My 1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R

[usafdarkhorse]

Hey Prime,

I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, but I have been away from Prime and NSXs here for a bit while I take a detour.

I moved to Japan about 6 months ago and have had alot of good car experiences since getting here, from the anxiety of driving on the left side of the road for the first time to my first trip to Daikoku Futo in my S15 Silvia Spec R.

I bought and drove around a Suzuki Alto for about 3 months while I got situated and it was one of the most hilarious (and lowest mileage) cars I've ever driven/owned. Sold the car and bought a black '99 Silvia Spec R to experience. That was a good car, and very solid, but I could see how I would enjoy an S2000 more however.

I helped a friend purchase an '89 Skyline GT-R a couple months ago and started to look for my own, so I listed the Silvia for sale. For those who are unaware, the NHTSA and DOT 25 year exemption is rapidly approaching for the earliest R32 GT-Rs, the first of which will most likely land on US shores next August in 2014.

I found a buyer for the Silvia at almost the same time as I found a car I wanted to buy from auction out of Nagoya. This is #2317, a Gunmetal Grey Metallic Nissan Skyline GT-R manufactured the second week of October 1989. My buddy's car, #2555, is in the background. Here is the way I found the car.

About to go through inspection. The wheels are Volk GTP 17x9JJ +23 I found on a local ad site.

How it looks currently. I purchased R32 GT-R specific nismo LMGT4s from a guy in Iwakuni a month ago. Extremely difficult to find.

A few bonuses I found after poking around at the car include a rather large intercooler, BNR34 injectors (they don't flow any more I don't think), Blitz SBC electronic boost control, Apexi intakes, MOMO wheel, HKS cat-back exhaust (not sure if Hi Power or something else), what look like tein springs on stock strut/damper assemblies, 320km/h nismo speedo/odo cluster, nismo hood lip and front fascia (w/ brake ducting) and an aftermarket clutch. Some of these pieces will have to be removed or hidden in order to export the car to the US.

A few things I found that weren't so great was the glovebox door lock was broken (replaced the whole box), the front seats have considerable wear, and there's a gaping hole where the audio used to be.

I'm going to go through the car and change all fluids, inspect for wear and get a good baseline before any real mods occur. A few things needed to be fixed before the rigorous Japanese inspections.

Just thought I would share how I have been coping sans-NSX. I am completely dedicated to coming back to the NSX world. Once I return to the US with this car in tow, another NSX will be priority #1, because while this car is a lot of fun, it pales in comparison to an NSX.

If anyone is considering purchasing a federally legal R32 GT-R here in the near future, be very wary. These cars are very complex and are prone to rusting. I have seen quite a number of these cars and finding one without rust is very very difficult.

 

[itrsteve]

Excellent! Bring back a CRX Si for me too

 

[Caustic]

It seems like you are "coping" very, very well! It is always neat to see people poking around other country's old cars that we can only read about here in the states. Just a little jealous. Good luck with the GTR!

 

[eyecandy]

Post up some pics of the Silvia. Always wanted one...

 

[bigbadberry]

Already getting papers lined up for an R32

 

[synth19]

very nice,

 

[NSXASTY]

nice, so what's the trick on getting one of these in CA??

 

[Matt_337]

Good to see you're doing well over there Jared

 

[jsl757]

One of my favorite cars of all time!

 

[Night Prowler]

Nice car awesome experience to live in Japan! Can you give me some insight on what it's like to live over there? What your daily life is like? And I apologize before hand if all this is off topic, but will the nsx type s and type r ever be legal to import here in the states too?

 

[usafdarkhorse]

Excellent! Bring back a CRX Si for me too

I see one every once in awhile. The ones with the all glass roofs are pretty cool.

It seems like you are "coping" very, very well! It is always neat to see people poking around other country's old cars that we can only read about here in the states. Just a little jealous. Good luck with the GTR!

Thanks!

Post up some pics of the Silvia. Always wanted one...

Me too, so I had to try one out.

