Is a 2007 GT-R the deal of the century?

Heck, I know where you can get a sub-1000 lb one with a bike engine, ready to go for $10k RIGHT NOW! You'll never get a Seven with "Miata suspension setup" as the geometry is quite different up front.

As for the used GT-R - a friend of a friend has one. And his biggest problem has been that they're super cars that are being serviced by dealerships who are used to Maximas. They just don't understand the owners or the needs of the car. It would make me a little leery of one myself. Not that they do anything for me, they're just too big for my taste.

I'm late to this party but I'll chime right in on the "Do not want" side of things.

Even at $40k is a big, heavy, not so attractive GT car that uses some cool technology instead of driver skill to make it fast. Even as an admitted techno-geek... what guy who likes to drive wants that? I had a student with a new M6 when they first came out and I feel the same general way about that. "Oohhhh, lookey, we are going 160mph into turn one at Summit after missing the apex in 10 by 15 feet! Huh... how about that... it actually slowed down in time. Can we put some tape over the the traction control light? I'm worried it's going to trigger an epilepsy seizure while you one-hand it around here like a bull in a china shop. What is that red light? Oh. You overheated after 3 laps. So sad. I was really enjoying playing with your climate controls.".

No thanks.

So I guess when Leh Keen goes and stomps people in One Lap of America, any of you schelps could go out there in the same car and match his times?

Last year there were a few in the 50k range(some weren't even '07s). IDK when pricing was announced on the new one though.

z31maniac wrote: So I guess when Leh Keen goes and stomps people in One Lap of America, any of you schelps could go out there in the same car and match his times?

Leh Keen is a professional race car driver. Would I put other pros with pedigree up against him in some sort of GT-R spec series? Sure. Do you think maybe he could have still won it in a different car? Probably. Do you think if anyone wanted to drive/sleep 6000 miles in 5 days in a tarted up Caterham they might have pulled off an upset?

I stand by my disgust of big fat techno-gobbldegook GT cars that aren't beautiful, luxurious or terrifyingly dangerous to drive.

YMMV

In reply to z31maniac:

The point is not that it magically makes all drivers equally fast, but that it makes it easier for any given driver to consistently drive faster and more aggressively than they would otherwise be able to in a less technologically 'enhanced' car of similar physics-defined ultimate performance limits. If you want to 'win' that is a great thing...But "faster" does not necessarily make it more enjoyable, rewarding, or satisfying to a driving enthusiast.

Driven5 wrote: In reply to z31maniac: The point is not that it magically makes all drivers equally fast, but that it makes it easier for any given driver to consistently drive faster and more aggressively than they would otherwise be able to in a less technologically 'enhanced' car of similar physics-defined ultimate performance limits. If you want to 'win' that is a great thing...But "faster" does not necessarily make it more enjoyable, rewarding, or satisfying to a driving enthusiast.

I know, it's the same machismo that fuels the DCT vs manual debate.

Yawn.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

It seems like the dealer service is hit or miss. I apprenticed under a gtr tech who didnt reqlly like the cars and wouldrather work on simpler stuff all day but he was shop foreman so they made him do his gtr and leaf certs.
On the other hand there is tony, at another charlotte dealer, who is active on the gtr forums, does track days with gtrs and zs, and actually started doing tuning packages through the dealership for gtrs and z cars. He is in tune with the cars and owners, and has people coming from a couple states over for him to work on their r35.
He left and is a travelling tech for nissan corporate now so idk what people in that segment are doing now

z31maniac wrote: I know, it's the same machismo that fuels the DCT vs manual debate. Yawn.

Rallying against "machismo" with bravado...LOL

What you are calling "machismo" has nothing to do with DCT vs manual, or GTR vs Locost...It is simply a factor of whether the rewards sought are internally or externally derived. Some people find true enjoyment from pure speed and the use of technology. Others find true enjoyment from the individual control and mechanical interactions. As described, neither is "machismo" driven. However either can be, when the choice is driven by bragging rights over personal satisfaction.

Driven5 wrote: bravado

a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.

I didn't realize yawning was a display of courage! If only my bosses knew!

(I'll stop trolling now)

^^^ well said Driven5

Just because you'd rather drive a car with 3 pedals to 2 doesn't mean the car with the clutch is more "manly", or macho. It just means you prefer to be more involved in the driving experience.

To each their own. I'll keep my sports cars as elemental as possible, thank you very much.

