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R34 GTT Value & Legality

6K views 29 replies 9 participants last post by  Vandrel 
#1 ·
Hi, new member here. I found an R34 GTT which has a true RB26DETT motor and converted to AWD. It's in excellent condition.

It has about 28,000 miles. I can get it for USD $50,000

The owner states that it is a "grey market" car and is titled as a "kit / special construction" car.

My first concern is the legality and re-sellability of the vehicle as well as insurance, My other question is the value. For a mere 25K more, I can just buy an R35. How big of a demand from (willing and able) buyers you think this car has at a 50 - 60K price point.

I was going to have it painted blue, and add the original MFD
 
#2 ·
any pics of the car and the conversion? since it would have been a lot cheaper and easier to use a gtr chassis that attempt to make a rear wheel drive chassis awd as the full floor pan and chassis is completely differant between the 2?
 
#8 ·
Take loads of pics and also of vin plate number to check what it really is and value is only what someone will pay and the legality of it? It's illegal to use on the roads in America is what I have seen from previous threads as apparently it was only 33s of a certain year that was legally allowed except now for the 32 gtrs as there past the 25 year rule
 
#12 ·
2 and 4 door chassis and bodys are differant and again to make fit it would outweight the cost of buying a gtr and a jig and such,however the awd na is sounding good but only the vin plate can reveal it
 
#14 ·
No, it's not legal in any way, shape or form. Except for the half dozen or so Motorex R34s that got a bond release back in 2002 or '06, there are no Federally legal R34s. The car you're looking at has null resalability and if Homeland Security gets wind of it, it will be seized. Besides, having a drivetrain and engine swapped vehicle is also illegal to import. You could only do a swap after it's been legally imported and given a bond release. Unless you can find a Motorex R34 GTR for sale, go get you an R35 if you want a late model GTR.

I'm seriously wondering why this topic comes up so much. Too lazy to Google? Only Motorex cars with a Federal bond release and Skylines that are 25 years old or older are legally imported. PERIOD. NO EXCEPTIONS.
 
#15 ·
awd receipts

ok, so he sent me the receipt for the engine swap and conversion. He dropped $22K on the work. He seems like a straight up guy and Im sure its been converted, I don't really question his honesty regarding the disclosed condition. Im very well mechanically trained so mechanics on this decision are the least of my worries..

I more worried about the value and re-saleability.

Currently it's black, and I plan to increase the value by having it painted blue, adding gold wheels, finish the conversion by adding GTR badges floormats, ect, and installing Bride seats.

My thought is to sell it to somebody rich in Florida or california
 
#26 ·
ok, so he sent me the receipt for the engine swap and conversion. He dropped $22K on the work. He seems like a straight up guy and Im sure its been converted, I don't really question his honesty regarding the disclosed condition. Im very well mechanically trained so mechanics on this decision are the least of my worries..

I more worried about the value and re-saleability.

Currently it's black, and I plan to increase the value by having it painted blue, adding gold wheels, finish the conversion by adding GTR badges floormats, ect, and installing Bride seats.

My thought is to sell it to somebody rich in Florida or california
I believe there a a couple of them that have had the conversion in the states.
I know of two.

iLL Garage: R34 GTT to R34 GTR conversion *FAST AND FURIOUS* : RB20DET / RB25DET / RB26DETT Forum

The other one I know of I have spoke to the chap, it was also blue but been repainted black with gtr rear arch conversion on it. if your on instagram search for a guy called jayceeeeee it belongs to him
 
#16 ·
send me you address and ill send you a reciept saying i spend 40k on it,its easily done and the fact he has no pictures of the "swap" speaks volumes and the fact you want to repaint it to add value??? bollcks mate if you completely re paint a car a completely differant colour it lowers the value as it seems like your hiding something ie been rolled so every panel needed work meaning a full re spray was only option.

also adding gtr stuff to it when its not a gtr will only lower the value again since its not what your saying it is

lastly as has been told twice now it is ILLEGAL in usa to have that type of car
 
#17 ·
I understand your logic. My logic was to make it a finished GTR replica... as this is as close as anyone could economically come to an R34 GTR in the USA.

I'm trying to negotiate the price down to $30K... at that price point, I think it may be worth the price, even if it were to sit in the garage indefinitely. It's a black car and I think black is a less marketable color than the iconic blue.

The car is a 5 hour drive away so I may just go take a look. I am more seeking to buy the car as a money making investment but want to buy it at a price that I don't care if I keep it or re-sell it.

I really do value all the feedback that I have received from this thread. :)
 
#18 ·
ok then as long as we understand each other then :D

you still have the issue of it being a replica and even then i doubt it is awd and until i see the vin plate and pictures of how he has done the conversion then i reckon he is banking o a gullable idiot,no offense to you

also as other usa residants will tell you they have had there cars confiscated and crushed or sold abroad just purely for having it in the country. so if you buy it and it doesnt get confiscated then whats the point of just having it sat in your garage when you cant use it,and you cant really sell it either? you say you can keep it as an investment but whats the point if you run the risk of it being impounded and you losing whatever you spent on it?

contact other members in usa and listen to there stories mate
 
#19 ·
I would love to have the opportunity to contact prior skyline owners. That is exactly why I bothered to create an account on this forum in the USA section to begin with!

The mere fact that i cant FIND owners or any real objective feedback, both feeds the argument of increased value but equally argues illegality.

Here in the USA, there is a "gray" market for these cars and I am seeking feedback from owner in the USA who have experience in this gray market.

