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How expensive is your VR4?

vtecds1

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 16, 2004
Messages
1,705
Location
Las Begas
The reason I have a lot of money(to me) into the car, is that I paid prime for it. No body or undercarriage rust and had super low miles. I also thought that it came with a lot of mods in the motor. Which I unfortunately found out later was a lie. Rebuilding the motor set me back a few, as the machine work was done by Class One and the head by Forrester. Then the tranny rebuild and misc things I bought over the years. I shelled out a lot of money, but working on a car without having to worry about bolts breaking and having to spray liquid wrench to get it to turn is priceless...
 

BrandonEchols

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2010
Messages
793
Location
Anchorage, AK
@See4Ways: I hope it works out...but look at what John put in to run 10's...

As for me...

477/1000:
$3500 - Car (74k, and the fastest color - bone stock)
$600 - Evo 9 Bilsteins with 600 miles on them (still need to be welded and installed)
$565 - PTT twin disk clutch, never run (don't need this now, but that price for a new PTT unit, I couldn't resist)
$450 - F/R Tein pillowball mounts - NIB
$385 - F/R Evo 9 Brembo Calipers (media blasted - need paint/PC and springs/clips + pads)
$185 - Thule roof rack
$165 - Evo 8 ECU & knock sensor
$150 - Evo 5 steering wheel
$100 - Jay Racing alternator relocation kit
$100 - Holset HE351VE VGT turbo (about 200 miles on it - again, I don't need it now...but for that price)
$100 - Evo 3 bonnet vents and intake piece shipped from UK.
$80 - EC5A grill and "VR-4" badge shipped from AUS (Not sure how yet, but I'm going to make this fit)

So I'm $6,380 in right now...and none of the parts are on the car yet.

I don't count maintenance costs because you'd have that with any car...just like I don't count oil, filters, fuel, etc.


Then there's 12/1000...picked it up with a small 16G, ARP headstuds, and a couple other things for basically $500
It doesn't run (needs HG and probably a new head, but at least head work), has no interior other than the front seats, and needs new rear doors cause 2-3 PO's ago the genius thought that a great way to save weight would be to remove the glass from the rear doors and rivet some plexiglass in it's place /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/uhh.gif But the motor/tranny is there, all the running gear works...it was driving before the overheating/HG issue.
it'll be a labor of love for sure...but hey...that's what all these cars are...
 
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SouthCaliVR4

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
Messages
984
Location
North county San Diego
Including purchase price but not including normal repairs I'm sitting about five or six grand. I have had 825 for just over seven years.

I got a screamer deal on the car 500.00 with 83k good body no rust, all stock. she had a blown motor so i pulled one from a dsm & parted the rest of it out for more than i paid.

The bulk of my cash spent has been exhaust 1k turbo & manifold evo3 another grand, five or six hundred on suspension, the rest was wheels tires, jdm front bumper, intercooler & gauges/electronics. and of course window tint/stereo stuff like that.

She has killed me on maintenance, wheel brg's, brakes, crank pully (x2) drive shaft rebuild, axles ect...
 

coolclean577

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2010
Messages
191
Location
Omaha NE
Had mine for about 1yr. and spend about no more then 1k. And payed 5k for 577 with 101k on body Started to driving it in may
 

curtis

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2003
Messages
11,892
Location
Clarksville TN
^ I'm with this guy. I watch for deals here and on ebay, trade parts around with locals and on here, raid junkyards and in the 4 years I've been down the car has grown a large pile of boxes. Being a JSB takes dedication. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

I have parts and pieces of I think half the guys on the board for this car. The valve springs have went down Bonneville and El Mirage, The fuel cell went up Pikes peak, My mustache brace went on year one of the one lap, meth kit came from a R&D test cell, oil cooler was from a pro trans am race team, intake and megapiss has already proven on a 10 second DSM List goes on and on.

Thing is out of all the stuff I've built and sold on here and ebay for the E39A I still don't have a Curtis built gauge panel, bumper brackets and my seats are mounted with some bullshit steel tubing I had. At least I did do subframe connectors as the first mod I did to the car.



