# The importance of buying a 2011 onwards GTR?



## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Hi folks,
New to the site and seems a great place to convince me to buy a GTR!

I'd imagine this has been asked before so apologies if that's the case, but (deep breath) I've driven various impreza's and sti's for about 20 years now, loved every minute but after my last one met a sad end I've decided to give very serious attention to buying my bucket list car. The R35 GTR.

So looking around at info to get me clued up, a few things jump out as an advantage of the facelifted 2011. Extended service intervals being a big one. The car would be a weekend car, so pushing a service out for a year would be nice and helpful. I really like the cosmetic changes also.

To be honest the power increase isn't the big sell, I'm sure I could live with 478 

Budget wise I'm looking at 35-early 40, possibly just a little bit too little for a 2011?

Now I'm sure I could buy any year GTR and be over the moon with it, like I say this is a proper bucket list car for me, but just how 'necessary' is it to be aiming at the facelift version over the previous?

Any other things I should have in consideration between versions when buying?

Literally any help and info on buying one of these beasts would be very much appreciated.

Cheers, Paul


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## JapFreak786 (Aug 29, 2003)

Without sounding like a broken record on repeat all your information is available by searching older threads..

And for that budget I think the only cars you***8217;ll find are high mileage for a GTR or damage repaired. A £45k budget will give you a lot more options


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## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

40k won***8217;t get you in to a DBA unless it***8217;s been to the moon and back

The extended service intervals are carried on to the CBA by most owners now they aren***8217;t out of warranty, same engine and running gear so makes sense. 

There is t any real great importance in getting the DBA, in my view it just has nicer seats, the DRL***8217;s look a bit bent as they break the front of the car up and the suspension is softer that***8217;s about all you***8217;ll notice on a day to day basis. 

Buy a car you can afford without breaking yourself as these cars can be expensive when shit goes wrong lol the general running isn***8217;t all that bad


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## snuffy (Mar 26, 2014)

A quick scan of the For Sale section on PH will tell you that £35k to £40k will get you a 2009 car. £45-£48k for a 2011.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks for the replies. I will go through the forum for all the info I can find, just wanted to get some feedback on the initial thoughts in my head.

By the way, why does '***8217;' appear in the lines of text? Can't quite make out some of the replies.

Very true Stealth, I've got budget to cover problems and fully expecting higher running costs than the scoobies. Saying that, the only thing that ever went wrong in 20 years was a solenoid and if you read all the forums they're all ticking time bombs with clutches that last half an hour :runaway: Not than I'm comparing the 2 cars obviously!

Talking about mileage and resale, are the 50k milers I'm seeing ones to be avoided? As I'm initially thinking of only owning the car for a year or so and putting very little mileage on it it'll be passed on in virtually the same state.

Personally I've no issues with a newer/higher mileage car. The car is what it is, but it's hardly some highly strung, over stressed hyper car that'll go pop in the blink of an eye. Or am I being slightly naive to the over engineered reputation of these cars?

At the end of the day my first impreza was supposed to be a 12k car, walked out with a 20k car. Budgets are made to be broken, lol


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

A cba is good. Quite a few have dBAs and will naturally say those are best lololol

The differences. Slightly changed front end and drls. Alloys. Seats. 

Then the important stuff. The power is slightly enhanced. But that is irrelevant as you won't leave your car stock and will jump to 600/650 in a short space of time (save your breath saying you'll keep it stock lol) 

The dba has larger turbo inlets which are good, but not a deal breaker. It has better suspension which is genuinly better (model years 11 to 13 anyway, the cba is hard. The model year 14 onwards is too soft) 

In the gearbox, the dba has solonids clips as standard which help reduce/irradiated any swarf build up on the solonids magnets. But these are an easy after market mod. 

They also have better selector rings/syncros. They are more durable. However, the cba is still solid. 

With your budget I would say get a nice cba. You won't be disappointed and you will find now a number have made the above mods anyway.

Welcome. You won't regret it but go in realising these cars can punish you financially. Be it repairs or mods.


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## snuffy (Mar 26, 2014)

PaulH0070 said:


> By the way, why does '***8217;' appear in the lines of text? Can't quite make out some of the replies.


Good question, I see that in a lot of posts but I've no idea why.


