Thinking Of Getting A Stag

[Blutonium]

Hey guys im thinking of getting a 98-00 Stagea imported and just wanted to ask a few questions.

Im thinking of going with Tokyo Prestige as the importer due to a guy i work with is getting a newer stag threw them aswell, just wondered if anyone on here has delt with them or not?

Also one of my main concerns is ive never actually drivin one :s i went down to a car yard to test drive one but they told me they couldnt get it out cuz of the other cars in the way :l

I just want an idea of the cars handling and acceleration ill be going for the triptonic auto, how quick are they really? i saw the speedo only goes up to 180kmh i thought that was abit odd. Also how much bodyroll do they have round corners etc

Are they easy to get power out of or is there only so much u can do to them?

Also is there a way to get the TV/Satnav to work in aus?

Sorry if my questions are stupid and thanks in advance to anyone that replys

Edited June 8, 2010 by Blutonium

[pyro-ns]

welcome!

as far as wagon's go, i was pretty happy with ours in stock form. they're a little sluggish with the stupid standard boost setup, but once you get a decent boost controller on to them to give you a little more boost, quicker, they're much quicker (even the 10min free boost mod yields much better results). extracting power out of them isn't terribly hard, because they share a skyline engine, the aftermarket support is fantastic. the weakest spot in getting more power, is the turbo. the ceramic wheel generally can't handle more than about 12psi. there are companies who will rebuild your standard turbo with a steel wheel and different bearing options + machining, which is a much better product for producing more boost. the engine itself can put out a decent amount in stock form, probably more than you'll want. you can also go down the RB30 path if you find that internal work on the RB25 isn't what you need. you'll be running into problems with the auto box not handeling the power before then though. in saying that, the autobox is probably one of the stronger ones out there. there are also plenty of autotrans mechanics to pick from, who know a thing or two about the box.

from factory, they are limited to 180km/hr. this can be removed though. there are also options to extend your speedo to 300km/hr, but they're not cheap.

as far as handling goes, if it's still got the factory suspension in there, it's going to be shit regardless. there are plenty of aftermarket options for suspension floating around, swaybars, coilovers, camber, castor, toe arms etc. so you can make it whatever you want i guess

oh and out of the box, the satnav setup won't work in aus. i believe there are some people working on this though, they may already have a working solution out there. you can get a digital twin tuner to make the tv work, but i'm not sure where from. there was a group buy on here ages ago. i'd imagine the product still exists

and the only stupid questions are the ones that are not asked. we're all friendly here

Edited June 8, 2010 by pyro-ns

[Blutonium]

welcome!

as far as wagon's go, i was pretty happy with ours in stock form. they're a little sluggish with the stupid standard boost setup, but once you get a decent boost controller on to them to give you a little more boost, quicker, they're much quicker (even the 10min free boost mod yields much better results). extracting power out of them isn't terribly hard, because they share a skyline engine, the aftermarket support is fantastic. the weakest spot in getting more power, is the turbo. the ceramic wheel generally can't handle more than about 12psi. there are companies who will rebuild your standard turbo with a steel wheel and different bearing options + machining, which is a much better product for producing more boost. the engine itself can put out a decent amount in stock form, probably more than you'll want. you can also go down the RB30 path if you find that internal work on the RB25 isn't what you need. you'll be running into problems with the auto box not handeling the power before then though. in saying that, the autobox is probably one of the stronger ones out there. there are also plenty of autotrans mechanics to pick from, who know a thing or two about the box.

from factory, they are limited to 180km/hr. this can be removed though. there are also options to extend your speedo to 300km/hr, but they're not cheap.

as far as handling goes, if it's still got the factory suspension in there, it's going to be shit regardless. there are plenty of aftermarket options for suspension floating around, swaybars, coilovers, camber, castor, toe arms etc. so you can make it whatever you want i guess

oh and out of the box, the satnav setup won't work in aus. i believe there are some people working on this though, they may already have a working solution out there. you can get a digital twin tuner to make the tv work, but i'm not sure where from. there was a group buy on here ages ago. i'd imagine the product still exists

and the only stupid questions are the ones that are not asked. we're all friendly here

Thanks for the reply mate some really good info there As for rebuilding the turbo that sounds like a good idea would u know any companies that would do that and perhaps what kind of money i would be looking at paying?

