Ok guys. As promised, I am now a proud GT-R owner.

a US-spec one, with special golden brown stiching on the seats, just like the cars that the UAE received 2 weeks ago.

Now, before pple start yelling for pics, I took a bunch of them, but of course I had to have forgotten the USB cable at home, so until this evening my time, I can't upload any pics (I am at work right now).

Needless to say, the car is a blast to drive. I do have a few comments to make:

1. the car makes all sorts of sounds at idle. It's all normal, and actually feels like a race car. Sounds emanating from the transmission, shafts, engine, etc... all normal.

2. it's stiff. things will rattle inside the cabin (to a certain extent of course). What I mean is, you will hear vibrations, some buzzing sounds. That's normal. It's not meant to be a luxury car. Just a word of warning to those who might think otherwise.

3. Driving in Auto transmission mode is annoying, even with the mode set to R. You look down at the speedo, driving at 20 mph, and all of a sudden u see the gear in 6th. I'm talking city driving here, of course. But most likely that's the preferred mode while wanting to cruise easily. Because manual mode is of course lovely (you have full control), but unless u shift down the gears, the car won't do it for u, so u have to remember to go say from 4th to 2nd if u slow to 5mph otherwise the pickup is awful

4. My salesman is telling me that setting the VDC mode to OFF will void the warranty. WTF ???? I am calling bullshit on that. Why would Nissan put a VDC mode OFF if that will void the warranty? He's saying that Nissan put that mode so that if you are stuck in mud / slippery terrain, u need VDC off to get going again. I'm calling bullshit on this one. Thoughts appreciated.

5. He's also saying that there's a black box that pretty much records a lot of data (actually there's also a paragraph in the user's manual about this) so that it can be analyzed by Nissan in case of a problem. God knows if they won't use all this info against u if u've abused the car in any way. Privacy concious pple, beware.

6. I received a special booklet with a printed sheet personally signed by Kazutoshi Mizuno. Naysayers about the Nissan GT-R VVIP program, here's pretty much the answer to your suspicions. See the image below for further details.

7. The engine sound note is very pretty, mild but pretty. I really, really like it. The exhaust note is mellow, it's definitely not intrusive, but it's easily hearable. I had my worries about the exhaust note, but right now, even keeping the RPMs under 3k (break-in), I'm ok with it. Let's see how long that's gonna last

Camera pictures will come this evening when I get back from work.

K.

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Congratulations!!!! What are the details of this VIP program? Are there any other unique features besides the gold trim?

As far as I know, so far the only thing I know about the VVIP program:

1. Gold trimmed leather seats
2. Gold trimmed door handles
3. Gold trimmed door sills.

(the gold is actually a light browned color, very pretty. I had my doubts in the pictures, but real-life looks amazing).

4. various accessories included, like GT-R floormats, keychain, tool box (whoopidooo, nice to have, but don't really care much about all that)

Basically, the VVIP program is basically a way for Nissan to make a little bit more money on people that want the car before everyone else. That's why they call it "special".

Maybe, MAYBE other hidden items are only part of the VVIP program, but either Nissan did not publicly disclose the info, or I can't find anything else at this point. But so far, I've only owned the car for a few hours so that's all I can see up to now

Also, about that VDC warranty void I mentioned in my original post, here's a scanned copy of the user's manual, 1ST PARAGRAPH AFTER THE TABLE OF CONTENTS !!!
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So it's stated right there in the user's manual.

K.

You think you can take a video of the interior while its on idle? I'd like to hear the interior sounds.

Congrats! Looking forward to some pics/driving impressions.

I see you have an english owners manual. Feel free to post up some scans if your bored someday.

Interesting that turning the VDC off will void the warranty. Not really surprised they don't want to cover cars that have been raced. But having an easily accessible switch on the dash you can't use is interesting. If this holds true here, i can see alot of people voiding their warranties (i assume just the powertrain portion?) without even knowing it. How many will skip over that portion and not even realize it?

Where are you located that you have your GT-R already???

Well that is really cool.

I am located in Beirut, Lebanon.




Unfortunately I don't have a video cam. Even if I did, I can assure you that you will not be hearing anything worthwile. The sounds are so subtle that even a camera sound wouldn't be able to pick them up. You'll have to hear them yourself 1st hand.



Hehe I will try to do my best Owner's manual is in english (it's the US manual version, exactly what you'll be getting). The only extra is the "Owner's manual Supplement" which is written in english, and also in Arabic. (Basically talks about the Middle East market differences with US (sat nav, audio, bluetooth, etc...). Nothing special.

K.

FYI, odometer at time of drive-off was 32 mi. Well within the allowed specs from Nissan.

Is tracking the car the same as racing it? What about an autocross? The drag strip? Will the warranty voidness be in the states as well?

