Skyline owner in Harrogate

Hi guys, I've currently got an r33 skyline which I've had for a bit over 3 years now, and although I love the sound, to be honest I'm a bit bored, so I'm looking for a change. This is it at the moment:

As those of you who know skylines may have spotted, it's not a gtr, it's a gtst instead, which is currently at 311bhp. There lies the problem, I want more, but don't have the budget for more parts and mapping, so I'm on the lookout for anything with more potential which may possibly be available for whatever I could get for mine.

Coming from a skyline, another famous straight 6 comes to mind, the 2jz, hence me being here as they respond to mods far better than the rb25det. So for little outlay I'd have far more than I'd get with my gtst.

At the moment, looking at how the market is my gtst should be worth about 4-5k to the right buyer, so is it possible that a manual TT supra would be in budget? I don't mind if it's been transplanted, converted, etc, all I'm bothered about is it's condition and what it's like to drive.

What kind of things should I look out for? What are the differences between jap and UK spec other than the turbos bolted onto them, the bonnet scoop and the tcs badge on the throttle body? What about any differences between non turbo and turbo models? For example if the car I bought had been transplanted, what would a genuine TT also have that this one wouldn't? Brakes, suspension, trim differences, etc?

Also, is there anyone on here in the Harrogate area that would let me try my child seats in the back of one? If the kids don't fit then I can't even have one!

Cheers guys!

Hello

I'm afraid there's currently zero chance of getting a manual turbo Supra for that budget. One that needs work will set you back at least 7, and nice ones are generally at least £9k.

You would be able to get a twin turbo auto for that money though, and they're capable of the same power as a manual car on stock turbos. The NA Supras came with a 5 speed gearbox, but it's weaker than the TT auto box, and swaps are often problematic when tuned.

Another option is to look for a rare 6 speed NA. They come with the same Getrag box as the turbo cars, and make a great base for tuning. They're usually just under £5k, but are hard to find.

As above really.

Do a search there are millions of threads on specs, mods, upgrades.

In the club downloads menu is a difference chart that has everything you need to know plus a handy guide on buying.

Pay your membership and you can see the for sale threads.

Cheers guys, seems I can get either an na manual, or a turbo auto for my budget then. Though that said, I can already see the for sale section and there are some that have been converted to 5 speed turbos at around the 4.5k mark?

I've actually just been offered a manual non turbo too, a bmw blue one in York, only 15 miles away from me. Would it be worth getting that, then saving up for an engine swap? What would non turbo running costs be like compared to the gtst? If it's cheaper then it'd be possible for me to save up over time. I tend to get about 200-250 miles to about 70 quid at the moment depending on how I drive, with a lot of stop start driving. On one long motorway run taking it steady I managed about 300 miles once.

An NA Supra is going to feel slow compared to a 300hp+ R33 GTS-t.

As said, the TT auto is superior to converted 5 speed TTs. The 5 speed gearbox can break at anything over stock torque. Some last, some don't. The auto gearbox is fantastic, and can take anything the stock turbos can throw at it. If you're wanting to tune it, you are much better buying a turbo car in the first place.

I live in York, and I've never seen a BMW blue Supra around, can you post a link?

So you want 2JZ power, with turbos, and space in the back? Aristo

As above though, getting a tt manual Supra for your budget will be very hard, they do pop up once in a while but its rare.

Welcome!!!!

I love the red hat your wearing in the pic!!!!

Not really a fan of the aristo though, since none of them were manuals. Much prefer the look of a coupe too.

And yeah, glad you like my angry birds hat! Had to set the timer to like a minute just to give me time to run back into shot with my little legs!

Here's the link to the one I've seen. I appreciate it's going to feel slow, but if it saves me some on running costs over time then I can save up for a swap at a later date. It's on eBay, but they said they'd only be swapping for a turbo skyline, which I happen to have.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=141163787203

Been asking her about it already, and she says she's ideally wanting around 4.2k for it. She doesn't state what model it is other than it being an imported non turbo, so I've asked her what model it is and if it's 5 or 6 speed. If it is 6 speed then it'd be worth it wouldn't it? Would it be worth it anyway even if it was a 5 speed?