Already getting papers lined up for an R32

Not too many papers involved with it being 25 years old. The hardest part will be finding the car, or at least one that isn't a rust bucket/basketcase.

nice, so what's the trick on getting one of these in CA??

In addition to the above, in CA, despite a car being EPA exempt when it is older than 21 years since manufacture, ALL cars manufactured after 1976 must meet CA emissions requirements. It's just more of a PITA, but not impossible.

The trick is waiting until the car is 25 years old and complying completely, fully, and transparently with both Federal and CA law and what they require.

Good to see you're doing well over there Jared

Thanks! I'm having a blast here.

One of my favorite cars of all time!

Mine too.

Nice car awesome experience to live in Japan! Can you give me some insight on what it's like to live over there? What your daily life is like? And I apologize before hand if all this is off topic, but will the nsx type s and type r ever be legal to import here in the states too?

All cars are federally exempt from NHTSA/DOT regulation and can be imported without RI modification when they are 25 years old from the month of manufacture if declared on DOT form HS-7 as code 1 (older than 25 years) and EPA Form 3520-1 as code E (older than 21 years). Customs will issue you a CBP Form 7501 as evidence of importation if you have the above paperwork including bill of lading (put on the boat), "open" Japanese title in both Japanese and English, your bill of sale, and the export packing list invoice (what's in the box). You can handle this yourself, but it would be ideal to have a Customs broker.

In other words, a 1990 Honda NSX will be legal to import to the US sometime in 2015 (depending on month) and the first Type Rs will be available sometime in 2017. I think the Type S started in 1997, so they will be legal sometime in 2022.

An average day in Japan starts at 4AM, because that's when the sun rises. No joke. I can't sleep when it's light out, so I get up too. I sometimes work normal hours, and othertimes it's wayyyy early morning or wayyyy late night. Depends. Traffic is pretty horrendous near Tokyo and owning a sportscar can be downright inconvenient. US military servicemembers pay a fraction of what a Japanese person will pay to register their car. Driving is not too different in Japan, just on the other side of the road. Tolls are not cheap, but cheaper than I was told. The Japanese work week is 6 days long, and Sunday is the day to go out and sightsee/visit family, so trains are usually packed. A ride into Tokyo (Shinjuku) for me is about 45min on the Chuo Line Special Rapid out of Tachikawa. Japanese people can be extremely shy, curious, and voyeuristic all in one. I have seen a couple publicly shamed for showing affection. I have been refused service for being a foreigner several times. I walk about 200ft down the road to a little market for most of my groceries. I'm getting good at reading Hiragana and Katakana which helps with groceries, but sometimes I get confused and buy the wrong thing. Japan, and Tokyo in particular, is extremely dense. Four lane roads are rare, and most roads are only about 15ft wide for both lanes (of which sometimes there is no center line), so you will oftentimes find yourself pulling over to let a kei car through. Even highways like C1, Yokohane, and the Wangan are extremely narrow with sharp curves in places (particularly C1 ring). Daikoku Futo is fun. Yokohama is a blast. Getting turned around and exiting the expressway is a pain haha. Hope this all helps.

I have a Japan thread in Off Topic here somewhere with lots of pictures and explanations if you're curious.

 

[itrsteve]

The whole reason I joined the USAF in 2002 was to go to Japan, I wanted to scour junkyards to sell rare parts lol.

The closest I made it was Iraq lol. I'm jealous of all of my friends that have been stationed there, they get some awesome 90's cars for next to nothing.

 

[stonesonsilver]

Reading all this makes me miss my former imported 97 rhd dc2-r..
Nice s15 and good job on the r32.
I'm a real sucker for these overseas cars!

 

[Caustic]

...I have been refused service for being a foreigner several times...

How does that even work? Do they just ask you to leave? I can't see it being anything but awkward for both parties and the bystanders involved.

Sorry about asking about this, but it just seems very curious to me.

 

[Mirroredshades]

You have great taste in cars. I think I've liked all of your choices so far. Catch you back on the dragon some day.

:cheers:

 

[Night Prowler]

I see one every once in awhile. The ones with the all glass roofs are pretty cool.



