Hey guys. So I'm looking into seriously buying an 89 or 90 gtr32 with about 80k miles or the best condition I can possibly find. I'm curious to hear from some owners as to how much I'm looking at maintaining the vehicle to make sure I can afford this and make the right decision.

This will be my daily.

If you are just driving around, about like a 300ZX. If you are routinely accepting phone calls from Ludacris, a whole lot more than that. You might as well get a new GT-R for the amount of coin you will drop.

I keep hearing these horror stories about them. They seem very unreliable. I do want one very badly, but I may be better off going with plan b, an sr20det 240sx. Hopefully more owners will chime in here. Is it feasible to have a daily r32 with spirited driving involved on the street and not break the bank?

Would you really be content with being yet another SR20DET 240sx owner? If so, definitely do that. Much cheaper. Although...

From my research, R32 GTR ownership is not that costly if you're not looking to make ridiculous boost and know what needs shoring up as far as weak points on the R32 go. The ceramic turbine wheels and oil pump, for instance. There's also a wealth of information and parts you can buy between Canada, Australia, the UK, Japan and your local dealership. It also helps if you already can turn a wrench and do much of the work yourself. Just keep a standard contingency fund handy and I wouldn't really recommend you make it a daily driver unless you keep it a mild tune. I'm selling my MK6 VW GTI and got a Ford Escape to daily in anticipation of my GTR purchase.

Sometimes you just gotta take the plunge. Well, I'll find out come March when my '90 R32 GTR arrives, anyway.

That's what I've read so far. Oil issues and stock turbos. But the oil issue is more than just the pump can fix isn't it?

demoncamber wrote:That's what I've read so far. Oil issues and stock turbos. But the oil issue is more than just the pump can fix isn't it?

The crank collar on R32 GTRs up until ~94/V spec is too narrow where it meets the oil pump drive. This issue has caused sudden and catastrophic results following a loss in oil pressure. When I was talking with Hatanaka, the chief of the Iruma JUN shop, about it (JUN makes an extended crank collar for the purpose of machining onto the existing crank), he told me that it's primarily due to turning too high of an RPM, 8K or higher, without addressing the issue.

Either you machine a new collar onto your crank, or you swap cranks (both of which will cost you about the same...a grand). If you're going the rebuild route anyway, it's a no-brainer. Spring for an N1 crank and get yourself some nice bearings, pistons, rods, and hardware to keep it all together. Most guys will also spring for an N1 or JUN oil pump with the REIMAX gears anyway (though at this point, their necessity is debatable...some assert that the added oil pressure from the higher output pump causes TOO HIGH of a flow in the head).

If you don't address it, it could last a long time, or it could last until tomorrow. You will certainly limit your power by shying away from 8000 and not fully utilizing why an RB26 is such a great powerplant.......a finicky, but great powerplant.


As for the GT-R in general, even a car with 80K miles from 1989-1990 is still no spring chicken. It's an old, old car with typical Nissan problems and I would not plan on using it as a daily (here I am talking out of both sides of my mouth...but I can't have two cars currently or I would). Coilpacks die, igniters die, the CAS dies, the MAFs die (clean those habitually), you've already mentioned the OE turbochargers, and the HICAS rears its ugly head like it does on many Nissans.
My personal car has around 75K miles and a beautiful chassis with nice paint, but it needed new pulleys, timing and all accessory belts, all fluids changed, all vacuum lines, and I recently had to replace all the coolant hoses as well as a metal coolant tube piece which was corroded pretty badly after I pissed away the whole system rolling down the road. The shaken (Japanese inspection) had run out on the car approximately 3 years before I took possession, so the odds of it being neglected for at least a little while was pretty high.