£4200 is a lot of cash for an NA. You can get an auto TT for that money if you wait for the right one.

For your budget, I'd suggest going for an auto TT, and then saving for a 6 speed conversion, or R154 conversion. At the end of the day, an auto to manual conversion (either one) will cost no more than a half decent NA-t conversion.

Oh, and that blue one, being a 95, will be a 5 speed W58 gear box.

The 6 speed NA's were late 97 onwards iirc

Not really a fan of the aristo though, since none of them were manuals. Much prefer the look of a coupe too.

All Ill say is, don't dismiss the auto and a lot of people will back me up on that. If your choices were a manual N/A or a TT auto and you chose the manual without even trying the auto, you're mental

Fair enough, thanks guys. Would this blue one still be worth it if it turns out to be a 6 speed though? Is it 100% the same box? Gearing, strength, etc? Would the diff have the same final drive regardless of turbo or non turbo?

Fair enough, thanks guys. Would this blue one still be worth it if it turns out to be a 6 speed though? Is it 100% the same box? Gearing, strength, etc? Would the diff have the same final drive regardless of turbo or non turbo?

Unless it has been converted, it isn't a 6 speed, as I've already stated.

I can't see any reason to convert an NA to a 6 speed unless it was a high(ish) powered NA-t, which it isn't.

Apparently some non turbos came with the 6 speed though? Unless that's wrong?

Oh, and that blue one, being a 95, will be a 5 speed W58 gear box.

 

The 6 speed NA's were late 97 onwards iirc

I did mention this already

I did mention this already

Sorry, must've confused myself looking at that differences chart on here. Didn't help that I somehow missed your first post too. I'm using tapatalk and it's not great at refreshing in real time.

What would work out costing more? Finding and fitting a turbo engine to a non turbo 6 speed, or fitting a 6 speed to an auto turbo?

I'd personally avoid that blue one, the work on it doesn't look to have been done to a very high standard. For that money you will get a very clean 5speed NA.

What would work out costing more? Finding and fitting a turbo engine to a non turbo 6 speed, or fitting a 6 speed to an auto turbo?

Installing a 6 speed is probably more expensive. They're often difficult gearboxes to find, and they're expensive. You need quite a few other things too, including a new section of the transmission tunnel.

If you want a 6 speed TT, save up for a genuine one. It'll be worth more come resale, so anything else is a false economy.

Can't say I've looked too closely at the pictures since I'm on my phone. The only bit I spotted was the white engine bay, what else did I miss?

Installing a 6 speed is probably more expensive. They're often difficult gearboxes to find, and they're expensive. You need quite a few other things too, including a new section of the transmission tunnel.

 

If you want a 6 speed TT, save up for a genuine one. It'll be worth more come resale, so anything else is a false economy.

Saving that much money isn't a possibility for me though, otherwise I'd already have done so. I'd love a genuine one or a gtr or something, but I just can't get that kind of cash together. I'm not too worried about resale, I'm more bothered about how to do it on my budget, if it's even possible.

Sounds like I should either get a TT auto and stick with that, or find a late non turbo for the 6 speed and drop the engine in. That's if the running costs would be any cheaper than my gtst, otherwise I still wouldn't be able to save anything up.

Your looking at at least 3.5k for a 6 speed box. Then there's getting it fitted.

Running costs aren't going to be any cheaper. Supras are reliable, but can still be quite expensive to run. If you're looking for a car to run on a shoestring, an NA auto would be your best bet. These are old cars, and it's not uncommon for the turbos to need renewing, which is an expensive process(you could buy an NA auto for less!!!)

I don't mind paying for running a turbo, I'm already doing that with the gtst, it's just I'd have nothing spare to save up with afterwards. With a non turbo I was hoping the running costs would be a bit lower, especially if it has a 6th cog for cruising speeds, know what I mean?

The running costs are about the same on an NA and TT. My most fuel efficient Supra was my single turbo one, which could do over 30mpg on a run.

If you can afford it, I'd certainly look at a TT auto. It's a much better car than an NA, especially at BPU.

Ah, that's a shame. I just don't know if I'll be happy with an auto, but I won't know until I try one I guess.