So, I'm sitting back, looking at where my 1995 GXE is sitting right now, and it's looking like everything is going to be pretty pricey to get her to a point where I am "happy with her. As of right now, she *needs* a whole new front steering setup, the whole back bumper assembly, a new trunk lid, new fenders, and soon, a new transmission. I *want* to do a 5spd swap, 97 rear end conversion, get leather for the front so that the front seats match the back seats, and potentially get a sunroof cut. Also, after the body is set up, I would also need paint, and I will NOT do maaco like the previous owner did..

So far, total cost of all of this is looking to be ~$7000. I was looking online, and I am finding 97 - 99 SE 5mt, leather, sunroof, etc. for ~$6000. I could swap my current suspension and rims, SP2, intake and ICE over, and keep the old car as a parts pig, or sell what is good from her. I'm just loking for some opinions on what y'all think.

 

It's time for a new car when your putting more $$$ into it then it's worth.

 

Start off by getting another 4th gen that's fully loaded and start working on your changes as you described.

 

You can easily find another 4th gen on craigslist that you can use as a shell. Just find someone that thinks the problem that they have is way too much to fix. I saw one here locally for 600 dollars. All it needed was trans. It was fully loaded and the body looked great.

 

I would do what all the other posters have said. Find a new car that has all the options you want and swap what perfomance pieces you already own over. My friend did that with his accord and it cost him a lot less since we did all the work ourselves (motor and suspension swap, ICE swap, etc). Plus he made a couple hundred when he junked the shell and motor. Plus he sold the tranny off the new car on B20. Why dump all that money into a 16 almost 17 year old car?

 

honestly for 7k i think you could have a 3.5 6spd swapped in and a new rack dropped in while the motor and trans were out, plus a paint job for that much...

but i still voted for new car anyways... doesnt sound like you want to do all that work... but a couple junkyard runs and a lucky motor trans find could easily make it worth your while... just a thought...

 

for $6k u can buy an 04 or 05 max 6spd.

jus sayin

 

That is way too much work to put into old car.

 

Definitely will be able to appreciate the car more

 

and have more 'transmission' problems...i'd stick w/ the 4th gen...probably do the 3.5 swap as well as was mentioned IF you keep what you have. but i'd get another 4th gen...spend about $4k on getting another, swap what you have over and go to town on whatever else you want

 

yea you should buy one used then start swaping parts like theres no tomorrow

 

Get another 4th gen

 

Depends? you got any sentimental value for it !! I just sold the first max i ever bought and it was hard to see it go!! I bought it off the lot dam near brand new and i took well care of it.. It was an Auto and over the years really wanted a stick and i was gonna do a 5spd swap then i found a Pristine 5spd with 80k original on it and i jumped on it!

If i would not have found this other low mile 4th gen i would have never sold my other one! My first one had about 155k but.. I would have still dropped a 5spd in it in a heart beat, it still pulled strong and ran like a champ! In fact I had bought another 4th gen to act as a donor with all the 5spd stuff and was gonna do the swap when i found the one with 80k on it!

Anyway what im trying to say is that if you really wanna keep it, its not gonna cost you 7k!!! No where near it!!

Just depends on if you wanna put in the wrench time and how much patience you got in terms of hunting down parts!

For example if you were in cali i still have the donor car that i bought for a 5spd swap and i dont need it anymore since i bought a 5spd! Im gonna part it out soon but if i had a reasonable offer on it as a whole i would sell in a flash!!!..

Obviously your to far but .. you can find people in similar situations... you just gotta look and have time and a lil luck!

 

If you are paying 6k for a 4th you are getting grossed. I would not pay over 3k no matter how good of condition it is in.

7k? Not unless you are having it all installed by a mech. All the body parts you listed can be had for a couple hundred at most from a JY.

I also agree with the 3.5 and 6spd swap idea. I am at the same point with my car. I have quite a bit of body dmg, my half-shafts need to be replaced, tranny has almost 190 on it, my clutch 90+, etc, etc, etc [movie reference]. However, I rather keep a car that has meant so much to me than give it away for something newer (*with post stated contention).
This is the way I look at it... (BTW - I was thinking about doing a 4th gen write up about mod/repair philosophy.) If you repair/upgrade what you have efficiently and effectively [yourself] you can, for the same cost, have your car more reliable and fun than a mid-level used car. The biggest advantage being, you now have YOUR car exactly as you want it.

I have had my maxi for 10 years (since my 17th bday); it has and does mean a lot [understatement] to me. Do not sell your max to be abused by some punk… love her and treat her well and you can have many more happy years! DO YOUR PMCS!!!

 

Thanks for your opinions, I see most everyone is on the same thought process that I am. The bulk of the cost for this project is the repaint for the car, it's an obnoxious blue on the outside, and pebble beige on the door jams, under hood, where the cheap maaco paint job is peeling away, etc. However, the little things that need to be fixed are adding up quite a bit. I have no real emotional value to this car, I bought it 2 years ago, and have beat the crap out of it, so selling it to some punk would be exactly what happened when the car was sold to me.

Its not that I don't know fourth gens, or that I don't *like* the car I have now, this car is just beat up, not necessarily beyond repair, just beyond what would be financially reasonable.I have worked on quite a few, my family has three in the driveway right now, including mtrai's old 3.5 98.

Oh, and the 6k price was for an Crimson Blaze 99 5spd Leather SE limited with 80k.

 

brandon jump on this or ill bring a bus load of kids from the projects to your house!!

 

Lol, I wish I could, dont start working till the 28th, and I'm gonna drive the blue one till my loan is out in august. That, and I would have to drive that one back from PA

 

Like most say just get a new car, 7k? i LUCKED out and got mines for free fully loaded. Down fall is its a 99

 

i cant see paying that much for a 4th gen...if you want to spend that kinda money on a 4th gen..buy my 5th gen as is for $5500

 

If you love your car man its probably worth it I have 95 gle and the most important problem with it is the throttle position sensor and the cracked radiator but I'm my opinion 7k is a lot for a fix get another 4th gen

 

Forget about upgrading the existing car. There is too much involved in the way of time and expense. Use it as a parts car and keep on the lookout for another one closer to you than PA. Avoid a 99. There must be an occasional low-mileage 4th Gen out there. Keep your eyes peeled.

I have a one-owner 95SE, mint, loaded, 5-speed, Black Emerald, (rebuilt tranny, new clutch in August 2009), 85,700 mostly highway miles (Canadian car, LSD) for example. It is worth more to me than anyone else and it ain't for sale.

Good luck.

 

its up to you but maybe with 7000$ u can have a skyline for a 13 000$

 

R32 are like $6-$8k for a mint GTR and $2-$5k for a mint GTS-T now

but i think the only way you can get a Skyline into the states is get it shipped in pieces and reassemble it yourself and slap the kitcar rule down and thats a ton of cash alone

 

Keep the old one for parts, swap goodies onto another 4th gen.
Just try and hold out til you find the perfect one.

 

So, I know its a necro post, but I got the 97 swap done, and a temp paint job... that cost $200. Split the price of a parts car with my dad, so its gonna cost me $250 for my 5spd swap, leather interior and steering setup

 

find another one and swap

 

Agree with the majority, buy a new one.

 

Cool. Post pics.

 

I vote keep it, find a cheap parts car, and find a friend that KNOWS how to paint professionally. There has to be a guy that does it on the side near you i would think. There is a dude near me that does base/clear for $600 plus the cost of paint.