Seeing Martyn's new toy and everyone's reaction to it made me feel bad as my (virtually identical) car is now playing second fiddle to a couple of other recent purchases (plus a dog) and I wonder whether it is now time to move on...
Here's the advert I've drafted for eBay but would much rather it went to someone on the forum. I know the guy who's selling the £11k Pulsar in Bristol would love to buy this car, but again, I'd rather do the right thing and hang the cost (within reason).
I'm useless with technology so can't upload photo's (please don't tell me how, I just don't understand!) but have a couple on my iPad which I can attach to an email for anyone who is interested and can take more on request.
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Nissan Sunny GTIR--------------------
Welcome to the auction of my rare, UK, Sunny GTIR (one of 75 official UK imports).
This is quite a well known, low mileage (48,000), red, 2 former keeper car, which has got to be one of the best original, unmodified and unrestored Sunny GTIR's left in the country. Other than a change of wheels in the 90's (now changed back), this car is and has always been standard and unmodified.
The car was offered as first prize in a Daily Mail competition in 1992 and was reportedly one of two cars on the Nissan stand at the 1992 Birmingham Motor Show although the documentation to support the latter is a little tenuous. It was won by a guy who sold it within a couple of days and was bought by a chap who ran the car in the UK until the late 90's before taking it to and re-registering it in Guernsey ( I have the Guernsey log-book and plates) where it was stored/used infrequently by him (Guernsey is about 9 mile x 5 mile hence the low mileage) until its return to the UK in late 2010 where it was sold at a Bonhams classic car auction to a dealer who sold it to me early 2011 with 44,000 miles on the clock. I had a red UK car when they were new in the 90's and at the time, was reliving my youth so when I saw this one advertised, I bought it without even seeing it !
Since I've had it, the car has been an absolute joy to own - it has been like owning a new car. I've driven it pretty much every other day (less so in the winter) on my 20 mile commute to work and it has run flawlessly. It has started first time, every time, has never let me down and if I hadn't wanted to spend any money on it, wouldn't have cost a penny.
The paint when I bought it was all original (as were the engine, interior, gearbox, dealer numberplates and I suspect, even the brakes and exhaust). However, the paint did have a few stone-chips, a couple of scratches and although not badly faded, lacked the lustre you get with new red paint. I therefore had most of the the car repainted. I'd love to say it was a £5k bare metal re-paint but the car simply didn't need that level of attention. The paintwork cost £1200 and was done by Car & Bike Magic in Sunderland to a good enough visual standard to keep the car going for the next 10-15 years.
The car doesn't and has never had any rust issues, the wheel arches and underside are all fine.
Additional work during my ownership has included ; original wheels refitted (fully refurbished), plus 4 new tyres, new pads & disks all round, new CD player, new Thatcham 2 immobiliser, new off-side strut-top bearing ( I wanted to replace complete strut both sides but Nissan can't get them anymore), intercooler cover powder coated, new rocker cover bolts, Nissan service and MOT (to March 2014). In total, it's had about £3000 spent on it since early 2011.
The car is currently in great condition and I'd happily use it as my only car if the need arose. For those of you who like to modify your cars, you'd probably be disappointed with this one. It's standard and doesn't go as well or look as sexy as a lowered, modified car but it would be a shame to start messing about with such an original car - a car can only be original once !
With regard to service history, although it has a gap during its time in Guernsey, it is all Nissan. It has the original dealer purchase order to the Daily Mail, a stamped Nissan service book together with most invoices (all from one dealer) up to 1997 plus a sprinkling of invoices from its time in Guernsey where it looks to have come back to the UK Mainland for repairs (again same dealer) plus all invoices from its time in my possession. All documentation stacks up to prove the low mileage and remember - one owner from 5 days old until I bought it.
Bad points - There's nothing wrong with the car but there are a couple of aspects which the new owner could improve. Firstly, under the bonnet. It is clean and presentable but 21 year old and not buffed/polished /chromed to within an inch of its life like some cars. In addition, wanting to retain as much originality as possible, I didn't get the off-side front wing, off-side door (above rubbing strip), off-side rear quarter (above rubbing strip) or roof repainted. This is a little faded (mainly roof) and would benefit from being repainted. Finally, one of the front tyres is a little worn on the outside (although still legal) following a 'gentle', dozen lap track day at Bedford Autodrome in 2012. I'd planned to replace all four tyres as they are not the correct 195-55-14 tyres (my garage couldn't get them when I needed them last year) but not got around to it. At the 'buy-now' price (£6,000), I would have the paintwork done and fit one new matching tyre or offer a reduced 'buy-now' price of £5500.
If kept in this condition, I'd say this car was depreciation proof. The classic car market will at some point wake up to early 90's homologation specials other than the Integrale and M3 and the value will increase. Despite its lack of rally success, this car still has rally pedigree, looks great, turns heads and has something that £50k Mercedes and Porsches don't - rarity !
Although pitched at the kind of price you could pay for a heavily modified 400 bhp Pulsar, this car is very different - it's a rare UK car with great provenance /history, undersealed from new so no rust issues, reasonable to insure, runs on standard unleaded (runs terrible on super-unleaded), English owners manual and welcomed at Nissan dealerships for servicing.
I'm only selling as I've bought a couple of other cars recently and can't now garage this one and it would be a shame to see it deteriorate.
