R33 GTR price question

[redneck]

So there is a white r33 GTR that just came up for sale locally. I've been talking to this guy and he claims it was a 3.5 - B grade on the auction sheet. he doesnt have a copy of it though. He's asking $14000. the interior and exterior seem pretty minty in the pics. is there any way to know if the car has been in an accident? his name is marcel i think hes been in the skyline scene a while.

does anyone have any opinions or maybe even know the seller? is this a fair price?
probably going to go look at the car this weekend.
thanks

[Skym]

Alignment specialist can tell you if chassis is straight (alignment would be out by alot if chassis isn't straight / warped, but it's normal for a monoque chassis to not be perfectly straight and can be adjusted to suit when aligning car). Panels not matching with colour is another. If car is rear ended, bottom of trunk will have little dents / ripples in it if look from under car and inbetween fuel tank, rear of bottom of trunk and not touch the rear panel perfectly (panel is usually not perfectly straight when pulled out, more so if panel beater didn't do a good job). Also can use the magnet trick to check panels for bog instead of metal.

I would do a compression and leak down test on engine to check internal condition and drive, listen for unusual sounds, etc. Or get one of those car inspection companies to do the once over and report what they see. Best to pay a small fee for that inspection, report, then to get a lemon.

[Kunzz]

Dont buy it if you're worried about accident history and he can't provide the auction sheet. Either get it checked out professionally as Skym suggested or stay away from it.

Looking at the cars in japanese auction, a car with accident repair history looks just as mint as a 3.5 or 4 grade car as most panels are replaced and repainted. Ask him if its been repainted and if not, get a paint thickness meter and check each individual panel, that way you'll know if an area has been recently replaced/painted.

[dah_hunter]

Rumor on the streets is that Marcel got busted for sending lots of skylines into the USA.
If he bought the car from japan himself. then he should have the auction sheet.. since he imports a fair amount of cars.. however once the car is landed and BC inspected. i take the auction sheet as a minor thing since its really about what work was done to it locally.

I second getting a compression test. i wouldnt never buy a skyline localy without one, then ya get a BCAA inspection on it. or any other kind of inspection and go from there.

I assume its this car:

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/4089640015.html

I just had a quick look through the auction sold history in japan and didnt find anything that matched it,.

[will@jdmconnection]

You would wonder why he advertises an auction grade as a selling point, but then can't back it up. I don't know the seller, but it sounds fishy to me. Why not bring one in direct from Japan where you can know all of the history before shelling out all of that money ?

[cooke24]

ive seen the car myself, it was in good condition. take it for a test drive on the hwy and see how it drives.

not much else you can do, good price for a 1997 gtr

[MR666]

My R32 came in with 69,000 km on it and it cost $21,000 so $14,000 in not bad either if it is in good shape.