Thanks!



Me too, so I had to try one out.

Not too many papers involved with it being 25 years old. The hardest part will be finding the car, or at least one that isn't a rust bucket/basketcase.



In addition to the above, in CA, despite a car being EPA exempt when it is older than 21 years since manufacture, ALL cars manufactured after 1976 must meet CA emissions requirements. It's just more of a PITA, but not impossible.

The trick is waiting until the car is 25 years old and complying completely, fully, and transparently with both Federal and CA law and what they require.



Thanks! I'm having a blast here.



Mine too.



All cars are federally exempt from NHTSA/DOT regulation and can be imported without RI modification when they are 25 years old from the month of manufacture if declared on DOT form HS-7 as code 1 (older than 25 years) and EPA Form 3520-1 as code E (older than 21 years). Customs will issue you a CBP Form 7501 as evidence of importation if you have the above paperwork including bill of lading (put on the boat), "open" Japanese title in both Japanese and English, your bill of sale, and the export packing list invoice (what's in the box). You can handle this yourself, but it would be ideal to have a Customs broker.

In other words, a 1990 Honda NSX will be legal to import to the US sometime in 2015 (depending on month) and the first Type Rs will be available sometime in 2017. I think the Type S started in 1997, so they will be legal sometime in 2022.

An average day in Japan starts at 4AM, because that's when the sun rises. No joke. I can't sleep when it's light out, so I get up too. I sometimes work normal hours, and othertimes it's wayyyy early morning or wayyyy late night. Depends. Traffic is pretty horrendous near Tokyo and owning a sportscar can be downright inconvenient. US military servicemembers pay a fraction of what a Japanese person will pay to register their car. Driving is not too different in Japan, just on the other side of the road. Tolls are not cheap, but cheaper than I was told. The Japanese work week is 6 days long, and Sunday is the day to go out and sightsee/visit family, so trains are usually packed. A ride into Tokyo (Shinjuku) for me is about 45min on the Chuo Line Special Rapid out of Tachikawa. Japanese people can be extremely shy, curious, and voyeuristic all in one. I have seen a couple publicly shamed for showing affection. I have been refused service for being a foreigner several times. I walk about 200ft down the road to a little market for most of my groceries. I'm getting good at reading Hiragana and Katakana which helps with groceries, but sometimes I get confused and buy the wrong thing. Japan, and Tokyo in particular, is extremely dense. Four lane roads are rare, and most roads are only about 15ft wide for both lanes (of which sometimes there is no center line), so you will oftentimes find yourself pulling over to let a kei car through. Even highways like C1, Yokohane, and the Wangan are extremely narrow with sharp curves in places (particularly C1 ring). Daikoku Futo is fun. Yokohama is a blast. Getting turned around and exiting the expressway is a pain haha. Hope this all helps.

I have a Japan thread in Off Topic here somewhere with lots of pictures and explanations if you're curious.

Thank you for the detailed reply! Very interesting to hear your story and everyday adventures. I will visit Japan someday, I am trying to learn Japanese and feel like it's pretty hard but i'm getting better. I wil check out your Japan thread, wish you the best of luck!

 

[4cruizn]

Love the GT-R. Nice ride! Sylvia looked nice too. Look forward to having you back in the NSX fam soon. In the meantime, enjoy those rides.

 

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Nice GT-R, love the 32's. Personally I'll wait until they "flood" the country after exemption and pick one up after someone else has done all the paperwork. I'm sure within the first year we will see a few thousand make it over here.

 

[usafdarkhorse]

The whole reason I joined the USAF in 2002 was to go to Japan, I wanted to scour junkyards to sell rare parts lol.

The closest I made it was Iraq lol. I'm jealous of all of my friends that have been stationed there, they get some awesome 90's cars for next to nothing.

Oh man that's rough haha. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. I'll probably end up in the middle of nowhere for my next assignment I'm sure.

How does that even work? Do they just ask you to leave? I can't see it being anything but awkward for both parties and the bystanders involved.

Sorry about asking about this, but it just seems very curious to me.

