So tell me about GTR's and this Litchfield thing...
Discussion
Like many, I am seriously interested in the GTR.
And a few things really leap out at me;
> It seems that newer GTR's have longer service intervals?
> Independents like Litchfields offer warranties and service plans - looking at their website, service costs look pretty reasonable.
> Litchfields suspension pack and stepped grades of engine/ ecu tuning look mighty attractive to me - and the car is fully warrantied in the process.
It seems to me that it would be perfectly possible to personalise your own GTR ( from either new or used ) and with the suspension and ECU mods have a car that is both comfortable and practical and also with near Veyron-like performance if you just dial up the boost a little using the button on the steering wheel. And all with reasonable service costs and a warranty?
Am I missing something here? Is this the only car you will ever need?
Like many, I have never gone down the aftermarket improvement and tuning path, just buying stock German metal. But this option looks seriously interesting.
A bit of googling reveals that an R36 GTR is still a few years away, so the R35 looks like a great option and I see that the residuals of early models are holding up well. It is pretty tempting.
Experience of real owners and of Litchfield is much appreciated from the PH collective, if you have any..
I thank you.
And a few things really leap out at me;
> It seems that newer GTR's have longer service intervals?
> Independents like Litchfields offer warranties and service plans - looking at their website, service costs look pretty reasonable.
> Litchfields suspension pack and stepped grades of engine/ ecu tuning look mighty attractive to me - and the car is fully warrantied in the process.
It seems to me that it would be perfectly possible to personalise your own GTR ( from either new or used ) and with the suspension and ECU mods have a car that is both comfortable and practical and also with near Veyron-like performance if you just dial up the boost a little using the button on the steering wheel. And all with reasonable service costs and a warranty?
Am I missing something here? Is this the only car you will ever need?
Like many, I have never gone down the aftermarket improvement and tuning path, just buying stock German metal. But this option looks seriously interesting.
A bit of googling reveals that an R36 GTR is still a few years away, so the R35 looks like a great option and I see that the residuals of early models are holding up well. It is pretty tempting.
Experience of real owners and of Litchfield is much appreciated from the PH collective, if you have any..
I thank you.
Edited by toppstuff on Thursday 16th May 09:21
Ive owned a 2009 GTR for exactly a year now and they are a fantastic car though I can understand that they would not be everyones cup of tea.
To answer a few of your questions.
-The service intervals for 09/10 cars was every 6k miles or six months.Some people felt this was a bit excessive and was one of nissans many ways of getting some money back for selling the car so cheap in the first place.Later cars,which were mechanically identical were 9k miles or yearly maybe because the car was so much more expensive to buy in the first place.
Most owners of the early cars stuck to the 6 monthly service,regardless of mileage to keep the 3 yr Nissan warranty intact.Now the early cars are out of warranty most people are now switching to the later cars 9k,yearly plan.I will be doing mine every 6k miles or yearly which ever comes first.
-I took mine to litchfields last year for its major 3yr 36k miles service.Despite a 240 mile round trip this still worked out around £400 cheaper than the main dealer due to labour rates and as you say for such a car service costs are very reasonable once you start servicing them yearly.Litchfields are probably the No 1 GTR specialist in the UK along with seven valley motorsport (SVM) and there is nothing they don't know about GTRs.They will tune your car to pretty much whatever you want and if you buy their warranty (around £1200) this will warrant ANY modifications they do.They have so far tuned 100s of GTR's in the uk and worldwide to all levels of power and I am yet to hear of any engine issues on the GTR forums.The ride can be a bit hard for some peoples tastes,coupled with the OE runflats which is where the Litchfield suspension comes in,though changing to non runflats which I and many other owners have now done makes a world of difference.
If you are thinking of a GTR and going down the modding route my advice would be to buy a good 09/10 car which is out of nissans warranty.The newer 2011 onwards cars are still much more expensive and only have slight tweeks in terms of performance and if you start modding you will void nissans warranty.
You could then take it to litchfields,ask for whatever power you want and if you want piece of mind buy their warranty also.
So far my car is standard apart from a decat pipe which is a popular mod to make the car sound better.Before I bought one I was thinking I would mod it slightly as you can get them up to 580bhp for less than a grand but not sure now if I will bother.I took it to a dyno day a few weeks ago and it produced a very healthy 502 bhp which is plenty fast for road use,although there is no such thing as too much power.
Running costs are also pretty good and not as bad as you might believe.In a year I have had to have a big service £640 and a set of tyres £1100 but will not need to spend much on it now for some time.
Tax £470,insurance £640.Petrol will see you getting 30 miles per tenner for average use,less if you cain it everwhere.
Like I said,they are not for everyone,I personally love mine and they are simply unbeatable in terms of performance per £.Buy a £40k car,throw £15k at it and you will have just about the quickest car on the road.
To answer a few of your questions.
-The service intervals for 09/10 cars was every 6k miles or six months.Some people felt this was a bit excessive and was one of nissans many ways of getting some money back for selling the car so cheap in the first place.Later cars,which were mechanically identical were 9k miles or yearly maybe because the car was so much more expensive to buy in the first place.