Geez, they are pushing it here. Are they trying to scare us out of a purchase? I am concerned this car is going to be fragile and the only way they could address it is with all sorts of requirements and restrictions. "Your car broke down? Oh well it isn't covered because you drove it over 500 miles since you last had it serviced. Also we noticed you exceeded 1G while turning and braking. We don't actually allow you to match our performance numbers."

Unbelievable.... I'm not saying its not true... But that is unbelievable... This has to be first in automotive history.... Pressing a button on the dashboard voids the warranty on your car. That will never hold up in a court of law...

So as I was saying, page "GTR-2" of the Owner's Manual talks about warranty, that includes the VDC OFF mode (a copy was scanned in my previous posts).

Reading page "GTR-5", it says:

PRECAUTIONS BEFORE DRIVING
------------------------------------

VEHICLE DYNAMIC CONTROL (VDC) OFF MODE

Make sure VDC is on before driving the vehicle. The VDC OFF mode should only be used to help free a vehicle stuck in mud or snow by temporarily stopping VDC operation and keeping torque on wheels.


--- END EXTRACT ---

There you have it, people. But of course, if you press down the button for a second or so, it shuts off VDC without even warning you on the MFD or odometer about the VDC OFF precautionary measure.

So, RTFM before driving !!!!!!

K.

CONGRATS

The stiffness in the suspension may go away after ~ 1200 miles or so.

We experienced the same thing with two Q 45's (touring models)...

The ride was very stiff & bouncy, until the suspension settled in.

The warranty void when "VDC off" is normal.

Case in point: my Acura RL has a software glitch where pressing VDC once will disable VDC (yellow triangle w/ "!" point).

Pressing it again sometimes does NOT turn it back on.

The legal verbiage above is to protect Nissan from things like this (and many other things of course).

Im almost certain that if anything should happen, as in clutch going bad or other parts being serviced proved to be going bad, they will look in the black box and see if you've been driving with the VDC off and void your warranty and your parts claim.

It's a protection for Nissan, considering replacing any part on this car will most certain cost a lot. They don't need your to create problems by not following manual and still claim warranty.

This is pretty funny. Here is one of the best track cars ever made but if you take it to the track the warrenty is voided. Doesn't sounds like Nissan is too confident in their first American Supercar.

Agreed. This would never stand up in court. An owners manual is not a legal contract anyway. I will use the car with the VDC off and if it blows the clutch in the first month I will sue to have it replaced. This is like getting an insurance policy that excludeds accidents. Give me a break.

Well said......

4. My salesman is telling me that setting the VDC mode to OFF will void the warranty. WTF ???? I am calling bullshit on that. Why would Nissan put a VDC mode OFF if that will void the warranty? He's saying that Nissan put that mode so that if you are stuck in mud / slippery terrain, u need VDC off to get going again. I'm calling bullshit on this one. Thoughts appreciated.

5. He's also saying that there's a black box that pretty much records a lot of data (actually there's also a paragraph in the user's manual about this) so that it can be analyzed by Nissan in case of a problem. God knows if they won't use all this info against u if u've abused the car in any way. Privacy concious pple, beware.



Congrats on your GTR ! Look forward to your experiences....

The "black box" thing is common place even in the motorcycles....one of my bikes that had minor problem (gasket leak they fixed it). The tech mentioned that I had it pass "redline" 27 times and had a top speed of 110 mph or something....I ride with him sometimes so that wasn't a problem.... he fixed it...but it made me realize that they know the history once they plug into the dreaded "black box" I guess. Nissan is no different it seems... Anyone that is a mechanic / tech... true ?

I'm home. So here are a few pictures. Exterior shots only from the front, I just realized no one took any from the rear. Oh well.

Oh yeah.... you might see "Paris" written on the storefront of a shop. But not I'm not in France, I'm indeed in Beirut, Lebanon

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2 more ...

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MFD + odometer at time of drive-off.

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Isn't part of their ENTIRE grassroots marketing campaign that the car is built to be driven hard? Why else would you put 14" Brembos on the car?

Congrats on your early delivery!!! I like those tan trimmings!

Looks great!! Titanium to, i like this color more and more everytime i see it.

I believe this makes you the first person on the site to take delivery of a US-Spec GT-R.

Chuck,

Titanium grey looks MUCH better in real life than in the pictures. You really have to see it in the flesh to appreciate the nuances. You basically are getting 2 colors in one: dark metal grey, for those greyish / darker environments like a cloudy day or interior parking garage / night driving, and titanium brown color for those sunny days under bright light conditions.

That's exactly what I experienced today (and I wanted dark metal grey, at first ).


And yayyy for being the 1st person on the site I'll try to contribute as much as I can !!!

Congratulations! Your car looks spectacular.

