Why You Don't Want To Buy A Skyline...Yet
It's no secret that right now the
importation of Skyline R32s into the United States is a seller's
market. This was inevitable after years of pent-up demand being
stoked by multiple Fast and the Furious movies and the Gran
Turismo racing game franchise having included so many versions of the Skyline that even
Porsche has started taking notes on how it can make the 911 lineup
even more confusing. With seemingly every Manny, Moe, and Curly Joe
rushing out to buy his very own piece of JDM tin prices have
skyrocketed to the point that cars that previously sold for the price
of a well-riced old Civic are now changing hands for the price of a
well-optioned new one.
The demand has even caught the
attention of major car blogs with both Jalopnik and Autoblog
publishing articles recently telling us gaijin
that we need to stop pissing in Japan's miso.
As more and more word has gotten out
about how it's now legal to bring in an honest-to-Kami-sama
Nissan Skyline prices have steadily risen over the past months as
demand has kept up. A quick search online shows some eBay sellers are
asking for 30 grand and up for GT-Rs while rear-wheel drive GTS-ts
are now being peddled for what a GT-R could fetch a year ago.
Importer prices have also gone up – if they have any to sell.
Japanese Classics, featured in Motorweek and Jalopnik, didn't even have a Skyline GT-R or GTS-t listed in its
inventory when I checked earlier this week, just a lowly GX-i four door with a little CA18 four-banger
– and even that's sold (hopefully to have an SR20 plopped under the
hood for a lovely sleeper).
In other words, if
you want a Skyline R32 right now you'll likely have to pay through
the nose and you can't just say it's because importers are being
greedy – auction prices in Japan are much higher than before to
begin with as everybody fights over any car that comes through the
bidding lanes.
So what's a young
JDM aficionado to do with that wad of cash he's been saving up
underneath his mattress beside the well-worn copies of Penthouse and
Import Tuner? Time to just give up and make it rain at the local
strip joint?
Of course not. As
Obi-Wan Kenmeri would say “Patience, young wheelman”. If you keep
an eye out there are still deals to be had, as demonstrated by an
acquaintance who scored a GT-R well below market value at auction
recently.
“But those are
few and far between and besides, all my luck was used up when I won
an LCD TV at church bingo the other night!” you might say, if you
weren't so busy playing Rocket League on your PS4 and aforementioned
new LCD TV. Well, again, patience will bring hope because as time
goes by and more and more model years become eligible for import
prices will inevitably settle and likely drop. It's only logical and
is a consensus shared by importers as you can see from the Autoblog
article.
Inevitably
also some owners that have already bought Skylines will sell them on
as the early enthusiasm wanes and the realities of having such a
unique but old car settle in. We Americans tend to want the
current cool item du jour
whether it's iPhones or I6-powered Japanese sports cars and this
consequently leads to some early adopters giving more patient buyers
a great deal.
Some
other food for thought is that some of the most desirable R32
Skylines have yet to become legal. Why settle for a plain GT-R when
you can have a VICTORY SPECIFICATION! Yes,
say it with me, VICTORY SPECIFICATION! Rolls off the tongue nicely
don't it? That's not to say the V-specs are that much better but it
does sound cool, and if you can score one for less because you waited
rather than get caught up in the early hype then so much the better.
Having mentioned
the V-spec, we have to address the other side of the coin –
Skylines you SHOULD buy now. Whereas more easily obtainable versions
of the Skyline will inevitably settle in price, the rare models like
the Nismo and N1 are likely going to remain elevated, if not go
higher, as time goes by. When you have model runs in the hundreds and
25 years for those few cars to be dispersed all over the globe and
some of them to be rendered non-existent any more (moment of silence
for those few...sob) the collectibility factor starts going through
the roof. If you want one and can luck into finding a Nismo, N1, or
maybe even an Autech for any sort of realistic price, grab it now
because it's unlikely they'll ever be significantly cheaper. Store it
if you have to until it's legal to import because it's worth the
hassle versus never finding one again.
And so, far be it
for me to discourage anyone from buying a car that they truly desire
but if you want a Skyline or other JDM car right now, get dressed in
your best “I'm gonna be patient” clothes and wait for the right
deal to come along. These current insane prices won't settle down
until fewer people respond to them with “Take my money!” so fire
up some Gran Turismo and let that tide you over until the right car
comes along at the right price. Happy hunting!
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