I am going to contact the department of homeland security as well as US Customs and find out the real answers on the legality.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Please don't be so hard-headed. I just told you the exact answer on its legality. I'll even tell you the NHTSA importation code for Skylines. It's VCP-32 and the NHTSA only allows the '96-'98 R33 Skyline GTS and GTR models to be imported as those were the only cars Motorex crash tested and provided data for. Here's the statute: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/faq site/pages/page10.html
Those cars must be imported by an RI or an ICI and then made FMVSS and EPA compliant within 120 days or the bond on the car is forfeited (meaning the vehicle will be seized by Customs.) Supposedly, JK Technologies in Baltimore is still doing the service at a cost of $35k.

The one and only R34 Skyline that can be imported legally into the USA is the 1999 GTR V-Spec under the Show or Display exemption for FMVSS but it still has to be converted to OBD-II and made EPA emissions compliant. Currently no Registered Importer or Independent Commercial Importer has the know-how or capability to do that. So, again, other than the few Motorex R34s that were given a bond release prior to 2006, any and all R34s in this country are illegal.
 
#21 ·
Hang on a second... I thought skyline had to be over 25 years old. So at this time only R32's are available to be imported. But you are saying that my 96 Nissan Skyline R33 GTST is in a special bracket that can be imported? How much would it fetch out of curiosity? And do they have to be standard do you know?
 
#23 · (Edited)
If you want to import a Skyline that's completely FMVSS and EPA exempt and not have to use an RI, then yes, it needs to be 25 years old which would be a 1989 model currently. You can't import your '96 R33 GTS-T though until 2021 unless you want to pay a Registered Importer (for Skylines, JK Technologies) $35k or so to modify it to pass DOT standards as set forth by the NHTSA (what is referred to as being FMVSS compliant) and adding OBD-II and EPA emissions equipment.

I don't think I'm getting through to you guys :p The NHTSA allows importation of 96-98 R33 GTS and GTR Skylines to be legally imported now under VCP-32 designation. All R32 and R34 that don't qualify as Show or Display and aren't 25 years old are BANNED from import. Vehicles less than 25 years old have to be modified to be FMVSS compliant as detailed above and less than 21 years old have to be made EPA emissions compliant. A 25-year old car is exempt from any compliance modifications.

Any way you import a vehicle, the engine and drivetrain must be stock. Light mods don't matter as long as the vehicle doesn't have any major modifications such as an engine or transmission swap or converting it to AWD if it was originally RWD, etc.

Further to an earlier comment there were apparently some 2 door, Non-turbo GT-4 R34 coupes with AWD. I read that a while back and being a non-turbo owner I was quite interested to discover it. There's mention of them on here, youtube, gumtree.au etc. but it sounds like they're not easy to find (which doesn't necessarily add value). Theoretically one of those could have a GTT or GTR engine conversion I suppose. Even so, it sounds to me like a massive risk to spend 30K buying a car of unknown parentage. I'd want to know exactly what it was based on even if it was to use/sell in a country where it was legal.
You CANNOT legally import any vehicle with an engine or drivetrain swap or conversion for road use. There are exemptions for off-road or race car use for significantly modified vehicles but you have to get written preapproval by the EPA first and that means proving that you're actually going to use the car for those purposes.
 
#22 ·
Further to an earlier comment there were apparently some 2 door, Non-turbo GT-4 R34 coupes with AWD. I read that a while back and being a non-turbo owner I was quite interested to discover it. There's mention of them on here, youtube, gumtree.au etc. but it sounds like they're not easy to find (which doesn't necessarily add value). Theoretically one of those could have a GTT or GTR engine conversion I suppose. Even so, it sounds to me like a massive risk to spend 30K buying a car of unknown parentage. I'd want to know exactly what it was based on even if it was to use/sell in a country where it was legal.
 
#24 ·
FMVSS = Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
NHTSA = National Highway Transportation & Safety Administration
EPA = Environmental Protection Agency
RI = Registered Importer
ICI = Independent Commercial Importer


Anything I missed, just ask. I did a ton of research before buying my GTR and importing it legally come 2015 when she's 25 years old.
 
#25 ·
Kabob is 100% correct. I think you guys are getting hung up on the term "conversion". They use the term kit car/conversion to illegally register skylines in the US, or that is attempt to. Skylines are called out as an exception to the kit car registrations and it's basically so you can't import a shell, then import the other pieces and put it all together as a "kit car". The car is 100% illegal and wouldn't be worth more than $5k IMO because of the significant risks in taking ownership.

To answer the other question, R33 GTST's that are motorex and federally bonded start at about $40-50k, GTR's start in the $70's. A lot of people are mislead on price because there are quite a few that are illegally sold, but make no mistake that many of the online ads are for non-federal cars. Avoid at all costs.
 
#27 ·
The one for F&F was a movie prop car and can't be legally driven on roads. It's still owned by universal I believe and received a special exemption from the government.

All other R34's that weren't converted by motorex would be illegal. Again, you can't "reassemble" a car into an R34 because it's not a kit car and it's known to not have passed safety standards. They specifically call out skylines not being able to be registered as kit cars.
 
#29 ·
To the OP, "some rich guy in FL or CA" isn't going to be so easily duped into purchasing an illegally imported vehicle that's not even a genuine GT-R. Converting a GT-T to AWD and swapping in an RB26 is never going to get a return on the investment. And frankly, that scenario sounds like you're trying to commit fraud and guess what rich guys can afford? Expensive attorneys to sue you and see that your arse lands in jail.
 
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