reliability and daliy driver

[chrisyleigh]

Just wondering how many people use there R as a daily driver , and to be fair all I seem to see is them breaking , how many people haven't had problems as such or anything like that let's say out of ten or such, I've had trouble with mine but just wondering what's the chances of another major problem. I know I'm going to get a few its almost 20years old and I know maintance is a big part of it but I want to use my car as a daily drive aswell as the odd track use and pod
Cheers chris.

 

[Murff93GTiR]

I used to use mine as a daily for about 6 months with no track or strip use and it broke down with a major electrical fault and wouldnt start again.possibly could if been down to previous owners neglegance but who knows.not usuing it as a daily again when its finished

 

[chrisyleigh]

So there 1 with let's say a bad experiance . Any with good experiances just wondering roughly , on each side of experiances any body got good ones because as above just seem to be bad things in that sence I need the car as a daily driver , don't mind the odd week or so in a year were something needs doing but just want an idea basicly cheers for the input murff

 

[Garef]

I used mine as a daily driver for just over a year, then I parked it up to move back to America. It was needing a gear box, which it is actually getting repaired now.

In my year of daily driver, I replaced the brake and clutch master cylinder, I had to replace a fuse for the starter and I had the seals on my brakes need replaced.

I managed to change these things on my own as well, so it depends a lot on who will do the work if the car breaks, because for me that was a major part of my reason for using it every day. If I didn't have the time, resources or skills (very limited) to change these things on my own, I wouldn't have used it everyday. It was more a price thing for me.

However, like I said, mines is in getting a replacement gearbox now.

If you were hoping to use it on the track and the strip, I would not rely on it being a daily driver. The harder you push the car, the more problems you are going to experience. Apart from the occasional blast off of a roundabout and a couple of B road blasts, I honestly don't kick the crap out of my car.

There are so many factors you have to take into consideration.

I feel like I have been lucky with mine, knowing some of the horror stories ther owners have had.

Imho. If you are going to put in time changing simple parts and don't kick the arse out of it everywhere you go, then you probably will be able to drive it every day with not to many problems.

If you are hoping to track it and put it on th strip, you are going to find it more difficult to have a daily driver.

Hope that helps.

 

[Murff93GTiR]

I wouldnt say it was a bad experience as it was the first and only major problem i had with it apart from a goosed turbo which is nothin major.my car was running an hks f-con ecu which i believe was the problem.it was an outdated ecu.the only reason im not gona be using it as a daily is cause im building it over 400bhp and i have a baby on the way so just want it as a summer toy.when it was my daily it lasted through the snow and also around 4 motorway trips a week.so all in all apart from that one incident id say it was pretty reliable.

 

[PobodY]

I used mine as a daily driver for about two years. - There was a clutch failure which took it off the road for a bit, and an alternator failure similarly... but overall it has been quite reliable come rain or shine (doesn't get stuck in the snow, and it doesn't overheat in the summer).

It's parked-up and SORN at the moment, and when I went to MOT it to get it back on the road (as it's getting a little cold waiting for trains now) the rear brakes had siezed... Callipers rebuilt, and some new pads in; I fully expect it to be back on the road by the end of next week.

 

[chrisyleigh]

Its good to hear a few are reliable, and quite a long time I've had mine a day before the turbo went and 1week till the rear beake pads fell out!! 3weeks before the engine went so oot the best experiance only had it 2months most the time off the road and always hearing about them breaking so with my experiance plus the say so made me think this way should be fine tho for the odd track usen

 

[Garef]

Have any of you guys above used yours as a track car though?

That's where the issue is. If you want to drive it every day and track it.

 

[Makaveli_se7en]

I used mine every day for 18 months including long journies up and down the country with no issue bar a small oil leak which didn't really cause any issues and was an easy fix. I only took it off the road because I was bored of 400bhp and wanted more power. I didn't use it on track but it wasn't as if it was driven slowly on the road, tbh I don't think I would have driven it much harder on a track compared to a 4am blast over the peaks.

Having said that I bought a very good example which had been maiantained to a very high standard for propper money and the last two owners had been member on here and the modifiers club so as well as the folder of receipts I could trace the history of car. I then continued to service the car and replace parts as they were needed rather than let them develop into bigger issues. These are old performance cars which have had a hard life, so buy a good one and treat it with respect and it will be reliable, buy a shitter and wait for it to break before sorting issues and it will give you heart ache.

