Should I Get This One?

[D3RV]

Hey guys I've been looking at stagea's for a while and wanted to go halves with my parents to get one. They would use it for a work car now and then and I'd use it as my daily driver.

I'm looking at series 2's since I need to compromise with my parents (My parents only drive auto's and I drive a manual), therefore tiptronic would be the best option.

I went to an import garage today, and browsed a few stageas, I test drove a series 2 and it really went. I could really hear the turbo spool (exciting ). Closest thing I could compare it to is a 2006 sport wrx wagon.

Well since my parents say they need it to be in WA (need to test drive it, inspect etc.) and they don't trust anything on the net, I was wondering if you guys would put the thumbs up or down to the price on this one.

The car I drove today and am looking at is: here

One thing I didn't understand... is I asked the salesman if both S1 and S2 feel the same when you drive them. He said when he drove them the power is identical, I then said really.. even with the 40 odd kw difference, then he replied oh they 'feel the same'.... I then thought maybe, if so the S2 would only excell when really putting your foot down.

Positives of this particular stag:

Nice kit

Feels great driving it

Nice little extra sub in the back

Saw a small camera just under rear wing

Series 2

Interior pristine condition.

Negatives -

Few small scratches/smudges on the body.

Custom grill sticks out a little and eyelids look a little tacky in person.

Moderate km's.

Lcd screen on inside is in japanese with a japanese remote and book ><

I was also wondering guys, when I looked at the engine, the inside of the hood, the foam... protection was a little worn, which looks like to be from the engine heat.. is this normal?

Sorry about this post being all over the place guys, just wanted to write all I could remember while it was still fresh. Thanks in advance guys

-Dervish

[IMPORTD]

PM sent

[Appealing]

Hi Dervish

Missing quite a bit of info there..... like which import place? Where are you? Photo's? How many km's on car?

What colour is it?

AND most important what price they asking?

Answer these, we'll answer yours

John

Edited December 23, 2006 by Appealing

[Appealing]

Sorry Dervish I just found your link, on your post.

Hmm looks ok, at 133,000 km you need to realise that this is high km's as far an import is concerned. The auto's in the Stagea are really a throw awa item, as they are verey expensive to rebuild, and may strat showing faults at this km's. The car looks ok, BUT only you can make the decision about the buy. $21990, is ok for an S2. The power by the way is a fair bit more, but the same power can be acheived from an S1 easily. Economy can be very different. You could get a similar car for about $15,000 (or less) straight from the auctions (on road), you will probably get a better one actually as you would choose lower km cars. All the dealers are running a business, and need to make profit and cover warranty claims etc. I would look at it very carefully, maybe if you can trade a car on it or get it down a bit, it would be a good buy. I took 3 months to choose my car, $24,000 and another 2 months to get it here (not here yet). (see post "it's gonna be a Blue 2007).

So I reckon the car you looked at is a good alternative.

Dont forget to check out private cars for sale on this site .

Ciao

John

[D3RV]

Hey John, I'm not sure if you've clicked on the link, but the link has pics, km's of car, price.

Import Place is - Autowholesale and I'm in Perth WA

Thanks =)

Hi Dervish

Missing quite a bit of info there..... like which import place? Where are you? Photo's? How many km's on car?

What colour is it?

AND most important what price they asking?

Anwer these, we'll anwer yours

John

[ian]

Sorry Dervish I just found your link, on your post.

Hmm looks ok, at 133,000 km you need to realise that this is high km's as far an import is concerned. The auto's in the Stagea are really a throw awa item, as they are verey expensive to rebuild, and may strat showing faults at this km's.

Actually I slightly disagree on two points

1) many import cars have this many km's - you just don't know it as they have been 'wound back'. Indeed, the same applies to many of the cars in the Trading Post. In itself, IF the car is in good condition and has been taken care of, the km's aren't a problem

which brings me to 2) I don't think the auto transmission a 'throw away' at this km's - particularly the better one in the series 2 (the MAT). Everything I've heard says they are quite well made, and if taken care of (ie oil!) should be fine multiples of this many km's...

One thing (out of many) that you should look at on this car is has the timming belt been changed?