[pipster11]

Thanks for the reply mate some really good info there As for rebuilding the turbo that sounds like a good idea would u know any companies that would do that and perhaps what kind of money i would be looking at paying?

gcg (garret) will be about $1500 which takes you into aftermarket turbo territory

or hypergear will do highflows for about $900

both are good for about 20psi, gcg will use a ball bearing core which gives you a tiny bit more response

[rb26stagea]

First order of business: drive one! Really, any car dealer that won't go to the (small) effort of making a car available for you to drive definitely deserves a reconsideration. At the end of the day, they're there to sell you a car: a huge part of that process is the test drive, assuming you're considering a car already here.

If you can't get a test drive, then why pay the dealership fees: you'd be better off importing yourself.

I have bought cars (Chaser and Legnum) that I never had the opportunity to drive beforehand, but that was due to the fact the fact that I was bringing them in myself, and the price was right. Short story: if you're buying a car over here (and therefore paying the premium that accompanies it), then there is no reason at all that you shouldn't have the opportunity to drive it beforehand.

Laziness like this from a dealership is unacceptable.

As far as potential is concerned: if it has an RB engine, the sky is the limit: I assume you're looking for a quick, street-driven daily/weekender in which case there are any number of modification options available to you.

[Blutonium]

First order of business: drive one! Really, any car dealer that won't go to the (small) effort of making a car available for you to drive definitely deserves a reconsideration. At the end of the day, they're there to sell you a car: a huge part of that process is the test drive, assuming you're considering a car already here.

If you can't get a test drive, then why pay the dealership fees: you'd be better off importing yourself.

I have bought cars (Chaser and Legnum) that I never had the opportunity to drive beforehand, but that was due to the fact the fact that I was bringing them in myself, and the price was right. Short story: if you're buying a car over here (and therefore paying the premium that accompanies it), then there is no reason at all that you shouldn't have the opportunity to drive it beforehand.

Laziness like this from a dealership is unacceptable.

As far as potential is concerned: if it has an RB engine, the sky is the limit: I assume you're looking for a quick, street-driven daily/weekender in which case there are any number of modification options available to you.

The thing is i never inteneded on buying one from a dealer, i will be getting one imported threw Tokyo Prestige. I would just go to there main office to drive one but it is located in melbourne im in adelaide.

Also with the turbo if i get it rebuilt it will still come across as the stock standard turbocharger wont it? just different internals? So if it goes over regencey they cant say i have an aftermarket turbo because really it will still be the same turbo correct?

[Big Fella]

The thing is i never inteneded on buying one from a dealer, i will be getting one imported threw Tokyo Prestige. I would just go to there main office to drive one but it is located in melbourne im in adelaide.

Also with the turbo if i get it rebuilt it will still come across as the stock standard turbocharger wont it? just different internals? So if it goes over regencey they cant say i have an aftermarket turbo because really it will still be the same turbo correct?

where abouts in adelaide do you live mate? i'm sure there is a few guys on here that would be more than happy to take you for a squirt in their stagea.

i drove 3 different stageas before buying mine sight unseen. they all drove differently but it gave me a fair idea on the difference between stock and mildly modded performance.

[wolverine]

There are plenty of cars for sale in Australia for good prices through this very forum. Many with basic modifications already done. Before you import another one check the for sale boards as there are heaps of motivated sellers plus you get to inspect and drive the car first.

There are manual series 2 stageas ie the RS4S and series1 260RS (nearly all series 1 stageas) which have bigger sway bars etc which is a step up handling-wise compared to the auto versions.

Importing is mostly fairly straight forward but there are plenty of sneaky hidden things cropping up from timing of arrival to issues mechanically with the car that you will only find out when they land.

My stagea had a buggered clutch and coil pack issues out of the box, it was missing some of the "listed goodies like the turbo timer (no loss there but a matter of priciple) the usual small amount of rust around the mirrors and the mismatched paint on the left rear panel despite "no signs of repairs" on the pre-purchase sheet.

All in all if there were any RS4S's for sale several years ago I would have preferred buying locally but by the same token I am not bleating about most of those issues as they are ultimately a fact of car ownership but I had to reach into my pocket a little deeper than I was hoping from day 1.

ps. I like the Stagea just fine and they go quite nicely with some more boost and engine management upgrades.

[Tangents]

There are plenty of cars for sale in Australia for good prices through this very forum. Many with basic modifications already done. Before you import another one check the for sale boards as there are heaps of motivated sellers plus you get to inspect and drive the car first.

There are manual series 2 stageas ie the RS4S and series1 260RS (nearly all series 1 stageas) which have bigger sway bars etc which is a step up handling-wise compared to the auto versions.

Importing is mostly fairly straight forward but there are plenty of sneaky hidden things cropping up from timing of arrival to issues mechanically with the car that you will only find out when they land.

My stagea had a buggered clutch and coil pack issues out of the box, it was missing some of the "listed goodies like the turbo timer (no loss there but a matter of priciple) the usual small amount of rust around the mirrors and the mismatched paint on the left rear panel despite "no signs of repairs" on the pre-purchase sheet.

All in all if there were any RS4S's for sale several years ago I would have preferred buying locally but by the same token I am not bleating about most of those issues as they are ultimately a fact of car ownership but I had to reach into my pocket a little deeper than I was hoping from day 1.

ps. I like the Stagea just fine and they go quite nicely with some more boost and engine management upgrades.

and a 34gtr front end.....

[Blutonium]

i Live down south mate.

There arnt many to buy in Adelaide and i want one with under 100k's on the clock. Also with getting it imported it will cost me less, but after having a read in the importers serction im abit worried about them winding back the odometer and not seeing the car before hand cuz i know they lie about how much damage is on the car and i havent even started yet so that has put me off abit.

Hard to find people to trust.

[wolverine]

I disagree that it will cost you less. Find a motivated seller with a lightly modified car and you will be better off than buying one and spending the coin. I can guarantee that.

We have spent a reasonable amount of money on both my nissans. On the Stagea the mods include HKS GT-RS turbo, PowerFC, FMIC, 3" exhaust, panel airfilter, fuel pump, tuning, clutch, coil packs, electronic boost controller, alarm, tinting front windows, Bilstein shocks, adjustable radius rods, adjustable rear camber arms, 100,000km service and a bunch of other small things.

If we were to sell the car there is no chance of recouping costs from the first day after it rolled out of the workshop.

I would look interstate as well due to the low cost of airfares you will still save money. If you can't find a suitable car ie. colour, factory options etc then importing is still an option that will be open.

Regarding km's on the clock, I have owned my R33 GTS-t for over 9 years and arrived with 57,000km. It has 220,000km now, makes 280rwkw and has good compression still. I seized and idler bearing and stripped the timing belt. Flat bed truck, new timing belt and it is still going.

[M I K E]

i Live down south mate.

There arnt many to buy in Adelaide and i want one with under 100k's on the clock. Also with getting it imported it will cost me less, but after having a read in the importers serction im abit worried about them winding back the odometer and not seeing the car before hand cuz i know they lie about how much damage is on the car and i havent even started yet so that has put me off abit.

Hard to find people to trust.

pete is selling his white factory manual dayz edition stag in sa, under 100thousand k's on it

pretty sweet rig really - it's on car sales

[chef_stagea]

pete is selling his white factory manual dayz edition stag in sa, under 100thousand k's on it

pretty sweet rig really - it's on car sales

+1 very nice car!!!

go to redline or sinergy and just let the dealer talk you into a test drive... redlines floor is crammed with cars so i could imagine them getting over moving stuff for no reason if u get me.... i would seriously look at petes stag tho! and if you want seriouse 260 look at bens 370 at the rears

[Blutonium]

Ive seen them both they are extremly nice but there just 2 problems i need auto(cant drive manual) and i dont have like 20grand+ lol

Ive just gotta wait 1 more month till the bank will approve me loan. Im just trying to find out as much info and idea on purchase before i get the money instead of getting money and not having any clue what to do or where to go for the car lol

Also im only on my P's, will the P plate be visable threw the back window? With the window being so dark? Anyone on there P's that dont have any problems or anyone know anyone with one on there?

ive only seen 3 Stagea's in Adelaide so far and none of them were p platers

[darrinspencer]

Have you got a budget in mind?

If you are young and getting a loan, not sure the bank will be happy with you buying a car that is not in Australia yet. They have no guarantee

With the really crappy exchange rates at the moment, I dealt there will be much if any to be saved by importing one.

Can you afford an extra say $2000 (guess) if the car turns up and is not what is expected and needs something done?

Also if you need a loan and on your P's(less money I assume) make sure you can afford stagea. They do drink a bit of fuel.

[stagman]

Ive seen them both they are extremly nice but there just 2 problems i need auto(cant drive manual) and i dont have like 20grand+ lol

Ive just gotta wait 1 more month till the bank will approve me loan. Im just trying to find out as much info and idea on purchase before i get the money instead of getting money and not having any clue what to do or where to go for the car lol

Also im only on my P's, will the P plate be visable threw the back window? With the window being so dark? Anyone on there P's that dont have any problems or anyone know anyone with one on there?

ive only seen 3 Stagea's in Adelaide so far and none of them were p platers

Are you aloud to drive turbo's on your p's down there? When I was in Adelaide however, I did see a p plater in a stagea. Yes the p-plate should be visable at the angle from a car (cop) behind you, but that will be the least of your worries i imagine.

[DAYZ]

I live in Adelaide, im on my p's and own a turbo Stagea. No laws at the moment regarding p plates and turbo's.

As far as the trouble with the tinting, it is really dark. The P's are not very visable, but so far over the past year I haven't had and problems (keeping my fingers crossed).

[Dunc]

I live in Adelaide, im on my p's and own a turbo Stagea. No laws at the moment regarding p plates and turbo's.

As far as the trouble with the tinting, it is really dark. The P's are not very visable, but so far over the past year I haven't had and problems (keeping my fingers crossed).

I probably wouldnt have seen that P plate without you pointing it out, that is sufficiently camouflaged!

If its of huge concern to the OP he could get a set of the magnetic ones to attach to the exterior.

[pyro-ns]

I probably wouldnt have seen that P plate without you pointing it out, that is sufficiently camouflaged!

If its of huge concern to the OP he could get a set of the magnetic ones to attach to the exterior.

they're generally not that good unfortunately. i personally would go for he numberplate attachment ones and screw/weld/tape those bastards on so that they can't possibly come off.

[Blutonium]

Ill be getting 15 grand + i alrdy have a couple of grand saved just from working so i got that covered if i get it and there is stuff wrong with it, but i did want that money for mods lol. I may be on my P's but its not like i work at hungry jacks, ive got a good job that pays extremly well

Wow i probably wouldnt of seen that P if u didnt point it out LOL ah well looks good enough, i dont want that P plates that go around the number plater or the magnet ones cuz they are just flat out ugly >.>

theres a nice loooking black for sale for 14g but it hasnt got the sunroofs

If i buy one without a body kit where in adelaide would sell a boky kits for a Stagea? has anyone brought a new body kit plus had it sprayed so i get a rough idea of how much it will cost?