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## Tin (Aug 15, 2010)

I think the weird characters are due to using folks using tapatalk on a mobile phone.

Oh, and try and get the best car you can for your budget, factoring in brakes/tyres/servicing, depending how hard you drive it!


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## matt j (Oct 19, 2001)

latest IOS update on iPhone 7 is giving those characters


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## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

matt j said:


> latest IOS update on iPhone 7 is giving those characters


latest IOS on all iphones and Ipads is doing it...... stooped apple! 



PaulH0070 said:


> Very true Stealth, I've got budget to cover problems and fully expecting higher running costs than the scoobies. Saying that, the only thing that ever went wrong in 20 years was a solenoid


Core you must be the luckiest man alive, I had a classic WRX and blew the bottom end, Had a P1 which did the same and an STI7 that split an oil feed and went up in flames LOL


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## terry lloyd (Feb 12, 2014)

matt j said:


> latest IOS update on iPhone 7 is giving those characters


And there was me thinking we have a load of retards on the forum :chuckle:

CBA or DBA they are more or less the same car with the obvious cosmetic differences and IIRC the Dba has bigger brakes / more power / better gearbox software / better HD screen and a few other mechanical changes mentioned above , the good news is all parts from the DBA fit on the CBA and a simple remap gets you the additional power and the same goes for the gearbox software , As mentioned above have a couple of £k spare for issues 

I am sure whichever model you go for you will be happy with it - they all put a smile on your face


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## Simonh (May 24, 2002)

terry lloyd said:


> And there was me thinking we have a load of retards on the forum :chuckle:


those two things are not mutually exclusive!


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## simGTR (Aug 5, 2017)

DBA also has some larger pipes to the transmission cooler, but unless you track it real hard, it won't make much difference.

Nothing wrong with 50k miles of it's been well looked after. But for resale get the lowest mileage possible, but then that's the same with anything.

Mine was high 40s and I'm now over 50k, but it had some expensive bits on it that I liked. Plus I wanted a certain colour with tinted windows.


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

Good point on the brakes terry. I've never really struggled with gearbox temps. Only a few occasions where I've needed to let it cool to avoid going over 120 degrees although if you're due a tranny oil change in less than 3k miles you can let it go upto 140deg without an issue.

I have run at Silverstone and vmax and a few runway days. 

I do wonder what would happen if I fitted a race Intercooler though. With less airflow through the car I could forsee slightly higher temps on the coolant and oils.


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## terry lloyd (Feb 12, 2014)

I do wonder what would happen if I fitted a race Intercooler though. With less airflow through the car I could forsee slightly higher temps on the coolant and oils.[/QUOTE]

I am guessing, but i would think the cooler charge temp would offset the water temp going up a few degrees - HKS intercooler with the ducting iirc claim a 5 degree drop in water temp, but they are stupid money new


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## Des99 (May 5, 2016)

Also on the early models teeth can break off the gear stopper!!! Later models had a solid stopper . The teeth are about 2 mil square but can cause major damage. I got piston stoppers from ac speed tech this is a permanent cure


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Stealth - Hope that luck continues then 

Thanks again for the info guys, slowly getting up to speed with the differences and if they really matter to me.

To be honest I don't think most really do. Considering these cars give me goose bumps just sitting in them I reckon I'll be more than happy with whatever version I get. And as mentioned I really should be getting a nice CBA for my budget.

GTR mart - plan is to buy a stock one and keep it stock. Famous last words!


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## Chronos (Dec 2, 2013)

PaulH0070 said:


> GTR mart - plan is to buy a stock one and keep it stock. Famous last words!














and now I've calmed down, Mine was bone stock when i bought my jalopy, i think it was 6 weeks and I modded straight to stage 4 (mainly because of this forum, and everyone raving about it with bolt ons), don't mess about with stage 1-3 . Go straight stage 4/4.25 is the max with just bolt on's and BEST bang-for-buck mod stage,. with most gains.

To be fair I never thought my stock 09 478bhp/434 ft·lb torque R35 was slow, upto 70-80mph it's crazy fast, then i found the mid-top end lacking TBH, even after owning an Evo 10 400bhp beforehand.

Got stage 4 and the mid-top end fun REALLY begins! an extra nearly 200bhp and 200lb/ft in torque (from a stock my09 478bhp/434 ft·lb torque) with just bolt on's, shows how tunable these car's are = EPIC!

