Rock_Steady Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 As some of you may know, i have been looking for a Nissan Pulsar GTI-R for quite some time and am in the process of talking to import companies. However, i'm always on the look out. In the last 5 weeks i have seen 4 pulsars, to which 2 were from the same owner. Every time i asked if there was any history with the car i was told there were lots. Is it registered as a CAT D or C? Of course the answer is "no" . When making the effort to go cross country to see these cars , i was just amazed at how dishonest some people can be. Every one i saw had chassis damage. BAD chassis damage that it wasn't even hidden that well or not even hidden at all. Bent chassis legs, doors that won't close properly, ripples in the panels or roof. This weekend i went to Southend-on-sea to look at one from a "company". Me o my, it was a heap. i asked if i could see it up on the ramp and when looking underneath i could easily see it had had a big hit at some point in its life. " so, are you interested? " " No, because it has chassis damage" " Really?!?! " " Yes , really" " well, we have another one in black in much better condition " " can i see it on the ramp? " I get a reluctant " yes " Why so reluctant?, more chassis damage. I am losing faith in my fellow man. Most people must be waiting for some poor shmuck to just throw them some money without looking at a car. Has anyone else had experiences like this that have been so consistent that you felt like giving up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I always just buy the first one I see, so I'm literally the worst person for this in the world! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Has anyone else had experiences like this that have been so consistent that you felt like giving up? Yep lot's of times unfortunately. The two worst times: once when I was looking for a Toyota Starlet Glanza Turbo and the other time a Toyota GT4. Traveled to see at least 4 or 5 cars of each of those marks and every time it was a waste of time. Made worse when I was looking for the GT4 as my Dad was chauffeuring me around so he wasn't f***in' happy either. Oh and there was also the time just recently when I drove up to North Yorkshire & back in a day (8hr round trip) to see a "mint" R33 GTR at a garage. Didn't look too bad but the gearbox/clutch/synchros were in a terrible state, ...couldn't even get it into first gear so didn't even bother test driving it. The guy told me over the phone that it was a new import in perfect order. BS. The joys of car hunting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Went to Preston from London to pick up a Golf and pay for it, to be told by the guy selling it "Sorry mate it got stolen last night". Complete bo**cks he had sold it to somebody else and couldn't even be bothered to phone me...Grrrrrr... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 It is a real shame having to go to every single dealer/seller full of distrust and scepticism. Have you tried Torque-GT? No personal experience but I've heard a lot of good things. I have no idea what your budget it but they might be able to find you a decent fresh import without all this hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggalo Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Unfortunately, Pulsars, and Glanza are highly sought after by youngsters because they're so quick and cheaply modded. Think a young friend of mine was on his 3rd or 4th engine on his GT before he offloaded it to another 20-something who promptly ploughed it into a lamp post in Rhyl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggalo Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 (edited) As for dishonesty. Went to see an Astra in Bury a few years back. 75k miles. Seats looked too worn for 75k. Paint was crazing on the bumpers. White paint was chalky. Checked online MOT history there and then in his office...175,000 miles. He was very surprised as you can imagine. Nob. Edited October 31, 2016 by Juggalo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 too old to easily find a good one now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aashenfox Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 (edited) Oh mate, don't even get me started about the GTiRs over here. I was also in the market a few years ago. Went to see the first two from adverts, looked underneath... "erm, where's the 4wd system?" "this is the 2wd version" "lol (I actually laughed out loud), bye...." Second one... "erm, where's the 4wd system?" "What do you mean?" "GTiRs are all 4wd, this is a FWD" "wtf?? Are you serious? I bought this car as genuine" "lol, bye..." Basically, the story went on like that. Every single one was an engine conversion from a boggo sunny. 2nd hand car market over here has a level of dishonesty which a Brit could never even imagine, it's a way of life. 3 of the last 4 cars I bought I found out were clocked back over 50k miles. I'm sure my Z has done a lot more than shown, it's par for the course. Unreal, but hey, at least no rust over here. Edited October 31, 2016 by Aashenfox 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT350 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I'm as bad as Ekona. I buy the first thing. This Focus ST170 I have is an absolute heap. It's been through 6 CV joints in 8 months. My mechanic friends and I can't fathom why. Other various problems too. Test drive it was fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Oh mate, don't even get me started about the GTiRs over here. I was also in the market a few years ago. Went to see the first two from adverts, looked underneath... "erm, where's the 4wd system?" "this is the 2wd version" "lol (I actually laughed out loud), bye...." Second one... "erm, where's the 4wd system?" "What do you mean?" "GTiRs are all 4wd, this is a FWD" "wtf?? Are you serious? I bought this car as genuine" "lol, bye..." Basically, the story went on like that. Every single one was an engine conversion from a boggo sunny. 