S S S S S Stagea?

[seraphyn_r33]

Hey guys!

I didnt think that my return to these forums would be in the mystical and strange stagea sub section of SAU, but lo and behold here i am!

Im currently in the market for a wagon. After "growing up" and "becoming mature" I got sold my r33 last year, but due to a few changes in life, i am in need of a wagon (no its not kids THANK GOD)

Anyway i have a few questions people in the know might be able to enlighten me on:

What im looking at is RS Fours and RS Four V's - since i want turbo and AWD.

1. The car is going to have to be auto, since the warden is going to have to be able to drive it. Im therefore looking at series 2 stags since i would like the tiptronic box (I think the series 1's werent tiptronic?) What is the auto box like? bear in mind im a manual man, and the only auto experience ive had is with terrible auto trannys like commodores etc. Im hoping it is somewhat intelligent and has decent shift times?

2. How do these cars stand the test of time? eg. im talking about general wear on the car like bushes, bearings etc. is there anything that circles the drain more commonly across each vehicle? ive read the sticky on this, and its pretty limited to just the parts of the car on the outside that are susceptible to rust. Im assuming that with a car thats 10 years old, there is going to be things that rattle, creak and deteroriate, but i dont want a car thats going to fall to pieces in 15 years.

3. How do Stags compare to Legnums? as thats what im also looking at. Id much prefer to stick with Nissan since im an RB man, but i want to make sure im spending my money for the right car.

4. Finally - does anyone know any import yards around melbourne that usually have some stags in stock? looking to take a few for a drive this weekend.

Sorry that some of the questions are a little noobish, i definitely searched haha as i know that can really annoy people, but couldnt really find the info im looking for, so I thought i would just get some reliable info from people in the know! SAU has been a huge resource for me and my 33 when i had it.

Cheers Guys!

[JayM35]

1. Can only speak for R34 tiptronic and they are pretty good shifters, quick response compared to a Legnum.

2. Same wear and tear as any other wagon, treat it right it will be good to you. But being part of the Skyline family means it shares alot of the same parts, compared to Legnum.

3. RB reliability(if serviced) compared to a ticking time bomb? Stagea will outlast a Legnum any day.4

You can make any car last My RX7 has lasted me 4 years without any issues, proper servicing, going over it regularly for any leaks, loose bolts, wearing parts.

[seraphyn_r33]

Thats one of the main reasons im leaning towards the stagea is the fact there is such a massive australian support for r33's so i can interchange a lot of parts with a stagea. Especially if anything went wrong motor wise.

So the legnum v6 not so reliable??? i cant say ive heard much about legnums, good or bad so im in a bit blind with them.

Yeah very true mate! my r33 didnt miss a beat even as modified as it was. nearly 20 years old, pushing double the stock power and it was more reliable than the 2007 off-the-showroom-floor proton i have now.

[kidafa]

The auto box is stock form is nothing special. I'd highly suggest getting a stage 1 or 2 shift kit installed and a good service to get it somewhat enjoyable to drive. The tiptronic is nothing super special either.

They do age well with the only downside being the rust that you have mentioned.

Cant comment on VR4 legnums sorry.

Do test drive from a dealer but buy one private and save some $$$ :-)

[SMOKEYV35]

sounds like you're in a similar place to where i was a few months ago.

between legnums and the stagea, it didn't take me long to recognise the stagea as the smart option.

just from the perspective of online support through forums, RB interchangability of parts, good aftermarket support, and finally - a lot easier to work on. a transversely mounted v6 twin turbo is not going to be a fun place to get your hands dirty......

[infiltrator]

Try Luxury Performance Vehicles Showroom and Workshop

Address

2/23 Scoresby Road

Bayswater 3153

Victoria, Australia

Phone

+61 3 9720 6789

good cars and they have 2 in stock. white and silver.

[rb26stagea]

I had a Legnum for around a year or so: the gearbox was smart, and fast-shifting in auto mode, but the tiptronic was way too laggy for me: I just slapped in in "D" and let it do its thing, only ever used the tiptronic a handful of times, just to verify that it was better in auto mode.

The Leggy was by far the better handling car (mine had AYC), but the V6 is a bit wimpy, and like the rest have said, nowhere near as well supported as an RB. Bear in mind that if the incorrect trans fluid has been used in a Leggy gearbox, it can be troublesome, and you're up for megabucks to replace it.