Some places will have explicit signs on the door saying "Japanese only" or "no foreigners". Most all places have a host and will greet you with arms crossed in an X if they want to turn you away (Japanese expression for "no"). They will apologize, but they won't let you in. The Japanese do not like saying "no" outright, so you'll usually get an excuse.

You have great taste in cars. I think I've liked all of your choices so far. Catch you back on the dragon some day.

:cheers:

Haha thanks. See you back out there here eventually.

Thank you for the detailed reply! Very interesting to hear your story and everyday adventures. I will visit Japan someday, I am trying to learn Japanese and feel like it's pretty hard but i'm getting better. I wil check out your Japan thread, wish you the best of luck!

Thanks! The best way to learn is to get thrown into it. I still don't know much Japanese, but it's not necessary to be functional here.

Love the GT-R. Nice ride! Sylvia looked nice too. Look forward to having you back in the NSX fam soon. In the meantime, enjoy those rides.

Thanks!

Nice GT-R, love the 32's. Personally I'll wait until they "flood" the country after exemption and pick one up after someone else has done all the paperwork. I'm sure within the first year we will see a few thousand make it over here.

There will be no flood I'm sure as they will be imported on a monthly basis and Nissan averaged around 10,000 per year. When mine becomes exempt, there will only have been 2300 cars before it that could possibly be imported. Many have been sent to Australia, New Zealand, England, etc. They're not exactly a dime a dozen here (except on military installations) and good examples of the car are very difficult to find (rust, maintenance, etc). The majority of cars that will be coming home with most military members once they are NHTSA exempt are in pretty rough shape, and I wouldn't touch one that came from Okinawa. It is an expensive car to maintain and they just can't afford to fix them.

Having said that, yes there will be many more R32 GT-Rs in the US than there are now, and federally legal too. However, the quality of many of them will be in question and I wouldn't expect them being sold at prices close to what they are here. I'm guessing they will even out in the $20K range. I'm not planning on selling mine ever, so you might run into those issues finding a good car. I'm not sure a few thousand R32 GT-Rs will ever make it to the US, but it's possible.

Shipping isn't all that expensive. If you can find yourself a good car over here, the paperwork isn't difficult and you'll end up paying $15,000 for a good car rather than $20K+ back in the US .

 

[simplife]

Darkhorse,

Just curious how many FB and FC Savanna's are on the road over there. The FB body style should have been eligible for US import since 2004, but have never seen a RHD over here in the US.

 

[usafdarkhorse]

Darkhorse,

Just curious how many FB and FC Savanna's are on the road over there. The FB body style should have been eligible for US import since 2004, but have never seen a RHD over here in the US.

I've seen only one FB RX7 here, and I can't really tell if it's operable as I've never seen it move. My guess is that there's no real advantage for anyone to import them to the US as they're fairly plentiful and inexpensive compared to how much they would be over here. Also, keeping an old car over here is very difficult. Constant inspections and outrageous costs drive people to junk old cars rather than driving them.

I've seen a few FC Savannah Infinis around however, a couple of which I know will go back to the US.

I've seen a few hakosuka Skylines as well, but good luck finding parts for that thing even HERE, much less trying to do the same in the US.

 

[Brylek]

Usafdarkhorse, I am trying to send you a pm but your inbox is full.

 

[usafdarkhorse]

Just now saw this! PMd!

I recently scored a set of 18x9 +24 nismo LMGT1s for the car as well. Having said that, I now have 4 sets of wheels for this car and need to get rid of the Volk GT-Ps and Advan AVS 6s haha.

 

[SurfsUP]

Beautiful GTR! I've always love these older skylines. I'm not a really a big fan of the new R35's. The new ones look too much like a riced up infiniti.

Can't wait till more of these GTR'S start showing up after they reached the 25yr mark. Here in NV there is no smog requirement after 25yrs.
Guess I'm gonna be hunting soon.

 

[Aluminsx]

Great looking GTR. If you make it a habit of snapping pictures of rare JDM cars while you're over there I'd love to see some pictures. Big CRX fan here.