Owner Review: Better than any nights out with hot models – My 2000 Nissan Silvia S15 Spec R

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Overly used picture I show to my friends because this was the only good shot I had

Basic information about my car:

2000 Nissan Silvia S15 Spec R 2.0L Turbo

Reasons why I bought this car(purpose):

I bought it because it was my dream car. Simple, I know.

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: RM 60k cash or RM100k loan
• Models that I have considered include: Nissan 180SX, S13, S14, R32 GTS-T, Toyota MRS, MR2, Celica

Reasons why I chose this car:

The year was 1998 and my dad who was an avid JDM car lover those days brought me to many car expos in Singapore and also in KL. The first time I ever stumbled upon the S15 was in Singapore where Nissan actually showcased a clean S15 Spec R.

My dad was indifferent about it since it wasn’t really a Fairlady with a muscular V6 or a Skyline with an inline 6 but rather an inline 4 turbo. However the kiddo I was back then is enthralled by its appearance and the video they have showcasing the performance of the car. I didn’t understand much back then but its appearance stuck with me till this day. 

User Experience

I have done roughly 15,000km

Surprisingly not as tail happy as I thought it would be. I was on cheapo tyres because I literally ran out of money after cash buying the car, it was also my first time driving a manual car after transitioning from my automatic Persona which was sponsored by my parents. There was once where I accidently clutch kicked while cornering the car was still on its course. 

Three aircon vents all to myself on a hot day, muahahaahah this is the perfect selfish car
The turbo flutter and exhaust note is to die for, literally. I am a conservative driver so I will occasionally do some pulls on 2nd gear and lift off just to hear the flutter. If I were offered sex with the world’s top models and this car, I would choose the car every time.
 

Those Spec D tail lights are pretty rad, got them cheap when we were still GST

Maintenance is pretty heavy on my wallet since the car is old and oil leaks are frequent. There was once where I was trying to race this IS250 and my alternator fuse blown at 260km/h. Had to replace it with a new one after towing it back to JB all the way from Melaka. Pretty tiring experience both physically and mentally (parents you know, they nag you for making poor choices in life).

Midnight towing is life for old JDMs

I did none of the modifications myself … I am ashamed.

Spare parts were abundant and I mean TOO DAMN MANY. There were so many things I wanted yet couldn’t afford, yet. Aftermarket supports were everywhere as well. Basically, if something breaks down or you want it upgraded, moolah is the answer.

My average fuel consumption is about 10km/l

Pros and Cons

Pros of my car

               a) STUTUTUTTUTUTU
               b) JDM
               c) Good as a street machine and daily
               d) Can use back Nissan OEM parts if something breaks
               e) “Is that a Putra ?” comment from the public

Cons

               a) Heavy maintenance because it's old
               b) Only attract guys
               c) Racun itu benar

Total Score: 5

Performance: 4

Quality & Features: 3

Space: 3

Ride comfort: 3

Fuel Economy: 3

Price & cost: 5

Summary:

I miss my Silvia. Would I get one again? Maybe not, market ruined by so called collectors. Would I want another one? Always. It had a special place in my heart, it was the reason I worked hard for the money I had to buy it and was also how I learned that we must be always treasure things that are important to us.

Interesting Events:

Firstly, I am not “Diana”. Sorry boys, it seems like I was mistaken to be a lady but there are no ladies that into cars. Wake up. 
I bought the car rashly. One day it popped up on Mudah and I was like “HERE IT IS, THE TIME HAS COME” and called the sales person. I am just your average guy from JB and the car was somewhere in KL. We met up, I had a look at the car, test drive it and I immediately told him 65k and I will bank in to you tomorrow. The look on his face was funny to say the least, was it shock? happiness ? excitement ? Anyways I made the payment next day and was asked to collect the car next month. 

I kept the other custom key because … its pretty cringe.

 Time flies, lo and behold it’s the day for collection. I invited my mum (because she was more excited than I am and curious on how a car her son has chosen would be) and we collected the car, put up a night in Subang with my car parked Infront of the boutique hotel. I can still remember giving excuses like “Oh I want something to drink” then took the car to the nearest petrol station for the perfect shot (I never did take the perfect shot because I suck). Also my mum had to put her hands on the ground to get out because the car was that low to the ground. The woman has some age to her back is all. 

The other event that happened was my friend who test drove my car and crashed which I mentioned in the Baby Blue GT86 article. Although I should have seen that coming and stopped him from driving it. It was late at night, drizzling and we just had a TT session in some café somewhere in JB. My friend casually asked to drive and I agreed, handed him the keys and jumped onto shotgun. There were many straights back to my house so he made many pulls along the way, until we reached a traffic light and stopped eventually.

What happened was – As he launched from stop, he flicked the wheel to overtake a vehicle Infront of us and the tyres hit a puddle, the car hydroplaned and started going sideways (any experienced driver would have lifted off and straighten the steering but well we now know he is not an experienced driver right ?) but his foot was still on the accelerator, he tried to counter steer but the car snapped back even more aggressively, did a 360 and side slammed a small tree on the middle landscaping then landed on the other side of the road. Fortunately for us no one else was on the road and we escaped with some bruises. Our friends who left later saw the wreck and came to our rescue.

Second gasket change after owning it for 6 months 

I ran out of money to change new original headlights; the HID ballast fell off and I had to DIY myself. Stuck the ballast to the bottom of the headlight housing with some good 3M double tape. Lasted till the crash, support 3M guys. 

The truth is somewhere in between I got sick of the car. It was old, had a dented front crash bar which I assume is an accident car the car dealer picked up and refurbished, paint peeling off and the suspension is creaky and I just didn’t have enough money to support it as I had it in the workshop more times than I was driving it. I was intending to sell it off since it is an original Spec R and should fetch a good price considering many people was on the bandwagon to rake up the price of JDM but all I wanted was to sell at the price I purchased and earn back the money for tyres (no I don’t do drifting). I guess the saying is true – If you don’t love your car, it will not love you back. 

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