That said---- the thought of a used GT-R is a daunting one. It's such a complicated / advanced car. I'd be wary of owning one outside of warranty. ( to be fair, I feel the same way about new BMWs, Audis, Mercs, etc...)

z31maniac wrote: a pretentious, swaggering display of courage.

Pretentious: Having or showing the unpleasant quality of people who want to be regarded as more impressive, successful, or important than they really are.

Bravado: Confident or brave talk or behavior that is intended to impress other people.

Fun with dictionaries.

Driven5 wrote: In reply to z31maniac: Bravado: Confident or brave talk or behavior that is intended to impress other people.

See: Putin, shirtless on horseback in the accompanying photo on page 241.

I was on the fence about GTRs until I rode in one. DO WANT.

corytate wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: It seems like the dealer service is hit or miss. I apprenticed under a gtr tech who didnt reqlly like the cars and wouldrather work on simpler stuff all day but he was shop foreman so they made him do his gtr and leaf certs. On the other hand there is tony, at another charlotte dealer, who is active on the gtr forums, does track days with gtrs and zs, and actually started doing tuning packages through the dealership for gtrs and z cars. He is in tune with the cars and owners, and has people coming from a couple states over for him to work on their r35. He left and is a travelling tech for nissan corporate now so idk what people in that segment are doing now

Agreed, there are certainly some techs who would love working on the cars. The fact that people from several states around would travel to see Tony indicates that he might be the exception rather than the rule.

I know there's a dealership near Denver that's into them big time, to the extent of bringing them out to track days organized by the Z Club.

A friend uses one on the One Lap. In previous years they were driving a mega hp STI that would only last a couple of days between blow ups, and it still was slow compared to the GTRs. So they did what anyone else would do, they got a GTR and a 700hp Ligenfelter C6 to do a comparison. The GTR was easily faster than the Corvette. They still ran both cars in the One Lap, and the GTR came out on top by 5 positions or so. They finished 3rd I think last year with a stock GTR, compared to Keens very modified version. Of course my friend is also a professional racer so that helps. It also never broke, had any issues at all, and they even ran the AC on track once. By contrast, he says the Corvette was difficult on track and would get wheel spin at speed. It simply couldn't put the power down hurting it's lap times in the process.

Anyway, the point is, he says its the best car he's ever driven on track, and he's driven a lot of unbelievable cars. People can say crap about them if they want, but results are difficult to argue with. Do I want one, not really, but I still think they're cool. I'd certainly drive one given the chance. Once on track, all this talk about it not having three pedals etc. goes out the window. At that point, all you want to do is be faster than everyone else anyway, and that's why the GTR exists. It's one of the best cars in stock form to do that.

Spoolpigeon wrote: I was on the fence about GTRs until I rode in one. DO WANT.

Yea, they'll do things that they shouldn't be able to, but its almost like the computer is doing most of the work.

<<<Rode in one back in 2008, while impressed, I would rather have a 911 over it. Thats the direction that ones former owner went too.

I have briefly driven one, and rode in a few while being driven in anger. They are amazing. Theres no way around it. They just hook up and go.
As said before the two pedal thing is a killer for some people. Personally, I play gran turismo with a manual setup but use flappy paddles and dont use the clutch (this is mostly because im not good enough and cant multitask like that when going flat out in a video game) so the gtr hate is pretty much100% down to personal preference.
Id be hard pressed to not buy one if I had that kinda money laying around, but I love the looks and the experience.
Theres also the 997 turbo somewhere in that price range too, isnt there?
Got to work on and drove one the other day and it was great. An 07 with honest to god 5000 miles on it

Since this has degrade down.

Just buy the 16K Radical that was posted here a few days back. Then find a way to put plates on it, it will be faster then a GT3 RSR or a C6R

If I could afford one I'd buy it and drive it until I got bored or was tired of the maintenance costs. All this talk of too big, not enough pedals, it drives itself....I could care less. I like that Baskin Robbins has 40+ flavors. I'd try them all given enough time. I feel the same with cars. Why limit yourself?

Maybe this car on the used market has the same appeal as a Mitsubish 3000GT has now?

In reply to Flight Service:

This is actually the guy I was thinking of.

http://www.kineticvehicles.com/

He has built a bunch and a base kit with a Miata donor from him, BUILT, is like 16k or so. I think that you could probably have him build a Busa version for an extra 4-5k.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Oh I know that the seven has a very different front geometry but with the longer control arms doesn't that allow for a better motion?

Different. Maybe better, maybe not. Depends on the design and your goals. But regardless, you can't really call it Miata suspension if the geometry, shocks and control arms are different.