R33 GTR as 4BW companion?

[Ungwei]

Is anyone here a fan of 90's Japanese sports cars? I'm approaching 40k miles on my Blackwing which I have been enjoying immensely, but I've have this consistent yearning for an skyline GTR since they became importable. Spending 50-60k on a 30 year old right hand drive sports car is objectively idiotic, but there is such a draw to the character of these old cars. Does anyone else have these kinds of problems? I know a lot of you guys have second weekend cars, is the investment worth it? I plan on continuing to daily drive my Blackwing until the wheels fall off.

Here is one I drove in Japan back in 2019

 

[obeykube]

Howdy, I work for a consignment shop on the weekends and have driven a lot under the sun. Love these cars, but I tell everyone all the time before dropping 50-60k on something like this go check out an S2000. For the money, even now, they are such good driving cars and IMO give you that old school driving feel, and they will be much cheaper to run and drive for a long long time....either way though, you win! Great problem to have. Good luck

 

[Ungwei]

Howdy, I work for a consignment shop on the weekends and have driven a lot under the sun. Love these cars, but I tell everyone all the time before dropping 50-60k on something like this go check out an S2000. For the money, even now, they are such good driving cars and IMO give you that old school driving feel, and they will be much cheaper to run and drive for a long long time....either way though, you win! Great problem to have. Good luck

the S2000 seems like a fantastic analog sports car and certainly an easier pill to swallow compared to an R33 GTR price wise. An early generation boxster or cayman can similarly be had for lower costs with better availability in parts. Still something about those 90s shitbox nissans pull my heartstrings...

 

[1Evil55]

Sorry but comparing an S200 to an R33 is apples and wires. Maybe part of it is due to growing up in the 90s with Fast and Furious but I would love to sport a skyline.

 

[Mutz]

Is anyone here a fan of 90's Japanese sports cars? I'm approaching 40k miles on my Blackwing which I have been enjoying immensely, but I've have this consistent yearning for an skyline GTR since they became importable. Spending 50-60k on a 30 year old right hand drive sports car is objectively idiotic, but there is such a draw to the character of these old cars. Does anyone else have these kinds of problems? I know a lot of you guys have second weekend cars, is the investment worth it? I plan on continuing to daily drive my Blackwing until the wheels fall off.

Here is one I drove in Japan back in 2019

View attachment 24706

Don't do it for the investment. As much as some used cars seem to have appreciated over the last decade, I wouldn't consider them good investments.

Get the R33 because you want it and it's badass!

 

[obeykube]

Sorry but comparing an S200 to an R33 is apples and wires. Maybe part of it is due to growing up in the 90s with Fast and Furious but I would love to sport a skyline.

I know the "image" and cult following is very different, but the actual driving experience is very similar IMO. Analog, character, handling, etc. It's an emotional purchase obviously, so hard to objectively judge that!

 

[AtrociKitty]

Howdy, I work for a consignment shop on the weekends and have driven a lot under the sun. Love these cars, but I tell everyone all the time before dropping 50-60k on something like this go check out an S2000. For the money, even now, they are such good driving cars and IMO give you that old school driving feel, and they will be much cheaper to run and drive for a long long time....either way though, you win! Great problem to have. Good luck

I think S2000s are good cars that have become increasingly overrated as the years pass. At today's prices, there are plenty of better options for your money, both in terms of performance and period driving experience. I'd only recommend buying an S2000 in the current market if you specifically want an S2000.

 

[Ungwei]

Sorry but comparing an S200 to an R33 is apples and wires. Maybe part of it is due to growing up in the 90s with Fast and Furious but I would love to sport a skyline.

Funny enough I never really paid much attention to Fast and the Furious when I was younger, but I still love the skylines, and other 90s JDM's to a lesser extent.

 

[obeykube]

I think S2000s are good cars that have become increasingly overrated as the years pass. At today's prices, there are plenty of better options for your money, both in terms of performance and period driving experience. I'd only recommend buying an S2000 in the current market if you specifically want an S2000.

We have one customer that has upwards of 30 cars with us...his S2000 get's the most mileage out of anything he owns per year. All I am saying. My dream is a 2024 Porsche 911 Sport Classic. I am a German car guy mostly so what do I know lol.

 

[minn19]

I like JDM cars, but I was never into the Skyline or S2000 for that matter. I would love a resto modded manual 240/280z though.

Agree, if you can swing it, go for it, have some fun! Even with inflated prices, if you don’t go nuts on the mileage I wouldn’t think you’d get crushed on resale. Certainly going to better on resale than our 4V BWs unfortunately.

 

[Champale]

An R33 would be such a completely different flavor of car within the 'sports car' genre that I think it would an excellent addition to your 4BW. So would an Evo 6 or similar (says me, a guy who has owned an Evo 8 and 2 Evo Xs).

 

[AtrociKitty]

We have one customer that has upwards of 30 cars with us...his S2000 get's the most mileage out of anything he owns per year. All I am saying. My dream is a 2024 Porsche 911 Sport Classic. I am a German car guy mostly so what do I know lol.