2nd hand car market over here has a level of dishonesty which a Brit could never even imagine, it's a way of life. 3 of the last 4 cars I bought I found out were clocked back over 50k miles. I'm sure my Z has done a lot more than shown, it's par for the course. Unreal, but hey, at least no rust over here. Well, it's nice yet unfortunate to know that some of you have had similar experiences. Not throwing in the towel yet though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) Has anyone else had experiences like this that have been so consistent that you felt like giving up? Yep lot's of times unfortunately. The two worst times: once when I was looking for a Toyota Starlet Glanza Turbo and the other time a Toyota GT4. Traveled to see at least 4 or 5 cars of each of those marks and every time it was a waste of time. Made worse when I was looking for the GT4 as my Dad was chauffeuring me around so he wasn't f***in' happy either. Oh and there was also the time just recently when I drove up to North Yorkshire & back in a day (8hr round trip) to see a "mint" R33 GTR at a garage. Didn't look too bad but the gearbox/clutch/synchros were in a terrible state, ...couldn't even get it into first gear so didn't even bother test driving it. The guy told me over the phone that it was a new import in perfect order. BS. The joys of car hunting. Yes, the joys indeed. i even spotted that one of them had the jig clamp marks on the sills. Again asked if it has ever been on a jig, the answer was " i dunno" which means he does but doesn't want to admit it. One of the pulsars i saw is back on ebay now. This is the very one i was talking about with the jig marks. Wanted 4k as a minimum but now it's down to 3750. it is a nice example minus the chassis damage. A real shame. But as most of you say, they're either too long in tooth to find a good one or have been mangled into a lamp post by some spotty little oik! Edited November 2, 2016 by Rock_Steady Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggalo Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 I'm as bad as Ekona. I buy the first thing. This Focus ST170 I have is an absolute heap. It's been through 6 CV joints in 8 months. My mechanic friends and I can't fathom why. Other various problems too. Test drive it was fine. Bent axle shafts will cause it. Even an imperceptible bend. Just buy new ones, usually pretty cheap from a breakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) Its amazing what some car dealers will try and get away with. I remember looking at a mk4 golf when I was looking at golfs and one was up as a GT TDI 150 and yet HPi/Car details check was showing it was clearly a 110bhp version as they didnt make the 150 until years later. Opening the bonnet and you could see extremely bad welding on the front chassis. Someone had used an arc welder to try and weld it all back up after an accident. Must have been a very nasty front accident from the looks of it. I saw another car where the chasis number looked like it was stamped on by a 5 year old, all over the shop. Cars with dodgy shut lines & ripples in the roof. All sorts. The Golf GT TDI I ran for 4 years, had 179k on the clock when I sold it but looked mint. I checked up on it online a few years back and it was still running but only showing 110k miles on the clock! I could see from the MOT history (which only went back online to the year after I sold it) that it must have been clocked back down to 70k literally straight after I sold it so someone is driving around in it probably not realising its done over 100k more than they think. At least now with the online check you can check back for a good few years. Sad thing is, some people have no idea what to check when they buy a car and would probably think they are getting a bargain. Edited November 1, 2016 by rabbitstew 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aashenfox Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Unfortunately, Pulsars, and Glanza are highly sought after by youngsters because they're so quick and cheaply modded. Think a young friend of mine was on his 3rd or 4th engine on his GT before he offloaded it to another 20-something who promptly ploughed it into a lamp post in Rhyl. Am I a bad person when I'm glad that idiots do this? I sold my EP3 Type R to someone from the villages (think Greek version of Farmer John and his retard son), kid was 18 years old. I was like 'this is a fast car, make sure he knows what he's doing'. 2 weeks later I had the ****er on my phone, his son had rolled the car 5 times (never even told me if the boy was alright or not, but I'm assuming he was) and he wanted to blame me for selling an unsafe car. Since he was swearing at me down the phone, I told him to basically fk off, at which point he started threatening to 'send the boys down'. I told him to send whoever he likes, and I'd send them back in jiffy bags. Shockingly, nobody ever turned up. I later learned that he tried to sue to the Honda dealership where he had the car inspected prior to buying it off me as well. Some people just need euthanasia. My only regret is that the father wasn't in the car as well when it was crashed. Yeh, I'm an orrible you know what. Sue me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aashenfox Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 By the way, Happy Birthday mate 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longsh07 Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) Unfortunately, Pulsars, and Glanza are highly sought after by youngsters because they're so quick and cheaply modded. Think a young friend of mine was on his 3rd or 4th engine on his GT before he offloaded it to another 20-something who promptly ploughed it into a lamp post in Rhyl. Am I a bad person when I'm glad that idiots do this? I sold my EP3 Type R to someone from the villages (think Greek version of Farmer John and his retard son), kid was 18 years old. I was like 'this is a fast car, make sure he knows what he's doing'. 