I'm not in any great hurry to sell and not in a position to take any part exchanges.
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Here's the advert I've drafted for eBay but would much rather it went to someone on the forum. I know the guy who's selling the £11k Pulsar in Bristol would love to buy this car, but again, I'd rather do the right thing and hang the cost (within reason).
I'm useless with technology so can't upload photo's (please don't tell me how, I just don't understand!) but have a couple on my iPad which I can attach to an email for anyone who is interested and can take more on request.
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Nissan Sunny GTIR--------------------
Welcome to the auction of my rare, UK, Sunny GTIR (one of 75 official UK imports).
This is quite a well known, low mileage (48,000), red, 2 former keeper car, which has got to be one of the best original, unmodified and unrestored Sunny GTIR's left in the country. Other than a change of wheels in the 90's (now changed back), this car is and has always been standard and unmodified.
The car was offered as first prize in a Daily Mail competition in 1992 and was reportedly one of two cars on the Nissan stand at the 1992 Birmingham Motor Show although the documentation to support the latter is a little tenuous. It was won by a guy who sold it within a couple of days and was bought by a chap who ran the car in the UK until the late 90's before taking it to and re-registering it in Guernsey ( I have the Guernsey log-book and plates) where it was stored/used infrequently by him (Guernsey is about 9 mile x 5 mile hence the low mileage) until its return to the UK in late 2010 where it was sold at a Bonhams classic car auction to a dealer who sold it to me early 2011 with 44,000 miles on the clock. I had a red UK car when they were new in the 90's and at the time, was reliving my youth so when I saw this one advertised, I bought it without even seeing it !
Since I've had it, the car has been an absolute joy to own - it has been like owning a new car. I've driven it pretty much every other day (less so in the winter) on my 20 mile commute to work and it has run flawlessly. It has started first time, every time, has never let me down and if I hadn't wanted to spend any money on it, wouldn't have cost a penny.
The paint when I bought it was all original (as were the engine, interior, gearbox, dealer numberplates and I suspect, even the brakes and exhaust). However, the paint did have a few stone-chips, a couple of scratches and although not badly faded, lacked the lustre you get with new red paint. I therefore had most of the the car repainted. I'd love to say it was a £5k bare metal re-paint but the car simply didn't need that level of attention. The paintwork cost £1200 and was done by Car & Bike Magic in Sunderland to a good enough visual standard to keep the car going for the next 10-15 years.
The car doesn't and has never had any rust issues, the wheel arches and underside are all fine.
Additional work during my ownership has included ; original wheels refitted (fully refurbished), plus 4 new tyres, new pads & disks all round, new CD player, new Thatcham 2 immobiliser, new off-side strut-top bearing ( I wanted to replace complete strut both sides but Nissan can't get them anymore), intercooler cover powder coated, new rocker cover bolts, Nissan service and MOT (to March 2014). In total, it's had about £3000 spent on it since early 2011.
The car is currently in great condition and I'd happily use it as my only car if the need arose. For those of you who like to modify your cars, you'd probably be disappointed with this one. It's standard and doesn't go as well or look as sexy as a lowered, modified car but it would be a shame to start messing about with such an original car - a car can only be original once !
With regard to service history, although it has a gap during its time in Guernsey, it is all Nissan. It has the original dealer purchase order to the Daily Mail, a stamped Nissan service book together with most invoices (all from one dealer) up to 1997 plus a sprinkling of invoices from its time in Guernsey where it looks to have come back to the UK Mainland for repairs (again same dealer) plus all invoices from its time in my possession. All documentation stacks up to prove the low mileage and remember - one owner from 5 days old until I bought it.
Bad points - There's nothing wrong with the car but there are a couple of aspects which the new owner could improve. Firstly, under the bonnet. It is clean and presentable but 21 year old and not buffed/polished /chromed to within an inch of its life like some cars. In addition, wanting to retain as much originality as possible, I didn't get the off-side front wing, off-side door (above rubbing strip), off-side rear quarter (above rubbing strip) or roof repainted. This is a little faded (mainly roof) and would benefit from being repainted. Finally, one of the front tyres is a little worn on the outside (although still legal) following a 'gentle', dozen lap track day at Bedford Autodrome in 2012. I'd planned to replace all four tyres as they are not the correct 195-55-14 tyres (my garage couldn't get them when I needed them last year) but not got around to it. At the 'buy-now' price (£6,000), I would have the paintwork done and fit one new matching tyre or offer a reduced 'buy-now' price of £5500.
If kept in this condition, I'd say this car was depreciation proof. The classic car market will at some point wake up to early 90's homologation specials other than the Integrale and M3 and the value will increase. Despite its lack of rally success, this car still has rally pedigree, looks great, turns heads and has something that £50k Mercedes and Porsches don't - rarity !
Although pitched at the kind of price you could pay for a heavily modified 400 bhp Pulsar, this car is very different - it's a rare UK car with great provenance /history, undersealed from new so no rust issues, reasonable to insure, runs on standard unleaded (runs terrible on super-unleaded), English owners manual and welcomed at Nissan dealerships for servicing.
I'm only selling as I've bought a couple of other cars recently and can't now garage this one and it would be a shame to see it deteriorate.
I'm not in any great hurry to sell and not in a position to take any part exchanges.
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