Could you take close up shots of the door handles and door sills? I'd like to see how different they look than stock.

Thanks

Congratulations on your car. Very nice. Titanium is probably the best color for the gold/brown accents. Looks great together.

As far as all of this warranty voiding talk. It really does sound like they are saying, if you use the car as it was built to be used, Nissan wants to void your warranty.

I would love to see a Japanese manual to find out if they are using the same wording on voiding your warranty if you change anything on the car, or if you drive the car aggressively and do something absolutely crazy like turn VDC off so you can have a little more fun in your GT-R.

NickTO,

I'll take close-ups pics tomorrow. I'll try to get you both an outside light photo, and a garage light photo.

I'll have a maintenance schedule scan for all you guys to see. It's exactly what you'll get, being a US-spec car.

Oh, and for those still out to lunch on the side markers not being JDM white, well I gotta say one thing: if you have titanium grey (or even dark metal grey) as your car color, think hard before you decide to get the clear markers. The U.S. ones actually give the car a different and distinct look. The red rear marker adds wow factor (and complements the tail lights), whereas the front one REALLY complements the brembo brakes.

My thoughts.

KKR75, what is the allowed spec from Nissan?

Fellow Lebanese here

Is there a big waiting list in Lebanon and how much are they selling it if you don't mind me asking.


Mabrook

so did you buy this car from US then shipped to Lebanon? Or did you buy a US-Spec car from a Nissan dealership in Lebanon? If the car originally came from US, then that means a dealer in the US sold a GTR a month ago. I dont doubt that you have a GTR and Lebabon, congratulations on that. I'm just trying to figure out what excuse I can come up with to get a GTR NOW!

Enjoy in good health

I'm thinking you didn't read his posts. He's part of the VVIP program and that is not in the US. At least, not yet anyway. ;)

(so no, it wasn't a US car shipped from the US to him. It was shipped from Japan to where he lives in Lebanon)

Kick ass on getting your car! If you have the ability to take some higher res photos, it would be greatly appreciated.

Given the tan accent trim, and the O.P.'s explanation, he received a model for VVIP directly from Nissan to select dealer/customers. It's a US Spec model, but never destined to the US, so it did not come from a US dealer, but was shipped directly to select people (so far I've only seen this trim in the Middle East) so they could enjoy it ahead of the vehicle launch in their region (mid 2009).

EVOLVE,

I did not buy the car from the US. I bought it from my Nissan dealership in Lebanon, who got it directly from Nissan Japan. This is a US spec car (as opposed to a Middle-East spec one) because it is an early batch special edition car (also called "VVIP" car). You can read about that from my 1st post on this thread, look at the attachment. The regular Middle-East spec car will not be on sale here until early 2009.

NourZ, greetings. I heard today that yes there is a waiting list, I have no clue how long it is. I was the 1st one in line for the car, got my deposit in early, and left it at that. The car's cost is about the same as in the US, but then you have to factor in shipping, taxes, and customs duties. That alone will double the price of the car (custom duties here suck). But then you make up for that by a huge reduction in income taxes compared to in the US, so it pretty much washes out.

Congrats on the GT-R arrival!! It looks amazing, really liking the special trim.

-Andrew

fucking awesome!!!



Love that color..was my first choice initially, after your pictures, i can say that either way i wouldnt have gone wrong. Too bad the fucking nissan aholes couldnt get us the option of golden/red bolsters..

Those pictures look photoshopped......thats what " tyndago " would say lol.

Congrats dude!!! Must be a joy driving it in lebanon!

How much does a GT-R cost in Lebanon ?

i'll try to get clarification on the VDC wording from NNA.

Mabrook! ( congrats )

love how the colors suit each other, great choice.

PLEASE DO!! how the fuck is this going to fly? it makes NO sense! here we are paying 70K before taxes for an ultimate "supercar" (according to Nissan), and they won't allow us to drive with VDC off? what a load of bullshit... how did this rule pass?

total rubbish...

but taking nissan to court over it, don't get too cocky, they've got a band of lawyers, and failsafes. I'm sure they have a perfectly 'LEGAL' explenation as to why the owner shouldn't drive with VDC switched off for long periods of time....


dammit

congrats btw dude! color looks so unique!

Congrads!
The Tan trim does look great with the Ti color.
just a quickie here <G>..what is the recommended octane requirement suggested for your car? Here in Canada, Autocar wrote the suggested Min octane is 93.
Cheers and safe driving!

I think you misunderstood.. I think the entire world did..

Carlos Goshn said it best <under his breath> we can void the GT-R warranty to</under his breath> "ANYONE , ANYWHERE AT ANYTIME!"

I think the major point is that VDC has to be off in order to enable launch control, so with one launch your warranty is void.