Most owners of the early cars stuck to the 6 monthly service,regardless of mileage to keep the 3 yr Nissan warranty intact.Now the early cars are out of warranty most people are now switching to the later cars 9k,yearly plan.I will be doing mine every 6k miles or yearly which ever comes first.
-I took mine to litchfields last year for its major 3yr 36k miles service.Despite a 240 mile round trip this still worked out around £400 cheaper than the main dealer due to labour rates and as you say for such a car service costs are very reasonable once you start servicing them yearly.Litchfields are probably the No 1 GTR specialist in the UK along with seven valley motorsport (SVM) and there is nothing they don't know about GTRs.They will tune your car to pretty much whatever you want and if you buy their warranty (around £1200) this will warrant ANY modifications they do.They have so far tuned 100s of GTR's in the uk and worldwide to all levels of power and I am yet to hear of any engine issues on the GTR forums.The ride can be a bit hard for some peoples tastes,coupled with the OE runflats which is where the Litchfield suspension comes in,though changing to non runflats which I and many other owners have now done makes a world of difference.
If you are thinking of a GTR and going down the modding route my advice would be to buy a good 09/10 car which is out of nissans warranty.The newer 2011 onwards cars are still much more expensive and only have slight tweeks in terms of performance and if you start modding you will void nissans warranty.
You could then take it to litchfields,ask for whatever power you want and if you want piece of mind buy their warranty also.
So far my car is standard apart from a decat pipe which is a popular mod to make the car sound better.Before I bought one I was thinking I would mod it slightly as you can get them up to 580bhp for less than a grand but not sure now if I will bother.I took it to a dyno day a few weeks ago and it produced a very healthy 502 bhp which is plenty fast for road use,although there is no such thing as too much power.
Running costs are also pretty good and not as bad as you might believe.In a year I have had to have a big service £640 and a set of tyres £1100 but will not need to spend much on it now for some time.
Tax £470,insurance £640.Petrol will see you getting 30 miles per tenner for average use,less if you cain it everwhere.
Like I said,they are not for everyone,I personally love mine and they are simply unbeatable in terms of performance per £.Buy a £40k car,throw £15k at it and you will have just about the quickest car on the road.
Mine is running a Litchfield Stage 4 - around 635bhp but a pussycat around town and 100 in less than 7 secs if you feel the need!
Buying an 09 or 59 (which has nav and a better MDF screen) and throwing 5 to 6 k will get you something that only Veyrons could beat.
Another £10k will get you past the Veyron!
I am still keeping the 6 month service interval, solely because I think it will be needed to get a sale through, not that I think it actually is needed.
David
Buying an 09 or 59 (which has nav and a better MDF screen) and throwing 5 to 6 k will get you something that only Veyrons could beat.
Another £10k will get you past the Veyron!
I am still keeping the 6 month service interval, solely because I think it will be needed to get a sale through, not that I think it actually is needed.
David
Well let me just say this, I usually change my car every year or so but it's almost 2 years now with the GTR. I admit I do have the itch to change it but unless I win the lotto soon I don't see myself getting anything better...
It depends on your general requirement really, if you like to drive GTR is definitely bang for buck.
It depends on your general requirement really, if you like to drive GTR is definitely bang for buck.
one my second one now
had an 09- up till 12- then bought a 12 reg. MY11
Got it with the service pack so servicing free for 3 years.
finance/ wanting nav etc.and a cracking deal made me opt for the newer car
Ups are as already stated- Nedzillas was spot on
downs- its IMO a little too big for everyday use- you can used daily- but you need to make sure you park on the end of a row or somewhere private-
thats pretty much it!!- probably the only other downer is that now I feel I will always want one so it means if you need more cars, its going to cost extra!!
Overall its an awesome car that as correctly said is not to everyones taste- but its built so well, is also so unique and quirky (much like a 911 - I know its a mad comparison- but the GTR shares many qualities-)that its has to be owned at least once.
If you happen to live near london/ kent-- arguably the best dealer is in Bromley if you plan on newer
after my warranty is up Im going lichfield..
had an 09- up till 12- then bought a 12 reg. MY11
Got it with the service pack so servicing free for 3 years.
finance/ wanting nav etc.and a cracking deal made me opt for the newer car
Ups are as already stated- Nedzillas was spot on
downs- its IMO a little too big for everyday use- you can used daily- but you need to make sure you park on the end of a row or somewhere private-
thats pretty much it!!- probably the only other downer is that now I feel I will always want one so it means if you need more cars, its going to cost extra!!
Overall its an awesome car that as correctly said is not to everyones taste- but its built so well, is also so unique and quirky (much like a 911 - I know its a mad comparison- but the GTR shares many qualities-)that its has to be owned at least once.
If you happen to live near london/ kent-- arguably the best dealer is in Bromley if you plan on newer
after my warranty is up Im going lichfield..
