So im 16, new to the car enthusiast scene and i wanna get my first project car (possibly drift). I have an uncle in japan for army reasons until 2020, he hs an r33 that hes going to import when he comes back, but hes quoted me under 10k for a gtst, while a gtr would be nice i dont have the money. Either way, should i stick with the rb20? Or should i upgrade and save up and swap in a rb25? Also besides coilovers and new tires and wheels, what are some good starter mods to work towards?

Nice choice on the GTS-T, they're a great value. Honestly, the RB20 is pretty underrated in my opinion. The power comes on really smooth. Some of my friends had GTS-Ts in Japan, and with some minor mods, their cars were about as fast as my R32 GT-R at the time. While I was struggling with basic maintenance, they already had a well-sorted car and were bolting up new turbos and tuning because they just had a cheaper platform to work on.

With that said, basic maintenance should be your first priority when you get the car. I'd budget a few grand extra to refresh suspension, brakes, change all the fluids, replace hoses, filters, sensors, plugs, coils etc. Those minor things add up really quick, just remember it is a 25+ year old car. Bolting up bigger turbos straight away can be asking for trouble down the line if your basics aren't taken care of.

Personally, having driven cars with the RB20, I don't think there's a need to change it, unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket. The RB25s are great, but if it were my money, I'd just keep the RB20, get everything squared away, and mod.

As far as starter mods, you're on the right track, but I'd like to add that an exhaust goes a long way on these turbo cars. With that said, a Skyline of any sort for sale in Japan is hard to find without an aftermarket exhaust already installed lol

If youre going to make it a drift car, an RB20 would be perfect to bang off of the rev limiter. I had a 90 GTS-T and it was great minus a few things. I sold it to buy my GTR and still don't know if it was worth it or not. If its an R33 it should be a RB25det or de. If so, stick with that. They can be modded cheaply compared to a GTR to be just as fast if not faster. Jeez, just realized this is from May, I hope the OP made his decision since then

Consider if the car will be driven on the street, it pretty much will be unable to pass safety or emission inspection if they have it in your state and the car will likely be illegal anyway as it did not pass federal law on emissions equipment. Theoretically customs (if they are doing their job) should not release it to go on US roads without you providing for that in some way.

This is by far a very amazing forum. I have known so many things here.