I found a 2010 GTR brand new which can hopefully be had for about 7K off sticker of 84K or wait for 2012 at close to sticker of about 92K. Which would you pick and why?
Jim

You should get better then 7K off, I know I am getting better then that.

From what I have seen you should be able to get closer to $12k off of the 2010.

I had a 2011 and now have the 2012. There are a few things I like better in the 2012 like the better nav screen (my '11 actually had this, but I've seen a '10 and the quality isn't as good), darker interior trim with real carbon fiber on the center stack, the wheels and the new front end that would be expensive to add to an older car. The extra power is nice, but you can get more with a mid-pipe and tune on a '10 for around $2k so this wouldn't be enough to sway me to the '12. I haven't had my car long enough to comment on the suspension refinements, but I do know that my new car rides better in comfort mode. Also, the added launch control will be nice for impressing my friends.

If you are a person like me who keeps car pretty much stock then the 2012 upgrades might be worth the extra money. If you plan to mod then the '10 might make more sense as you will have extra money left to do mods.

Cabinetman. That is a great review. Thank you. I am leaning toward ordering the 2012-hopefully one without radiation contamination! Do you know by any chance what were the years of the launch control feature voiding the transmission warranty? Thanks again.
Jim

Jim,

The 2009s were introduced with an unofficial launch control referred to by most as LC1. This launch control required the traction control to be disabled and Nissan claimed it was never supposed to be used for launching the car after transmissions started to break. The launch control was changed part way through the 2009 production run into what is referred to as LC2. This launch control worked with the traction control enabled, but gave inconsistent results and a much lower launch RPM. The 2011 GT-R's featured LC3, which was never really publicly acknowledged by Nissan. It worked like LC2, with the traction control and transmission in R mode, but gave pretty consistent launches at about 3200 RPM. The 2012 has LC4, which allows up to 4 launches in a row at over 4000RPM and then you need to drive a bit to cool things down in the transmission before it becomes enabled again.

The 2010 you are looking at has LC2. Most 2009s that came with the original LC1 were flashed with the updated launch control either before they left the lot or when the cars were brought in for service.

Hmmm. Maybe this explains why new 2010 is still on the showroom floor. Thank you again.
Jim

I wouldn't let the less than stellar performance of the LC2 in the 2010 scare me away. Unless you drag race, launch control is more of a novelty than anything else. I've had three cars with launch control and so far I have found myself rarely using it. Also, if you plan to tune the car you can get updated launch control options via the Cobb Accessport.

Most 2010s that are still sitting on dealer lots are due either to location or dealers that tried to mark the cars up over MSRP.

If you are leaning toward a 2012 I recommend you try to find one soon. From what i understand, the original run of roughly 750 2012 Premiums destined for the US have been built and are either already here or soon will me. I know that my VIN ends in 0599 so it would appear this is the case. The next batch of cars will be Black Editions and most of those have been pushed back due to the tragedy in Japan. It seems likely that if you don't get one of the first batch of cars then you will likely be waiting until the end of summer at least.

Thank you again for your help and insights Cabinetman. Do you have any thoughts on the value added of the 'Black Edition'? I think I have read some negatives about the seats and I have always liked the Recaro buckets.
Jim

seeing you in CA if your dealing with Mossy I can see why they only offer 7k off..
they never seem to care if they sell cars or not..and they own almost every dealer in san diego.

Hi. Actually dlr I am looking at is in Santa Barbara, but I am sure that is probably the case with them-they waited just a little too long to get top dollar!

To me the added cost of the black edition wasn't worth it. For $5k you get different seats, some red trim, a dark headliner and spec V wheels. I think the stock seats are just fine for my 6'1" 200 lbs frame and I like the premium wheels better than the spec V even if they are a little heavier. With that said, I've never seen a black edition in person.

Cabinetman's comments are spot on. I'd recommend the 2012 (Black Edition at that). Just because this is what I'm contemplating, already having an '09.

The wife and I just came from the dealership yesterday, and a super silver premium was there - beautiful. The lines, though minor, slightly transform the vehicle.

The improvements are a lot of little things, that add up to a completely different car (outside AND in). All that being said, the wife and I are in yet more serious deliberations about our next real car (track beaters aside), starting all over from an R8, 911, XKR, Maserati GT, Vantage, etc... It is never ending. A big part of me just wants to hold off until the next gen GT-R comes out (keeping my '09 until then).

The LC2 definitely did not scare me away from buying my 2010 last December. I got mine for about $6000 off sticker price. I probably could have gotten more off on the price, but then again, I decided a good relationship with my local dealer has bought me many more thousands of dollars of future goodwill than I would have gained on a lower price.

Yeah! +10 on the Cobb Accessport for engine and transmission control, even though I have not bought one yet. It however mollified my desire to get a 2012 with LC4 and the 14 ft. lb. of extra torque. In reality, the reduced launch RPMs on a 2010 may not be such a bad idea, especially if you plan to increase the whp of the car later. I worry about overall longevity due to the increased stress on the power train at 4000 RPM LC4 launches if one adds more whp. And I agree, the launch control is a novelty for use at the drag strip and did not influence me at all. Fun once or twice, and that's about it. Better to use it during the snow storms in Florida.

Also, I have yet to see any published 0-60 mph times for the MY2012 GT-R without using its LC4 launch control (which accounts for about 99.99% of driving for most people). I suspect that without using launch control, the 14 ft. lb. of extra torque in a 2012 vs a 2010 (or 2011) will not improve 0-60 times significantly. However, I await correction on this matter.

Three of the six seconds on the Nurburgring for a 2012 (7:20) vs 2010 (7:26) I will give to its increased engine bhp. The remaining three seconds I will give to its new suspension. If you gave a 2010 the larger mid-pipe and a Cobb Accessport tune, I think a 2010 is dead even with a stock 2012. Spend the extra cash saved in buying a 2010 on new coil-overs, shocks, sway bars, and exhaust and I will hope for a lot more fun later on.

Also, I wonder if a 2010 GT-R with a factory set caster of 5.0 may actually have nimbler handling characteristics (but more understeer) on the smaller less speedier tracks vs a 2012 with a factory set caster of 6.0. Any thoughts?

i just bought a 2012 from nissan of queens in ny and it was about 88k. i believe they have a new leftover one also that they would be very 'motivated' to sell. i would call them before you decide. ask for anthony or zully.