Another blatantly false statement! It's amazing how fast these threads distort reality

I think the REALITY of the matter is as follows

if you use the launch control (a feature, that is automated by the onboard mega computer, and just engages when u tell it to) and break something in the process, then Nissan have the choice to not replace the effected areas. Probably they look at the history of your driving style (then again, how else other than 'spirited' would you drive this car??) and if they find a trend that indicated premature breakeage - then you're on your own..

but if this is an isolated case, or close to it, then they (again) have the choice to show you some mercy...

I understand nissan covering their asses, but this might be a tad overboard. Imagine Nissan pull the same shit with the V-spec!!! TRAGEDY!!!

How is this false? Sure it may not void it immediately. If I use launch control one time and something breaks and it voids my warranty I will not be pleased. If Nissan tells me I cannot use launch control nor track the car then I won't buy the car. I am not plunking down $75K to drive a car that many others can match in performance(based on Nissan's restrictions and where I am allowed to drive) and for less money.

And yeah I realize I can do what I want but I am talking about retaining my warranty..

I am sure the dealer GMs were coached to tell us all these rules and restrictions and probably have us sign something.

I really hope all of this is false though...

PS - this is another reason why I wanted a manual tranny - no need for launch control(for some of us) and I can drive the way I want to...

Here is my solution to all of this. Yes, as many of you know, I was all over the modification boat on the GT-R. I have now come to the conclusion that, not one single piece of aftermarket gear is going to touch my GT-R until I have at least 10,000 miles on the car. At that point, I will evaluate what I have learned about the GT-R and make my decision to modify what Nissan has built, or to leave it alone. Honestly, since I am buying this one primarily as a street car/daily driver, and since Nissan keeps stressing against modifying it in any way, I want to experience, un-molested by tuner hands, what Nissan has really spent the last 6 years creating. I want to see and feel the GT-R in all it's glory, as Nissan intended it to be.

Yes, I have $15K in aftermarket parts ready to bolt on, but those parts will not touch the car on the road until I have completed at least 10K on the odometer. At that point, I will evaluate the situation. If I think, from my driving the GT-R is lacking then I will start swapping parts and experimenting.

Why the change of heart towards modifications. Well, to be honest, I want to see where all of these claims on the fact that the GT-R is, the way it is delivered from the factory, as good as it's going to get are true. Maybe.... Just maybe, for my driving ability, they are true. I am willing to give Nissan the benefit of the doubt on this. I love modifying cars, but I also, to be very honest, love what Nissan has already done with this car.

About the whole VDC issue. I can live with it.

This is getting ridiculous. It's almost as if NNA is starting to back away from wanting to sell this car. The initial hype (no doubt due in part to their efforts to flood forums and blogs with performance news) was huge, pulled a ton of people in, and now we hear that just about any effort to make this vehicle perform as initially promised will void the warranty??? These cars are built for enthusiasts; enthusiasts love to mod their vehicles; and Nissan knew this (hell, they provided cars to tuners and basically said "have at it"). Now, none of this is allowed and you can't even use buttons on the dash??? Damn, if they don't want to support their product, then why bother bringing it to North America and why bother selling it?

Not at all. You are buying an 80K car that has been in development for what, six years. How about we give it a chance first before we say it needs any modification at all. What the hell did they spend all that time in development for. Shooting craps out back of the factory. This isn't GM.

Give the car a chance stock and if your jaw isn't resting in your lap and the end of a few thousand miles. Well, maybe 6 years of development aren't enough for you. Me, I am giving 6 years of Nissan R&D 10,000 mile before I make a decision. That is coming from someone who has already paid of their car and purchased 15K in aftermarket parts that are going to be shelved until I have tested the car very thoroughly as Nissan built it. So, Scott in FL. Are you willing to bet that a stock GT-R with VDC engaged (so no fear of possibly voiding the warranty) won't wont walk on stock Z06 in any factory setting it cares to select?

Think about what you are saying. I think that is where the problem lies. It did with me for months even years as I prepared for the arrival of the GT-R I knew I would buy. Nissan nor any Japanese manufacturer has built a super car, hell, any car to this level. How many people do you see, taking home a 911 turbo and modifying the hell out of it??? Well, the answer is, a very small percentage of actual owners. For most, and the same will be with the GT-R because it is exactly on that level (actually higher). For 98% of the GT-R buyers out there, this car, as delivered from the factory, will be more than they can handle. Modifications become a fools game if you are trying to make the car faster if you can't even drive it in stock form to 100% of its potential.

Are you really that good? If you really want the car, buy it like I am. Do not touch what Nissan has given you for a set number of miles. Make it realistic, I set mine at 10,000 miles. Then, report back and tell us all about your 10,000 mile experience in the R35. You will see from me, a 10,000 mile report in less than six months of receipt. I like to drive.