GoldZilla

I'd take an M5 over the M6 - personally I think the 6-series is fugly. Choosing between all of those though, would be hard... Can I have two of each?

Shan, have you posted the mags out to me yet? If so, what day, please? I still haven't received anything, should I be ringing my post office?

Agreed! If you don't have a Sportivo model, then fair enough. All the motoring mags agree that the Sportivo suspension should have been the ONLY suspension spec released in that series of Camry... My old man has an '03 Sportivo, and if it wasn't for the fact that he chose a 4cyl auto, it would be a (much more) fun car to drive. It ain't perfect, but apart from the lack of power, I'd rather drive that than the Audi A4 1.8T that my oldies also own (which, unfortunately, is also an auto - TipTronic is NOT the same as a manual). The Audi is too stiff and can hop about in the arse end when you hit a bump mid-corner, throwing the car off-line (even in normal day-to-day driving). Back on topic... Toyota know exactly how to market themselves to the world. They make a reliable, non-offensive product which suits the majority of the market who are just after better-than-average transport, and then they market the hell out of it to catch the eyes of this target demographic group.

Clint, I believe it's DB1250 for the front, and DB1144 for the rear, assuming you're still running the standard s1 brakes. Unfortunately, they're only two-spot brakes on the front, and one-spots on the rear, as opposed to 4-spot F and 2-spot R on the R32 GT-R and GTSt, and R33 GTSt.

Nice, Yudy! I would love to know what that feels like in a Stagea...

http://www.car2max.com/topgear.html

There's a dark green Datto 1200 wagon around the corner from my house that's for sale, drop your SR into that and go from there! Lower it a bit and get the suspension sorted, and you'll have another (super light) track weapon on your hands again! (Actually, I've been wanting to get some photos of this car with mine alongside - it's almost the same colour as my car, and a shot of old school wagon next to new school wagon would look tops, I reckon!)

Congratulations Paul (and family)!

Spotted a gunmetal 4-door R33 parked at the Mobil servo opposite St Martin's Village in Blacktown - seen it there a few times...

Looks good Ando, a job well done! Great colour, and the CR Kai's set it off perfectly...

The secret's out: Liz is getting a Stagea... ...maybe!?!?!

Yeah I know, Simon. I was referring to how having different widths would require different tyre profiles front and rear, so you can get the same rolling diameter... I've always preferred having the same size all around - saves you carrying two different spares (not that there'd be room in the spare wheel well of the Stagea, but old habits die hard). All good

If you're willing to divulge where the car is located, you might get a few people willing to go and look at it for you, who knows - I'm assuming you're interstate? I think Manwhore has a point, if you've got a gut feeling that the car isn't quite right, then don't buy it. Then again, if you can't actually see it and inspect it for yourself, then it's not going to be easy to test this. The Stagea I bought just over 15 months ago was the first I'd actually driven (even though I'd had a look at a few and had been doing my research), and it just felt "right" straight away. I haven't regretted the decision in the least! Trust your instincts - if the car looks to be well-maintained, and you like what you see, then have them make the required repairs and buy it. And if you want a 4-door manual GT-t, then wait it out until you find the right one. You shouldn't really rush into a purchase just because your finance is sorted already (use the trip to Sydney to look around a bit first if you have doubts about the car you've got your eyes on). If you can afford to wait a bit longer, why not import one to your specs - you might not be able to see it and drive it yourself, but the Japanese auction reports are fairly informative, and almost always list the number of kms the car has done. Ring or email a few importers (J-Spec, Prestige, etc.) and get them to put you on a temporary auction email alert - for around a week, they'll send you a list of cars about to be auctioned so that if you see something you like, you can get them to make a bid for it according to your budget. You're saying you don't know your imports well enough, but your N14 Pulsar was fully imported by Nissan anyway, so unless you've had it since new and bought it from a Nissan dealer, looking for a Skyline won't be much different to that. Use the Buyer's Guide that Sam (Sl!m) linked to, and that should help quite a bit. Onto the issues you've listed: - generally, tyres are a minor problem. As long as they're wearing pretty evenly, then don't worry. If the car's been complianced, it should really have new tyres on it anyway (or less worn-out ones, at the very least) as part of the compliance process. - wheel repair is also a minor problem, and a tie-rod can be replaced fairly cheaply. Both of these might have had an impact on the tyre wear. - power steering fluid too high, and some minor oil leaks around the top of the engine? These shouldn't really be a problem, maybe they overfilled the PS reservior, and spilled some engine oil when they replaced the fluids (which I believe is compulsory within the compliance process). If the engine is cleaned and run, you should be able to discover quickly enough if the oil leak is going to occur again. - shock absorber fluid leakage and torn boots are easy fixes too - replacement is an easy option. (Shock absorbers are usually sold in pairs anyway.) - odometer and speedometer not working is a bit dicey. It could be a replacement, who knows? See if the dealer has a copy of the auction report sheet, which should state the kilometres travelled when it went to auction. Maybe the kilometres ARE genuine, but what's not to say that the car hasn't spent most of its life stuck in traffic, travelling short distances most of the time, so engine wear (at the very least) is still a factor. What works to your advantage in any situation like this is that firstly, they will be paying for the repairs before you pick the car up; and secondly, any problems (whether major or minor) are always a bargaining tool for you to get a better price on the car. If they're not repaired, REFUSE to take delivery of the car - I've heard that some dodgy dealers can later blame the damage on you, or say that there was no problem in the first place, or "pretend" that they forgot about a problem, in the hope that you would too! If THEY refuse to compromise and fix a problem, why should YOU have to compromise and take a car which is not up to the standards that you'd agreed to. Show them that you're not going to be taken advantage of! If the car looks like it was taken care of by its previous owner(s) and there are no other signs of abuse or wear-and-tear that go against the K's shown, then you may have a winner.