I'd say enjoy car stock for a few months, and mod direct to 4/4.25 bolt on's, and enjoy the power increase.


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

Which is exactly what will happen lol


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

No, no, no , no.

Lol


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

But seriously, why do you need to mod a near 500bhp monster???

Ok, I did remap and mod my old sti in about 2 months but that needed it


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## simGTR (Aug 5, 2017)

I think this was a stage 4 vs a 2012 530hp, so the difference would be more Vs 478hp.

https://youtu.be/w03CT7mB7C4


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

sim, there's always someone out there quicker than you. I'd be more than happy at the back of that pack 

I'd forgotten how much fun friday night beers and a forum were


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

Tuning also helps because it means you can read and re reset any error codes that come up. The car responds so well to it. As a minimum you will get a stage 1 which gives nearly 600hp. It goes from there.


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## simGTR (Aug 5, 2017)

PaulH0070 said:


> sim, there's always someone out there quicker than you. I'd be more than happy at the back of that pack
> 
> I'd forgotten how much fun friday night beers and a forum were


Plus wife out with her mates, sofa to myself and West ham losing 3-0. What could be better than that.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

lol, are all you guys on kickbacks from tuners? 

If I can buy a stock one, it'll stay that way.

Probably.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

simGTR said:


> Plus wife out with her mates, sofa to myself and West ham losing 3-0. What could be better than that.


As a Spurs fan i'm quite happy with how the spanners are playing


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## terry lloyd (Feb 12, 2014)

Good luck finding a stock one , not many around


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## Chronos (Dec 2, 2013)

simGTR said:


> I think this was a stage 4 vs a 2012 530hp, so the difference would be more Vs 478hp.
> 
> https://youtu.be/w03CT7mB7C4


Sums it up! good video..shows the torque really pulling the 630 tune. just how mine was playing on the way home from work tonight heehee.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

No, doesn't seem to many out there Terry.

A few early ones on autotrader that are quoting to be stock. Just wondering do people bother reverting modded ones back to stock to make it more appealing to the likes of me?


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

Yes they do. So tread carefully or.... Just buy a modded one from the beginning.

And no, no kickbacks. Sadly


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Thought that might be the case. Shame.


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## Imran (May 6, 2017)

gtr mart said:


> Yes they do. So tread carefully or.... Just buy a modded one from the beginning.
> 
> And no, no kickbacks. Sadly



Is there anyway of checking if a car has been mapped and then changed back to stock?


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## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

PaulH0070 said:


> Thought that might be the case. Shame.


Standard...... It’ll never last, the car will be modded within a year!


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## Trevgtr (Dec 24, 2012)

Imran said:


> Is there anyway of checking if a car has been mapped and then changed back to stock?


Take a look at the boost history, stock is around 0.8 bar on early cars (cba)and 0.9 bar on later cars. Also engine and gearbox oil temp history which will show whether it's been tracked.


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## Imran (May 6, 2017)

Trevgtr said:


> Imran said:
> 
> 
> > Is there anyway of checking if a car has been mapped and then changed back to stock?
> ...


Thanks Trev. Is all the boost history/temperature stored on the car and easily accessible or do you need special software to access it? What's 
normal operating temperature for the engine and gearbox.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

I'd get a specialist inspection done on the car, I assume this info would be available to them checking Trev?

Right, educate me here guys. Some examples here of 'nice looking cars' (and yes I know some are modded, lol!!) What would you guys be looking for within the adverts? Anything to put you off? Mileage is a bit high on a couple?



https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&page=1

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...vertising-location=at_cars&radius=1500&page=2

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...vertising-location=at_cars&radius=1500&page=2

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...vertising-location=at_cars&radius=1500&page=2

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...vertising-location=at_cars&radius=1500&page=2


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

I would spend several hours on here looking for information on the cars and what to look for.

I would use extreme caution when looking t cheaper cars that are mid 30k territory. I can't work out if that's the price nowadays or just a bad example people are trying to move on. 

Buy cheap and get a bad example and whilst you might enjoy the drive home you could be opening yourself up for an ownership experience akin to torture.

In general, check the life of the consumables such as tyres and brakes. They collectivity cost a good few thousand to replace. 

