Has the R35 run its course?

3482 Views 37 Replies 24 Participants Last post by Stcloud, Sep 7, 2011

REK125

Discussion Starter · Sep 6, 2011

Here we are in the fifth year of the life span of the R35 since it was introduced in Japan as a 2008 model. Obviously, some improvements have been made although none have been dramatic. Personally, I am starting to feel the itch to sell or trade my 2009 and I don't feel the 2012 (or 2013) is that different to warrant paying the now much higher MSRP. I know this is a young man's car and I am not as young as most (or all) or you. Do some of you yearn, as I do, for something less crude and more sophisticated? I am seriously thinking of another 911 even though it lacks the brutal performance of my GTR. But maybe performance is sometimes trumped by driveability and comfort. Your thoughts?

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GladiaToR

· #2 · Sep 6, 2011

Since my car has been wrecked, I've been looking at a whole slew of cars. They range from Mercedes AMG, to Dodge Viper, to 911 Turbo, to Bentley...I've been going back and forth and weighing the pros and cons of each car.

The more I looked and thought about it the more apparent it was to me that the GT-R is the perfect car.

It's not for everybody though. If you like the sophistication of a Porsche, maybe you should wait a year and get the new 991 model?

Cavalier777

· #3 · Sep 6, 2011

REK125 said:
Here we are in the fifth year of the life span of the R35 since it was introduced in Japan as a 2008 model. Obviously, some improvements have been made although none have been dramatic. Personally, I am starting to feel the itch to sell or trade my 2009 and I don't feel the 2012 (or 2013) is that different to warrant paying the now much higher MSRP. I know this is a young man's car and I am not as young as most (or all) or you. Do some of you yearn, as I do, for something less crude and more sophisticated? I am seriously thinking of another 911 even though it lacks the brutal performance of my GTR. But maybe performance is sometimes trumped by driveability and comfort. Your thoughts?

Not to be crude in answering, but is anything keeping you from testing out a porsche for the time being? I feel like the issue boils down to preference and where your idea of value lies.

Monaco

· #4 · Sep 6, 2011

In my honest opinion, car manufacturers have a long way to go until they can catch up to what the GT-R offers in the performance dept. As another poster says the car isn't for everyone. It all boils down to what you are looking for.

krea.tion

· #5 · Sep 6, 2011

I understand your point, there is some aspects that the GT-R doesn't quite cover. I would consider the new Aston Virage. Have you taken a look at it?

Roll Cancel

· #6 · Sep 6, 2011

Theres lots of cars that fit your criteria, OP. I say why stop with just one car? Try them all out?

'Trust'

· #7 · Sep 6, 2011

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm younger and I'm sure your goals are different than mine. I came from having less 'sophisticated' cars, 800rwhp T/A, my current 1000rwhp Viper, prior to that, E36 BMW's, and now my current E90 335i. The GT-R is the perfect car IMO, it's not too small, it's comfortable, decently quick, not hard to work on, and compared to most "super cars" inexpensive for the most part.

If any car has 'ran its course' it's the Porsche, they have hardly changed in the last 20 years (and I love that about them), they are the definition of micro evolution in the car world. I drove a buddy's 996 yesterday and it just doesn't do it for me for the 'fun car', however, I will be trading the 335i for one as a daily soon I'm sure. 997's are a lot nicer, and faster, but they don't really inspire passion to me like the GT-R does. The thing that scares me, tight rear engine that is a royal PITA to work on, expensive parts, a little cramped, and the dated look.

If you want a more "sophisticated" car, I'd go with a AM Vantage or something. Just my .02. Unless you're talking Carrera GT, then do it now.

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REK125

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 6, 2011

I am talking change, probably because I tend to grow tired of most cars I have owned after 2-3 years. My GTR was delivered on 7/8/2008 so I have owned it longer or as long as anyone in the U.S. I have always been a Porsche enthusiast so I naturally gravitate toward the 911. Yes, I have driven the new 2012 iteration this past weekend.and tend to lean toward the GTS version although a Carrera S fully loaded coupe remains a viable alternative. I realize that it is not the performance equivalent of the GTR, but then again few other cars are. The question remains whether performance alone is enough. All owners are aware of the faults of the car as a daily driver. Only the most fanatical GTR owner will be convinced that it is a pleasure to drive in traffic. The transmission regardless of its reliability remains, imo, the car's Achilles' heel. Do other 2009 owners who have mildly modded their GTRs as I have feel, as I do, that it is only a matter of time before they too will have to fight Nissan over warranty issues? So the bottom line remains whether I am so in love with the car that I would trade it for a 2012 or 13. At this time, my answer is probably "no."

