What made you buy the car you drive today?

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Ben
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What made you buy the car you drive today?

Post by Ben »

Here's my rather long story .. :)

I suppose the first question is what car do I want, what do I want it for, what am I prepared to sacrifice.
I choose the GTR because of what I'd read in the magazines and yes I knows it's stupid, but it was
always the car I choose on GT4, it seemed to have the edge on the other cars.

I have to admit actually I was looking to buy an 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo but couldn't find one that was perfect
enough in my price range. It dawned on me suddenly that I had enough money to get a GTR, So the seeds were sown
and I started looking for one. Initially I was looking to get an R33, but at the time they
too were a little bit outside of my reach, I could have got a poor R33 as opposed to a great R32.

I can remember back to telling people "I'm going to buy a GTR", at that time no-one I think genuinely thought I'd
own one, probably not even me. Gareth gave me a copy of Japenese Performance from Jan 2005 (Yes one day I'll give it back),
there was a buying guide on the R32 GTR, the feature car was one Wine Red 1991 with 48000 miles on the clock, and amazingly
lucky for me, was for sale.

That was it, I knew what car I wanted, she would be mine, after making a number of calls to talk about the car, I showed a few
friends my prospective purchase but the feedback was not very favourable, "grandad's car", "ooh where's your pipe and slippers", "eurghh it's burgundy", "I wouldn't spend 11k on an antique". With all this in mind, yeh I now had second thoughts. Jo (my other half) wasn't really that keen either, "A shopping trolley" was her description, so I thought that's a bad omen, especially when I'm spending 11k of our money.

So I decided to look for a cheaper and 'newer' looking car and my eyes fell on a very nice black R32 with White Advans. So off I went to look at the car. It happened to be the same garage as the red one so I was getting to see both anyway.

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Black car as it was ..

Well we got to the garage, there was the black one, well it wasn't quite the car I thought it would be, not as mint as I was expecting, but the spec was excellent and it had very nice wheels and a big HKS drager exhaust, the clutch was a bit girly however bald tyres didn't make for a great test drive, it was fast but I could really test it. So we got back, It was at this point that the Red Skyline turned up (It was the managers own car basically) and do you know what I remember the most is, it was Jo's jaw hitting the floor (She'd deny it - but I think it was love at first sight) when she saw the car.

(I will add now, that the black car ended up winning best of show 2005 and best car on the day at a Skyline shootout :()

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Black car as it is now .. plus it's for sale. (See PulseD on GTR.co.uk)

I knew there and then, I was taking home the Wine Red GTR. So went for a test drive and she was everything I expected (remember at this point the car was being sold as almost standard), it felt tight, powerful, a nicely together car, the readouts matched what I expected, oil pressure good, new tyres, alarmed, taxed, serviced, new cambelt, the full monty. So I didn't even bother haggling. She was now mine.

One tense week later I returned to collect my car. That first drive home was incredible, ok after initial problems i.e. no idea how
to operate the alarm or remove the key when I needed to get petrol (this had all been explained to me - but I wasn't listening). So there I am with my shiny new toy, sat in the petrol station unable to start it, stop the alarm and looking like a car thief, anyway figured it all out and the rest of the journey was simply getting used to the car.

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The first Pic I took on collection day

I don't think I booted it for the first few days as I had read all sorts of horror stories about over eager new owners smashing up the cars, I didn't want to be one (Ask Gareth about the mortality rates of new Rx7 owners). The next two weekends were spent cleaning the car, this is probably how come i came to be known as 'Cottonbud' at work, people didn't know my real name, just that I clean my car with a cottonbud. I spent two hours just cleaning the word NISSAN.

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After first real clean (Ignore unhappy looking Jo)

Are you still with me - or have I bored you to death, "no" I hear you shout, please carry on Ben with you wonderful and rather detailed story :)

So once I really got to open it up, it felt like I was losing traction?, I knew they were powerful but not enough to lose grip in 4th and 5th. So onto the forums and diagnosed that my car suffered the dreaded hesistation. Called the garage I bought it from, "really I never booted it" was the response. Either way, they said bring it back and we'll have a look, one complete set of Greddy 0.8mm gapped plugs later the car was sorted. And god did it fly now.