While I rate the Legnum as one of the most competent stock cars I have owned, my money would still go into a stag... That said, I have never driven an auto stag for any great length of time, so am unable to hold judgement on the auto boxes. Having played around with GreenGhost's shift-kitted tiptronic a little, I found it pretty good, but I've only driven his car a couple of times for short periods....

[seraphyn_r33]

Thanks for the heads up on the auto tranny Kidafa. Shift kit will most likely be on the cards anyway, especially for the price. Im under the assumption that because the series 2 stags are tiptronic and have the neo rb, that they would be using the same or very similar auto gearbox as r34s? is that at all true?

Most likely ill be going down the stagea road just based on the fact they are lot easier to source parts/repair compare to a legnum.

Not fussed on too many mods though for the car, will be used for a lot of long treks, so dont need something running on a knife edge. Simple bolt ons will be as much as i will need - exhaust, FMIC, SAFC etc, basic things along those lines - give it a bit of extra power to haul a car full of people and gear.

Your definitely right though Kidafa, far cheaper to purchase privately, although ill see if any car yards will do a decent deal since i wouldnt mind getting a dealer warranty, especially since to get this wagon ill be getting rid of my other car which still has a few years left on its factory warranty.

Thanks for the info Infiltrator, will give them a call. Anyone know of any other dealers around Melbourne that have a few stageas in stock?

[kidafa]

Your definitely right though Kidafa, far cheaper to purchase privately, although ill see if any car yards will do a decent deal since i wouldnt mind getting a dealer warranty, especially since to get this wagon ill be getting rid of my other car which still has a few years left on its factory warranty.

Chasing a warranty from an import yard.... Good luck! Make sure you read the warranty terms very well! Think you'll find next to nothing is covered less its serviced by them every 5 minutes at some bull shit rate.

[KiwiRS4T]

Thanks for the heads up on the auto tranny Kidafa. Shift kit will most likely be on the cards anyway, especially for the price. Im under the assumption that because the series 2 stags are tiptronic and have the neo rb, that they would be using the same or very similar auto gearbox as r34s? is that at all true?

Most likely ill be going down the stagea road just based on the fact they are lot easier to source parts/repair compare to a legnum.

Not fussed on too many mods though for the car, will be used for a lot of long treks, so dont need something running on a knife edge. Simple bolt ons will be as much as i will need - exhaust, FMIC, SAFC etc, basic things along those lines - give it a bit of extra power to haul a car full of people and gear.

Your definitely right though Kidafa, far cheaper to purchase privately, although ill see if any car yards will do a decent deal since i wouldnt mind getting a dealer warranty, especially since to get this wagon ill be getting rid of my other car which still has a few years left on its factory warranty.

Thanks for the info Infiltrator, will give them a call. Anyone know of any other dealers around Melbourne that have a few stageas in stock?

Series 1 is R33 S2 is R34 as far as running gear is concerned. Hard to import a genuine low mileage C34 - better to buy one off this forum where someone has fitted the Bilsteins and sway bars to make it handle! Stock not as quick as a Legnum but there are plenty of fast Stageas among forum members.

[bubba]

S2 RS4V ftw.

It's the first auto car I have purchased and I don't mind it at all. I put a mild shift kit through the auto and that made a huge difference to how it handled/put down the power.

My wagon has a bigass highflow, full exhaust, fmic, Haltech (soon to be NIStune), Tein coilovers, 33gtr swaybars, shimmed up LSD out of my skyline and some slotted rotors up front with greenstuff pads. Also got a carpc running datascan all the time and a programmable CB for the country trips.

Hauls ass, is an hillarious lunchbox and can fit heaps of shit. I love it. The ULTIMATE tourer, I do several several-thousand-km trips a year as well as driving it to work daily and it loves ALL of it.

[Lucid-_-Stag]

Chasing a warranty from an import yard.... Good luck! Make sure you read the warranty terms very well! Think you'll find next to nothing is covered less its serviced by them every 5 minutes at some bull shit rate.

Sorry but im looking at the moment for an m35 and am having HEAPS of options with warranty, Most places dont mind where its serviced, so long as its done every 10,000kms or 6 months (which ever comes first) this is a big advantage for me because here in canberra there are no car importers so yeah

Nagoya motors and GT High Performance are 2 that spring strait to mind, not sure about northshore imports but just ask, most dealers will do 5 year warrantys for free so yeah.