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[email protected]

· #9 · Sep 7, 2011

Hasn't even come close to running its course for me. I come from a Porsche background too and in fact still own one but hardly ever drive it in the last 3 years. I'm an older owner too REK but everyday I wake I'm excited to drive the GT-R........I guess the GT-R's short comings as far as ride, interior that is marginal, and questionable warranty don't bother me because the rest of the car cries SUPERCAR!!!!!!

britishpete

· #10 · Sep 7, 2011

Have you had a drive in a MY 2012 GTR? I wonder if the transmission has improved enough to address your concerns..

gtrfanatic

· #11 · Sep 7, 2011

If you look up my post history you'll see I had the same thoughts a little while ago. It's natural to get the wandering eye after a few years of car ownership.

In my case, I was looking at getting into a used R8. Like you I wanted something more sophisticated and a bit more comfortable. I shopped around a few different cars as well, including the 911 Turbo, and in the end, the GTR still fits the bill quite nicely. At the end of the day, the GTR is not really that uncomfortable, and the 911 is not really that comfortable.

You might be looking at the 911 with rose colored glasses. I recommend doing what I did and test driving a few. A few Porsche dealerships are also open to even lending you the car for a few days to really test it day to day.

domino_z

· #12 · Sep 7, 2011

yeh the clunkiness of the box at low speed shifting is starting to get to me as a daily driver, but since i only do a 15mins one way trip to the office im not too fussed

plus i own other cars with semi manual and dual clutch box's and they all have their own issues you need to drive around

starting to get some interior rattles too, but then that happens in most cars ive daily driven

the mod'ing aspect is what keeps the interest levels up for my dailys, and the GTR is the best platform yet ive had to mod

REK125

Discussion Starter · #13 · Sep 7, 2011 (Edited by Moderator)

domino_z said:
yeh the clunkiness of the box at low speed shifting is starting to get to me as a daily driver, but since i only do a 15mins one way trip to the office im not too fussed

plus i own other cars with semi manual and dual clutch box's and they all have their own issues you need to drive around

starting to get some interior rattles too, but then that happens in most cars ive daily driven

the mod'ing aspect is what keeps the interest levels up for my dailys, and the GTR is the best platform yet ive had to mod

I agree with everything you said. The performance aspect of the GTR is nothing short of spectacular especially when the exhaust is freed and a custom Cobb tune is done. It is really in a class by itself when compared to other high performance cars I have owned. That said, it does have a certain crudeness to it imo. Does the box really need to be that clunky and does every start from a stop light have to require a light touch to prevent the usual jerking? Could this have been prevented by additional R&D? Finally, why so many transmission failures and why do these failures seem to occur from so many various seemingly disparate malfunctions? Nissan must know they have a transmission design issue but they still continue to play hardball with owners unless the car is totally stock. They just don't try to insure customer satisfaction and because of this Nissan fails to secure customer loyalty.

GTRdean

· #14 · Sep 7, 2011

Surprising remark about the tranny, maybe that is a 2009 thing? I had a BMW z4 vert with the double clutch and that thing was super smooth. I also have a VFR1200(cycle) double clutch and that is super smooth as well. I would say the 2012 GTR tranny is perhaps less smooth of the three but only marginally so. I never even give the tranny a 2[sup]nd[/sup] thought other than how much I enjoy clicking off the gears.

As far as the suspension, once I click it into "Comf" mode I don't really think about the suspension either. The other modes seem a bit bouncy for my daily hour commute. My only gripe is the road noise from the rear. That is easily solved with some quite coat or similar or some non runflat tires. Other than some road noise and the damn beeping back camera the car is about is perfect as I could want.

I'm thinking you might want to spend a little time in a 2012 and see what you think. I'm sure there are some pre 2012 owners that bought 2012 that can chime in. I don't even have any crazy rattle noises I used to read so much about other than just start up noise. I think they really have the 2012 dialed in. Nissan made a lot of little changes that really seem to add up to a much more refined day to day driving package. You can make allot of changes to a pre 2012 but I just don't think you'll get the whole package as refined as what Nissan did for 2012 without spending more money that it's worth.