Over the next weeks Gareth and I spent alot time on photo days and video making, the experience of owning the car was building, it was near on impossible to drive through town without people stopping and staring, kids giving the thumbs up, I loved every second of it.

Then one fateful day I was accelerating onto the new A11 when the dash lit up like a christmas tree and the car started to slow, Noooo!, so I free wheeled to the curb. Jo glaring at me ... pointy finger ready .. what is going on .. i told you not to buy a 15 year old car .. So I turned the key, she fired up, perfect .. now I did think this was odd .. was it a limp mode?, was it just some micro glitch due to the weather in China? So carried on the journey, so all seems fine .... until, chritmas tree time and no power, so I'm slowing down nicely in the slow lane of the A11 managed to get the passenger side onto the curb but the car is still on the A11.

A nice policeman comes along and promptly shuts down a complete lane of the A11 (This was after he checked my reg - which for the life of me I couldn't remember, ... so there I am, bright shiny red skyline with a police cordon and every little so and so pointing their fingers and staring as they drove past.

Oh well, AA eventually turn up - 1 hour 40 minutes later, they tow me about 100 metres into a wooded carpark. The AA bloke without even trying to determine the fault said "You are some sort of fool to have a car like this and only have roadside recovery", "I can't help you" .. he then gave me a card for a towing firm!!. I am now with the RAC, told the AA where they could stick their service.

To cut a long story short, had the car shipped back to the garage I bought it from. After 7 hours of scratching their heads, a new Camber Angle sensor, a new fuel pump, new coils etc, they figured out the problem was purely down to a little snapped earth lead. So they fitted a new earth kit and all was fixed. By this point I had been giving them so much grief I think they decided to leave all the new bits on so that I would leave. So as they say every cloud has a silver lining. The car has been absolutely trouble free ever since. (Apart from self-inflicted clutch failure)

Anyway, back to why I love my R32, I discovered track days and took part in a taster session, that was it, hooked absolutely. I remember the shere fear as I entered the track for the first time, in my mind, i'm not insured for this, what If I break it ... but once I was on my 4th / 5th lap I knew what my car had been designed for, a jolly good thrashing young man.

The R32 GTR is like a punch drunk heavy weight boxer at low speed, probably best compared to a BMW 325, the minute you get on the track and open it up the feather weight prize fighter comes alive, the car feels so agile, so responsive, almost invincible, you can step out the back and control it, you can over brake, lock them up and still control it, you can drive sideways and then correct it when you are ready. Then there is the shere grunt as you power it through 3rd gear corners .. I am sounding like I enjoy driving my car. Well the main point I'll make is that trackdays have made driving my car on the roads very dull. But then saying that, pulling onto motorways if fun!.

So is there a point to what I've written, well not really, just thought I'd share a story.

I'm still loving owning my R32 GTR, and now that she's on her road to Stage 1 it's even more exciting to drive, own and experience. Got a quote yesterday for taking the car to the next level, and I think I'll be going with it. So by the end of the year I'll be running a proven 400 BHP car. Bring it on.

Also for those who think - I would have gone for the black one ... I'm glad I got mine - to all intents and purpose the only real difference was the wheels - but black is sexy I must admit !!!.
Dum spiro, spero
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RX7
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Post by RX7 »

What an amazing writeup.

Good on you Ben, I know you still have as much passion for driving the car and also cleaning it !!

I had never been to a trackday, let along sitting in the passenger seat while Ben drove it faster and faster, the experience was awesome and a real credit to his 'Burgundy' car.

I think everyone should post their stories. I will be writing mine up !!!

Right, I will say upfront that I have always been an avid racing game fan but never seriously played Gran Turismo until GT4 came out so I didnt know about Jap cars or played them in GT etc etc.

So, once upon a time.....

It started about 3 years ago, I have known Ben (Murano3) for quite a long time now and he had taken me out in his Scooby before he sold it and I was blown away by how quick it really was, the acceleration was mad. I had never experienced being forced into a seat before.

