I first caught My Skyline Affection from the fantastic Real Driving simulator known as Gran Turismo. I saved for years to be able to afford one, and then I found an "importer" in Canada. He wanted 18K for one that had a blown motor but perfect body. I didn't feel comfortable sending him the full amount right off the bat without having seen the car first, so we entered into an agreement Half now, half on delivery. I received all the documentation I needed, and requested via mail. I Remember the day vividly, Me and a bunch of my friends sitting in my driveway awaiting the arrival of the truck that would be there mid morning... all of us pacing and bouncing off the walls visualizing that first glimpse of those 4 rings and Bayside blue paint in the back of the truck. The truck never arrived. I then spent the next 2 years dealing with the RCMP in an effort to reclaim my lost money. To no avail. They never found him, my car, or my money. So I just let it go, and went on with my life.

Then about 6 years later, I got a call from a close friend of mine telling me he had just bought a S15 Sylvia Spec-R. He was going to pick it up this weekend and wanted me to come with. I of course agreed instantly! See one of my closest friends get a car most people only dream of?! Heck yea I'm going! We made the 5 hour drive, along the way my buddy told me they had gotten an abandoned shipping crate from Georgia that had the car in it, and It had been sitting unclaimed in a shipyard for 5 years. He told me there was also a DC5 Integra Type-R and one other car in it, but he didn't know what it was (later turned out to be a lie..he knew) So we got there and were looking at his new S15 parked out behind this shop, and I'm peering in the window admiring how lucky he was when he tells me to "look" and I stand up to see a Yellow R34 GTS come around the corner from the side of the shop. I literally dropped to my knees. I even teared up a bit. From that moment there was nothing on gods green earth that would keep her from me. 3 day and $40k later I was bringing her home. It was such a unbelievable sweet victory that I actually cried on the drive home LOL. She was my girl, my darling angel, everything I had ever dreamed of. And for the next 7 years we had the most incredible escapades and adventures, the likes of which had only occurred in my wildest dreams before then. We were inseparable. Her Name was Reika.













Over those years, she stuck with me through all the various phases of modifications that I wanted to do, (keep in mind I was much younger and the styles were different then) To this day, I regret every single one of them. I should have just left her the way she was.





















And the years passed, and as those years past, each year she would get a little more tired, a little more sickly. Until one year she could barely stay running. It wasn't that I didn't care, I always maintained her, always took care of her. I couldn't (and to this day still can't) explain what was causing the issues. I threw thousands and thousands of dollars at her equaling probably the cost of a new C class AMG. And nothing helped. My love was sick and I couldn't seem to get her well.

Then I stumbled across what I would call a cousin of hers, up north that had been part of that same first shipment, but in a separate crate. A Twin Turbo 2+2 Fairlady. Sooo... I brought her home too. Her Name Is Rukia



And strangely enough for a while My Rei's problems got a bit better, I was actually able to drive her again. We finally got back almost to the way things were before. And then one day my top secret hood latches failed, and the hood came open at 50mph. crushed the roof, smashed out the sunroof, destroyed the windshield and broke the hood into pieces. All in total was over $13,000 in damage. I repaired her. I didn't take any pictures of the damage because it absolutely broke my heart to see her that way. I did not want to remember it. but after 6 months at the body shop, I was finally able to bring her home and put her in the garage with Rukia and the S13 I had recently purchased.





From that point on it was all downhill from there. I was laid off from my job, lost a ton of money from a bad investment. And Rei sat. For 2 years, I never had the money to completely finish her and bring her back to the way she was before. I had even been trying to save for a new engine in the hopes that a new heart might help her get back to where she used to be. But the money just wasn't there. and after nearly 3 years of sitting. I decided that she would have a better chance if I let her go. So I sold her. To my credit I was right, and the new owner has been able to give her all the money and time that I could not. I still to this day feel like I betrayed her. And every now and then i'll hear certain songs that remind me of the adventures we had, and It brings a tear to my eye because of how much love I had for her. I hope the new owner loves her as much as I did. Maybe someday i'll see her again. Maybe get back on my feet and go make the owner an offer he can't refuse, even though she looks nothing like the Rei I knew anymore. The last time I saw her, I almost didn't recognize her.



I still have her cousin Rukia. And I have been doing my best to do right with her, And she has been a loyal and true friend that I love dearly. And I will keep this one, come hell or high water, I won't make the same mistakes twice!



So that's My Skyline Story. lol It's Valentines day!! Go Give your R a hug for me!!

For a cynic like me, that was actually a beautiful story. Before I met my fiancee, I can't say that I've ever loved anything that much be it human or otherwise :o I don't suppose you can reupload the pics if you see this thread again?