2000 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec 2.6 twin turbo

Summary:

Ferrari or GT-R? GT-R Please!!!

Faults:

Leather on drivers seat looks a little more 'aged' than passenger side (through more use). Not really a fault though.

General Comments:

Why the GT-R?

Currently for less than £60,000, there is no other car I'd rather have than my GT-R.

Driving it gets you as much attention as being a superstar. They are RARE outside of Japan. Only 80 R34 GT-R official examples in UK.

You don't have to become so fanatical about where you park it, unlike your average Ferrari owner.

Prices are going UP, with some late NUR models now fetching £60,000-£70,000! Even '99 models are now selling for £36,000. Ever since production ceased and no alternative super car exists, demand has gone up! This will get even worse on June 6th with the release of 2 Fast, 2 Furious! (The GT-R R34 is the star of the film)

Alternatives:

When I choose to trade in it will be either the new V35 GT-R (if it's any good) or a Ferrari 360, or perhaps the new 'baby' Aston Martin.

Performance:

It's on another level. This car is basically a street legal race car. Don't believe the 280bhp, it's near as damned 320-330bhp from the factory. Change the exhaust/downpipes and you'll see 400bhp!

With some tuning, the GT-R can easily outpace a Porsche turbo or Ferrari. Handling, let's just say NOTHING on the road can match a well tuned example. OK, perhaps the new Enzo :)

You really must drive one fast in the twisties to truly appreciate this car!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd June, 2003

15th Nov 2004, 20:23

This is a great review and all, but you do not tell us, as the readers, what your car is capable of. You tell us that in the future you will purchase a new skyline, or Ferrari, but what is your machine capable of now??? Also, have you upgraded it???

I hope you don't find this comment offensive, but could you please tell us about what your car can really do?

14th Dec 2004, 08:09

Dude your skyline sounds awesome id defenately buy it.

31st Jan 2006, 16:51

I would no sooner leave this on a typical British side street than that Ferrari. Skylines are worth a fortune to professional thieves for spares, and every joyrider knows exactly what it is. It will attract the wrong sort of attention sooner or later.

Great car though.

25th Feb 2006, 17:50

I second that regarding the parking, but did any of you see what they did with the r34 in JAPAN, the lunatics tuned it to 1200bhp!

Raziel.

2000 Nissan Skyline R34 GTR V-Spec 2.6 twin turbo six

Summary:

If you can live with it driving for you, go for it!

Faults:

No faults or breakdowns.

General Comments:

Blindingly fast and capable car. Will string a sequence of corners together faster than your brain can process them. It looks superb, it sounds superb, it turns heads, it's comfy, it's faultlessly reliable, and the fuel and insurance bills will have you reaching for the whisky bottle! That, in a nutshell, is Skyline ownership.

I'm glad I owned it, and it's something everyone should drive once, but I must confess I got a bit bored with it. Once the novelty of being able to out-corner almost anything on the road wears off - and admittedly this takes a while - it dawns on you that the Skyline, wonderful as it is, is a just a bit too uninvolving.

As a driver, you just steer it, and tell it how fast to go. It does the rest for you - brilliantly, but for you none the less. I felt a bit surplus to requirements when driving it. I will try to describe a fast corner in a Skyline. Don't brake, switch off your brain, and sling it in. It'll probably just go round. Either that, or you might get a bit of oversteer, but this will correct itself before your brain has even processed what's happening. Even if you're really silly with it, such as bunging it in at ridiculous speeds and jumping on brakes to unsettle it, you might get a lairy four wheel drift for a second or two before you feel the electronics tweaking the diffs, moving power around and dabbing individual brakes to sort out your stupidity. It really is an astonishing bit of kit!

If you think you can live with this, the 18-20mpg average fuel consumption, and insurance quotes with more digits than the number you call to obtain them, get one! Whether you will start to miss being a factor in whether you make it round a corner or not is a personal thing. I did, but you may not. That said, I think I went too far the other way when I sold it and bought a TVR Cerbera 4.5! I swear I lose 10lbs every time I drive it!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th November, 2002

27th Jul 2003, 17:04

I drove one myself. It has to be the most amazing car I've ever driven, but after about an hour, I was bored. You can't drive this car - It drives you! Try a Toyota Supra Twin turbo - much more DANGEROUS.

17th Feb 2004, 04:59

I disagree with the last comment. I owned one for 2 years and was never bored of it. When it came time to sell it, I was force to rethink every time I look at it, and thought hard again each time I drove it.

In short, when I did sell the car, it was a very sad departure and was almost brought to tears when I saw the 4 round tail lights, unmistakable of the R34 GTR, zip down the road and disappeared around the corner. If I had a chance to buy it again, I would in a sec. I may have made a mistake selling it, but it all comes down to family priorities I'm afraid.