You Can Get a Brand-New Ferrari 488 for a Lot Less Than This Old Nissan
“Like-new” gets thrown around the used-car market more than the last bottle of hot sauce at the BBQ. In most cases, it is utter nonsense. In rarer cases, it can refer to vehicles that have lower mileage and are in really good shape. In this particular case, “like-new” pretty much means brand-new. There is currently a 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R for sale for $485,000. Y’all got the pocketbook out?
Why is this Skyline GT-R so pricey?
To be fair, this isn’t just any Skyline GT-R. This particular one was built with a very rare spec list by the name GT-R V Spec II Nur. According to Motor1, only 718 examples of this specific version of the R34 ever left the Nissan factory. Check out the listing here.
The V Spec II Nur had a few unique visual cues, but that’s not what makes these so cool. These rare GT-Rs came with a larger turbo from the factory. This larger Turbo makes more boost, which results in more power. Due to the Japanese regulations, they limited this car to 276 hp, but with a little wiggling, it can be brought to its proper factory spec of 330 hp. The Skyline GT-R V Spec II Nur was reported to run a 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds flat.
Those production numbers and performance specs make it rare and valuable in any condition, but this one has an even bigger collectability badge than that; this particular R34 GT-R V SPec II Nur is practically show-room new.
That’s right, this is that hyper-rare situation where this is not hyperbole, but actually true. Somehow, this Skyline only has 225 miles (362 Kilometers), sending it to unicorn status. Cars like this don’t exist, which is why were are seeing a price tag that would otherwise allow the purchase of a new Ferrari 488 with plenty of going-out money left over.
I know. I know. These cars aren’t exactly comparable, but the point stands. This is big money for a car from 2002.
The collector market is changing
It’s hard to believe that half a million dollars can be spent so easily on a car that, only 18 years ago, went for $55,662, which translates to $79,328 in 2020 money, according to GarageDreams calculations. That means that in less than two decades, this car has appreciated nearly five times its original value. Now, that’s not that crazy for a car from 40-50 years ago when cars were much cheaper, in general, but this a different ball game.
Its not just the super rare versions that are commanding big money, the more normal (if you can call a GT-R normal?) ones are skyrocketing in value, too.
What’s next on the list?
We’ve discussed this before, dear reader. It is pretty tough to know just what will end up increasing 400-500 percent. Honestly, don’t count on that happening all that often, but the JDM scene is hot right now and shows no signs of cooling down.
The 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V Spec II Nur is currently for sale with the asking price of $485,000 at JDM Expo. It has been for sale for a while, so I bet they’ll play ball with a negotiation. Who knows, maybe you can snag it for $475,000?
