I bought the R33 GTS25 Skyline a few years ago for 20k, from a buddy who got it for his wife but she didn't like it, so then I got a phone call from another friend asking me if I was interested.
I didn't know anything about them, (other than the obvious) I was very skeptical and nervous, but decided to go do a little test drive.. I fell in love. There was just something about it that made me decide to just go for it.
I daily drove it for about a year and then decided I wanted it to be more of a show car. I ended up meeting some guys who ran a car club near me and here we are. I'm now the event planner for one of the largest import car clubs in Georgia. (I wasn't expecting that to happen but I'm very proud of it)
Here is what I have learned, good and bad:
If you want a skyline, get one, but be prepared to spend some serious cash when it breaks down on you. Keep in mind that they are only getting older every year, so your oem Skyline that you want WILL have problems. When I bought mine, it had 45k original miles on it and had never been touched other than going from a factory automatic trans to a 5 speed manual.
These cars are a blast, but the parts are not cheap, especially if you are looking for OEM. Very rare, and hard to find these days.
I dressed it up a bit for the shows i.e. interior, wheels, suspension, spoiler.
But when the problems started, thats when I got the (un)fortunate chance to build it. The Skyline community is a good one, but you do have your few people and companies who like to hoard parts for top dollar, and knowledge. I had to do a ton of research on my own to really get this thing moving and back together. Reading forums and watching YouTube videos are about the best resources you can find unless you get into a good Facebook group.
It's been a wild ride so far and I'm certainly not done 😅 I'm sure the clock is ticking for the next part to break.
But like I said, if you want one, just do it! It's been great meeting people in the car community and getting to talk about what you've done to it and share what you've learned.
At this point, my interior is about 80% original, but I have added some goodies to it. The exterior is also about 80% original, but the heart of it this car is definitely under the hood. Everything in there is almost completely new. New paint, new engine parts new bolts and harnesses etc.
I've probably put about 40k into this car since I've owned it.. so trust me when I say it's not cheap, but also keep in mind that you may not have to do what I've done.
This was originally an R33 GTS25, which means it is a factory automatic, RB25 engine, and naturally aspirated. (No turbo) But now, after some time and.. money.. it is an GTS25+T. I figured, if im going to tear the engine apart to fix the damages, then "I might as well" go ahead and do it all. IYKYK... This R33 is now pushing 500hp, in street clothes, as they say.
If you have anything else you want to know just hit me up!
