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Ok, here's a little background. First of all, Skylines were not sold in Australia, nor were TT Z's (only NA's). So, to get my TT I had to get it over from Japan, get it complianced, pay a million taxes and so on. Same with Skylines. US cars are doable, but you gotta convert from LHD to RHD so lots of effort, plus spares are harder to get from US than Japan.
So, when we talk about imports, unlike in the States we mean cars imported by the owner which were not sold in the country, not just Japanese cars in general. US imports are FAR more rare than Japanese imports.On to the question: In Australian dollars (pretty rough) here are some ideas on pricing. TTZ Coupe: $25k
TTZ 2+2: $30k
R32 Skyline GTR: $35
R33 GTS-t (single turbo RWD): $25k
R33 GTR: $70k
R33 GTR V-spec: $90k
R34 GTS-t: $80k?
R34 GTR: $$$lots? TTZ's have been one of the most commonly imported cars for a while.... excellent support therefore in terms of parts and servicing. However, their exclusive feel has sort of worn off a bit. Their reputation was also slightly tarnished early on because everyone only knew the NA figures (as that was the car sold in Australia) but these days a fair few people know what a TT can do. To give an indication of my opinion of a TT vs. R33 GTS-t or R32 GTR, look at it this way: I probably could have bought any of the three, and I chose the Z. The R32 GTR is tempting, but not the classiest looker and most have been driven pretty hard. They can be tuned to pretty insane power levels, but I haven't got that sort of cash. R33 GTS-t is probably not as good as a Z performance wise, doesn't look as nice and I don't like owning the lower version of somthing anyway. Ok, on to what you want to hear. R33 GTR:
I've got up close and had a nose around the engine and other areas of a V-spec.... it is a more serious performance car.... the one I was looking at was a V-spec but it had factory strut tower braces, big ass brakes (Brembos), battery in the trunk and a lot of gauges. I was with Wykked at the time, the one thing I remember saying to him as it drove off the hoist was "It just doesn't look sexy like the Z". R33's are coming in more often now so the novelty of "wow an R33" means I can say fairly unbiased that it just doesn't inspire like the Z. It looks like a family car with a body kit slapped on. Regarding R33's (paraphrasing severly) John Penlington from Unique Autosports (who gets to drive everything, lucky bastards) says that stock for stock an R33 GTR is probably quicker round a track. However, he thinks the Z is far easier to tune and get power out of (initially anyway) and that it is FAR more enjoyable to drive. John imports all Skylines (up to R34's), FTO's, S15 Sylvias and so on, and still lists his favourite as the Z.
I've also read many articels in mags here about Z's and about Skylines, and although Skylines are quick, no one can ever fault the Z... it's just too good in too many ways. Ok, R34's:
These are still kind of exotic here (although more are trickling in) so I still check 'em out when they drive by. Unlike the R33 and R32, this one does look a little hotter out of the box. Still not the classic "is that a Nissan or a Lambourghini?" feel of the Z, but the sportiness has been built in more than being tacked on like the predecessors. It's still very much a standard saloon (no long bonnet, sloping windscreen of the Z) but even the car illiterate will know it's something extra.
Performance? R34 GTS-t.... there was one at a car cruise the other night whom I could not coax into dragging (tried accelerating hard next to him, setting off BOV's at him etc.) but he wouldn't go me. Then we pulled up at the lights and Driver in a Stage 2 TT finally got him to go. Z won... so, no interest in the R34 GTS-t.
R34 GTR? I've only ever seen one in a showroom..... looked very nice (although it had 4000kms on the clock so what do you expect?). I really wanted to see the cool display on the dash work. From what I've heard, the R34 GTR *IS* something special. I think "Ferrari slayer" which I heard one magazine call it is blatantly misleading, but it's a very tidy piece of work none the less. I think (a lot like STi WRX Impreza's and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO's) that the over hype of the R34 GTR is in phenomenal and so whatever anyone says, halve it. Of course, even if the car is not as great as everyone claims, it still impresses people more when you rock up in one.
Remember that stock for stock the Z and any GTR Skyline are similar in 0-60mph and 1/4 mile..... and that the first few tuning things you can do will give the Z a clear advantage (stage 3: 100hp for not much cash.... can't beat that) but after that the Skyline begins to dominate. Skylines do have better brakes and do handle marginally better (but AWD to pull them out of the corners). Anyway, to wrap it up:
with the exception of the R34 GTR I'd pretty much take a ZTT over all other Skylines. Some people obviously would not, depends what you want. Z has oodles of style, looks cooler, nicer to drive.... Skyline has AWD, quicker on a track.
The Z over here has lost some of it's uniqueness in the equation, which is why Skylines are hotter property at the moment. The Z is the quiet achiever, if you will, and I love it :) Ben
Australian 300ZX Owners Association |
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