Doing all that work adds up, even if you do it yourself...and that was just to get my car to a reliable baseline. What will you do when your daily driver goes down for a part that will take a couple months to arrive from Japan?
There are many many more out there that suffer from cancerous rust, so be careful about where you purchase the car as well. Do your diligent research and try to avoid buying a car from Okinawa or predominantly coastline or snowy areas (difficult in Japan) if you can help it. Gets tons and tons of pictures of everything.

Having said all that, many people will be disappointed when these cars become more commonplace in the US...but not to some, and their potential will be open to those who are willing to pay what it takes to keep the car fresh. Don't buy it to look tough in a parking lot, because no one else will have to charge a grand on their credit card and wait a month to fix their car.

You just made my mind 100% up. Thank you. Everything you said was pretty much worrying me. For now, I'd be better off not getting one, at least until I get certified as a mechanic from school and I have a daily backup sorted out. I think that's what the best thing to do is. Thanks for your reply! I did know about the collar but I didn't know it took just the n1 crank to fix, cool. What do you think would be better cost wise, selling motor as is and picking up a newer 94+ RB26 and swapping it in? Or just build it up?

Oddly, usafdarkhourse, you just firmed up my resolve at buying my GTR while simultaneously putting a big grin on my face While yes, I'll probably be secretly thrilled at having such a rare car when mine finally arrives, but what will keep me going in the long run is all those problems you mentioned in your post. Which btw was an excellent primer for potential buyers. Once the newness wears off, I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and start working on the GTR and making it my own. I absolutely LOVE mechanical things. Taking them apart, seeing how they work, adding and subtracting to improve performance... I was a born tinkerer. Having it be undriveable for months on end is not a new experience for me, either. I had a perfectly functioning and sorted Lotus Elise that would often go long periods in the winter, rainy season and sometimes even the middle of the summer (it got hot the interior being nothing but a barely insulated metal box) but I still thrilled at every moment of ownership. I welcome the diligent maintenance, fixing what's broken and improving what needs improving.

demoncamber wrote:You just made my mind 100% up. Thank you. Everything you said was pretty much worrying me. For now, I'd be better off not getting one, at least until I get certified as a mechanic from school and I have a daily backup sorted out. I think that's what the best thing to do is. Thanks for your reply! I did know about the collar but I didn't know it took just the n1 crank to fix, cool. What do you think would be better cost wise, selling motor as is and picking up a newer 94+ RB26 and swapping it in? Or just build it up?

Don't just sell or swap things at the cost of thousands of $$ because of something that might happen in the future, that makes no sense.

From what I understand, its not if but when. If it only takes a few $k to prevent, I'd rather do it than have a potential ruined motor.

Main problem with the R32s are the rust and the engine. Budget a full stripdown and repair and a complete engine overhaul and you won't get surprised when it needs that. 25 years is a long time gents, machines get old and worn out,

demoncamber wrote:From what I understand, its not if but when. If it only takes a few $k to prevent, I'd rather do it than have a potential ruined motor.

It's definitely not a when, it's a maybe/if. Don't bounce off the rev limiter constantly, especially while running very high boost and it's not likely to happen. Better yet, rather than replace an entire engine as preventative maintenance, get an N1 oil pump ($250) and a JUN oil pump drive collar: http://www.rhdjapan.com/jun-oil-pump-drive-collar.html

demoncamber wrote:You just made my mind 100% up. Thank you. Everything you said was pretty much worrying me. For now, I'd be better off not getting one, at least until I get certified as a mechanic from school and I have a daily backup sorted out. I think that's what the best thing to do is. Thanks for your reply! I did know about the collar but I didn't know it took just the n1 crank to fix, cool. What do you think would be better cost wise, selling motor as is and picking up a newer 94+ RB26 and swapping it in? Or just build it up?

Yeah I think once you have a solid, reliable daily driver lined up, owning this car won't be near as scary. It will afford you the opportunity to do more involved work with it without having to worry about getting it going again so you can go to work tomorrow.