According to my experience, the s1 R33 Skyline turbo and s1 Stagea turbos are different, as are the numbers on the compressor housing. Also, in the shots I took, the wastegate looks bigger on the Stagea turbo, but this may not be the case, and I didn't think to measure it at the time either. The s1 R33 turbo was marked with 45V3, but my blown Stagea one was marked 45V4. The numbers on the turbine side were the same as what you mentioned (2IU). (The s1 R33 turbo is on the left in both shots...) Going by the information we've all shared here in the forum, the s1 Stagea uses an s2 R33 Skyline engine, which makes sense since the Stagea was released during the time the s2 R33 was being built. It also means it also gets the s2 R33's plastic compressor wheel. I blew a turbo just over a year ago, and replaced it with a second-hand standard s1 R33 turbo with steel compressor wheel. The compressor was in millions of bits, it completely sheared the shaft in two, and the turbine wheel was chipped on three blades. (Budget and time didn't give me much choice back then, unfortunately, so I took what was available and it's been fine so far...)

Sorry I couldn't make it Andrew, but it sounds like you all had a good night. And if what Adam says is really the rules, then Hooters it is! Whose birthday is next?

I like the wing as well... 18x8s all round? Really? I thought the V35's with these wheels came with 8" front and 9" rears. Maybe you got lucky! Did you buy them, or were they on the car already?

That's about the time where most of my mornings start too!

Nice! I absolutely love those wheels! They have to be the hottest factory alloys I've EVER seen. I'd love a set of those for my car - maybe get two sets so I could have the same size front and rear (so as not to upset the ATTESA, even though I could compensate with the correct tyre width and profile choice), and either sell one set off or keep them as spares for track days or whatever. 350GT wheels FTW!!!!!!111!!!!!

Happy (early) birthday, Andrew! I was keen to come along, but was stuck under the bonnet of a car in the heat today (helping my old man), and didn't stop until around 6.30pm, by which time I was too exhausted to move for quite a while. Ended up just going to visit my cousin who's just returned from travelling for 4yrs - she lives 5mins from me, so staying local was an easy option. Oh, and figure this one out: You're not drunk enough until you're leaning heavily against a wall, your feet are not touching the ground for some reason, and you DON'T remember jumping...

The Stagea is great! I have absolutely no regrets, and can't see myself in another car for quite a few years if ever I decide to change. If anything, I'll probably keep this car and buy another. It's great to own a car that's decently quick, practical, and isn't cop or thief bait. Mine's a series 1 with manual conversion (using a 32 GT-R box), and there's only three things I dislike about it: weight (roughly 200kgs more than an R33); the clutch (if you've ever driven with a heavy button clutch, you'll know what I mean); and the fuel consumption (which I hope to sort with a PFC and tune). I bought it as it is now, the only thing I've done is replace a turbo - still a standard one, but off an s1 R33. The s1 Stagea uses an s2 R33 engine, and the s2 Stagea uses the Neo RB25DET. More info here, if you haven't already seen it! My exhaust is loud too - 3" from the cat converter back, with a cannon - but I'm getting used to it (finally, after a year!) and I think it's actually getting quieter some how. Even my old man commented on this yesterday... Can I suggest JDM-34C as plates? lol

You're very, very lucky, Mike! Good to hear you were pretty much unharmed. If you were doing the speed limit when he passed and hit you, you should also make a report to the cops (if you haven't already). If he was speeding and/or being careless, then he shouldn't get away with it. I guess this will also be a reminder to everyone to stay out of another car's blind-spots, and especially NEVER EVER stay next to a truck (no matter how small) even on a straight stretch of road. Hmm, I know where you're coming from Wayne, but I still have a lot of respect for (most) truck drivers. Imagine having to account for the d!ckhead drivers we ALL encounter on a daily basis, at the same time as manouvering 40-odd tons of vehicle along Parramatta Road, Pennant Hills Road, or Victoria Road. I hate driving these stretches even when there are only other cars around, god only knows how trucks manage to pass each other without touching... Some people have no idea of how long and far it would take to stop something that weighs so much, how much extra room they need to make a turn. Hence why you never jump in front of a truck when you're approaching a set of lights, or undercut a truck while you're going through a turn. Of course there are always idiots on the road, but there's just as many car drivers (and motorbike riders) as there are truckies, who are just plain stupid!

I think proper driver training is the most reasonable and effective option, but who knows if the Govt will ever consider this - it means they'll have to spend money instead of filling their pockets with ridiculous pay rises and post-political career Super schemes. Maybe the driver training should also include some attitude awareness and training, with someone (a psychologist, maybe?) aboard to help steer the attitudes of the trainees so they can realise the consequences of their actions if they do something dangerous and/or stupid. Harold Scruby may be full of good intention, but he is in ABSOLUTELY NO WAY qualified to comment on probably 99% of the issues he gets himself tangled up in, nor is he going about it the right way to get people (except the super-conservatives and do-gooders and know-it-alls) on side. Oh, and IIRC, NRMA stands for National Roads and Motorists Association, which should mean they'd be looking out for us. Instead they seem to be politically grand-standing, and buckling under the pressure of the opinions of their shareholders (and, therefore, trying to dig deeper into their pockets and make more money).

She's trying to discombobulate you , Sam.

SK, is there any way to "trick" the R34 OFC to run in an on-off mode? Like maybe set the parameters to fully-switched on or fully-switched off where appropriate, instead of having values running up and down on a scale? Oh, and should I disconnect the battery before unplugging and removing my ECU?

Awesome, thanks dude!