I'd be more interested in general condition and service history than mileage. As a minimum read guy blue's 100,000 mile thread. 

And for what it's worth I hold higher regard for specialist's service history and maintenance over Nissan hpc. 

Of the cars you listed. The white rs direct one appeals as I think adrian is a good egg. And the dba at the bottom. But that's a cheap car noting my point above about pricing


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Yep, I'm getting through all the threads That 100k GTR , my old scooby was along the same lines. Loads of easy motorway miles, went with 110k on it and honestly it was running the best it ever had been. But then again I looked after it and serviced it on the dot, so I agree with your comments re mileage. And specialist history.

I've got to stop looking at that white one, I'm waiting on some money so I can buy my car outright but now I'm looking into loans :chuckle:


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## Mr.B (Feb 18, 2016)

A few more cars have appeared on Litchfield's stockist:

Litchfield - Cars for sale - Litchfield Motors

Personally, I'd be buying from a specialist like Litchfield, RS Direct or from an enthusiast who's car is listed on this site.


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## twobadmice (Jul 2, 2013)

I'd say buy from a specialist so you get the support and confidence in your purchase. I bought my first from Nissan who were helpful till they had my money and less so after. My second was off this forum. Most people on here look after their cars well and you get good history.
You are unlikely to get a stock one and whatever you think you will at least map to stage 1 with a y pipe as it massively transforms the car for hardly any money.
Happy hunting!


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks for the link Mr.B, yep a specialist would be the most likely place I'd buy from. At the very least a private sale with a specialist inspection.
Forum enthusiasts cars have done me well in the past so I wouldn't count that out either. We do tend to ask for a bit more money, but normally this is justified by an impeccable history.


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## Dazzler (Jun 14, 2015)

Mines for sale PaulH0070 and is within your budget, pm me for more details if you're interested :thumbsup:


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

er, why won't it let me send a PM on here?


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## TREG (May 20, 2004)

PaulH0070 said:


> er, why won't it let me send a PM on here?




Because you are a new boy!

A few more posts should do it but do not post crap!


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

TREG said:


> PaulH0070 said:
> 
> 
> > er, why won't it let me send a PM on here?
> ...


Ha, that'll be it then! Cheers.

Ok, a bit random (but not crap?) will the boot take a set of golf clubs and a trolley?
It looks big enough, just wondered if anyone knew from experience.


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## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

Weekly shop, golf clubs, a dead hooker..... three if you fold them up
Properly! 

The boot is huge!


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

Yes no problem. Might need to take your drivers out first but to be honest I've seen you play and you have no right using them anyway lol


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Lol, thought it would be fine. Just asked as a mate had a 3 series tourer that looked like you could fit a house into but the stupid suspension turrets got in the way of everything.
It's almost a family car then?


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## Stealth69 (Jan 6, 2005)

Easily passes as a family car, if you have no kids or family lol

You can for people in the back on the passenger side, if you***8217;re over 6***8217; then fitting people behind you wil be a struggle unless you have a penchant for chewing your steering wheel. 
It***8217;s easier to get my kids in the car now they are older and their feet can***8217;t touch the floor in the back


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

There was meant to be a  after the bit about it being a family car 

Like kids are getting anywhere near it!! Bugger off, would be more than happy being billy no mates in one :chuckle:


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## DuncDriver (Mar 19, 2017)

I was dancing around over standard/modded/CBA/DBA, when it came to actually looking at cars as opposed to just looking at ads my reasons for 'wanting' DBA fell away somewhat.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

A few questions guys,

First what's the overhang at the back of these cars? As in from the back of the rear wheel to the back of the bumper? Can find every other dimension apart from that one.

Second I've been reading about cars with a 12 in the vin, relates to a high def screen? I can't find the thread for the life of me, any info on that please?

And lastly has anyone got any links to interior options of 09-11 cars please? I'm struggling to find what was on offer/options for those years and what the pricing order was. Mainly asking as a for thread was mentioning a car for sale had 'the interior combo that no-one wants' and I'm wondering what this might be? 

Cheers,


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## simGTR (Aug 5, 2017)

Probably white leather. I don't like it
I wanted a black edition myself, red accents and black headlining. Base is the premium, black seats and a cream headlining.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Cheers sim, white leather does sound a bit grim!
The plain black ones, some look all leather and some look part leather/part alcantara?