What they said..
I'm on stg 5, roughly 750 litchfield ponies. 25,000 miles 3 years all on this tune. Numerous track and speed events. All the usual mods. Zero problems so far.. Yesterday I ran in the Toyota sprint series round 2 at Woodbridge. Some seriously fast cars here, race prepped including an ex goodwood fos hill climb winner albeit running less power. Fastest car was not a Toyota
can you guess what was....
I then drove home, and took the kids to school this morning.
It's not a track car it's to heavy and xpensive to run. But if you do it's quick. The car won't drive itself but a competent driver will find 90% performance easily as it is accessible.
Ultimate performance, practical, relatively cheap, running costs ok for the performance. Why wouldn't you ?
I'm on stg 5, roughly 750 litchfield ponies. 25,000 miles 3 years all on this tune. Numerous track and speed events. All the usual mods. Zero problems so far.. Yesterday I ran in the Toyota sprint series round 2 at Woodbridge. Some seriously fast cars here, race prepped including an ex goodwood fos hill climb winner albeit running less power. Fastest car was not a Toyota
can you guess what was.... I then drove home, and took the kids to school this morning.
It's not a track car it's to heavy and xpensive to run. But if you do it's quick. The car won't drive itself but a competent driver will find 90% performance easily as it is accessible.
Ultimate performance, practical, relatively cheap, running costs ok for the performance. Why wouldn't you ?
chris neeves said:
What they said..
I'm on stg 5, roughly 750 litchfield ponies. 25,000 miles 3 years all on this tune. Numerous track and speed events. All the usual mods. Zero problems so far.. Yesterday I ran in the Toyota sprint series round 2 at Woodbridge. Some seriously fast cars here, race prepped including an ex goodwood fos hill climb winner albeit running less power. Fastest car was not a Toyota can you guess what was....
I then drove home, and took the kids to school this morning.
It's not a track car it's to heavy and xpensive to run. But if you do it's quick. The car won't drive itself but a competent driver will find 90% performance easily as it is accessible.
Ultimate performance, practical, relatively cheap, running costs ok for the performance. Why wouldn't you ?
Nice to see a GTR owner using the car to its full potential I'm on stg 5, roughly 750 litchfield ponies. 25,000 miles 3 years all on this tune. Numerous track and speed events. All the usual mods. Zero problems so far.. Yesterday I ran in the Toyota sprint series round 2 at Woodbridge. Some seriously fast cars here, race prepped including an ex goodwood fos hill climb winner albeit running less power. Fastest car was not a Toyota
can you guess what was.... I then drove home, and took the kids to school this morning.
It's not a track car it's to heavy and xpensive to run. But if you do it's quick. The car won't drive itself but a competent driver will find 90% performance easily as it is accessible.
Ultimate performance, practical, relatively cheap, running costs ok for the performance. Why wouldn't you ?
chris neeves said:
What they said..
I'm on stg 5, roughly 750 litchfield ponies. 25,000 miles 3 years all on this tune. Numerous track and speed events. All the usual mods. Zero problems so far.. Yesterday I ran in the Toyota sprint series round 2 at Woodbridge. Some seriously fast cars here, race prepped including an ex goodwood fos hill climb winner albeit running less power. Fastest car was not a Toyota can you guess what was....
I then drove home, and took the kids to school this morning.
It's not a track car it's to heavy and xpensive to run. But if you do it's quick. The car won't drive itself but a competent driver will find 90% performance easily as it is accessible.
Ultimate performance, practical, relatively cheap, running costs ok for the performance. Why wouldn't you ?
Bloody hell. That's impressive. Much respect to you sir !I'm on stg 5, roughly 750 litchfield ponies. 25,000 miles 3 years all on this tune. Numerous track and speed events. All the usual mods. Zero problems so far.. Yesterday I ran in the Toyota sprint series round 2 at Woodbridge. Some seriously fast cars here, race prepped including an ex goodwood fos hill climb winner albeit running less power. Fastest car was not a Toyota
can you guess what was.... I then drove home, and took the kids to school this morning.
It's not a track car it's to heavy and xpensive to run. But if you do it's quick. The car won't drive itself but a competent driver will find 90% performance easily as it is accessible.
Ultimate performance, practical, relatively cheap, running costs ok for the performance. Why wouldn't you ?
A very convincing endorsement..
Contigo said:
Off to have a look round one on Friday.
Make sure you check it carefully, it's easy to be seduced by the performance. If still on the original discs, they have drilled holes, check for cracks. Listen for rattles from the bell housing, if still in warranty the dealers should replace, if not Litchfield do a modified one for £700 including fitting. The steering lock was a Nissan recall, this was free. The headlights sometimes get condensation, again a warranty replacement. The Multi Functional Display unit has a reputation for problems, there is a five year warranty on this item. The dashboard lights fail, again a warranty fix. Check all these items carefully however it is a fantastic car that will bring a smile to your face every time you drive it.Gassing Station | Japanese Chat | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff