Rs Four S Vs. Caldina Gt-t

[Stooge007]

i looked at all the options before settling on the stag.

caldina. looks too much like a torago, and not that much space / shitty interior (guitarist gear would be tight fit) (cant get manual either???)

would have been interested to see what a "chaser" wagon would have looked like

legnum. looks okay.. goes well.. but parts not so easily available like the RB25

M35. i didnt really go heaps on the styling, but they can look okay with some work...... and i wanted a manual, and parts not exactly common like the C34.

now i just gotta wait for the GT-R wagon to be commissioned.

the Caldina boot is smaller than the Stag, but not like 50% smaller

and you can get factory manual Caldina's, but they're rarer than factory manual Stags

fail

define "handed it to"

and what use are we to discuss how "quick" your stagea feels to you.

caldinas are "quick" in the same way a wrx feels "quick" . pity about the agricultral 4wd system they both use ........

well there was at least a 1/2 car length before they had to slow down for traffic. i'm not real sure, as i was miles back in my Pulsar , but i could clearly see the Stag behind

i'm not trying to bag either car, just noting observations. hell i own a Stag

according to net caldina is 175 hp /ton

my calcs stagea 1620kg and 286 hp makes 176 hp per ton

specs aren't everything

There is a difference between "quick" and "fast".

Gearing and power/weight, and the power/torque curves all effect this. They are two very different cars, with two very different routes.

Try comparing a Celica GT4 to a GTR or an imaginary AWD R33.5 GTST

i think this is closer to the mark

in my experience, the gearing of the Caldina feels shorter than the Stag, therefore gives the impression of being quicker at lower speeds

a good friend of mine was looking at caldinas a while back. we went to compression test three in the same day (2 were in the same workshop, another one was at a yard) and all of them had at least 2 spark plugs which were wet with oil when we pulled them out.

the odds are astronomically high that we could hit three in a row, on the same day and it not be a design fault. so my mate found a legnum in good condition and bought that.

the legnums run small turbos though, smaller than a T25 from memory?

i will have to tell my mate about this, thanks

[_Ryan_]

assuming its based on GT4 gear, it would be torque and gearing based around a turbo restrictor for rally, so mainly low down punch, short gears etc.

[Stooge007]

assuming its based on GT4 gear, it would be torque and gearing based around a turbo restrictor for rally, so mainly low down punch, short gears etc.

makes sense

[bayslideblue]

It seems as though quite a few of us went through the same choices.

Caldina- quick, but small and ugly.

Legnum- quickest, but fuel consumption is bad up to 17-18l per 100km some reported as low as 200km per tank!

Where as stagea- more practical wagon, looks good and lots of parts available easy mods for big power. Which is why we are all on here.

THe only thing that hasn't been suggested is the Forrester STI, 200kw + 1500kg. Unfortunately you can't get an original STI complied in oz (stupid australian laws), but you can do all the modifications to get one to the same specs. But too much trouble for what it's worth.

Stag is the go

Edited January 15, 2010 by bayslideblue

[_Ryan_]

It seems as though quite a few of us went through the same choices.

Caldina- quick, but small and ugly.

Legnum- quickest, but fuel consumption is bad up to 17-18l per 100km some reported as low as 200km per tank!

Where as stagea- more practical wagon, looks good and lots of parts available easy mods for big power. Which is why we are all on here.

THe only thing that hasn't been suggested is the Forrester STI, 200kw + 1500kg. Unfortunately you can't get an original STI complied in oz (stupid australian laws), but you can do all the modifications to get one to the same specs. But too much trouble for what it's worth.

Stag is the go

Forresters sound shit, case closed. Older ones were just GC8 wrx's with a different body though.

[chad bob]

Havn't met a Subaru turbo owner yet who hasn't had to spend $$$$ keeping the POS running (including myself).

Poor reliability.

[pipster11]

Havn't met a Subaru turbo owner yet who hasn't had to spend $$$$ keeping the POS running (including myself).

Poor reliability.

x2, $3k for timing belt and new head gaskets and machine work =

[bayslideblue]

x2, $3k for timing belt and new head gaskets and machine work =

Yeah right. Glad I didn't go down that path.

[pipster11]

Yeah right. Glad I didn't go down that path.

dont get an older outback, the early 2.5 were apparently notorious for blowing head gaskets

thats why i learnt so much about cars, so if something like that goes i can do all the hard work myself

[nickcorr]

Wow!! and people worry about the M35 turbos...

x2, $3k for timing belt and new head gaskets and machine work =

[Stooge007]

i would like to have both a Stag and Caldina in the driveway

Mrs would probably disagree though!

[RS4StagMan]

3SGTE is a nice little motor.

Very true. I owned a MR2 a few years back with this engine (about 185KW stock standard) which was then a little modified; had about 225KW with 1250 kg was great to drive in a nimble two-seater.

Very responsive and highly tunable engine a lot like the RB's.

[-RBD2-]

thats why i learnt so much about cars, so if something like that goes i can do all the hard work myself

can i get your help pipster? think my cars suffering heatsoak during these hot adelaide days.any ideas?seen as you have learnt so much about cars?

could really use your help

[Daleo]

can i get your help pipster? think my cars suffering heatsoak during these hot adelaide days.any ideas?seen as you have learnt so much about cars?

could really use your help

Now that's just mean...

But please, take it off.

Cheers, Dale

[pipster11]

can i get your help pipster? think my cars suffering heatsoak during these hot adelaide days.any ideas?seen as you have learnt so much about cars?

could really use your help

pm me, i know a bit but not everything

if its going shit and running a bit rough on boost you can be guaranteed that its coil packs

sliptfires are nice but el cheapo yellow jackets will do the job, or jjr coils too

[BigDirtyJase]

I remember when I was buying my Stagea, I was looking at both a Caldina and a Legnum

For me whilst the Caldina was a quick and reliable car, It was a bit cramped for me and looks like a streched out Corolla

The Legnum I drove was really quick but from what I hear and told be mates who have Legnums is that parts are bit hard to come by and hard to work on (the engine bay reminds me of the 300ZX). This would have been my 2nd choice

So I took my Stagea. Other than the fact that i was the Prime Edition and twin sunroofs, I just felt more comfortable in it and parts (engine wise) are plentiful

[Stooge007]

that's pretty much the conclusion drawn here:

http://www.testdrivenau.co.cc/?cat=16

i'm happy with the Stag, especially the RS Four S, but i wouldn't say no to a Caldina as well

[whatsisname]

Guys, don't take this the wrong way, as I most certainly understand the appeal of the Stag (particularly the 260RS) but as a near life long Nissan man, Skyline owner for almost 12 years, and someone that was dead set keen on adding a Stag to the stable when the time came to get a family truckster... I just couldn't get over that simplistic box shape and front end that only a mother could love - the M35 truly is a shocker.

The options out there on offer are quite good for sports orientated wagons, Liberty GT, Forester GT/XT, WRX wagon, Legnum, RVR, Caldina and more. In the end I found the mix of decent performance, interior, reliability and ease of servicing (if you do your research and find one that has been looked after - even the most reliable car can be a POS if it has been serviced by a monkey) fuel economy, insurance costs, and rarity, meant the ST246 Caldina GT-Four N Edition was the one for ME. Note that I said GT-Four 'N' Edition. The N gets front and rear torsen LSDs, full Recaro interior, upgraded suspension, and a number of other upgrades over the non N Edition. The biggest downside from a pure performance perspective is the ST246 was only released with a 4sp automatic, but for my needs, I preferred an auto anyway. If I want to go faster and do my own gear shifting, I'll take the '33.

[Stooge007]

how does the auto go?

i REALLY like the look of the ST246 over the ST215, but the auto is a big turn off at the moment

i'm still trying to convince the wife we need a Stag and a Caldina!

[Jetwreck]

I just couldn't get over that simplistic box shape and front end that only a mother could love - the M35 truly is a shocker.

say's the man driving an R33