I had the "best" S2000, an S2000 CR, for a decade. I sold it last year because I was putting less mileage on it than any of my other cars. Don't get me wrong, it's a great car. But I think, similar to the Skyline, its attained a sort of mythical status beyond its actual performance and value as a car.

 

[1Evil55]

An R33 would be such a completely different flavor of car within the 'sports car' genre that I think it would an excellent addition to your 4BW. So would an Evo 6 or similar (says me, a guy who has owned an Evo 8 and 2 Evo Xs).

Sign me up for a 6.5TME please.

 

[Champale]

Heck yes to a Tommi Makinen Evo!

I agree with a lot of you guys about the S2000s. I test drove them back when they were new and I never understood the appeal. Absolute dogs until big revs, chassis wasn't nearly as good as the magazines had me thinking, brakes overheated pretty easily, plus I didn't fit (6'2"). And I am guy who loves all sorts of screamer engines (have owned 2 FZR400s and other high revving motorcycles along with 2 high revving S197 Boss 302s and now a GT350R). As Public Enemy said: "Don't Believe the Hype!"

 

[RDATLTE]

When I was considering an S2K, I was coming out of an Integra GS-R and wanted something with more torque. I opted for a Nissan 350Z.

 

[MookdocOE]

I know guy who just imported one over as it hit the yearly threshold and it's pretty cool! He got rear ended and that's not going to be cool to fix relating to parts and paint?

 

[Roadhawk]

All of the above....lol.

In the late 80s/early 90s I used to work with a Air Force Senior Master Sargent who had spent time in Japan and brought back a right hand drive 240z (with mirrors way out on the front). A cool and classic car for sure.

Being somewhat older than most of you'all here I should be nostalgic for 1960s/1970s muscle cars...and while to some degree I am...even back then I was more partial to British and Italian two seaters...always liked the small & nimble. That being said I am a huge fan of classic JDM (though not of Fast & Furious)....

My dream car that I owned at the time was a 1989 Toyota MR2 Supercharged...such fun (it was fast & furious for the day). I had some great fun with that car. That being said the 2nd generation Turbo was better yet,,,and a car to consider today IMO...can be made truly fast & furious by even todays standards...and of course the MK IV Supra....a friends single turbo (750+ hp) was the faster car I've ever driven...I've also been interested in the S2000 for years...though for many years was turned off by the speedo. They do lack low end torque and are only really fun when pushed hard...but yeah...quite a car.

I get the appeal of the GTR...as well as those old EVOs and such...I'd say go for it!

 

[white98ls]

I think S2000s are good cars that have become increasingly overrated as the years pass. At today's prices, there are plenty of better options for your money, both in terms of performance and period driving experience. I'd only recommend buying an S2000 in the current market if you specifically want an S2000.

I kind of agree. I had a 2002 for 3.5 years (bought in 2013 w/47k miles for $13k, needed nothing!) and added 23k miles including tracking and dailying. I might get some grief for this, but out of the 7 cars I've owned now, even though I'd love another S2000 I have to say it was my least favorite.

Why? It's a dedicated sports car that's designed to do only one thing well - be fun to drive - and I respect that. You put up with a lot - quite cramped interior, a LOT of noise at all times (soft top is paper thin) - to get that focus.

But then it falls short in a few ways as a sports car. The early electronic PS doesn't communicate that well. No torque below 6k means you're getting beaten by minivans below 25mph in 1st and 40mph in 2nd. The handling is fairly unforgiving (though some people like this) and the aero sucks. The car is clearly built for small people so even at 5'10", I had to get a low seat rail and race seat to pass the "broomstick test" for tracking a convertible with a helmet.

I upgraded to a Lotus Elise, which is even less practical but doesn't have those problems as a sports car. The manual steering has tons of feel - some say it's the best steering rack in any car. Handling is simply amazing. It has 10% less torque but critically weighs 800lbs less(!!) - that's a full-size grand piano - so it can get out of its own way before the hot cams kick on. Oh, and it's also reliable (I've never had so much as a CEL in 5.5yrs of ownership), looks cool, and doesn't depreciate. It also makes for a phenomenal counterpart to my beastly 5BW.

S2000s were awesome when you could get a good one for $15k. $20k or $25k I could make an argument for too. It's when they started getting to $30k, $40k, $60k+ for a nice one that I lost interest in owning one again.

 

[Ungwei]

https://tkgtcars-import.com/collections/us-inventory/products/1100508 what do y'all think, almost stock and looks rust free, dealer says it was bought from a single owner, carvx is clean. I'm seriously considering booking a flight to LA...

 

[Super Saloon]

https://tkgtcars-import.com/collections/us-inventory/products/1100508 what do y'all think, almost stock and looks rust free, dealer says it was bought from a single owner, carvx is clean. I'm seriously considering booking a flight to LA...