Just my 2C's

Cheers, Michael

[sturb25]

Try Luxury Performance Vehicles Showroom and Workshop

Address

2/23 Scoresby Road

Bayswater 3153

Victoria, Australia

Phone

+61 3 9720 6789

good cars and they have 2 in stock. white and silver.

+1 for luxury and performance vehicles, thats where i bought mine. Frank is pretty good, he helped me out about 6months after i bought mine as the shocks where really bouncy and he replaced them with a good second hand set free of charge.

I also got a 3 year warranty from him when i bought mine through 24/7 road services and they cover lots and lots of parts That include most of the engine, transmission, differential, cooling system, braking system, electrical system, steering system, fuel system, clutch system, air conditioner, cv joints and universals, turbocharger, engine computer (ECU), Abs system, Electronic ignition components, cyclinder heads, radiator, power window motors.

As for servicing they do require you to get yor car serviced by a mechanic and the warranty book stamped and tab sent in to them every 10,000km. I just serviced mine in between on the 5000k service.

Theres a list of things they cover in those areas and they cover them for a certain amount depending on what level of policy you chose. Of course they dont cover any wear and tear items but its there incase anything goes wrong. For instance i claimed a set of coil packs and they covered the cost of replacing them with split fire coil packs.

Anyway

just thought id let you know, he will look after you

Stu

O and dont buy a legnum. Stagea's are a better option, plus legnums are really hard to get parts for and you will find there parts are alot dearer as they arent as common.

Edited October 27, 2010 by sturb25

[seraphyn_r33]

Thanks a lot for all the info guys! its really helping alot!

At the end of the day, if i find the right car privately, i will go private, which is what im leaning towards anyway since as we all know you can get a far better price. But if the right car comes up in a yard, ill go there. In terms of dealer warranty it just comes down to the yard itself and how hard you push them, and how much they want to get rid of the car.

Thanks for the suggestions Lucid, although they are all Sydney dealers, im Looking for local melbourne dealers so i can take a few for a spin and see what they are like.

Your definitely right stu, its one of the main reasons why im leaning towards a stag instead of legnum is because of the availabilty and price of replacement/spare/modified parts. Thanks for the info on luxury and performance vehicles too, ill ring them today/tomorrow and tee up a test drive of 1 or 2. Ill also give SSV a call, see if they have any in stock. Correct me if im wrong, but Kamikaze dont keep any stags in the yard unless its a customers order??? ill give them a buzz anyway

[WGNPWR]

kamakazie are gone afaik

[seraphyn_r33]

My bad, Carizma as its now known

[pixel8r]

If you want a good auto box, go with the s2 stagea and get a MV automatics shift kit. From 2 years of experience driving a s2, I can tell you the shift kit was the best mod I did.

If you're coming from an R33 you'll love the fact that the s2 stagea shares a lot of skyline bits and tuning potential.

Stageas dont drive like a commodore or falcon wagon. Most people who have driven mine have commented that it just doesn't feel like a wagon.

I'd say go for an M35, but they are a different car again and aimed at a different market to the s1/s2. More comfortable and more luxury, but then the parts are rarer etc.

[-NismoR32-]

kamakazie are gone afaik

Now trading as Import Factory.

Import Factory

Carizma is another place.

Carizma

I used J-Spec for my Stagea.

J-Spec

Edited October 29, 2010 by -NismoR32-

[DaveB]

Is there a Bowie reference in here somewhere?

[bubba]

If you want a good auto box, go with the s2 stagea and get a MV automatics shift kit. From 2 years of experience driving a s2, I can tell you the shift kit was the best mod I did.

If you're coming from an R33 you'll love the fact that the s2 stagea shares a lot of skyline bits and tuning potential.

Stageas dont drive like a commodore or falcon wagon. Most people who have driven mine have commented that it just doesn't feel like a wagon.

I'd say go for an M35, but they are a different car again and aimed at a different market to the s1/s2. More comfortable and more luxury, but then the parts are rarer etc.

+11ty to all that.

With coilovers, adjustable arms and bigger swaybars, my wagon handles like a heavier version of my skyline. All the turn in and transition characteristics are there, you just have to remember it's like 500kg heavier so things happen just a little bit slower.

Edited October 30, 2010 by bubba