Importing A Stagea - General Thoughts

[agent_felix]

hey, i just found the most awesome stag i have seen (not including autech lol)

and did a search and nothing came up :-(

i just rang the bank and got loan approval, i just want to know a little about importing...

im doing it through a company so they are taking care of it all

but has anyone imported a manual conversion stagea? i heard the modification is easy and stable... i wont be boosting it or anything...

[MrGTST]

If it has been converted to a manual over in japan I wouldnt touch it personally... To comply the car in australia the car must be as it came from the factory... that would mean you would have to convert the car back to an automatic, comply the vehicle, then convert it back to a manual again... even is you are willing to pay the costs of someone pulling out all the associated gear twice there is no guarentee that it will still pass inspection....

But I am far from an expert on importing... best speak to an import broker and get their opinion on the situation I guess... but if you have your heart set on a manual perhaps its better looking for a series 2 type 'S'...

Can I take a guess and ask if this stagea you have seen is blue perhaps? I am guessing I know the one you are talking about...

[agent_felix]

yeah they said that to me, but in the email i was told that they had a friend do the same thing and they said it was fine, that the workshop they used didnt have a problem complying it with the manual conversion.

yeah its the blue one im pretty sure you know which one it is, even if it was auto i would buy it lol

[AlexCim]

I personally know someone that got a car through compliance manual converted, a stagea, yes.

Didnt even have the manual console, just chopped auto. He said the compo shop said as long as its done right, its not an issue coz autechs came manual...aka...the car is "legal" as a manual.

Best to call a few of the compliance shops and ask them personally mate.

[ian]

wouldn't touch it with a barge pole - you might be lucky, you might not be.. You might get it through, but then you might be caught...

You also have to wonder why someone would have converted it in Japan, as they could have just bought the 'S' or the autech...

Ian

[agent_felix]

well the safe bet is to pay the $230 for a mechanical inspection over in japan... if that passes the dude said it should pass inspection, the company is a supporter of this site so im pretty sure if they say they have a shop that will pass it, then it should be cool.

[mike40sydney]

well the safe bet is to pay the $230 for a mechanical inspection over in japan... if that passes the dude said it should pass inspection, the company is a supporter of this site so im pretty sure if they say they have a shop that will pass it, then it should be cool.

mmm having searched the sites for the last 2 years when looking for mine and after i got mine just to see whats out there im posative that car was on jpec a few months bac then vanished which i thaught to be sold.makes me curious as to why its re apeared.

[AlexCim]

wouldn't touch it with a barge pole - you might be lucky, you might not be.. You might get it through, but then you might be caught...

You also have to wonder why someone would have converted it in Japan, as they could have just bought the 'S' or the autech...

Ian

Because you buy the RB20(D?)E version, swap the brakes/engine/gearbox and you have a turbo/manual Stagea.

The cheaper alternative as parts are a wack lot more cheaper.

Specially if you do the labour yourself @ home.

[agent_felix]

mmm having searched the sites for the last 2 years when looking for mine and after i got mine just to see whats out there im posative that car was on jpec a few months bac then vanished which i thaught to be sold.makes me curious as to why its re apeared.

ive seen a few this colour and similar kit so im not sure if i have seen it before...

but i cant really see any others i want as bad... ill probly have to settle for one thats already here if importing isnt any good

[mike40sydney]

ive seen a few this colour and similar kit so im not sure if i have seen it before...

but i cant really see any others i want as bad... ill probly have to settle for one thats already here if importing isnt any good

also dont forget its a respray too as seies 1 didnt come in bayside blue

[raz0r$harP.UK]

Get in contact with some RAWS that you would use to comply your Stag and ask if they would accept a manual conversion. Opinion will vary from shop to shop.

[AlexCim]

Best to call a few of the compliance shops and ask them personally mate.

[agent_felix]

yeah will do, just its a bit of a gamble hey, itll either be the best money i have ever spent, or a money pit...

dad is a mechanic so that helps but only with repairs as i cant really fly over to check out the car hey...

[CruiseLiner]

if a n/a s1 stagea can be complied with a turbo motor i cant see why a manual would matter...

[Stinky Rooster]

the difference is, if anyone knows what was done to it in Japan.

If you can find a compliance shop with 0 experience, they will probably comply it without even knowing that anything is amiss.

Well, thats what happened with mine.

[agent_felix]

the difference is, if anyone knows what was done to it in Japan.

If you can find a compliance shop with 0 experience, they will probably comply it without even knowing that anything is amiss.

Well, thats what happened with mine.

who was yours? i suppose if the last conversion they did went through with no problems then this 1 should be ok??

does anyone else know of vacc equivalent checks that can be done in japan?

[Stinky Rooster]

who was yours? i suppose if the last conversion they did went through with no problems then this 1 should be ok??

No, mine was a different kettle of fish altogether. Suffice to say that I wouldn't recommend this bunch of d1ckheads if they were the only ones doing stagea compliance. Mine should never have been complied and it was only because it was the test car (first stagea in WA) that some rather glaring differences weren't picked up.

The best advice I can offer is talk to the complier before you hand over any cash. If they say ANYTHING that makes you think twice, be prepared to go away and keep looking. I was only joking when I made the (ironic) comment about a lack of experience. You need someone that knows stageas, not just imports

[agent_felix]

yeah that makes sense! ill do the ring around tomorrow hey

[Mr_RS4]

If its the car I'm thinking (and everyone else) of. Bayside blue with a kit, wheels and is parked on a street outside a house or something. If thats the one its been hanging around for AGES now. Seen it a few times on and off at Prestige and J-Spec. Looks great and contemplated it my self. But its a huge risk. Technically it CAN'T be complied as it was never available as a manual (despite the series 2 or the 260RS having the option). But the only way I would do it is if I PERSONALLY knew the workshop doing the compliance. Not go by a spoken guarantee of the broker (not saying anything bad about either of the brokers I've mentioned at all either as I've heard a lot of good reports about both) BUT if they knock it back you'll be up for a lot of money. Put simply by the time it was completed (if or when that is, depends how deep your pockets are) you'd of come away cheaper importing a good example 260RS and then still could of spent money on it here in Aus. If you still don't understand where i'm coming from ask the Guys on here that have done the conversion, parts labour etc (although the Auto gear would be cheaper but harder to obtain) then double it as your basically converting the converting back. Just not worth it. Series 2 manuals are becomming cheaper now (espically since the M35 is now available), but are still a little harder to find. It would be worth the wait though, and a newer model too.

Still its up to you, but I'd say this is the reason the car has been hanging around for so long now.

[Appealing]

Hi, I also adivse that you walk away from it. You need to know what this car really is before you shell out your hard earned money. I also saw the car about 6-8 months ago. This car is like most other doneup cars, nobody wants to really pay for the mods done. If it is a base model then that is all it is ever worth.... base model price. Plus a bit for the (now depreciated) add ons. Unless it comes with an engineers certificate, and fully documented work AND photos showing the car before and during the respray, it could also sell for less than a nice example of the base model.

You have to ask yourself why it was done in the first place. the answer is usually the same: cos the guy couldn't afford the real deal. It would probably follow, that the conversion is back yard, along with everything else. save your dough. Find a nice one (at auction or here) and take your time to buy it.

Nice ones aren't impossible to find but they do command a premium. Mine was a little under $25,000 (on road incl insurance). Very happy with it. Everything was done really well and probably in the first few months of it's life, (as the wheels have dates on them).