Our daily chats whilst at work were about Computer gaming (we were playing in a league and doing very well I might add), girls and cars. I had an Escort at that time and had always been interested in 'modding'. I wasnt very adventurous with a spanner but managed to fit lowering springs and also an aftermarket exhaust myself in the garage at home.

At that moment in time I had grown a bit bored with the Escort and fancied a change. My original choice was going to be...and I'm sad to admit it a Ford Probe ! It was a nice looking car (and I still say its not a bad looking car...typical coupe looks) and the 2.6 engine I thought was pretty powerful. Ben in his 'diplomatic way' steered me away from this choice and pointed me to look at Japanese cars.

Now I had always like the Civic and Civic Coupe (the EK9 version at the time) and after seeing the black ones with the green neons in the Fast and the Furious films thought that that should be a good choice, the VTI version having 160 bhp with a 0-60 of about 8 secs. But then there was the Prelude with 2.2 Vtec and slightly faster 0-60. Chats were made to Ben about my feelings. He suggested that he had been in a mates Integra Type R and was impressed with the power, the handling and the interior plus with the sound deadening removed it sounded like a Race Car !! So I then went down this avenue looking for these and what I could get based on the initial amount of cash I could afford. Also I stumbled across the Bomex site and they did a bodykit that was pure style and class !! So the decision was pretty much 90% made, Ben even had a mate who was selling a Teg so I could go and have a look and even a test drive. Integras for sale were a rare thing for Norfolk.

And then it all went Pearshaped !!!
Ben happened to mention that he had always liked the Mazda RX7s..... he showed me the pics and I was just astonished...how can a car manufacturer make a car look so good !! It was pure car porn !! The amazing looks were backed up with incredible performance and 2 secs faster to 60 than the Integra. I was hooked and promptly ordered some back issues of Jap Performance mag that featured a buyers guide for an RX7 and another that had the buyers guide for the Integra.

However with everything good, there is always something bad...the Rotary engine (so I thought at the time).
At various points in the guide it was saying...'buy one with a good engine, rebuilds are done every 60k, make sure you get the engine checked over' etc etc
I found there was a forum for RX7s called the MRC, so promptly got myself on there and for every horror story about the engine there seemed to be double the amount saying its not as bad as people say. So after researching for what seemed like months and identifying what I needed to check for when buying I happened to come across a place in Long Stratton that had 2 for sale. I quickly jumped in the car with Emma (the missus) and we went to go and look at them. The door to the 'hanger' was opened and there were a load of cars but I never saw them....all I saw were 2 RX7s !!! It was like time froze and all I focussed on was the cars...they were everybit as good as the pics I had seen !!

So I got taken over to the cars and was asked to sit in the drivers seat, I opened the door and 'fell' into it, the car was so low compared to other cars. Once the door was shut it was like stepping into a race car, the sensation was partly 'sexual'! I was shown the rest of the car including the 'dreaded engine' and the laughable boot. Unfortunately I wasnt allowed to take the car out for a test drive.

But even so, the decision was made there and then of which car I was to have !! The MAZDA RX7 !!!

As soon as I got home I went onto the internet to do some insurance quotes and to my horror things didnt go to plan. A lot of places wouldnt quote me, some quoted me 2k, 3k etc etc. My dreams at this point were in tatters, I would have to buy the Teg after all !!

The MRC then provided the solution and pointed me in the direction of a 'rotary friendly' insurer who quoted me a figure of

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Ben
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Post by Ben »

Superb write up mate - very good.

Ok, who's next to step up to the challenge :)
Dum spiro, spero
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alexb
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Post by alexb »

Mine's not going to be as long as yours chaps!

Was living in Morley, near Wymondham. At the time I owned a '99 2000 Turbo Scooby, lightly modeded to about 270 BHP. I'd always loved RX-7s but wasn't sure how to get one (not being that aware of how easy it was to get and insure an import).

Was browsing Autotrader one evening and saw there was one for sale at a garage in Ashwellthorpe (about 5 miles down the road). Popped over in the car expecting the place to be closed, but one of the mechanics was there working on his own car so I took the RX out for a test drive. Loved the colour and was in good condition. The auction sheet was still in the car too, stating it was Grade 4 which backed up what I could see of the condition.