 

[chrisyleigh]

Yes garef that's wat I basicly mean maybe track day 3times a year and a pod weekend aswell as a daliy drive

 

[johnsy]

I managed to do oc trackday last year at cadwell park then silverstoneGP circuit at the start of march this year then cadwell again at the and of march followed by a trip to yorkraceways(10 launches) and i also covered roughly 5000 trouble free miles, before i started fettling with a bigger turbo,all on a second hand clutch that cost me £150,and its still going strong even snapped my clutch fork recently lol,

my car is broke because i failed to get it checked out on the rollers, i believe had i stayed off track my engine would still be running, you can push yourself and your car a lot harder on the track so everything needs to 1000% checked out and running correctly or its good by engine,

You live n learn.

also helps if you don't buy a shitter!

 

[chopper]

i have had my car around a year now. i work away most of the time but when i am home (14weeks of the year)i use it all the time. had silly little problems like new rear discs and pads, a new rubber in the front wish bone. i changed the suspension out of choice really and the intercooler pipe work came apart(i take the blame as i was the last person to touch it while fitting a new elbow). i think it can be reliable if treated well. i had it stored for 10 weeks while i was at work, came back and it fired up straight away not many moderen cars would do that. least none that i have owned. when i return to work in the uk, if i work within 15miles i will be using it as my daily car too. after 15miles each way the petral will start getting costly lol.
GOOD OLD NISSANS!!

 

[Trondelond]

Mine is under work now, but I've used it a few years as a daily driver at roughly 330bhp. The times it failed me I was to blame. Except for when the PowerFC boost sensor died at -34C and registered 0.9 bar of boost with the engine off.

 

[markwashington]

To be perfectly honest every R is different. When I buy another one, it won't be as a daily driver because it's too much for petrol and I will be taking it on some track days. I used my old car as a daily(ish) driver for about 9 months. In this time the alternator went, the rear shocks broke and had to be replaced and the fpr broke so it was fuelling crazily lean. Other than these problems it was ok. In terms of taking it on track and up a strip, I'd be very careful. The car needs to be running 100% perfect for this otherwise putting the car under undue stress will cause the problems that might not have manifested themselves for months to all appear at once. If you do decide to go for a daily that you track, then make sure it's set up perfectly on a RR before you track it. There's a couple of threads on here about what you should change with your car for the track, so if you do these mods, coupled with setting up the car right, treating it well and regular oil changes etc, I don't see why it won't be ok. What every thread here has in common is that stuff has gone wrong :-D regardless of whether it's driving or driver related. If you haven't got the money to fix anything that might go wrong I wouldn't bother as you'll be screwed if it's your only car.

 

[Garef]

Yes garef that's wat I basicly mean maybe track day 3times a year and a pod weekend aswell as a daliy drive

I get you mate, but we just want the best for future owners.

From reading all the replies. I'm taking that anyone who has been using it as a daily driver, has not been tracking it or taking it on the strip. The one member who has, has stated that he had problems because of it. You just have to be so careful with these cars, and I completely agree with the few members who have said, that if you want to track this car it should be 100%.

I have never tracked my car, or taken it on the strip, and this is purely because of the risk of it breaking, and me not being able to afford it. You hear about the price of repairs with these cars, but you never quite understand till you own one.

If you can afford it, get a cheap run around just incase it breaks. A few members on here have done so. Or if your phucking loaded then who gives a toss. ;-)

 

[nimhbk]

Mine was great for a year + until i started changing stuff like intercoolers boost computers ect and then it started to break every other month, i wish i kept it standard now

 

[johnsy]

I get you mate, but we just want the best for future owners.

From reading all the replies. I'm taking that anyone who has been using it as a daily driver, has not been tracking it or taking it on the strip. The one member who has, has stated that he had problems because of it. You just have to be so careful with these cars, and I completely agree with the few members who have said, that if you want to track this car it should be 100%.

I have never tracked my car, or taken it on the strip, and this is purely because of the risk of it breaking, and me not being able to afford it. You hear about the price of repairs with these cars, but you never quite understand till you own one.

If you can afford it, get a cheap run around just incase it breaks. A few members on here have done so. Or if your phucking loaded then who gives a toss. ;-)

I think part n parcel of ownership is being able to get your hands dirty, and fix things yourself or with mates, id of certainly give up along time ago if i had to pay someone to fix it,

The track is a whole different ball game to driving on roads regardless of how powerfull your car is,

 

[bensmith907]

I use mine as a daily driver and even take the littlen to nursery in it. I also took it to the ring, Had a great laugh. I am having to rebuild the engine though (that was my fault for breaking it though)

 

[Animaldaz]

First couple of years of ownership I used it everyday, but since the kids came along its been my second car. Tbh I prefer it that way, much easier to tinker with it if you know it doesn't have to get you to work the next day. It's only left me stranded once, and that turned out to be a broken wire.

 

[chrisyleigh]

So there still a few that are daily drivers then which seams good , and bensmith why did your engine give up? Do you think going to ring had anything to do with it ?