Proposal for Purchasing an R32 GT-R (New Member)

[SuperChargerHeaven]

Proposal for a Dream Car

I live in Japan. My family needs a second car. It wouldn't be a DD, but recently on occasions 1 car has been insufficient for our life.

My dream car is an R32 GT-R. I'm hoping there is someone else out there wanting one as well. And possibly we could come to an agreement.

The Proposal: One U.S. resident and I split the cost of an R32 GT-R 66/33, respectively.

Hear me out.

The 1989 GT-R began production in Aug 89, which means it cannot be imported to the US before Aug 2014. NHTSC goes by month/year of production for the 25-year exemption.

Currently, I can find about 7 1989 GT-Rs for sale online and in magazines. I have no info on car auctions in Japan (anyone with contacts please share them). Only 4 of them have reasonable prices.

You and I split the cost of the car as above. I pay tax/licensing/maintenance/etc in Japan until the 25 year minimum is complete. You find a Registered Importer and pay/make shipping arrangements when the time is up. I sign ownership of the car to you and drop the car off at whichever port (within reason, I live 400 miles away from Tokyo).

What I get: To drive my dream car for 12~18 months.

What you get:
A discounted price on your dream car
A person who will take great care of the car
A car driven around and NOT rusting away on a used car lot.

For 2 reasons I commute to work by train. First is that my work is very close to the station. The second reason is that my office has very limited parking. I would be forced to rent a private parking spot for about $75/month. This would be a great waste of money. Therefore, our GT-R would be driven mostly on weekends or short errands after work, not daily driven. Most likely, about 400km a month.

In the unlikely event of the car being written off by insurance, I promise to return ALL of your money. Including the possibility that I must pay out of my pocket what insurance doesn't cover.

I have mediocre driving skills and I know this car unmodified is my upper limit of skill. I've also seen enough Youtube hooning videos gone wrong to never hoon it. Also, the roads in Japan are narrow with no shoulder, lots of blind corners, and are crowded. Highway tolls are expensive as well as gasoline.

I know that this sounds to good to be true, or that you could ever believe my promises (especially on the Internet). But I am serious. I want to own this car, if for a moment. Me completely owning this car would be too great a burden on my family. The registration and inspections alone are a couple thousand dollars. I could try to ship it myself and sell it in the US, but that is too great a financial risk. Being a family man means not being a gamb|ing man.

Opinions/Suggestions/Advice welcome

[SuperChargerHeaven]

I told Mrs. SuperChargerHeaven about this crazy scheme and she wasn't too happy about the amount of money I was willing to spend.

Her budget was quite a bit less than what I had thought was adequate.

Still, it wasn't an outright "NO!"

[JTR32gtst]

I don't know.... 12-18 months in Japan, a lot can happen with tsunami's and earthquakes and Godzilla attacks.

May I make a suggestion? If you have a family, and worried about wrecking it, get an R32 gtst four door. Bam, family car, turbo, 5 speed.

[SuperChargerHeaven]

And you as well. A hurricane or tornado might send you to Oz. Where you'll hang out with fairies and flying monkeys. You'll have to wear ruby slippers before you can come back to reality.

For me it's a GT-R or nothing.

[tyndago]

Hara can help you find a car in Japan. http://importavehicle.blogspot.com/2011 ... er-25.html

[Valkyrie]

Let's come out and just say it, that is a really dumb idea. It's dumb for you since spending that sort of money just to drive it for a year (since eligibility is based on calender year of production and calender year of import, the car will actually be legal on January 1st, 2014), since you're not going to want to let it go. It's dumb for the buyer because it would be SO easy for you to con someone out a bunch of money.


Secondly, R32s are dirty cheap now. Even one in really great condition rarely costs more than 1.5 million yen. If you can't afford 600,000 yen for one in decent condition, you sure as hell can't afford to keep a GT-R running. A $50,000 car's parts are always going to cost the same as a $50,000 car's parts, even if you got it for free. Do you know how much a set of 255-wide 17* tires costs?