Maybe you really just need a change to remind you how good you had it in the GTR

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domino_z

· #15 · Sep 7, 2011 (Edited by Moderator)

the tranny smoothness will benefit from the 2012 fluids

that is the only change, the mechanicals are identical

i will be changing all my fluids ahead of the regular maintenance very soon as i do alot of inner city stop start driving

re rattles etc, i didnt have any when my car was new either, so you cant just say the 2012 is better built, reality is all the interior trim panels/mounting hardware are identical

as i said above, you can drive around the clunkiness - in stop start driving dont change gears below 2500rpm or it lurches, when coming to a stop dont let the car engine break in 2nd at low revs at it clunks when it re-engages the clutch to stop stalling

agreed it could have been smoother, even quiter. I layed down dynomat under the rear seats and that (combined with normal road tyres on my 21s) quitened it down enough imo. But yes its nowhere near as quiet as in the SLS. You'd think the double clutch in the SLS is a torque converter auto its so smooth.

it's a bit like wrx or evo owners complaining the doors dont feel as solid as a 3 series sedan or vw golf

the GTR is built to a price

/thread

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REK125

Discussion Starter · #16 · Sep 7, 2011 (Edited by Moderator)

GTRdean said:
Surprising remark about the tranny, maybe that is a 2009 thing? I had a BMW z4 vert with the double clutch and that thing was super smooth. I also have a VFR1200(cycle) double clutch and that is super smooth as well. I would say the 2012 GTR tranny is perhaps less smooth of the three but only marginally so. I never even give the tranny a 2[sup]nd[/sup] thought other than how much I enjoy clicking off the gears.

As far as the suspension, once I click it into "Comf" mode I don't really think about the suspension either. The other modes seem a bit bouncy for my daily hour commute. My only gripe is the road noise from the rear. That is easily solved with some quite coat or similar or some non runflat tires. Other than some road noise and the damn beeping back camera the car is about is perfect as I could want.

I'm thinking you might want to spend a little time in a 2012 and see what you think. I'm sure there are some pre 2012 owners that bought 2012 that can chime in. I don't even have any crazy rattle noises I used to read so much about other than just start up noise. I think they really have the 2012 dialed in. Nissan made a lot of little changes that really seem to add up to a much more refined day to day driving package. You can make allot of changes to a pre 2012 but I just don't think you'll get the whole package as refined as what Nissan did for 2012 without spending more money that it's worth.

Maybe you really just need a change to remind you how good you had it in the GTR

I understand your point. To be fair, I do plan to drive a 2012 to see if the car has evolved enough to cause me to consider this upgrade. If I do make this change, there will be no mods of this one. I just do not want even a remote chance of denial of warranty coverage. The one certainty is that I do plan to make a change. The only remaining decision to the choice of the new vehicle. I do want to make it clear that after 3+ years of ownership, the car still generates more comments and questions than all other cars I have owned collectively. I remain the idol of every postpubescent male in the Philadelphia area. That alone is enough to make me smile.

equisch3x

· #17 · Sep 7, 2011

Why not build your Transmission? That is what i plan on doing, before installing any performance Mods..

Bullo

· #18 · Sep 7, 2011

Depends what you do with it.
If you DD it, then I suppose it may have 'run it's course' for you, but if you track it, like it's meant to, you'll only want more of it.

Mick

· #19 · Sep 7, 2011

Interesting thread.
I have a few cars i drive and i hadn't driven the GT-R for about 2 months until 3 days ago.
I had been tossing up the idea of getting rid of it because i want something new but once i pulled out of my street, i realized that this car isn't going anywhere but in saying that, i wouldn't buy another one again for the same reasons you have stated.
Keep it and beat it, you have taken the hit and there isn't much else that's exciting on the market at the moment.
New 991 is around the corner, not digging it as much as the 997 but that's subjective until the cars that matter come out (Turbo, GT's).

gtrfanatic

· #20 · Sep 7, 2011

About the transmission clunkiness, I think that's pretty consistent across all dual clutch transmissions. The PDK I drove was also a little clunky in stop and go.

Where are you hearing about all the transmission failures for the GTR? I've heard of a few high profile cases a few years ago, but I get the feeling that was blown way out of proportion to actual incidents.

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