2 weeks later I had the ****er on my phone, his son had rolled the car 5 times (never even told me if the boy was alright or not, but I'm assuming he was) and he wanted to blame me for selling an unsafe car. Since he was swearing at me down the phone, I told him to basically fk off, at which point he started threatening to 'send the boys down'. I told him to send whoever he likes, and I'd send them back in jiffy bags. Shockingly, nobody ever turned up. I later learned that he tried to sue to the Honda dealership where he had the car inspected prior to buying it off me as well. Some people just need euthanasia. My only regret is that the father wasn't in the car as well when it was crashed. Yeh, I'm an orrible you know what. Sue me. Not quite as extreme but I know of someone who bought a MK2 MR2 and wrote it off on the way home from collection. Having owned one and introducing it ass first to a hedgerow once I know they are prone to snap oversteer when not driven correctly. I have some sympathy for him but even so it takes some to write your car off minutes after buying it. Edited November 1, 2016 by longsh07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 By the way, Happy Birthday mate Good shout. Happy Birthday Rock_Steady. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Cheers guys! Thought i'd got away it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veilside z Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Maybe go for a different Pocket Rocket ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aashenfox Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) I've driven a lot of hatchbacks, a lot of fast ones. The one I miss the most? My Mini Cooper S with a grand in bolt ons (200hp). There were two things about that car better than any other hatchback I'd driven, three if you throw in the bonus of 'very responsive to cheap mods'. Those are: Fastest steering ever. It;s like using a 12 inch wheel even though it's not a 12 inch wheel. It still turns the requisite 2.5 turns, but just feels faster than almost any other car I've driven, it's weird and you'll only really notice it when you first drive it, then you'll get used to it. It turns in like a monster. The second is the chuckability, the size is literally perfect for the handling capabilities and power on offer, and it's a twitchy little beast, lift off oversteer is almost as fun as drifting. Just an idea, I enjoyed it more than my EP3 Type R and it was quicker too. Make sure you get an early model with supercharger, turbo ruined it, plus its a fat pig the facelift, visibly larger. But it's still a car you buy with heart not brain, expensive little bugger in just about every way. Make sure the transfer gears for the water pump in the supercharger (yes, the water pump transfer is in the supercharger, no kidding, stupidest design EVAR!) and the steering pump have been changed (both have a service life of 100k miles max), apart from that, standard stuff when buying. Edited November 1, 2016 by Aashenfox 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT350 Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) I'm as bad as Ekona. I buy the first thing. This Focus ST170 I have is an absolute heap. It's been through 6 CV joints in 8 months. My mechanic friends and I can't fathom why. Other various problems too. Test drive it was fine. Bent axle shafts will cause it. Even an imperceptible bend. Just buy new ones, usually pretty cheap from a breakers. Thankfully the Z will be back on the blacktop soon! BOOST!! The Focus, if it was better built and not so anomalous (when you tell people you have an ST they never know there was an NA ST originally) and therefore a fortune to fix because a lot of parts for the ST170 were actually bespoke but had such a short production run. It'd actually be quite a good car. Edited November 1, 2016 by TT350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeezeebaba Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 I had an ST 170 for about three months, probably the worst focus variant ever IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 i don't mind modern hot hatches, but there's nothing about them that excites me aesthetically and not many are 4 wheel drive. I love the pulsar GTiR because it's a slice of automotive Japanese history that will never happen again. It was a moment when Japan were making crazy outlandish cars where they threw everything but the kitchen sink at some of them, like the Nissan supermarch ( Nissan Micra that was turbo and supercharged for those who don't know ) and of course the retro styling of the early nineties is something that i also find attractive. I will find one.... oh yes i will. ( strokes his stupidly fluffy white cat while sitting in a leather button wing backed office chair ) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aashenfox Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I hear ya totally. Rarer than rocking horse poo over here...unless you want the 2wd version. lol I've seen one genuine one in 14 years in Greece, in traffic, and I heard the dump valves before I saw what it was...as it should be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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