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

Three interior trims. Base model. Not very common. Then premium and the black edition.

Black Edition came with red highlights on the seats and some other trim areas. Also bose and Sat nav I believe as standard. As said above also the black headlining. 

Premium has black seats and light headlining. You could spec this with bose and the Sat nav if desired. 

Opinions split on what's best. I think now it just boils down to your own colour scheme preference and if you want the bose (which is shite anyway) and the Sat nav (also happens to be shite)

The 12 in the vintage indicates its a dba I believe. If not the 12 it will be a 10 for a car around that time. There are plenty of 10 plate cars with the high definition screen. It's generally the 09 plates that had the low definition version. The high definition screen is much nicer and worth it. You can however upgrade the older versions to new screens for about 1k


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks mart, you're not a fan of the infotainment then? Lol
Cheers for the info.
Where does the recaros fit in, option on premium or black? Or is it a stand alone version on these recaro editions I've seen for sale?


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

Haha no worries. I have a premium with high definition screen and the Sat nav. The Sat nav just isn't the best and I tend to use waze on my phone. Just much much better.

The bose audio. If it's important then R35 audio offer some great hertz upgrades.

The recaro seats were in the DBA cars, possibly the rear edition being the new name for the black version. The DBA seats are nicer than the CBA ones. 

Personally I like the premium CBA car interiors. Just plain black rather than halfords ripspeed red stripes everywhere. But this is probably because I have a premium. Both are nice places to be unless your going to it from a porsche or nice audi etc


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## R35Audio (Jul 9, 2002)

The 12 in the VIN were some minor upgrades to the 2010 model. The hi-res screen came in when Nav came in so basically, most 59 plates have Nav but CHECK because there were a few which missed it. If its an 09 car and so without nav, the screen res was lower. Much better to find a nav car but don't get hung up about the 12 VIN so much. 

If it has NAV and its a UK car then it will have Bose. You'll still need to upgrade that though


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## simGTR (Aug 5, 2017)

Although people say the bose isn't great, it has more speakers and different door cards, so easier to upgrade a Bose system.


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

You can have a high resolution screen and Sat nav but no bose.

Agree the bose is easier to upgrade. R35 audio / Andy being the man!


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

All good info, thanks folks :thumbsup:


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## gtr mart (Mar 29, 2004)

In answer to your original question. It isn't important to buy a dba. You will love a cba and can potentially get a better example with your available budget. Just make sure you keep a little slush fund for mods, unexpected purchases (lol) or any chunky repair bills that surface.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Yes, I expect you're right Mart and I've no doubt I'll be very happy in either. Deffo keeping a bit aside for 'GTR tax' 

I'm confident of getting a good cba for my budget, but saying that it's all down to sensible pricing and timing (as always!) Now I'm getting into the pricing I'm seeing you don't have to pay through the nose for one of these. There's some some quite keenly priced cars out there.

Take the example from rsdirect I put up, at first glance it seemed to tick all the boxes, now I think it's a slightly leggy pre face lift for that money. I've found 2 equally good 'looking' MY10 spec cba's for 40k. And if I put 3-4k to the rsdirect price I'm in dba territory.

I'm pleased to see the asking prices pretty strong from a resale point of view, but every now and again someone prices a car to sell at a more 'book price' for whatever reason. And that's where the savings look to be had, just get in there quick and could be onto a winner.

My concern looking at 09, 50k plus, 5+ owner cars is are they coming to an end of their selling cycle? They're ideal for new blood like me, but another 12-18 months down the line would it be appealing when I sell it on? Not sure on that one. Or maybe they'll just sit at around 35k and everything will stack on top with prices not moving much. Crystal ball situation, lol.


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

PaulH0070 said:


> My concern looking at 09, 50k plus, 5+ owner cars is are they coming to an end of their selling cycle? They're ideal for new blood like me, but another 12-18 months down the line would it be appealing when I sell it on? Not sure on that one. Or maybe they'll just sit at around 35k and everything will stack on top with prices not moving much. Crystal ball situation, lol.


To be fair mate prices of early cars haven't moved much for years. And I mean years.

I struggle to think of any other car of this type/age/price that'll hold its value as well.

