buy the R32 GTR I test drove yesterday and sell my HR30 and 1200

very tempting! heaps of power (way faster than the standard R32GTR I drove today), heavy clutch, NISMO LSD rear (very tight), buddy (I think) coil-overs and adjustable shocks, etc $22K

Basically all it needs is a set of race tyres! then go and show all these WRXs what's what at Mt Cotton - they've had it too easy for too long...

should I do it?

G'day. Do the pros/con list and decide from there. What are the development costs going to be like. Will it break often & cost a lot to fix? It will be faster but will it be more fun than the 1200. It's a problem most people would love to have. Petrolheads anyway. Good luck.

Hi Harry - vex66 has posed the right questions to consider as you weigh this up - I'm sure you have already given them some thought. I see a wider question here and that is related to where you are at in terms of your future participation in motorsport. You have shared with us over the last 12 months a number of different options that you have embarked on or given serious thought to.

In my work with drivers and owners I often pose the question regarding the sustainability of their chosen form of motorsport. Would they rather have a lower budget and run maximum events without high expectation for results or run a higher budget with less events and more chance of success? Is the driver/owner comfortable turning up to a meeting with a car and budget that causes everyone else to be expecting top results or would they rather come in under the radar and surprise a few people?

The GTR's are an absolutely fantastic car but obviously under race conditions they have a higher and vastly more expensive maintenance cycle than an A or L powered 1200. Depends on how much pedalling you hope to do I guess.

HARRY!!!!

Wow, everyone i have ever known that has owned a 1200 then sold it has regreted it down the line!

But i can understand where you are coming from, there is alot of work left it the 1200 and you are keen to start racing again. personally I think the 1200 should stay, maybe for road use and buy the GTR? could put your old turbo on a hot A15 from your old 1200 ute ...

p.s will bring my ute round when its back together. Will be able to see what your descion was by then !

Cheers

that's probably the real question - I'm not really sure where to go from here with motorsport. And that was the case before I gave that Wilkins engine back last year. That's why I tried rallying, and why I've been a bit lost with what engine to slot into the coupe this year. Really, the 1200 isn't going to get significantly faster than it was last year without spending some serious money on a CA or SR turbo engine. I just don't really see the sense in spending that much money on what is essentially all just for a bit of fun at hillclimbs and sprints. For a similar outlay I can get into this GTR if I sell both my other toys.

To be honest, I've pretty much lost interest in the 1200 anyway. A couple of members here know I've been toying with the idea of selling it for a while now. I think I've developed it as far as it can go without a serious injection of cash that will never be returned on the investment. Whereas the GTR probably won't drop significantly in value thanks to the end of the 15 year import rule.

As for going under the radar - that used to be one of the things I liked about the 1200, but hasn't been the case for a couple of years now. Everyone up here knows the car and what its capable of. I'm sure being fast in a GTR would surprise no-one, but that doesn't concern me. I think it will shake up the WRX club a bit though - they are very active in motorsport up here and it would be good fun to put a cat amongst the pidgeons in their Turbo AWD class.

I'm under no illusions about the maintenance costs of the GTR, but it will be cheaper than the rallying budget would have been over a year. And the competitve km's will be pretty low - just the Hillclimb series and a few other select events like the QLD Challenge road rally. I don't have the same kind of time or enthusiasm for 4 or 5 weekends away every year at supersprints and stuff like that anymore - been there, done that for a number of years. I haven't really missed competing this year until the last month or so, and the only thing I'm really motivated about is hillclimbing.

I don't think it will need much development for those kind of events. It certainly has all the grunt it will need to be competitive against the other AWD Turbos. In fact, I'd be surprised if it wasn't capable of giving the record (held by a WRX) a big scare...

I've always wanted an R32 GTR too, and this particular one is a very impressive car, and looks like a very good buy to me. Plus I can use it quite comfortably on weekends too, which will be nice because the Patrol I drive everyday isn't terribly inspiring on the road...

I wanna see how the CA18DCC goes!

I dunno what sort of sump mods you would have to do to get it into the R32 though. . .

It would be much easier to put it into the coupe.

Don't sell the coupe for a year or 2, just to make sure that you haven't made the wrong decision.

+ you already have all the spares you need for the 1200.

And Converted will kick you off the site.

yeah harry I'll kick yas orf the site mate and then kneecap yas

Keep the coupe use it daily sell the patrol and buy the GTR and sell the other toy. then you keep the coupe still have fun on a daily basis won't cry yourself to sleep once it's gone and still get your cake and eat it too

harry,i reckon you sell the dr30 & the patrol, keep fixing up the 1200 with the ca18,& buy the r32.as you said,everybody knows the 1200.
this makes you a standout when you compete.
racing the r32 will make you just another skyline.skylines are so common now it takes a
massive amount of effort to stand out.believe it or not,at bathurst speedweekend last year,people were coming over to see the beige sunny,saying they'd heard about it.i never thought that'd happen.in the end,all we can make are suggestions.it'd be nice to see the 1200 at bathurst again,see if i can run with it without blowing the gearbox again.
paul.

If the 1200 goes shotgun coming over and raiding you for parts seeing you wont need them anymore. Do what pleases you though not what keeps others happy.