Ian

[CruiseLiner]

i agree with Ian, the kms mean bugger all, the kms are always dodgy and if u beleive every import has 67000km or 76000km u are a gullable person. 133 000km might just be legit kms and if its in good condition interior wise and body wise then u know its been looked after. do a comp test and leakdown test on the motor and u will know its health (workshop can do this for not very much $$). the auto will last for ages as well. to say these cars are gonna fall apart at 133 000km is not very true, i would think a proper looked after rb25/auto should clock 300 000km without many failures if serviced correctly and maybe the occasional water pump change or something, but the auto and engine wear will still be fine. (if its left standard im saying, not a moded one)

i think interior condition is the number 1 way to tell if its been looked after or treated like shit. paint isnt a good thing to look at because half of them have been resprayed or touched up by the dealer before u buy.

check for rust in back tailgate under the rubber seals at the bottom and under the rear view mirrors and do a leakdown/comp test and check the condition of the oil and coolant so see if its dirty or pull the oil cap off and look at the rockers and u will tell if oil changes were done on a regular basis because they willl be covered in gunky black goo if they didnt do them enough or clean as if its serviced properly.

importing one yourself has wayyy to many possibilites for problems in my opinion and i'd much rather see the car in person as u know exactly how good photos make cars look and in person they look soo tacky and shitty its not funny.

thats MY 2c worth

Edited December 23, 2006 by CruiseLiner

[Stinky Rooster]

Mate, I am guessing you will have got some "advice" dealing with the people you have mentioned, all I can say is that I just bought the first Stagea off the second company in Perth to get compliance and I can't recommend them highly enough.

Go and check out http://dcimports.com.au/ and have a chat to Regan and Shaun (tell them Dale sent you) and you will be on the road to what you want. My S1 came from them with a genuine 84K on the clock and the one problem I had with the car they were falling over themselves to fix. They changed my impression of car salesmen and I loved the fact that I could see and drive the car before I bought it so I know what you are saying.

Everything Brad says makes sense too (no matter how much you can / cannot trust the salesman) and have a close read of the buyers guide sticky. I used all this stuff to buy mine and I don't regret it for a minute.

Edited December 23, 2006 by newbie101

[Appealing]

i agree with Ian, the kms mean bugger all, the kms are always dodgy and if u beleive every import has 67000km or 76000km u are a gullable person. 133 000km might just be legit kms and if its in good condition interior wise and body wise then u know its been looked after. do a comp test and leakdown test on the motor and u will know its health (workshop can do this for not very much $$). the auto will last for ages as well. to say these cars are gonna fall apart at 133 000km is not very true, i would think a proper looked after rb25/auto should clock 300 000km without many failures if serviced correctly and maybe the occasional water pump change or something, but the auto and engine wear will still be fine. (if its left standard im saying, not a moded one)

i think interior condition is the number 1 way to tell if its been looked after or treated like shit. paint isnt a good thing to look at because half of them have been resprayed or touched up by the dealer before u buy.

check for rust in back tailgate under the rubber seals at the bottom and under the rear view mirrors and do a leakdown/comp test and check the condition of the oil and coolant so see if its dirty or pull the oil cap off and look at the rockers and u will tell if oil changes were done on a regular basis because they willl be covered in gunky black goo if they didnt do them enough or clean as if its serviced properly.

importing one yourself has wayyy to many possibilites for problems in my opinion and i'd much rather see the car in person as u know exactly how good photos make cars look and in person they look soo tacky and shitty its not funny.

thats MY 2c worth

Mate, I am guessing you will have got some "advice" dealing with the people you have mentioned, all I can say is that I just bought the first Stagea off the second company in Perth to get compliance and I can't recommend them highly enough.

Go and check out http://dcimports.com.au/ and have a chat to Regan and Shaun (tell them Dale sent you) and you will be on the road to what you want. My S1 came from them with a genuine 84K on the clock and the one problem I had with the car they were falling over themselves to fix. They changed my impression of car salesmen and I loved the fact that I could see and drive the car before I bought it so I know what you are saying.

Everything Brad says makes sense too (no matter how much you can / cannot trust the salesman) and have a close read of the buyers guide sticky. I used all this stuff to buy mine and I don't regret it for a minute.

Well sorry guys but I have to reply to this, No.1 I didn't say they fall apart, I said they may start showing faults. I also said that they are basically throw -away because the rebuild is about $2000, and a replacement box is a lot cheaper, especially if you are in Japan, and can pull one from any model, Of course we don't have that luxury.

Also if you have a good guy in Japan, the speedos that are wound back are nearly always picked up on. Most Jap cars do about 10,000 per year, (private). So you should be expecting about 70 - 90,000 km now for a 99. I don't know why certain people on this site, insist that most speedo's have been clocked?