Resale value isn't the concern for me. It's having money aside should a big ticket item need repair.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Good to hear. Thanks mate


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Does anyone know this car, or maybe the owner is on here?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...d=New&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Guys, when did the white dba's inherit the halfords red steering wheel?

Looking at 3 white 2012 cars and only one has the red wheel? All claim to be premium.

And were REO70's an option? The odd car has them fitted?


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## Jonbarlow (Oct 21, 2017)

Think the red steering wheel came in late 2014


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## Jonbarlow (Oct 21, 2017)

Also think cba where Bridgestone then dba where Dunlop from Nissan or it may of been other way round


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## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

Jonbarlow said:


> Also think cba where Bridgestone then dba where Dunlop from Nissan or it may of been other way round


No that is right first cars were Bridgestone, Dunlop 2011 on and I think new Dunlops from 2015 on.


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

AndyE14 said:


> No that is right first cars were Bridgestone, Dunlop 2011 on and I think new Dunlops from 2015 on.


Nope.

Bridgestones have never been OEM fit in the UK. All UK cars, even my May 2009 CBA were shod from delivery with Dunlops.

Most of us early R35 owners moved over to Bridgies as we didnt see the funny side of being arse raped by Nissan over tyres.


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## tonigmr2 (Sep 12, 2002)

Jonbarlow said:


> Think the red steering wheel came in late 2014


Black edition surely, my 2015 premium edition interior is a black steering wheel.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

The red steering wheel is on a white 2012 premium I've seen. Odd.
Not too fussed about reo70's, nice tyre, just wondered why they randomly appeared on some cars. Assumed they were a dearer not cheaper option, so was surprised to see them. 
I was under the impression UK cars were Dunlop's and imports were Bridgestone, can't remember where I read that though.


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## Disco1969 (Jan 30, 2016)

Red steering wheel was my13 ,that black GTR looks nice and has the Benefit of Litchfield's warranty so they would of checked the car out properly as they don't hand them out otherwise


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## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

charles charlie said:


> Nope.
> 
> Bridgestones have never been OEM fit in the UK. All UK cars, even my May 2009 CBA were shod from delivery with Dunlops.
> 
> Most of us early R35 owners moved over to Bridgies as we didnt see the funny side of being arse raped by Nissan over tyres.


Simply not true I had OEM bridgestones on my MY10


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Disco1969 said:


> Red steering wheel was my13 ,that black GTR looks nice and has the Benefit of Litchfield's warranty so they would of checked the car out properly as they don't hand them out otherwise


This is the advert for the red steering wheeled 2012, haven't had a chance to contact them yet but I'd assume it's a late 2012 / 2013 spec then?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201709089107865

Can't say I'm a fan of it sadly (the steering wheel that is, the car looks great!)


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## Trevgtr (Dec 24, 2012)

AndyE14 said:


> Simply not true I had OEM bridgestones on my MY10


Like CC, I've only ever heard of Imports coming with Bridgestone's from the factory, apart from the multi spoked wheel that was available as an option on MY15's.


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## Trevgtr (Dec 24, 2012)

PaulH0070 said:


> This is the advert for the red steering wheeled 2012, haven't had a chance to contact them yet but I'd assume it's a late 2012 / 2013 spec then?
> 
> https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201709089107865
> 
> Can't say I'm a fan of it sadly (the steering wheel that is, the car looks great!)


I love the half red steering wheel, it helps bring the drab interior alive a little more.

It was introduced on Recaro MY13's in the UK, so either that car is a MY13 (not possible on a 12 or 62 plate) or someone has changed the steering wheel, or it's an import? If it's a MY13 it will have a 14 in the VIN.


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## Trevgtr (Dec 24, 2012)

PaulH0070 said:


> Not too fussed about reo70's, nice tyre, just wondered why they randomly appeared on some cars. Assumed they were a dearer not cheaper option, so was surprised to see them.
> I was under the impression UK cars were Dunlop's and imports were Bridgestone, can't remember where I read that though.


Yeah Bridgestone's are standard in Japan, I think most of us use them over here (RF lovers) because they're 200 quid a set less expensive, have 1.5mm more tread and last about 2k miles longer.


