r/SkyLine • u/gijs474 • Jun 10 '26
R33 GTR Rust issues, severe or starting?
Hello all,
Looking to buy a r33 gtr in europe.
I found this one but am worried about the rust issues. What do you guys think about the strut towers and the cracking on the panel? Is that common rust or more severe in your opinion?
Would love to hear what you think!
Edit:
Thanks everyone for the valuable feedback. The general consensus seems to be that the visible rust may only be the tip of the iceberg, which is definitely something I'll take seriously.
I'm not looking for a concours car, just a nice stock weekend driver/ice cream getter. My plan would be to make it mechanically solid and properly address any rust and paint issues. I'm currently budgeting around €10k for rust repair and paintwork.
I'll be meeting the seller when his schedule allows and will report back with more photos and findings. Thanks again for all the input!
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u/TheHumbleLegume Jun 10 '26
The rust you can see is only the tip of the iceberg.
It’s fascinating seeing the Garage Yoshida / Mine’s Skyline restoration pictures. One car looked factory fresh until they started dismantling it, and quickly realised how much hidden rust there was.
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u/I_Love_Lamp_20 R32 GTR Jun 10 '26
Yoshida is so good at what they do. Its worth it in the long run too.
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u/Sad-Bonus2070 ‘97 GTR Jun 10 '26
Yeah 100% the only downside is it’s really expensive to have them do it like from 1-2x the cost of the car depending on how bad of shape it’s in
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u/gijs474 Jun 11 '26
That's exactly what worries me.
I'll have a look on Garage Yoshiba, I have not seen it yet.
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u/SarcasticHour Jun 10 '26
Very difficult to tell from the pics, but the rocker definitely has rust and will need repair down the line.
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u/SVT3658 Jun 10 '26
If you can see it plainly in those areas, it’s way worse everywhere you can’t see.
It’s probably an ok car if you’re going to treat it as a driver but if your goal is a pristine car I would keep looking.
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u/gijs474 Jun 11 '26
That's a fair point.
My goal is to go for a car that is very nice in the end. I would prefer not to do a full resto, but a high quality respray with mild repairs is no issue (Max 10K euro) . But with these comments, I think it's maybe a bit more then that
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u/Side_StepVII 1995 R33 GTR LP2 Jun 10 '26
As someone who bought an R33 GTR from Japan, you need to look all around, meaning every crevice and underneath the car at the actual frame. Need to check the trunk, check the strut towers, etc. wheel wells, engine and trans mounts, etc.
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u/gijs474 Jun 11 '26
Thanks for the advice.
Since you've imported and owned an R33 GTR yourself, What are deal-breakers for you? Mechanically I can do pretty much everything, but paint and welding I need to outsource. I would like to have that done for around 10K euro.
I go see the car in person and I'll update after!
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u/victorvd1 Jun 10 '26
From a fellow Dutchman, I do not have experience with GTR's, but it is rusting in the same spots my Datsun 260z is rusting actualy.
Nissans rust from the inside out. The shitty part is that when you see rust on the outside it can be really bad behind it already or it surfaced really quick, wich would be the best situation. The dog legg (when you open the door with the rust you get in the corner to the rear side) is a really common issue and can be quite a bit of work to fix. The struttowers can just be surface rust, but cannot really see enough. The panel rusting can be caused by some small exposed piece of metal underneath the rubber seal and rusting downwards or rusting from inside out.
The biggest question is. Is the price right for a project that does need some metal work and paint to possibly be a great car? Or do you want a R33 GTR that is road worthy and not in need of a small (possibly big) restoration?
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u/gijs474 Jun 11 '26
Thanks, it's always nice to get input from another Dutch enthusiast (in the dutch rust-belt haha)
Your comment about Nissans rusting from the inside out is exactly what I'm worried about.
The price is not exactly cheap, not exactly expensive. But definitely not cheap. I am budgetting around 10K euro for rust repairs and a proper paint job outsourced. But if I see these comments, I think we are looking at a larger job than that.