It's not just the N1 crank, but most cranks after that '94 cutoff that have the extended snout (curiously, some BNR34 RB26s have been found with the short snout and collar). The N1 is just nice since it's very well balanced, harmonically up above 8000 RPM, and is still available from Nissan.

From a cost standpoint, if you're doing only mild upgrades, then leaving it would be the most cost effective solution. If it goes, it goes, and you can deal with the rebuild when it comes (as long as you didn't throw a rod through the block) and will have enjoyed it up until that point.
If you're doing anything more, then I would swap cranks, new bearings and rings, maybe even keep/recondition OE rods/pistons, tear down head and rebuild/camshafts if you so desire, go with a decent headgasket/hardware and put it all back together replacing all the "while I'm at it" wearables. Depending on turbocharger(s), fuel, and managing it all, you've got a very potent powerplant. A new motorset from a '94+ really isn't necessary, and it's still going to need the upgrades I mentioned to be as good as what I just described.

That's the route I'm going anyway. The guts of the RB26s are all there, it just needs some TLC and massaging, and I like the idea that I have the same engine as when the car rolled off the line but realizing it's true potential. I guess I'm a masochist.

kabob wrote:

demoncamber wrote:From what I understand, its not if but when. If it only takes a few $k to prevent, I'd rather do it than have a potential ruined motor.

It's definitely not a when, it's a maybe/if. Don't bounce off the rev limiter constantly, especially while running very high boost and it's not likely to happen. Better yet, rather than replace an entire engine as preventative maintenance, get an N1 oil pump ($250) and a JUN oil pump drive collar: http://www.rhdjapan.com/jun-oil-pump-drive-collar.html

I've known two guys who have grenaded RB26s due to this issue. One was at the track at Tsukuba, the other was in normal hooning.

The oil pump collar will still require you to remove the crank and induce all the "while I'm at it" replacements. Better just get another crank.

Sound advice here guys. Thanks for all the input. If I were to delve into a GTR I would love to do a full motor refresh, it would be awesome to brag about, one, and two- an experience. I have things I would need to sort out in order to make that happen though. I was almost blindly going to just drop $19k on a decent R32 and call it a day and start the daily driver routine, but I'm glad I went digging to find the in and outs of RB26.

usafdarkhorse wrote:

kabob wrote: It's definitely not a when, it's a maybe/if. Don't bounce off the rev limiter constantly, especially while running very high boost and it's not likely to happen. Better yet, rather than replace an entire engine as preventative maintenance, get an N1 oil pump ($250) and a JUN oil pump drive collar: http://www.rhdjapan.com/jun-oil-pump-drive-collar.html

I've known two guys who have grenaded RB26s due to this issue. One was at the track at Tsukuba, the other was in normal hooning.

The oil pump collar will still require you to remove the crank and induce all the "while I'm at it" replacements. Better just get another crank.

Dang, well I can't argue that. Dave W. at The GTR Shop (whom I purchased my GTR from) told me they'd upgraded the crankshaft and oil pump to newer like you're doing.

demoncamber wrote:You just made my mind 100% up. Thank you. Everything you said was pretty much worrying me. For now, I'd be better off not getting one, at least until I get certified as a mechanic from school and I have a daily backup sorted out. I think that's what the best thing to do is. Thanks for your reply! I did know about the collar but I didn't know it took just the n1 crank to fix, cool. What do you think would be better cost wise, selling motor as is and picking up a newer 94+ RB26 and swapping it in? Or just build it up?

You can always practice owning an old Nissan by getting a Z31. They are dirt cheap and it will teach you everything there is about maintaining an old Nissan, simply because it is not that reliable. I owned 1 for 14 years and learned a lot, at least 1-2 days a month I would be either doing maintenance work or making performance upgrades. Nothing beats hooning around sitting on the rear axle of a short wheel based car, and that reward to me was worth the time invested. Having done that I am not worry about getting and maintaining a R32, except I can't just go down to Autozone and grab the parts I need.