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## vxrcymru (Sep 29, 2009)

Buy a low mile 2010 car and fit the Litchfield suspension set up. It will be better handling car than 2011, 12, 13, 14. Ian tells me Nissan caught up in 2015..


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Trevgtr said:


> Yeah Bridgestone's are standard in Japan, I think most of us use them over here (RF lovers) because they're 200 quid a set less expensive, have 1.5mm more tread and last about 2k miles longer.


That's good to know, I always liked them on my sti. Very good dry grip, ok in the wet, but horrible in cold/damp conditions. Wouldn't fancy dancing 1700 kilos around on them on a day like that!

And thanks for the info on the steering wheel


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Could someone tell me what type of G service relates to what year on MY11 onwards please?

Talking to a couple of people quouting the G number but I can't see what that service is. Litchfield dropped the G numbers on their MY11 onwards service price pdf.


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## Trevgtr (Dec 24, 2012)

Depends on whether the car does more than 9k miles per year, if so servicing is complicated at multiples of 9 and 12k miles, G1 is just an oil change every 9k miles.

Normal servicing (cars doing less than 9k miles per year) alternate between G2 and G3, so have a G2 at 12mnths/9k miles, then G3 at 24mnths/18k, then G2 at 36mnths/27k etc. The G2 and G3 include different service items each time, so it's easier to look at the date/mileage to see what's supposed to be done.


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## AndyE14 (Mar 22, 2010)

Trevgtr said:


> Depends on whether the car does more than 9k miles per year, if so servicing is complicated at multiples of 9 and 12k miles, G1 is just an oil change every 9k miles.
> 
> Normal servicing (cars doing less than 9k miles per year) alternate between G2 and G3, so have a G2 at 12mnths/9k miles, then G3 at 24mnths/18k, then G2 at 36mnths/27k etc. The G2 and G3 include different service items each time, so it's easier to look at the date/mileage to see what's supposed to be done.


Beware though that low mileage cars may get a different service regime. There is some optionality on the major service items (e.g, brake lines at 5 years). The service book alone won't necessarily cover this, I kept all of the service paperwork too so t was easy to see what was done on each service.

The guy who bought my old MY11 sensibly asked to see this too.


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## Henry 145 (Jul 15, 2009)

vxrcymru said:


> Buy a low mile 2010 car and fit the Litchfield suspension set up. It will be better handling car than 2011, 12, 13, 14. Ian tells me Nissan caught up in 2015..


So my17 would just need Litchfield handling kit not the full Litchfield suspension?


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks Trev, up to speed on that now ta 



AndyE14 said:


> Beware though that low mileage cars may get a different service regime. There is some optionality on the major service items (e.g, brake lines at 5 years). The service book alone won't necessarily cover this, I kept all of the service paperwork too so t was easy to see what was done on each service.
> 
> The guy who bought my old MY11 sensibly asked to see this too.


That makes sense, the only problem is if you want to buy a car serviced on the dot to the book regardless of how many miles it's covered between services. 

I've got a dilemma with this car https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201709249630135
Only 4 services in it's life which straight away is not great, but dig into it and according to the original owner the service plan was set by the dealer because he did so little mileage. All proper services have been covered, just the oil changes stretched out.

Now I want a car with every service carried out annually. No excuses. But I'm very tempted by this. Common sense applied it's not a big deal?
My only worry is resale from me, how many people would be scared off by a properly maintained car, but not a 'full' history?


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## Trevgtr (Dec 24, 2012)

Looks like a nice car, but photo's can lie, deffo need to look at it in the flesh, black can be badly micro scratched, take a good torch and shine it over the paint.

It has my pet hate of the front number plate stuck on pissed. Rear windows have been tinted, perhaps other mods have been done and removed? Does it have a completely standard exhaust, that would be rare, most have at least a Y pipe. Worth checking out oil temp history, should be in the normal zone. Brake pads will need changing soon, check discs for lip and cracks, pads and discs are probably original. Tyre make and condition? Should be on its 3rd set at that mileage.

The sketchy service history wouldn't bother me if the car looks good, but I would be trying to get a couple thousand off the price and that could be used to barter. Also check the Optimisation page in the service book, it should be optimised and stamped in the book every 12 mnths.


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks once again Trev, you're becoming my GT-R guru 

Ha, we're in the same boat with a wonky number plate. Drives me insane.

