Great value, good, safe, reliable first car
Clutch, power steering hose - nothing really for a 22 year old car. Clutch was replaced at 170000km.
It's still a fun car to drive. The engine is still very nippy and fuel efficient.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd August, 2010
Nissan's Technological Tour de Force of the 80's
Original electronic shocks were worn and the car was bouncy, but nothing unusual for its age.
Tensioner and idler bearing for the timing belt were noisy.
This car completely blew me away within the first hour or so driving it. Never have I seen such seamless integration of sportiness, comfort and practicality into one reliable package.
Pretty much the only thing that stretches back to the 80's is its design; everything else is modern by today's standards. Some of its features included:
- Tilt/slide sunroof
- In-cabin 3-way adjustable electronic shocks
- Automatic rain-sensing wipers
- Automatic headlights
- Climate control.
Apparently there were also options such as ABS, cruise control and card entry system available on some models.
Gadgets aside, the car handled like a dream. It had McPherson Struts up front and semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension, along with a limited-slip differential and speed-sensitive 4-wheel steering.
The turbocharged engine was never short on power too, and produced close to 200bhp at the flywheel from factory. Power delivery is not very linear though, so you have to be alert on your gear selection to ensure the engine is above 3000rpm to get positive pressure from the turbo.
It was very practical too, having four-doors and a fairly large boot. It had a unique "pillarless" design which incorporates frameless doors and does away with the B-pillars.
This car is probably the last "sports-comfort" oriented Skyline, before Nissan moved on to the hard-edged R32 models and beyond. Would I buy another Skyline? You bet!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th August, 2007
A cheap car, with great potential in the right hands
Mostly electrical problems from the prior dodgy owner and a blown turbo when I bought it.
After a year of owning it I opted to install 2000 model GTT engine: Rb 25DET neo... which has made it produce 100% more power and is lighter... with other minor mods - it is a dream to drive... I'm not a fan of computerised traction control etc...
This car has classic, predictable RWD handling - the true potential is left to the driver to harness...
Not so many people like the straight edge look, in stock form - I tend to agree, but the two door model just look beautiful when lowered on 18 inch deep dish rims...
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 3rd April, 2006
More bang for your buck
My fuel pressure regulator went at 182,000 and set me back AU$300.
The boot leaks through the rear tail light seal.
The "Silhouette" and "Skyline" badging between the tail lights is coming un-stuck.
There is a couple of oil leaks from, rocker cover (previous owner should have taken better care), diff and gear box.
Dash board lights do not work.
Exhaust manifold causes studs to break.
Syncro rings in gear box not the best.
This car is a great automobile, especially with the stock LSD.
The RB30E series engine is a robust and reliable engine.
RB30E gets good response from simple mods such as pod filter or extractors.
The gearbox along with the engine loves to be pushed, reaching speeds of 170+ is easy work.
Fuel economy is really good in city and on the highways.
The air con works great.
Very user friendly suspension setup works a dream.
Even for a old car it can keep up with newer motorcars and at the same time looks better.
Comfortable seats in front and back with lots of leg room gives passengers just as an enjoyable ride as the driver.
To top it off trip computer makes the car a totally user friendly.
Stock stereo provides quality sound for soft calming music or quick beats.
This is one of the safest and most affordable cars 4 under AU$5000.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st June, 2004
Yeah, I get about 20L to 100km around the city, but to be honest I do thrash it, but it's a rb30, it's meant to be thrashed!!! If you get the fuel injectors cleaned or even better, buy new ones, it should fix the problem. Did on my last car. Oh, and check the fuel pressure regulator.
P.S. A much better and reasonably easy and available mod is a VL Turbo setup, as VLT's use the Nissan rb30 engine, and set up right you can get a 9 second quarter mile... if you have the time and money anyways... Join a club like forum.r31skylineclub.com if you want more info and help.
It has been a couple of years since I first wrote the original car survey entry, and to be honest not to much has changed. I have now got a pod filter, a sports exhaust and all new suspension thanks to the dirt roads I drive on. In reply to the fuel economy question I get about 9.3ish leters per 100km on the highway and 11ish around town. However if the car gets thrashed you know what’s going to happen. I have never got the injectors cleaned so maybe the economy might actually increase if I took better care of the engine. Also when I replaced the suspension I replaced the coils for a new set of lower and stiffer ones. Since then ride has been much better.
I have an 88 Silhouette and it uses 12L /100km. Runs like new, with 300000+ kms. Odometer broken. Love the car, best purchase ever made.
I just bought an 88 skyline for my first car and love it. its fast, but not too crazy.I'm going to modify it when I get the cash, but for now all I will do is a rammed air induction job.
I recently bought a 1987 Skyline Silhouette. The fuel consumption is good, around 10-12L/100kms city driving. It is a great fun car to drive. I hated the stock tail lights, so I changed them over with the lights from an Executive model.
Here is link to some photos:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2527824/1987-nissan-skyline
The car is very comfortable to drive, and ride in. The automatic gearbox copes well with the demand of the RB30E, reaching high speeds without a problem. Excellent car for long road trips, or highway drives.
3rd Jul 2005, 23:04
You mentioned fuel economy was good. How many liters is it using per 100km?
I own a 1989 R31 executive, and in city, its consuming approximately 17 liters per 100km. Very excessive. It has done 189000km.