Obviously you would want the lowest km's possible. Geniune low km cars sell for a good price over there. Ask to see the serivce history, this is the best telltale point, not the interior. Most cars though the auctions haven't had the paint touched or if they have (and you have a good guy in Japan), you will know.

As for both the import company's in Perth, I have a different view and I spoke to them both. I didn't like Autowholesale because I didn't feel that they treated me well enough seeing as I was going to shell out over $20,000. Rude would be a good word. Also as for DC, they agreed that the market in Perth was monoplised. They led me to believe that they would be the guys to change all that. When it actually came to complying my car, they really didn't want to know. As they said they don't want to miss out on a retail sale and loose the use of a plate. You have to realise that they (compliance shops) only get 100 plates per year. Regan Whitby (DC) wanted $4500 for compliance and said it woudl take over 6 weeks! Dale he's only your best buddy cause he's trying to get a name and he made $10,000 from you.

Most dealers need to make $5,000 - $10,000 from each sale. That is why some cars have sat around in Perth for nearly 9 months!

But you guys can beleive what you want. One thing, I am not is gullable. I have done my research.

Also Brad you honestly wouldn't buy a car for $20,000 with 300,0000 km on it, would you? They might last this long but by the time they get to that, they will be worth about $2000! ( and probably have cost heaps in repairs), And in Japan that's all a series one with high km's (150,000+) sells for!

Anyway also liek I said it isn't a bad buy at all, if I didn't have the contacts, and didn't have the patience, I woudl probably have bought there too. But there is another way, and one with far more choice. And that is my 2cents worth!!

[STAGE-A]

mate .. i fully agree the ks mean nothing, mine now has almost 160 on it and its smooth as silk.. the difference between mine and many others out there is i KNOW how many ks mine has done. Dont get me wrong of course it would be nice to have alot lower ks but not at the expense of being conned.

To the original q mate i reackon thats a very tidy looking S2 i bought mine thru the same guys and no complaints at all over a year later .... i would be very proud to have that parked in my garage

Lee

[STAGE-A]

I don't know why certain people on this site, insist that most speedo's have been clocked?

clocked is well over the top but.... check out a hell of a lot of imports with analogue odometers very very often the numbers dont line up (a very good indicator the ks have been rolled back) ive owned quite a few imports and i know for a fact this is very common ... all but 1 of my other imports was dodgied

lee

[fcruz3r]

Actually I slightly disagree on two points

1) many import cars have this many km's - you just don't know it as they have been 'wound back'. Indeed, the same applies to many of the cars in the Trading Post. In itself, IF the car is in good condition and has been taken care of, the km's aren't a problem

which brings me to 2) I don't think the auto transmission a 'throw away' at this km's - particularly the better one in the series 2 (the MAT). Everything I've heard says they are quite well made, and if taken care of (ie oil!) should be fine multiples of this many km's...

One thing (out of many) that you should look at on this car is has the timming belt been changed?

Ian

this maybe a stupid question to ask ...but how do u wind back a digital odometer?

[Stinky Rooster]

Dale he's only your best buddy cause he's trying to get a name and he made $10,000 from you.

No offense mate, but that is a big call to make when you don't know the full story - I agree he is trying to make a name for himself, but the price I paid for my stag was literally thousands less than his competition was asking, and not very far off what I was looking at spending on a private import anyway. I do agree with youI did the sums and I picked everyones brain on this site for 4 months, as well as looking at all the import companies in Australia before I laid down the cash.

The loss of a compliance plate is also a non issue - there have only been 100 Stagea's complied in WA in the last 3-4 years so 1 out of 100 is not a big deal.

When all is said and done, yes you might save a few bucks bringing one in yourself, but for me (and I am pretty sure I'm not an orphan here) if you have never owned an import before then the risk you face buying one blind from another country from a person you have never met is a big worry. Not to mention the statutory warranty.....

[STAGE-A]

$10,000 hahahhahaa fark thats funny sorry mate but if he made 10k from one sale then im on my way to get my dealers and import licences .... True they make a profit its called business but do the maths yourself .. FOB price plus the shipping landing compliancing etc sure they make a profit but its no where near that much ( you appear to see yourself as an expert in this field so im sure you are well aware).

Now lets look at what the customer gets in return, a customer has the oppurtunity to fully inspect THE vehicle they are purchasing - test drive etc and deal directly with the company that it was purchased from if there is any issues later. There is no waiting period, no unexpected additional fees compliance issues etc... but you pay a little extra ? In any other business that sounds like a premium service and would natural incur additional charges.