You say your family needs a second car, but you also say you won't drive it very much... so why do you need a second car?

If you have a family, the worst possible thing you could do is get a car that barely gets 8.0 km per liter when premium gas costs over 160 yen per liter. I drive an MR-2 and the gas bill is killing me.

If you absolutely positively have to drive a GT-R, you're going to end up paying for it, regardless.

There are a lot of great, fast, fun cars in Japan you can buy for less than a month's paycheck. I suggest try not to become overly attached to any specific car and keep an open mind. Remember that a light car like a Civic Type R will be almost as fast around a race track as a turbo car, but will cost a lot less to keep running, in a lot of different days.

That said, I am planning on buying an R32 myself...teehee.

[SuperChargerHeaven]

>since eligibility is based on calender year of production and calender year of import, the car will actually be legal on January 1st, 2014

Please tell me the link to this quote.

All info I have found is for month/year of manufacture for 25-year exclusion rule. A few other posts by other members have mentioned month/year as the correct rule.

Ane you are right, it's a pretty stupid idea. But GT-Rs make people do silly things.

[Valkyrie]

Pretty much any of the major Japanese sports cars (GT-R, RX-7, Supra, Evo, etc) will put you in the poor house if you actually drive them on the street. If you don't register them and only drive them on the track once in a while, it costs less, but out of all of them, the GT-R is the most complex car, so it costs the most to keep running.

If you think you're dumb now, wait until you actually buy one...


The customs website says it's calender year, and the DOT website says it's actual age, so they aren't consistent...

[JTR32gtst]

I think the safest way is to go by Month/Year before sending across the pond. You never know, and with these cars it is best to play it safe, and I mean turn blinker on and start slowing down 500 yards from your turn safe...

[i wanaskyline]

Valk
It is Month then year. Don't be stupid. Call them like I did.
Super
Your tag sounds like you should stick to American rides.

[Valkyrie]

Well, I sent an email but never got an answer. I can't call them since I'm in Japan.

[Valkyrie]

For what it's worth, Customs just told me that their information is correct. I'm going to try asking for clarification later.

[i wanaskyline]

Well, I sent an email but never got an answer. I can't call them since I'm in Japan.

I live in Japan as well. Get up in the middle of the night and skype. The only person looking out for you is YOU. Don't be lazy.

[SuperChargerHeaven]

Is there a way to dismiss comments? I'd like to dismiss/ignore those Valkyrie ones.

[audtatious]

Nobody knows you, why would anyone want to send you money for your (and possibly their) dream with the real possibility of getting nothing for it but heart ache? Horrible financial decision.

Wait a year and get one imported legally and avoid all the potential drama.

[SuperChargerHeaven]

In my proposal I wrote that I have no way to prove that I am completely serious.

Second, to keep the car in Japan and continue to maintain it, as well as license it is incredibly expensive.

Third, if you wait the prices are only going to increase.

Fourth, your opinion is the most common one. And I have re-read my proposal many times. It is silly. BUT, if you have any way I can prove to someone that I WON'T cheat them out of a car, please tell me what to do.

Fifth, I had to try. If only to say to myself that doing nothing was worse.

[i wanaskyline]

Its really not near as expensive as you are acting. 700+ every two years for JCI. If you take care of the car and dont dd it (fingers crossed) you should be fine. Also get a high milage GTR and you will pay $4000+.

[Gold Digger]

You military guys got it easy for JCI. s*** is cheap for ya'll. I gotta shell out damned near $1300 for my stuff. Also, how much does the yearly tax set you guys back? Or, how about paying for your car's parking every month? LOL!

You'd change your mind on owning a GT-R if you were a civilian and didn't have access to a place to work on your car, getting cheaper services on base...lol. I'd would have stayed in the Navy had I known how expensive it would cost to own this thing.