Another one of my favorite questions – this one shouldn’t seem hard to understand, but as evidenced by the flood of messages I get daily on this topic, it’s a mystery.

Let’s Start With Supply and Demand

Oh, that simple principal that all first-year economics students learn. As a refreshers, the law of supply states that the quantity of a good supplied (i.e., the amount owners or producers offer for sale) rises as the market price rises, and falls as the price falls. Conversely, the law of demand (see demand) says that the quantity of a good demanded falls as the price rises, and vice versa.

How does that apply here?

Let’s talk exclusively about the R34 GT-R (and if we have to, GTTs).

The R34 has not been legal in the USA since the MotoRex scandal back around 2006. If you forgot what that was all about

CLICK HERE

If you DON’T read the referenced article, you’ll have no idea what led to this situation.

Regardless, they’re not legal until 25 years after the date of manufacture. In other words, if you want any 1999 Skyline, GT-R or otherwise, you’re not getting one here LEGALY under 2024. Period. Take this as a fact so that we can move on.

 

Hoarders are Taking Notice

As of June 2019, as we watch the auctions in Japan for these cars, a clear trend has emerged: prices are going up. Japanese owners that only about 12,000 R34 GT-Rs were ever produced, IN TOTAL. And that supply has to satisfy the pent-up demand here in America as well as the global demand. If you don’t believe me, GO HERE.

Cars with high miles and cigarette burns are fetching $80,000 BEFORE SHIPPING.

Bottom line, if you think these cars are going to drop in price when they become freely available to U.S. buyers, you don’t understand the laws of supply and demand.

 

“But they’re not worth that!”

One of the most ingnorant statements in the car world – whenever collectors hear that, they sit back and laugh. EVERY car on this big blue planet of ours is worth exactly what someone will pay. Sure, car collectors will ask high as a point of negotiation, but don’t expect someone offering an R34 GT-R NUR Spec  for $120,000 to come down to $80,000 just because that’s what YOU think it’s worth.

The fact is that unless you’re looking at auction prices daily, you really have NO IDEA what these cars are trading for. If that describes you, you need to either start studying more, or pick another car to buy.

This market doesn’t suffer fools.