Just because you decided to import directly your self doesnt mean everyone else must be wrong, advice is advice but telling a bloke that jus bought his new pride and joy that he was technically ripped by 10k is just plain rude and you know as well as anyone is just bullshit.

My 2 cents

Lee

Edited December 23, 2006 by STAGE-A

[Appealing]

$10,000 hahahhahaa fark thats funny sorry mate but if he made 10k from one sale then im on my way to get my dealers and import licences .... True they make a profit its called business but do the maths yourself .. FOB price plus the shipping landing compliancing etc sure they make a profit but its no where near that much ( you appear to see yourself as an expert in this field so im sure you are well aware).

Now lets look at what the customer gets in return, a customer has the oppurtunity to fully inspect THE vehicle they are purchasing - test drive etc and deal directly with the company that it was purchased from if there is any issues later. There is no waiting period, no unexpected additional fees compliance issues etc... but you pay a little extra ? In any other business that sounds like a premium service and would natural incur additional charges.

Just because you decided to import directly your self doesnt mean everyone else must be wrong, advice is advice but telling a bloke that jus bought his new pride and joy that he was technically ripped by 10k is just plain rude and you know as well as anyone is just bullshit.

My 2 cents

Lee

Hey Lee,

I've done the math, very carefully and many times. I didn't say that importing yourself it was the only way,

I also didn't say that anyone got ripped. I am fully aware that you get all the positive points above. I certainly don't think that private importation is for everyone and fully understand anyone buying from a dealer or a private car that is here already. I have doubts in my mind about mine, of course. Also you are right in that photos dont tell you that much. As I keep stressing you have to have someone good in Japan.

Hey Dale, when you say "The loss of a compliance plate is also a non issue - there have only been 100 Stagea's complied in WA in the last 3-4 years so 1 out of 100 is not a big deal." It obviously IS to them. You also don't seem to understand the compliance. The plates are on a roatating 100 plate issue, (and that is for all cars they comply). If they use 5 plates today, then on the same day next year they get those 5 plates back. If they comply at the same price as over east, ($3500), then if you take this off the cost of bringing a car in and complying for sale, they are loosing $6500 on each plate. I still stand by the $10000 profit, as this dealer complies his own stock, same as the other one in Perth. Therefore the compliance cost them little, (but they still have to get back the $8500 that they paid for compliance evidence). They'd want to do this asap, probably within the 1st five cars. Seeing as there are only 2 compliers in Perth I doubt that there have been 100 cars complied here. Much more likely that most of those cars got complied over east. By the way I was quoted $4500 in Perth by both shops. I pretty dispointed that DC had upped the cost $1000 over the eastern states cost.

I know the costs of running a business, I own one.

Someone has to pay for the workshop, evidence, staff and everything else. Where do think that the money comes from? Sorry if it offends anyone but a nice series one is worth about $3000 in Japan. That'd be about $11,000 landed on the road. (Take off the compliance cost for DC @ $3500 and you'll arrive at $7500).....

Which is why he can make $10,000. I totally agree with anyone buying from a dealer. There are alternatives that's all I am saying. You CAN get a very similar car, for a lot less money. Of course there is risk involved, otherwise everyone would do it. I also said that I would probably have bought a car from autowholesale too, if I was in more of a hurry, didn't have a good Japan connection, and thought that the warrenty was really going to be needed. Hopefully I won't be wrong and all my research will pay off..... time will tell.

[Red Sky II]

Just from my experience and I did buy from the dealer in question.

In relation to the warranty they will include the AWN warranty (3 year) in substitute of the statutory warranty they are to provide - this is what happens as you effectively contract out of it.

So if you have any warranty claim (even within the 3 months) you deal with it yourself and AWN to make the claims.

Having said that, the AWN warranty can be purchased by anyone so even importing one yourself you can still have the same warranty - costs less than $1,000 from memory.

I have already got more than that on the costs of repairs to date - coilpacks, radiator, water pump, etc

I won't make any other comments on the dealership concerned in a public forum.

Cheers, Al

[EGA41T]

Hey Lee,

I've done the math, very carefully and many times. I didn't say that importing yourself it was the only way,

I also didn't say that anyone got ripped. I am fully aware that you get all the positive points above. I certainly don't think that private importation is for everyone and fully understand anyone buying from a dealer or a private car that is here already. I have doubts in my mind about mine, of course. Also you are right in that photos dont tell you that much. As I keep stressing you have to have someone good in Japan.