At the time I still also had my '01 SEAT Ibiza which I hadn't got round to selling so I stuck it on Autotrader, sold it that week and bought the RX. Took a while to get rid of the Scoob (the Ex bought it off me in the end) so we had quite a nice garage for a while :)

Took it to Jimmy's shortly after and he said it was one of the nicest driving examples he'd seen which was nice :).

And that was September 2003. Haven't looked back since.

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Post by Silver R33 GTR »

Excellent write up's guys, spot on.

And ben i know exactly how you feel, even if you do get a problem with it once its sorted and you hit that loud pedal you forget about everything that is wrong with the car.

I post up my storey maybe this afternooon when im not so squiffy.
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Ben
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Post by Ben »

I am surprised that no-one else has written an entry yet ... :(
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alexb
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Post by alexb »

Maybe cos less thought (if you know what I mean) went into the purchases apart from the "I like that" aspect - I know mine was pretty much a spur of the moment buy. Worked out OK luckily!

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Post by Silver R33 GTR »

Its because (as already said) most of them were impulse, like mine. I went to buy a GT4 WRC with all the castrol graphics etc but i saw my gtr sitting behind it and it was love at first sight. After having the gtst i knew this would be a good purchase and at first it sucked but after a few months in the garage i had it sorted, but i dont think ill ever be completly happy with it because if i do ill get bored and sell it, maybe ill buy a saxo :-D
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Nik
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Post by Nik »

OK then here goes........

about 4 years ago, Sarah and I owned a Rover 420 sli which I had bout from a company i used to work for. Then one day I was fitting a floor for a customer and she said to me " do you know anyone who wants to buy a Mazda RX7?" At that point I had no idea what a rex was. I came home from work and we had friends staying over to go to a friends wifes funeral. She was 32 when she died of a massive blood clot in her brain which as you can imagine shook us all quite badly. We all sat round the table chatting about "you don't know what is going to happen in life, so you might as well enjoy it" at that point I mentioned the RX7 to sarah and said she could either have that or a Steel blue Great dane (which was actually what I wanted :)). She looked up the RX7 on the internet and she loved the look of it (1986 FC EGI) So I rang the guy and we went to see it a couple of days later. I knew as soon as I saw Sarahs face as we pulled onto the guys driveway that we were going home with the car :). It was a bit tatty and needed quite a bit of work but we got it cheap so it was worth it.

I said to Sarah we can put these wheels on it and that spoiler and do this and do that to it. She then said to me "no!!!!! if you want to do that you buy your own car"

I sourced some new bumpers and a bonnet for it from a guy from Birmingham. When I went to collect them I saw a MKIII Supra Turbo sitting outside one of the units nearby. I ended up buying ti and went to pick it up the day before the Japshow finale 3 years ago. It needed some work for the MOT but again I got it cheap so was pleased.

We went to the Pod the following day, (in the Rover :)) and I saw an R32 Gts-t in silver for sale. There I was drooling over this Skyline and Sarah was busy trying to keep the kids happy so we started walking away towards the candyfloss stand. We got about 100 yards away from the Gts-t when Sarah said to me. " you know if you really want it we can just about afford it" and then carried on walking :). So I almost rugby tackled her to the floor to get her to stop and we went back and needless to say I bought it.

After a few weeks of owning it I was starting on the modding bug. I was going to do alsorts to it to get more power etc and Sarah said to me " theres no point, it will never be a GTR. Why not wait until you can afford one of those?"

Well I needed no more persuading than that. :D Less that a year later I had almost got enough money to buy a GTR and I put the Gts-t up for sale thinking the money from that would make up the difference.

I saw a silver R32 GTR for sale on GTROC and fell in love straight away. Sarah wasn't keen as she had seen a dark blue one and said it was a better colour. Well as usual I got my own way (she really does love me that much :D:D) and enquired about the silver one which was up for
I may be getting older but I REFUSE to grow up :D
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Stuart
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Post by Stuart »

R32 Nik wrote: I hope you are still awake and haven't crushed your keyboard when you fell asleep on it>
Nik
Nothing wrong with that Nik. Nice write up. Funny thing with most of the 32 owners I know is that if you gave them a heap of money they'd all go and get another 32 :lol:
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