I guess its OK because when I catch up version 2 of the gauge panels will come out and I'm keeping the first one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif
 
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gtluke

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 16, 2001
Messages
4,210
Location
dirty jersey
I probably average about $1,000 a year on upgrades and maintenance. That includes tires and oil and whatever.
So that's $11,000, plus $2,000 for the car and $1500 for the motor to get it running.
I'd say an even $15,000
But that's far from being able to buy an evo. I've gone through 6 of 7 complete sets of tires, like 40 oil changes, 5 or 6 sets of brakes, 3 radiators, 11 alternators, 6 used 14b's, 3 sets of axles...
 

dsmer06

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Messages
636
Location
Des Moines, IA
I bought mine stock in May of 2009 for $2,000, and I have put a little over $5,000 into it so far. It runs and is fairly reliable, but I want to get it a paint job and work on the suspension next summer.
 

Wow........I'm actually kinda shocked at all the Evo hatred on here......seeing as how the GVR4 is the grandaddy Evo.

I traded a brand new CRF70 for mine; which I paid about 1800 for.......she currently doesn't run. Previous owner had moved an oil line to the turbo and pretty much cut oil off from from #1. Plus it had a blown head gasket. Turbo is shot; plus there was just some shoddy work done. One of the manifold studs is non existant and the head itself is pretty much useless. Already tore it and the block down. Had to order new rod and main bearings, plus piston rings.

Already have the Evo III 16G kit ordered from Forced Performance. Still need an FMIC and piping, DSM Link, Injectors, Evo VIII springs/retainers, BOV, NT TB, exhaust, plugs/wires........the list goes on and on. Not to mention the interior is trash (going with an Evo interior) and there is no radio. Let alone the 5-lug swap I wanna do while going with Evo VIII rims and brake upgrade.

Long and short of it is that I was initially hoping to get her running for around 3k and get the interior/exterior done for 2k. Those prices are out the WINDOW!!!!!!! lol



I loved my Evo......with an exhaust cam and boost controller I was putting down 350-360......how could I complain? But I'm not in my 20's and Evo's seem to be the new VW's in my area; everyone has/wants one.....and they're doing nothing but mods to the 'look' of the car and completely don't care about gaining some hp.


When I'm done with 832.....and I mean DONE......she'll be a beauty. That may take a few years and tons of money; but where would the fun be if that wasn't the case?
 
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Ian M

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2002
Messages
2,348
Location
Martinsburg,WV
^Yeah,I agree. I think the EVOs potential out the the box is pretty cool,and they are neat cars but I just don't find them as interesting as the GVR4. EVOs are everywhere,and even the least savvy V8 or import tooner expects it to be fast.
 

^Not around here.......but I think that's mainly because there are only a handful here that are putting down any sort of power. Let's all be honest; 280 at the crank isn't shabby, but it's nothing to write home about either. Most peeps here seem to rather spend their money on rims, springs, silly forward vent dealy's and other useless garbage.

With only 350-360 at the wheels I can't tell you how many eyebrows I raised.........
 

2of9

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 29, 2007
Messages
869
Location
IGH, MN
I'm already raising eyebrows with basic bolt ons. ...for real. People still think my car is either a: 1)Camry 2)Accord 3)Sentra 4)Random box car. For real. Me, personally, if I wanted something fast fast, I would have gotten a DSM from the get go but this car has 4 doors for a reason /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif. I'd be more than happy at the 300awhp goal on pump gas.
 

Nate

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2001
Messages
944
Location
Worcester, Pa
I've owned the Maroon Car since 1992. I don't even want to think about what I've spent on it, thanks.
 

Galantvr41062

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
410
Location
plymouth, MN
I can not recall how many times people have called my car a white Nissan, its has helped a few times.

~John
 

trexn8

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2010
Messages
99
Location
Aurora, CO
I have at least 15k in mine already and thats mostly maintenance and restoring.
 

I paid $6500 for 1886, 3 months later only driving the car for one month AND dropping $2100 for a new tranny my car still shits oil and still shifts like sh*t. As far as near future plans I'm guessing something like $2500 more for a full exhaust, ecu, and t-case rebuild. For all that I have planned for 1886 final budget cost is somewhere around $21k fully restored, rebuilt, re-painted, and tuned. No way in in hell I am doing this all at once unless I win the lotto so I considered this to be my 5 year plan.
 

vr4hotness

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 2, 2010
Messages
206
Location
Chino Hills, California
paid $3000 for mine in jan of this year, i put about 1k total to make it run clean with included evo3 turbo and manifold etc. looking to get some coilovers and thats it for now lol, its just a weekend car if that but dam do i love this car.
 

4Grim

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
2,515
Location
Orlando FL
Considering the price I paid for the car and all the upgrades and restoration I put into #1948..I say a total of $16k. Still JSB'ing after 4 years but i look at it as its not racking up miles so its appreciating in value IMO in the garage. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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