The tint I assumed was darker being inside shots, I'll add that to the ask list.

Apparently as standard as the day it was born. Which means about fk all obviously, lol.

Good call with the optimisation, I would assume it has been done as per the service schedule. I guess that would be acceptable?

Tyres are dunlops, 3rd set rings a bell. The guy was literally reading out every bit of paper he had, everything right back to the PDI so if I get into it I think the whole history of the car is there. He even had a warranty receipt for headlight bulbs:chuckle:

Levels of pads and tyres I would get checked out. 

As a rule of thumb am I right in thinking pads about 20k, pads and discs 40k and tyres every 7k? Obviously this is a driving style dependant guess, but about that?

His bottom price is 47k so that's why I'm still in the initial enquiry stage, it's a 5 hr round trip to look at it (not that I'm fussed about travelling for a good one) so I need to do a bit more digging before making the journey.

Black is 3rd on my list so I'm not properly hunting this one down, if it was white or gun metal I'd be all over it.

Still tempted though.


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## Jonbarlow (Oct 21, 2017)

Looks a nice example that mate, it's got Lookers number plates on try giving them a call they may have some info


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Yeah it's possibly got potential  

I thought I'd written down which Lookers it was serviced at, but it seems not. Will be ringing them back soon for some more detailed info anyway but as Lookers Leeds is the NHPC it must be them.

See if they can help at all.


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## Mr.B (Feb 18, 2016)

Henry 145 said:


> So my17 would just need Litchfield handling kit not the full Litchfield suspension?


I'd give Iain or Neil a call at Litchfield's. The LM20's (which are MY17's) have the Litchfield suspension as well as the handling kit. 

I swapped my MY16 suspension for the Litchfield kit and had the handling kit installed. It's revolutionised the car, worth every penny.


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## Trevgtr (Dec 24, 2012)

PaulH0070 said:


> Thanks once again Trev, you're becoming my GT-R guru
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Haha, no worries mate, my first R35 was actually a MY11, I had the bellhousing replaced under warranty at about 10k miles, I wonder if that one is original?

I'm quite a hard braker (I use the brakes) and can get 20k from a set of stock pads and about 30k from discs, but they are hair line cracked around the cross drilled holes and have a lip. A light braker will easily get 40k from a set. Yes, Dunlops last about 7k since they reduced the tread depth to 6mm. You can check how old they are by reading the DOT numbers on the sidewalls, I actually came across an NHPC selling a MY16 car with 2013 tyres on the other day, so it's always worth checking, (e.g. DOT 2416 means the tyre was manufactured in the 24th week of 2016).

Optimisations should be done at 1200 mles then every 12 mnths from date of registration, obviously there will be a few missing in the service book (no problem at that low mileage) but could be a good bargaining tool as you browse the book.

You could ask Lookers if it ever had a Y pipe on it (it's not a problem just nice to know if it is totally standard or not) and ask if they have the oil temp data - anything above the normal temps means it may have been tracked, but that looks unlikely on that car.

If the brake discs aren't hairline cracked at 20k miles, it's never had a Y pipe, oil temps are in normal section, hardly any stonechips to nose or infront rear arches, then it's probably been driven like a Micra, and probably in Auto.

Now you can get your hands on it and bring it alive with a nice stage 2


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Nice one Trev, top info once again


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## Henry 145 (Jul 15, 2009)

Mr.B said:


> I'd give Iain or Neil a call at Litchfield's. The LM20's (which are MY17's) have the Litchfield suspension as well as the handling kit.
> 
> I swapped my MY16 suspension for the Litchfield kit and had the handling kit installed. It's revolutionised the car, worth every penny.


Nice one thanks


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## roscop123 (Jan 12, 2017)

Sorry to high jack the post lol I have my own my13 for sale ???


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## Jonbarlow (Oct 21, 2017)

Quick question is Pearl black an easier colour to live with day to day than kuro black?


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

roscop123 said:


> Sorry to high jack the post lol I have my own my13 for sale ???


I'd imagine out of my price range, but feel fre to PM me details mate


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## PaulH0070 (Oct 19, 2017)

Jonbarlow said:


> Quick question is Pearl black an easier colour to live with day to day than kuro black?


They'll both be dusty 30 seconds after cleaning them


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