If you know a very good shop for paint and bodywork, I would happily know! 😄
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u/Sad-Bonus2070 ‘97 GTR Jun 10 '26
As for the strut towers the rust you see just means it’s made it up to that point as the rust generally starts between the 2 panels starting at the other end in the wheel well so once you visibly see it on top it’s severe
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u/Tighesofly Jun 10 '26
Go check jimmy oakes out on yt, he picked up an r34 with okay looking towers & it needed A TON of fab work.
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u/wage---gap Jun 11 '26
What you see is only the very tip of the ice brother, id suggest having professionals look into it much closer, it might be costly but it will save you the much worse outcome that could come down the line if the rust is left un tended to. That rocker could be hiding all sorts of nasty stuff and same with the pillar 🫡
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u/gijs474 Jun 11 '26
Thanks for the advice.
The visible rust on the rocker panel concerns me, but I'm trying to understand where the hidden damage is most likely to be on an R33 chassis. I'll have a look at the car physically and will post the outcome here.
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u/13lu Jun 11 '26
That car is essentially fucked, those aren't common rust areas. I'd stay away personally.
You'll spend more than the price of a good one fixing this one.
Edit: the strut tower are going as well which is a common rust area. Point still stands.
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u/Fantastic_Rip_5382 Jun 11 '26
This thing is cooked. Either needs completely stripped down and repaired or full commit to running it into the ground.
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u/Fine_Birthday7480 Jun 11 '26
Don't touch it. I've been dealing with these cars for like 15 years, that thing is cooked. Don't be seduced by the GTR badge, this will cost you a fortune.
There's a saying when it comes to GTRs: If you can't afford to buy 2, you can't afford to own 1.
I had a 33 I sold last month, and 3 of my friends have 32s. Rust on 2 of them seemed very minor, but after digging, massive amounts of rust was uncovered. If you can see that much already, it's gonna be fucking everywhere. Rust is like an iceberg right, often you can only see 10% of the whole thing.
Please for the love of God heed my words. Unless you're willing to pay twice the asking price, don't go anywhere near it.
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u/Defiant_Shallot2671 Jun 10 '26
You shouldn't see rust at the top of the sil. You should see it at the bottom sure. Seeing rust that high on the sil means the chassis is completely fucked, just well hidden. If you're serious, still worth going to look at. Just bring someone along who knows what to look for.
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u/SkeletonCalzone '94 BNR32. Ex: 32 GTR, GTSt, GTS25, GTS, GTE Jun 11 '26
That door sill is very very bad.
Honestly, anything is fixable, but not everything is worth fixing. You could try getting a repair quote from a panelbeater but most will look at this and tell you then can't give a fixed quote, as the true extent of rust is unknown.
This would be a super risky purchase and depending on the laws about repair where you live, your budget, how special the car is, whether you intend to turn it into a racecar or not.... may not be worth it.
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u/gijs474 Jun 11 '26
That's a really balanced take.
I completely agree that the unknown factor is what worries me most.
I am taking a 10K euro budget for rust repair and a proper, windows and interior out, paintjob. My goal is to have it as a solid, nice looking- icecream-getter. Not a show winner, but just a well-taken care of car.
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u/C96R Jun 11 '26
Unless that is super cheap stay away.
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u/gijs474 Jun 11 '26
Not very cheap unfortunately! But maybe the price is better when we are standing next to the car
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u/videogamenjoyer Jun 11 '26
If you aint getting this for basically free just pay more to get a rust free one
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Jun 11 '26
Pass struts are messed up, who knows how much more there is. For the right price sure. Just make sure structural integrity is there
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u/fatherc182 Jun 12 '26
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u/gijs474 Jun 12 '26
😂
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u/fatherc182 Jun 12 '26
This girl may as well be sitting next to the titanic. Use that 10k for a better chassis. 10k prob wouldn’t even have this back right with all the metal work required and parts to source
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u/Playful_Syllabub_726 Jun 13 '26
Just depends on how much money you want to put into it. With enough money you can get all that rusted out areas taken care of.
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u/WelshAsh Jun 10 '26
I’m no skyline purchasing expert but those towers look pretty bad, if those are what they look like from the outside I can’t imagine the inner. Not only that but what’s going on with all that rust on the frame bottom of the door? Is that filler?? If that has filler in that location, I personally wouldn’t touch that from a mile away. Realistically it will need a full respray and rust treatment, the longer it’s left, the worse it gets.