed they are set up to build 25 GT-Rs a day. A day!!

 

[Aaron94T]

The GTR is not a car that is driven for attention as it does not have the visual wow factor, IMHO. However, if you have ever gotten a ride in one it is a serious machine. I received my first ride in one this week and I was blown away by the trans. It is truly a marvel of engineering and it fits the car perfectly. I have been on the fence about purchasing one over the past year and still can't get myself to break out the checkbook. I am 50% convinced but still...

 

[bngl3rt]

I am 50% convinced but still...

Then wait until you can get one for 50% of new :smile: shouldn't be long now...

 

[naaman]

I never really liked it to begin with, either. Too big/fat, ugly, etc... and too much tech.

 

[Zoom]

Too much tech is not the issue IMHO - the tech on the GTR just works and even in stock form it's brutally fast and awesome to drive on a track. I think the main problem lies in the looks department, it will become dated very quickly, and has just no style.

 

[jond]

It's so big in person that it's kind of off putting. I like it, but it would be so much nicer if it was 30% smaller.
I've also heard too many people say it's not a fun car to drive which makes me question wanting one.
And I've also read some early examples having 'delicate' $10,000 transmissions which I'm not a fan of.
Read one owner who was on his 3rd transmission on a stock car that he said he's never raced, never launched.

 

[RYU]

I could deal with the ugliness in trade for the awesome technology but its consumables are far too high in cost. Tires alone for a track day event will cost thousands of dollars if you go through a full set which is likely because the car is so heavy. It sucks as a daily driver because of the shitty mpg and someone said it's not special enough for a wknd fun car which is true.

 

[Lostbuckeye]

In my opinion it never had the wow factor in the esthetics department, yeah it made you look when first introduced and you came across one on the road or at a parking lot, just like a new corvette or mustang does, but once you have seen it a couple of times and the curiosity is satisfied. you don't walk up to them anymore in search to fall in love with it once again; The fact of it being spotted frequently also causes it to lose its sparkle as well. I look at the GTR, the same way as I look at the Toyota Supra "it does nothing for me esthetically but I appreciate its performance"; That being said I'm a sucker for beauty, which ultimately is in the eye of the beholder:smile:

I agree. This past weekend I was at a small charity meet that a local repair shop was sponsoring and of the 20 cars there were 5 GTRs.

 

[Nero Tenebre]

When did the GTR ever have luster? I would put it in the cool car category for sure but it stirred up about zero desire in me. I never was much for thick girls though :wink:

 

[TomCat]

I think the GTR is at its best in magazine articles (posting #s ) and video games...but in person...NSX!

 

[Osiris_x11]

I never had the R35 (GT-R) in the "sportscar" niche, which may have encompassed the Corvette, Viper, etc and other mid'ships (NSX, 911, Gallardo, 458, etc). To me, the platform (and lineage) has always been more of an ultra-performance GT coupe, something it accomplishes without a peer at such. With that said, you put a GT-R next to contemporary Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, and even Euro performance coupes (Ms, AMGs, etc) it still distinguishes itself in performance/handling as well as design/style (in its own way).

Dollar-for-dollar, I'd keenly look into a GT-R in-comparison to others mentioned above (offerings inclusive of front-engine, rwd/awd, high-performance, 2-door coupe/GT, etc). Or an Aston Martin Vantage/DB9...

 

[toddat]

I had one for a bit last year. I really liked it except for two big problems.

It has far and away the worst transmission of any car in the same class I've owned. It's clunky, loud and shift speeds are slow. My Porsche Turbo S with PDK ran circles around it. Even the automated manual in my Ferrari F430 was better. Nissan should worry less about acceleration and work on putting a modern transmission in it. If they did I'd consider getting another one.

The second problem is visibility. Very hard to see when turning your head back to check when changing lanes. I'm old school I learned to drive by looking and not relying on mirrors only.

 

[BATMANs]

Looks was like a MKIV, only a mother can love.

Performance, like the MKIV, well a father can be proud of...