Hey Dale, when you say "The loss of a compliance plate is also a non issue - there have only been 100 Stagea's complied in WA in the last 3-4 years so 1 out of 100 is not a big deal." It obviously IS to them. You also don't seem to understand the compliance. The plates are on a roatating 100 plate issue, (and that is for all cars they comply). If they use 5 plates today, then on the same day next year they get those 5 plates back. If they comply at the same price as over east, ($3500), then if you take this off the cost of bringing a car in and complying for sale, they are loosing $6500 on each plate. I still stand by the $10000 profit, as this dealer complies his own stock, same as the other one in Perth. Therefore the compliance cost them little, (but they still have to get back the $8500 that they paid for compliance evidence). They'd want to do this asap, probably within the 1st five cars. Seeing as there are only 2 compliers in Perth I doubt that there have been 100 cars complied here. Much more likely that most of those cars got complied over east. By the way I was quoted $4500 in Perth by both shops. I pretty dispointed that DC had upped the cost $1000 over the eastern states cost.

I know the costs of running a business, I own one.

Someone has to pay for the workshop, evidence, staff and everything else. Where do think that the money comes from? Sorry if it offends anyone but a nice series one is worth about $3000 in Japan. That'd be about $11,000 landed on the road. (Take off the compliance cost for DC @ $3500 and you'll arrive at $7500).....

Which is why he can make $10,000. I totally agree with anyone buying from a dealer. There are alternatives that's all I am saying. You CAN get a very similar car, for a lot less money. Of course there is risk involved, otherwise everyone would do it. I also said that I would probably have bought a car from autowholesale too, if I was in more of a hurry, didn't have a good Japan connection, and thought that the warrenty was really going to be needed. Hopefully I won't be wrong and all my research will pay off..... time will tell.

Mate i think you have done enough dribbling in this thread, you are making a mess!

[Appealing]

Mate i think you have done enough dribbling in this thread, you are making a mess!

Yeah it kinda got that way, but I don't like being misquoted.

So it's open to opinion, about the car.... what's yours?

[Wildcat]

all i can say is what a bloody mess of a thread, im sure this is not what the guy wanted to a simple question and here is my rant

importing your own vehicle is for some people and not for others...if you want to import your own, good on you, thats your decision and you obviously have looked into doing this for sometime and given it alot of thought! for those who want a car that they can see, test drive, get checks and have piece of mind then buying direct from a dealer is a good choice as well for THEM!

John im glad to see that you have such an excellent Japan connection that you constantly keep going on about, i would suggest other people that have imported have thought highly of the people that they have dealt with as well otherwise they wouldnt have started looking at importing their own car either! If you have a good customer base and are happy with the service and their honesty then importing is made easier because of your agent!

At the end of the day Dervish didnt ask about importing or what our opinions of mark ups, or compliance he asked us about our opinion of the car he is looking at..for me i say that car is a nice looking car, nice kit, interior looks neat and tidy, comparing the kms to those in a japan auction they seem high but this car has probably travelled around 19000kms a year which in Australia is within the average kms a year for travel! You might find that you can bargain them down quite a bit as a few members off here have managed to do with their cars! If you like it Dervish my suggestion is this : if you are not comfortable with importing your own, which clearly you said your folks were not trusting of the net..make sure you do all the checks possible and if this is the car for you then grab it just like anyone else would if they saw a car in the japan auctions! At the end of the day, they can dribble sh!t in here but you have to enjoy, like your car and be comfortable with what you decide! If this is the car for you then grab and if not then keep in mind the private sales as well...GOOD LUCK CHAMP

[D3RV]

Ok guys thankyou very much for the imput,

First of all - I'm sure Appealing was just expressing his opinion and saying - Importing is the best way, but if you can't that's fine. if you can here's what to do. We shouldn't all go up in arms if he's only expressing himself towards the one avenue.

To everyone else, thankyou very much, esp on the technical side eg. make sure the timing belt has been replaced and where to check for rust. I'm sure if I do indeed go to make this purchase I'd inspect the car more thoroughly, all I've done so far is drive it and it went really well.

Most people have also expressed concern about the km's, so I'll ask for a price down, or I'll go elsewhere. Again like I said, I need to inspect the vehicle more thoroughly for wear and tear.

I will check other garages around and if I don't find any others I'll have to bargain down the price. I am going to trade in my current car (93 WRC edition celica) which AutoWholesale would give about 7500 for which isn't too bad.

If anyone has anything more to say I'm more than happy to listen, but if there is more said, let's try to bring this thread back on the road. (excuse the pun)

And btw guys, Merry Xmas, hope you guys have a great time with your loved ones